I have noticed lists all over the place telling you which items you should make and not buy. Those lists are the opinions of the writers and they vary greatly. I decided to see if there were any similarities in those lists and that is the subject of this Cooking Tip.
For me, there are certain items that I never buy including tomato sauce products (pasta sauce, pizza sauce, etc.), pesto, tortillas, most spice mixes and premade desserts. Some of those made it onto the lists that I had seen but not all.
Here are the items that are most commonly on a “Make It – Don’t Buy It” list. The reasons for these recommendations could be the taste, the nutritional value and/or the cost.
Bread – along with the next item, this is the food item that most writers recommend making. Making bread is not difficult and it is certainly cheaper than buying store-bought bread. Most decent store-bought bread is a minimum of $3.50 and can go even higher for artisan loafs. You can certainly make it for a fraction of that. Your homemade bread will also lack the preservatives and other additives that are in store-bought bread. However, you do need time to make homemade bread. I will also include in this category items such as croutons and bread crumbs. They are so easy to make and are a great use for bread that is going stale.
Salad Dressings – Vinaigrettes and other salad dressings are very simple to make and you can make flavors that are difficult to find in the store. Once again, it can also be less expensive depending on the cost of your ingredients. It can be as easy as just drizzling vinegar and oil on your salad or something a bit more involved. This is an item where I admit that I have both in my refrigerator.
Stock – this was second only to bread and salad dressings found on “make, don’t buy” lists. However, making your own stock takes time and ingredients. For example, you need some sort of meat bones for chicken/beef broth, shrimp shells or fish bones for seafood stock. If you have the discipline and space to save those items rather than throw them away, making stock is easy but does take time. You also need to portion it out and freeze it when you are done, which takes freezer space that some just don’t have. I try to make home-made stock when I can but I always have good quality store-bought stock in my pantry as it is a frequently used ingredient for me.
Dips such as hummus, guacamole, salsa and pico de gallo – these are items that you probably don’t have in your kitchen all the time. Rather, you want them for certain occasions or dishes. Because of that, you may or may not have the ingredients on hand when you want them. If you do, you can easily throw them together rather than running out and buying a pre-made version. The cost may be a toss-up.
Pesto – as I mentioned, I never buy this. I tend to make different versions when I have the time and ingredients. I freeze it in ice cube trays and transfer to freezer bags or containers. That way, I always have pesto available and I love having versions made with different herbs and/or cheese.
Nut butters – this is not an item that we consume or use much at all. So, I rarely have them in my pantry in either store-bought or home-made versions. If these are a staple for you, you might want to consider making them especially for those that are very expensive in the stores such as almond butter & cashew butter. You can control what goes into them and also personalize the flavors.
Pancake mixes – making pancakes and waffles is so easy with ingredients that you will almost surely have at home that there is really very little reason to buy pre-made mixes.
Tomato products – I never buy pasta, pizza or other tomato products. It is so simple to throw together a marinara or heartier sauce that will be less expensive and so easy to personalize to your tastes.
Granola – if you have never made your own, give it a try. Just make the amount you want with the ingredients you want. It will save you money and taste great.
Spice mixes – except for very commonly used mixes (Italian seasoning) or those that take a myriad of spices that I don’t have on hand (curry powder, chili blends), I never buy spice mixes. If you have the individual spices on hand, you can use those to make just the amount you want and not have left-over mix that might lose its flavor before you use it again. A perfect example is Pumpkin Pie spice.
There are many other items that are on some lists but the above are the most commonly mentioned. Do you agree with them? What do you never buy? Your list will probably be different than my list or other’s lists. It will depend on your priorities, your time and your desire.
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