Anonymous
Post 05/26/2020 01:39     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Worth it: English muffins, roasting your own nuts (easy to control salt), pitas, whipped cream, cold brew, pie crust, pesto, salad dressings

Not worth it: hummus (have not mastered this one, maybe with more tries it would be?) peanut butter (not much cost savings and my homemade tastes the same as store bought fresh ground),


Are you using dried garbanzo beans? Maybe you are using the wrong or not enough tahini paste?


DP but I have never succeeded in making hummus as smooth as store bought and I’ve done every imaginable thing to get the garbanzo beans softer.


https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/01/ethereally-smooth-hummus/

I have only ever made it with canned beans, but it is very smooth.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 23:20     Subject: Re:What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry. Nothing beats Asmar’s. Sooooo good.


Groooooss.


Blasphemy!
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 23:17     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Worth it: English muffins, roasting your own nuts (easy to control salt), pitas, whipped cream, cold brew, pie crust, pesto, salad dressings

Not worth it: hummus (have not mastered this one, maybe with more tries it would be?) peanut butter (not much cost savings and my homemade tastes the same as store bought fresh ground),


Are you using dried garbanzo beans? Maybe you are using the wrong or not enough tahini paste?


DP but I have never succeeded in making hummus as smooth as store bought and I’ve done every imaginable thing to get the garbanzo beans softer.


You need to soak overnight and cook them until mushy. Then, add a lot of tahina. You need a good blender or food processor. You might need to add a little water or extra lemon to dilute for puréeing purposes.


OP here. I’ve made *pretty* good hummus (used Smitten Kitchen recipe) and it’s good enough on day 1 but how do you guys store it? Mine hardens up in the fridge and in the end this hasn’t been worth the effort for me. We usually buy a big tub at the grocery store and eat with veggies throughout the week but mine isn’t great by day 2 even...


I use this recipe: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-hummus-from-scratch-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-107560

sooo good. you have to mix in some of the can liquid, and let it puree for the full 5 minutes. I don’t know how well it lasts because we never have leftovers! I also only use half the tahini because I’m not a huge tahini fan.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 23:03     Subject: Re:What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry. Nothing beats Asmar’s. Sooooo good.


Groooooss.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:58     Subject: Re:What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
I’m sorry. Nothing beats Asmar’s. Sooooo good.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:45     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Worth it: English muffins, roasting your own nuts (easy to control salt), pitas, whipped cream, cold brew, pie crust, pesto, salad dressings

Not worth it: hummus (have not mastered this one, maybe with more tries it would be?) peanut butter (not much cost savings and my homemade tastes the same as store bought fresh ground),


Are you using dried garbanzo beans? Maybe you are using the wrong or not enough tahini paste?


DP but I have never succeeded in making hummus as smooth as store bought and I’ve done every imaginable thing to get the garbanzo beans softer.


You need to soak overnight and cook them until mushy. Then, add a lot of tahina. You need a good blender or food processor. You might need to add a little water or extra lemon to dilute for puréeing purposes.


OP here. I’ve made *pretty* good hummus (used Smitten Kitchen recipe) and it’s good enough on day 1 but how do you guys store it? Mine hardens up in the fridge and in the end this hasn’t been worth the effort for me. We usually buy a big tub at the grocery store and eat with veggies throughout the week but mine isn’t great by day 2 even...



So, my advice would be to overnight soak a large bag of hummus. Freeze half. Boil and use the other half for your hummus. Personally, I don’t eat it after day four. You need to serve at room temperature - so take a portion out and put on your counter for 30 minutes. Then, thin with fresh squeezed lemon, and then add a layer of good olive oil just before eating. Next time you want hummus, defrost and cook. https://food52.com/recipes/22888-yotam-ottolenghi-sami-tamimi-s-basic-hummus
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:31     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Worth it: English muffins, roasting your own nuts (easy to control salt), pitas, whipped cream, cold brew, pie crust, pesto, salad dressings

Not worth it: hummus (have not mastered this one, maybe with more tries it would be?) peanut butter (not much cost savings and my homemade tastes the same as store bought fresh ground),


Are you using dried garbanzo beans? Maybe you are using the wrong or not enough tahini paste?


DP but I have never succeeded in making hummus as smooth as store bought and I’ve done every imaginable thing to get the garbanzo beans softer.


You need to soak overnight and cook them until mushy. Then, add a lot of tahina. You need a good blender or food processor. You might need to add a little water or extra lemon to dilute for puréeing purposes.


OP here. I’ve made *pretty* good hummus (used Smitten Kitchen recipe) and it’s good enough on day 1 but how do you guys store it? Mine hardens up in the fridge and in the end this hasn’t been worth the effort for me. We usually buy a big tub at the grocery store and eat with veggies throughout the week but mine isn’t great by day 2 even...
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:30     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Mayonnaise and whipped cream taste completely different, and MUCH better, when made by hand at home. You haven’t had mayo or whipped cream unless you’ve tasted homemade.

Cakes and pies as well because I make them less sweet.

Bread and yogurt ate too much work, although I’ve liked my attempts.

Usually I cook from scratch.



I read this as they taste different from each other and couldn't help but wonder who you thought was reading this board that needed that helpful hint.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:26     Subject: Re:What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Worth making from scratch: challah, falafel, granola, salad dressing, hummus, pita chips, acai bowls, chocolate chip cookies
Not worth it: brownies
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:14     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
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.


Nah, you didn’t understand the question and are now backtracking. Who TF churns butter themself these days? And please explain “sea food from scratch”. Did you give birth to the seafood? Because that’s the only way you could “make it from scratch”. You purchased seafood and cooked it—that’s not from scratch.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:13     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I prefer dried pasta to fresh pasta. Fresh pasta always tastes heavy.


You are probably overkneading or adding too much flour.


No. Compared to all fresh made.


Then you are using the wrong flour.


No. I am talking about all fresh made pasta. By every type I have ever had. Not just made by me. I like dried better.


I do, too. I prefer al dente, fresh pasta is too mushy for me.


Not sure you know what al dente means. It sounds like you don’t like egg pasta. However, there are many pastas that are not made with eggs, e.g., semolina and water pastas.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:08     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Worth it: English muffins, roasting your own nuts (easy to control salt), pitas, whipped cream, cold brew, pie crust, pesto, salad dressings

Not worth it: hummus (have not mastered this one, maybe with more tries it would be?) peanut butter (not much cost savings and my homemade tastes the same as store bought fresh ground),


Are you using dried garbanzo beans? Maybe you are using the wrong or not enough tahini paste?


DP but I have never succeeded in making hummus as smooth as store bought and I’ve done every imaginable thing to get the garbanzo beans softer.


You need to soak overnight and cook them until mushy. Then, add a lot of tahina. You need a good blender or food processor. You might need to add a little water or extra lemon to dilute for puréeing purposes.


No need to soak, just add a tiny amount of baking soda (1/8 to 1/4 tsp) when cooking. They’ll come out super mushy. If you want smooth, you’d actually need to remove the peels, but I make it with peels - extra smoothness not worth the time. Yes, another thing that I make from scratch. Don’t add oil into the hummus, add on top, makes a huge difference.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:02     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
From scratch: meatballs, crepes, Pasta sauce, rice, mashed potatoes, a lot of the vegetables / beans meats foods, icing, whipped cream, cookies.

Store/ restaurant bought: Bread, pasta, pizza, cakes.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 21:56     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Rao’s is better than any marinara I have had that is homemade.


What a tragic life you do lead.


No. 99% of people are not good cooks.


Go to Italy and report back.



Someone please share a marinara recipe that is “worth it”.

Sauté a diced onion and 4 smashed cloves of Garlic in a fair amount of olive oil (regular, not virgin). Put in a crock pot with 2 cans of crushed and 2 cans of whole Italian tomatoes. Add 1 Tbs Turkish oregano 2 tsp salt, and a bay leaf. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If it’s not sweet enough, add tomato paste 1 tbs at a time. Use an immersion blender to smooth it out.
It’s not complicated, it’s figuring out what you prefer your marinara to taste like. Sweeter, more garlic, more Umami (mushrooms) - adjust as you like.




Can I do it on the stovetop or in the oven? I don’t have a crockpot.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 21:54     Subject: What do you find not worth it to make from scratch? And what is worth making from scratch?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I prefer dried pasta to fresh pasta. Fresh pasta always tastes heavy.


You are probably overkneading or adding too much flour.


No. Compared to all fresh made.


Then you are using the wrong flour.


No. I am talking about all fresh made pasta. By every type I have ever had. Not just made by me. I like dried better.


I do, too. I prefer al dente, fresh pasta is too mushy for me.