From scratch cooking

OhSusanna

OhSusanna

Golden Chicken
Messages
153
I used to cook from scratch, but in recent years I've been taking shortcuts like buying mixes for waffles and canned icing (for shame). I've forgotten how to make a lot of stuff right when my oldest daughter is asking to learn about it. I've tried to find a website, cookbook, or YouTube channel that features from scratch cooking and baking, but I'm coming up empty. Maybe my Google Fu is broken. Any recommendations?
 
Almost Eden

Almost Eden

Bean Stalker
Messages
212
Our Inspired Roots and Tastes Better From Scratch are two of my favorite websites that feature cooking from scratch, but they sometimes rely on store bought foods like tortillas instead of making their own. For things like that, I just google how to make X food item from scratch. Of course, some things are cheaper to buy than they are to make and without sacrificing taste. Tortillas are probably a good example of that. It's also usually cheaper to buy a whole roasted chicken than it is to make your own.
 
Minty

Minty

Farm Hand
Messages
58
I have never really tried cooking from scratch. Haven’t got the motivation to do that I would say. But I am trying to buy less from the stores, especially right now we have the virus.
 

Giselle

Farm Hand
Messages
27
Cooking from scratch can be eventually more expensive but it still depends what do you usually eat and how much you eat. I personally find it pretty hard but I saw some people are doing it well. Though it seems like most of them do not cook completely from scratch.
 

jjp8182

Farm Hand
Messages
96
I usually either resort to my cookbooks - or searching for the single item recipe, or go to one of my usual recipe sites: food.com, foodnetwork.com, allrecipes.com -- or just add the word "recipe" to whatever item I'm looking to make when searching via google. Some food producers also provide recipes (e.g. Betty Crocker - where I just found a recipe for Vanilla Buttercream frosting).

On youtube, there's Bon Appetit, The Scott Rea Project (mostly meats & butchering),and even grocer's channels like Kroger and Publix will have recipe videos, Cowboy Kent Collins (western/trail cooking)

However, my first stop (especially when I'm in the kitchen) is my Betty Crocker cookbook.

Not sure I completely understand the comment on cooking from scratch costing more as I've yet to find a pre-made (or even pre-packaged) meal that costs less than buying the ingredients and cooking the meal myself -- it may be true when it comes to baking (breads, muffins, etc),but cooking and especially cooking full meals I've yet to see it. Which is part of the reason a vast majority of the meals I make in a week are made from scratch partly for that reason and partially because I find that having full (or nearly full) control over the ingredients generally results in a better tasting meal. Granted most of my meals consist of a protein, heated with vegetables so I'm not trying to be trendy or fashionable with new sauces or flavors, but just creating simple good tasting meals. ....and sometimes just changing something as simple as the type of oil used can change the flavor.

Sometimes with cooking it's just as simple as "playing with your food" and trying new things that you may think will make a tasty combination...... granted doing that with baking can be bit more complicated as there are usually chemistries in the recipe that need to be preserved to ensure it rises and creates the fluffy texture desired, but adding things like fruit, veggies or cheeses usually can be done without much issue.
 

Birdie

Golden Chicken
Messages
112
Not sure I completely understand the comment on cooking from scratch costing more as I've yet to find a pre-made (or even pre-packaged) meal that costs less than buying the ingredients and cooking the meal myself -- it may be true when it comes to baking (breads, muffins, etc),but cooking and especially cooking full meals I've yet to see it.
I believe the comment was about the average person, not one of us. I can grow and preserve fruits and veggies cheaply and I can raise and butcher chicken. But for the average person I think it's cheaper to buy a full roasted chicken at Costco. If you use as much of the bird as possible that is.
 
 
Top