What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have found pizza to be worth it during this quarantine.

Same here.

[Anonymous]

Bread - not worth it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not worth it: butter, deep fried foods, rice
Worth it: breads and pastries, salad, pasta, seafood, sushi

I don’t think you understood the question.

Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Why do you think I didn't get the question? It was "What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?"

I do not find it worth it to make butter, deep fried foods, and rice from scratch. I do, however, find making breads and pastries, salad, pasta, seafood and sushi from scratch worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re rice: +1 on the rice cooker. The alternative seems to be frozen boil in bag stuff or the dreadful parboiled/“converted” rice. Blech.

Or....you could just cook rice in a pot! On the stove! You know like people have done for a very long time! Or over any kind of fire as people have done for centuries and millennia....How on earth is it that your only alternative is frozen boil?? Or a rice cooker!

Exactly. I make rice in a simple pot. Easy peasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bread - not worth it

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have found pizza to be worth it during this quarantine.

Same here.

Homemade dough, too? Homemade or jarred sauce? What is the best cheese to use if making at home?

[Anonymous]

I’m never happy with risotto in a restaurant. I think I make it much better at home.

That and the whipped cream

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once you have a rice cooker, rice from scratch is definitely worth it.

How else would you make rice, other than from scratch?

I never made any weird rice...but frozen rice bowls from TJ are all the rage on dcum. I thought it was some kind of rice and veggies and meat bowl, but was told it is plain frozen rice.

NP here. OMG, this is insanely wasteful from an excess plastic perspective. I agree that once or twice I've wanted to make rice, but decided too late before dinner...but don't they have minute rice? Reheating frozen rice has to be about time and not ease, right?

Bag of frozen rice you microwave and bag of minute rice have the exact same footprint waste wise. Neither is more wasteful than the other. They each come in a plastic bag inside a box

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have found pizza to be worth it during this quarantine.

Same here.

Homemade dough, too? Homemade or jarred sauce? What is the best cheese to use if making at home?

Yes, dough from scratch. It’s delicious! For the sauce you can make your own from scratch or use store bought. For cheese, I use whatever I have on hand but of course, preferably mozzarella (I don’t make the cheese from scratch!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have found pizza to be worth it during this quarantine.

Same here.

Homemade dough, too? Homemade or jarred sauce? What is the best cheese to use if making at home?

Yes, dough from scratch. It’s delicious! For the sauce you can make your own from scratch or use store bought. For cheese, I use whatever I have on hand but of course, preferably mozzarella (I don’t make the cheese from scratch!).

Love making mozzarella from scratch! It's so soft and pillowy. Even though I use cow milk, it comes out very similar to authentic buffalo mozzarella

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re rice: +1 on the rice cooker. The alternative seems to be frozen boil in bag stuff or the dreadful parboiled/“converted” rice. Blech.

Or....you could just cook rice in a pot! On the stove! You know like people have done for a very long time! Or over any kind of fire as people have done for centuries and millennia....How on earth is it that your only alternative is frozen boil?? Or a rice cooker!

This. I’m so confused by all this talk of making right from scratch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rao’s is better than any marinara I have had that is homemade.

What a tragic life you do lead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I make nothing from scratch. Way too much work.

+1. And there is usually a version, and yes it might be pricey, of anything that is just as good as what I would make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re rice: +1 on the rice cooker. The alternative seems to be frozen boil in bag stuff or the dreadful parboiled/“converted” rice. Blech.

Or....you could just cook rice in a pot! On the stove! You know like people have done for a very long time! Or over any kind of fire as people have done for centuries and millennia....How on earth is it that your only alternative is frozen boil?? Or a rice cooker!

I cook my rice in my microwave. Perfect basmati rice all the time, every day. I can cook it on the stovetop, rice cooker or pressure cooker too. I cannot imagine eating frozen rice. Mainly because of plastic, taste and waster of freezer space.

Can you please share how you make microwave basmati? Proportions, dish shape/size, and time?

I use a pyrex glass 8 cup measuring cup. I make around 1 or 2 cups rice for each meal depending on what is on the menu. Family of 4.


I normally use Tilda Basmati rice, though any will work.


Take 1 cup rice and put in in the pyrex measuring cup. Fill half way with water and with your fingers gently swish the rice. Pour out the cloudy water as much as you can without dumping out the rice. Do this three times. Now, add 3 cups of water to the pyrex dish. Microwave on 15 minutes. Since I do not know how powerful your microwave is, you can microwave for 10 minutes first and then check and then microwave for additional minutes. Once the top layers of rice stands up, put in serving platter and gently seperate it so that the steam dissapates. Usually we make it fresh so we just serve from the pyrex measuring cup and it is all finished at each meal.

There are other tricks and tips also. You can add some roasted cumin, salt, turmeric, butter or ghee and frozen peas to make an even more festive rice.

Adjust the water as needed for your rice and microwave. If the rice becomes too dry or hard add more water, if it is too moist and wet, reduce water. If you soak the rice in the water for 1/2 hour or more, you will need to reduce some water while cooking.

[Anonymous]

On rice, I just discovered Ottolenghi's method (maybe it's not his, but I found it in his cookbook):

450 oven (so maybe not great in the summer)
13X9 baking dish

2 cups basmati
Scant 3/5 cups water
1/4 c butter cut up
3/4 tsp kosher salt

Cover tightly with foil, bake 30 minutes. Fluff. It works every time which I appreciate since I fail at jasmine rice on the stove top! I haven't tried it with jasmine but it might just work best with basmati.