Is cooking chili at home generally a waste of time and money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could see cinnamon working. If BBQ sauce works with chicken, why wouldn’t a dash of cinnamon enhance the chili flavors?

+1 to cinnamon. It's just a bit, it doesn't make the chili taste like cinnamon, it just blends well with the other spices. I add it to burgers too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y’all need to stop it with the box of cornbread. Especially if you are making that gross stuff with sugar. Cornbread is so easy to make. Self-rising cornmeal, an egg, milk (or buttermilk if you have it), and oil. That’s it. Use Crisco (only Crisco) to grease a cast iron skillet. Heat it up in the oven (about 425ish). Once the skillet is hot, add the batter. Cook about 20-25 minutes. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

Yes, it does. Box of Jiffy, one egg, 1/3 cup milk. I enjoy it and I don’t care what snobs like you have to say. And before you try to reply, stop: if you so much as drink the occasional Diet Coke, then you, too, have food and drink choices that weeeeeeeee would nevvvver, and how coullllllld you when making your own salad dressing, ricotta cheese, yogurt, pasta, etc., is soooooo easssyyy and soooo muchhh better.

Don’t most cornbread recipes contain sugar? I don’t use jiffy. I use the recipe that is on the back of Bob’s Red Mill cornmeal. It has 1/4 c sugar. I suppose you could omit it, but every corn bread I had is at least a tiny hint of sweet. Not cake, but not totally savory either

[Anonymous]

We love chili here. One of the easiest is chili verde with made with green salsa or the hatch chilis they sell at Costco and ground pork/chicken/turkey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar seems to add depth to the flavor

Soy sauce will, too. Adds that umami.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? No. Ground beef, canned beans, chili powder, tomato sauce, boxed cornbread. Freeze half for another time.

LMAO I have no idea whaat this is aa recipe for but it's not chili

anyway, OP, I just freeze it. It freezes really well and I like to have it for lunch.

WTF are you talking about?

Post your recipe.

She's probably referring to the tomato sauce. I've never heard of chili being made with tomato sauce.

My recipe is similar -- 80% lean ground beef (drained), pinto or chili beans (keep the juice), chili powder, cayenne, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes (canned is fine), a cup of stout or porter. Serve over corn bread, corn chips (fritos) or tortilla chips. Shredded cheese, sour cream, hot sauce bar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y’all need to stop it with the box of cornbread. Especially if you are making that gross stuff with sugar. Cornbread is so easy to make. Self-rising cornmeal, an egg, milk (or buttermilk if you have it), and oil. That’s it. Use Crisco (only Crisco) to grease a cast iron skillet. Heat it up in the oven (about 425ish). Once the skillet is hot, add the batter. Cook about 20-25 minutes. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

Yes, it does. Box of Jiffy, one egg, 1/3 cup milk. I enjoy it and I don’t care what snobs like you have to say. And before you try to reply, stop: if you so much as drink the occasional Diet Coke, then you, too, have food and drink choices that weeeeeeeee would nevvvver, and how coullllllld you when making your own salad dressing, ricotta cheese, yogurt, pasta, etc., is soooooo easssyyy and soooo muchhh better.

😂 +1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what u put in your chili that is so expensive or complicated but you must be doing it wrong.

+1 Also, it's one pot. One knife. One cutting board. I don't understand what's happening in this kitchen that chili is expensive and messy. Spices are not cheap but all the spices I use for chili I have in my house anyway, it's not like I'm trying to find a particular ras al hanout blend just for this dish. As for getting the recipe right, if you have a go-to recipe, just don't change it.

-confused Texan

[Anonymous]

OP must be a terrible cook if they prefer store bought chili, of all foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP must be a terrible cook if they prefer store bought chili, of all foods.

Did not say store bought, I said restaurant or deli made to-go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? No. Ground beef, canned beans, chili powder, tomato sauce, boxed cornbread. Freeze half for another time.

LMAO I have no idea whaat this is aa recipe for but it's not chili

anyway, OP, I just freeze it. It freezes really well and I like to have it for lunch.

WTF are you talking about?

Post your recipe.

She's probably referring to the tomato sauce. I've never heard of chili being made with tomato sauce.

My recipe is similar -- 80% lean ground beef (drained), pinto or chili beans (keep the juice), chili powder, cayenne, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes (canned is fine), a cup of stout or porter. Serve over corn bread, corn chips (fritos) or tortilla chips. Shredded cheese, sour cream, hot sauce bar.

It’s pretty common. A lot of people don’t like hunks of warm tomato (I agree).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

She's probably referring to the tomato sauce. I've never heard of chili being made with tomato sauce.

My recipe is similar -- 80% lean ground beef (drained), pinto or chili beans (keep the juice), chili powder, cayenne, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes (canned is fine), a cup of stout or porter. Serve over corn bread, corn chips (fritos) or tortilla chips. Shredded cheese, sour cream, hot sauce bar.

Added beer to our recent chili and it turned out gross.

[Anonymous]

I am loving this thread, so many people are wrong. we make chili once a month (double batch to last a few days) and eat it with tortilla chipes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP must be a terrible cook if they prefer store bought chili, of all foods.

Did not say store bought, I said restaurant or deli made to-go.

Chili is just such a personal taste. I guess if you found a restaurant recipe that just tasted amazing to you, then go for it. I've always found the best way to get what I want is to make it myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huh it’s so cheap. $7 for a lb of ground beef, $1 a can of bean and $2 for two cans of tomatoes plus a pack of chili seasoning. Maybe $12 tops. Box of $3 cornbread. $15 for four. No leftovers. Just paid $20 for two meals at chick fil a.

That's not chili. That is some sort of cheap slop they'd serve at a primary school summer camp in the woods.

Hmm. NP here and I guess I also make cheap slop and call it chili.

Brown ground turkey with cumin/chili powder/garlic powder, add a can each of corn, rinsed kidney beans, and crush fire roasted tomatoes. Top it off with some bone broth and a little salsa from a jar. I also throw in a little steel cut oatmeal as a thickener. Bring to a boil and then simmer.

Not chili maybe but inexpensive and quick
Perhaps real chili is too time consuming?

Oatmeal. Oh my god. OH MY GOD. OH GOD!!!!!!!!

I did leave out the fact that I keep a bag of pre-cut cabbage (I think it's for coleslaw) in my fridge. Before I start the simmer, I throw in a few handfuls of it and make sure it submerged so it disintegrates a little. Okay maybe you are right in that it's not chili.

New poster. Note I am nowhere near a chili purist - I just do the basic mccormick, but one can black beans and 2 cans of tomato, plus sautéed other veggies, and sometimes beer.

Anyway. This is ...... I don't even know. Not chili? oatmeal, cabbage, bone broth and salsa. I think maybe you're making deconstructured stuffed cabbage? I don't even know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The ingredients cost more than you think. It takes so much time and cleanup, even with a crock or instant pot. I have no idea why but it's always a challenge to get the recipe just right (sometimes it comes out way too spicy or just incredibly mediocre). No matter what, we always make too big of a batch, so the kids are tired of it and nobody wants chili on day 2 or 3. Moving forward, I think if we're craving chili we're just going to get it to-go from a restaurant that specializes in making it.

I like having my home have the nice smells from chilli so for me it isn't a waste.