# "Cooking from Scratch" - What's it mean to you?



## Kayelle (Dec 9, 2014)

All the banter recently about "cooking from scratch" leads me to question just how people define the term. 

Some may think it means not using any pre made shortcuts at all. 

Some may think it means following a recipe or making up your own. 

Others may think it's cooking without anything being prepared by someone else, like cake mixes, canned goods etc. 

Still others, may call it turning on the stove.

I was thinking about a response I gave to PPO last year about his wonderful Shortcut Chicken Tortilla soup. I said:
"Nothing at all wrong with shortcuts imo.  If I had to cook the chicken,  make the tortillas, cook the dried beans, shuck the corn and make the  salsa it would loose it's appeal for me." 

What say you?


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 9, 2014)

I have always been a big fan of cooking from scratch.

Now that I'm older and live alone I'm finding that scratch cooking is more expensive, in some cases, than using a few prepared items.  I enjoy watching Jacques Pepin on PBS because he skillfully combines scratch cooking with prepared foods in an artful and effortless way that appeals to me.  

I guess I'm an old dog that is learning a few new tricks!


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## bakechef (Dec 9, 2014)

For me it means not using shortcuts like mixes and such.  If I make soup with boxed broth, I'd call it homemade, if I made my own stock and soup, it would be from scratch.


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## Cheryl J (Dec 9, 2014)

bakechef, I was just going to use the same analogy as you did, regarding soup.  So I'll use a different one. 

To me 'from scratch' means using no prepared ingredients at all. I would say 'homemade', though.   If I were to make a lasagna, for example, and made the sauce with fresh tomatoes and canned tomato sauce, added the seasonings, browned the beef, shredded the cheese, layered everything together with store bought lasagna noodles, I would call it homemade.  

If I were to call it 'from scratch', to me it would mean making my own fresh lasagna noodles, putting together a sauce from home grown tomatoes, etc....

When I make blueberry muffins or banana bread, I don't use a mix, but I don't mill my own flour or churn my own butter either so I don't feel like I could call them made from scratch. 

Good topic, Kay....it's likely to get a good conversation going!


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## Andy M. (Dec 9, 2014)

bakechef said:


> For me it means not using shortcuts like mixes and such.  If I make soup with boxed broth, I'd call it homemade, if I made my own stock and soup, it would be from scratch.




Despite what my signature says, bakechef's statement is a good way to describe my feelings.


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## Kayelle (Dec 9, 2014)

Just sayin' Andy. Your signature is my favorite of all time... That is truly "food for thought".


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## CWS4322 (Dec 9, 2014)

Cooking from scratch...means I make the stock, tomato paste, pesto, using the ingredients required but not using any pre-packaged mixes. Because we have a HUGE garden, both work from home, have a full pantry, etc., it is easier to make everything here. And, because I have so many sensitivities to chemicals and other additives, it just makes more sense. It does take more time, but that's the way we rock and roll. And, it lets us use more expensive ingredients than if we bought pre-packaged or prepared foods or if we went out to eat or got take out.


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## Roll_Bones (Dec 10, 2014)

I think its stupid to lump everything into one pot. No pun intended.
I take what help the store provides within reason.
Who in the world (see above) makes their own tomato paste?  I would never attempt it as the can tomato's are excellent and very easy to work with.

I use common sense and do what i can with what I have on hand.  A well stocked pantry and some ingenuity can turn out some excellent table fare.
I will make what i can from scratch, but when its already prepared for you and its quality, appearance and taste are as good or better than can be achieved in the home kitchen, I can see no logical reason to not use the products.

I just had some chicken tenders for lunch. To me it would be silly to make from scratch chicken tenders, when the ones I just had are as good as the restaurant.
They only took 3 minutes in the deep fryer.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 10, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> I think its stupid to lump everything into one pot. No pun intended.
> I take what help the store provides within reason.
> Who in the world (see above) makes their own tomato paste? I would never attempt it as the can tomato's are excellent and very easy to work with.
> 
> ...


When you have over 300 tomato plants in the garden, you make tomato paste, and sundried tomatoes, and ... Some people prefer to use what they can grow in a garden and go from there. The logical reason not to use prepared products depends on a person's sensitivities to preservatives and chemicals or a person's financial situation. Not everyone can afford the luxury of buying prepared products. I can't tolerate a lot of prepared products because of the additives. Hence, I find a way to re-create the same at home from ingredients I trust with no additives.


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## Andy M. (Dec 10, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> When you have over 300 tomato plants in the garden, you make tomato paste, and sundried tomatoes, and ... Some people prefer to use what they can grow in a garden and go from there. The logical reason not to use prepared products depends on a person's sensitivities to preservatives and chemicals or a person's financial situation. Not everyone can afford the luxury of buying prepared products. I can't tolerate a lot of prepared products because of the additives. Hence, I find a way to re-create the same at home from ingredients I trust with no additives.



Lucky for you that you can have and tend a garden big enough to cultivate over 300 tomato plants among other things. For the rest of us, that's not a possibility.  It's not a luxury to buy prepared products.  It's a necessity.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 10, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Lucky for you that you can have and tend a garden big enough to cultivate over 300 tomato plants among other things. For the rest of us, that's not a possibility.  It's not a luxury to buy prepared products.  It's a necessity.



+1. Not everyone is as healthy as you are, also, CWS. I am barely able to maintain the small garden we do have and I certainly don't have extra energy for canning a winter's worth of food.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 10, 2014)

I don't know that I'm that healthy. My point is that is a lifestyle choice. Caring for the gardens is a LOT of work. I don't see it as a luxury--it is exhausting at times. But, it is a lifestyle choice we have chosen because of my food sensitivities and our desire to be as self-sustaining as possible. We all make choices, and that was our choice. It works for us, but it also means that we don't eat out, we don't buy prepared foods, we plan ahead and figure out what we've got on hand and what we can do with what we have. I did go shopping yesterday to get the ingredients I was missing for the Christmas cookies I am baking. Because I don't eat sweets, I had to pick up ingredients--chocolate, extracts, brown sugar, etc. The only "food" item I had to get were onions--we are already out of onions that we dried from the garden. Note to self: PLANT MORE ONIONS.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 10, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Lucky for you that you can have and tend a garden big enough to cultivate over 300 tomato plants among other things. For the rest of us, that's not a possibility. It's not a luxury to buy prepared products. It's a necessity.


I disagree--it is a luxury to buy prepared products--I can do a rotisserie chicken in my oven for less that it costs to buy one already cooked at Costco.


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## Addie (Dec 10, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> I don't know that I'm that healthy. My point is that is a lifestyle choice. Caring for the gardens is a LOT of work. I don't see it as a luxury--it is exhausting at times. But, it is a lifestyle choice we have chosen because of my food sensitivities and our desire to be as self-sustaining as possible. We all make choices, and that was our choice. It works for us, but it also means that we don't eat out, we don't buy prepared foods, we plan ahead and figure out what we've got on hand and what we can do with what we have. I did go shopping yesterday to get the ingredients I was missing for the Christmas cookies I am baking. Because I don't eat sweets, I had to pick up ingredients--chocolate, extracts, brown sugar, etc. The only "food" item I had to get were onions--we are already out of onions that we dried from the garden. Note to self: PLANT MORE ONIONS.



I understand exactly what you are saying. You have chosen to be self sustaining farmers. It is a life style that is not available to most of the members here. And it is a lot of work! I remember my mother canning just the veggies from the two gardens. The big one and the small one just outside from the summer kitchen. The small one is what we ate from during the growing season. Like CWS, we also  had chickens, and unlike CWS, we had pigs also that went to slaughter every fall. Farming is definitely a lifestyle.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 10, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> I don't know that I'm that healthy. My point is that is a lifestyle choice. Caring for the gardens is a LOT of work.



Yes, I know it's a lot of work and I know it's a choice you made. I've pointed out to you before that many lifestyle choices are not possible for people who have serious chronic illnesses. Your choice is also not possible for people who work regular jobs and can't set their own hours, which is most of the population.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 10, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> I disagree--it is a luxury to buy prepared products--I can do a rotisserie chicken in my oven for less that it costs to buy one already cooked at Costco.



Money is not the only cost involved. Time, effort and energy are also required, and not everyone has those in abundance. If you added up the time you spent growing tomatoes and turning them into sauce, paste, etc., plus everything else you preserve, and then multiplied that time by your hourly rate for your work, I bet you would find it costs you more to do it from scratch. 

I don't get why you act like everyone could live the way you do if only they wanted to. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your choice and I understand why you made it, but you could try to understand why it won't work for most people.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Dec 10, 2014)

I like the term handmade or homemade.
Back in the day folks did provide for themselves, there were no grocery stores at hand, unless you lived in the City Centers, but you would still do as much as you could... Rooftop gardens, rooftop coops ... 
The term from scratch would have meant from nothing much or what little you had, into something.


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## Addie (Dec 10, 2014)

Do I cook from scratch? I would like to think I do. I don't mill my own flour or lay my eggs. But I do try to cook from scratch as much as I can. Only because I have noticed that I feel much better when I am not ingesting the additives that come with prepared foods. I do use frozen veggies. I shop for the month once a month. So buying fresh veggies would be a waste. A lot of it would rot before the month was over. I do try to use as many fresh products as I possibly can. And I do try to make as many products such as stock as I can. 

So yes. I do cook from scratch when I can.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 10, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> Money is not the only cost involved. Time, effort and energy are also required, and not everyone has those in abundance. If you added up the time you spent growing tomatoes and turning them into sauce, paste, etc., plus everything else you preserve, and then multiplied that time by your hourly rate for your work, I bet you would find it costs you more to do it from scratch.
> 
> I don't get why you act like everyone could live the way you do if only they wanted to. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with your choice and I understand why you made it, but you could try to understand why it won't work for most people.


GC--Excuse me? You have no idea the health problems I have overcome or suffered. Don't get me started on my health issues. People do make choices. It is a difference between "want" and "need." What others want, is not what I want. 

 We don't have a lot of money, but we eat well and the farm and the other two houses are mortgage free and there is money in the bank and invested. The tractors, two trucks, and the car are free and clear and were when we bought them. It is a choice. We made that choice. It wasn't easy. I bet you have a furnace. We don't--we heat with wood. This means that some mornings it is darned cold, but we don't rely on s/one else to bring us fuel and we don't pay ridiculous prices for heat nor do we waste that heat--if we wanted to fill the propane tank at my house, it would be $4k. No thank you. I'll wear long underwear in the house before I'll send that money up the chimney. You have no idea how I live or the choices I've made or the health problems I have. Walk a year in my shoes, and then we'll talk.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Dec 10, 2014)

Funny, Ya know CWS, today DH and I were driving through some the farms and orchards here in the middle of the desert 
(yes we do grow stuff here too  the 5 C's, citrus, cattle cotton and the other two are climate and copper) 
and I said that I would really like to spend a week or so on a working farm or ranch and WORK!  
DH asked me WHY?  
My response, without the ranchers and farmers you'd be walking around naked and starving. I support our local farmers and ranchers, for sure!


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## CWS4322 (Dec 10, 2014)

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> Funny, Ya know CWS, today DH and I were driving through some the farms and orchards here in the middle of the desert
> (yes we do grow stuff here too  the 5 C's, citrus, cattle cotton and the other two are climate and copper)
> and I said that I would really like to spend a week or so on a working farm or ranch and WORK!
> DH asked me WHY?
> My response, without the ranchers and farmers you'd be walking around naked and starving. I support our local farmers and ranchers, for sure!


+1 although I know how to spin, weave, knit, and sew, I don't rely on my own talents to make my own clothes. I'd be walking around naked!


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Dec 10, 2014)

The discussion that DH and I had on this car ride was that most folks don't know nor do they care, were their goods come from, how it got there, what's in it, just that it's there and they buy/pay for it.
I like fresh eggs from either my DF or the nice gal down the road a piece, I try to purchase organic when possible from local small farms, crafted cheeses and butter (there's loads of goats, sheep and cows 'round these parts).  The beef here in the middle of the desert is amazing!
Granted, I am retired and I have that luxury of time to seek these products out, but it's now my hobby, my quest to feed us two well and as healthfully as I can afford within our fixed income.
But honestly, with all of the farmers markets all over the place on the weekends only, I see oodles of working folk shopping there.


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## Kayelle (Dec 10, 2014)

Back to the subject at hand. 

IMO cooking from scratch certainly doesn't mean that one is necessarily a "superior" cook, or that one ends up with a "superior" product.


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## Addie (Dec 10, 2014)

Oh how I wish we  had year round farmers markets.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 10, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> Back to the subject at hand.
> 
> IMO cooking from scratch certainly doesn't mean that one is necessarily a "superior" cook, or that one ends up with a "superior" product.



+1..


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## GotGarlic (Dec 10, 2014)

Addie said:


> Oh how I wish we  had year round farmers markets.



We have the next best thing. Our farmers market is open from April till Dec. 20, and the primary farmer will deliver orders weekly through the winter to the home of the market manager for pick-up.


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 11, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> Back to the subject at hand.
> 
> IMO cooking from scratch certainly doesn't mean that one is necessarily a "superior" cook, or that one ends up with a "superior" product.



I agree.

It is also a modern phenomenon that people seem proud of the fact that they can cook from scratch and duplicate a processed food, just like KRAFT or some other manufacturer used to make!


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## bakechef (Dec 11, 2014)

Addie said:


> Oh how I wish we  had year round farmers markets.



We do here, although during the winter months the produce isn't really local.  There is still the honey vendors, bakery vendors, greenhouse/landscape vendors(since we can plant some things in the winter).  The veg when though shipped in, in the winter is often cheaper than the grocery store.

Sent from my IdeaTabA2109A using Discuss Cooking mobile app


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## Roll_Bones (Dec 11, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> When you have over 300 tomato plants in the garden, you make tomato paste, and sundried tomatoes, and ... Some people prefer to use what they can grow in a garden and go from there. The logical reason not to use prepared products depends on a person's sensitivities to preservatives and chemicals or a person's financial situation. Not everyone can afford the luxury of buying prepared products. I can't tolerate a lot of prepared products because of the additives. Hence, I find a way to re-create the same at home from ingredients I trust with no additives.



No one is chastising you.  The point is we all cannot live this life you live.  To be honest, I would not want to live like you.



CWS4322 said:


> I disagree--it is a luxury to buy prepared products--I can do a rotisserie chicken in my oven for less that it costs to buy one already cooked at Costco.



That's not true. 
Costco rotisserie chicken is $4.99.
Store bought uncooked whole chicken @$1.49LB x 3 Lbs = $4.47
Energy cost? 
Time?
= more money than picking up the cooked rotisserie chicken.

While i do agree with you for most prepared items, using a Costco rotisserie chicken as an example does not work mathematically.


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 12, 2014)

We *all* have to make choices and we *all* run the risk of ending up living under a bridge.

If I do end up living under a bridge I will probably continue cooking from scratch, most of the time!


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## CWS4322 (Dec 12, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> We *all* have to make choices and we *all* run the risk of ending up living under a bridge.
> 
> If I do end up living under a bridge I will probably continue cooking from scratch, most of the time!


+1 Very true. I probably would end up living in my car before I'd live under a bridge, and the two dogs would help keep me warm because one of my choices would not be to give up my dogs. The girls, on the other hand, would have to go into the witness protection program so as not to end up on someone's dinner plate.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 12, 2014)

That'll be enough of baiting each other about lifestyles.

Back the the actual topic at hand:  Cooking From Scratch


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## Addie (Dec 13, 2014)

I got the corned beef and Swiss cheese at the Deli and the loaf of rye bread from the store bakery. The sauerkraut is freshly made. Does that count as cooking from scratch when I make my Reuben Sandwich? After all I did have to wait for my number to be called at the deli.


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## Dawgluver (Dec 13, 2014)

Addie said:


> I got the corned beef and Swiss cheese at the Deli and the loaf of rye bread from the store bakery. The sauerkraut is freshly made. Does that count as cooking from scratch when I make my Reuben Sandwich? After all I did have to wait for my number to be called at the deli.




I would consider that cooking from scratch.  No-one specified WHOSE scratch.


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## Addie (Dec 13, 2014)

Dawgluver said:


> I would consider that cooking from scratch.  No-one specified WHOSE scratch.



Thank you. Quite true. No one did specify, did they. At some point someone started from scratch to make those items. And they did a darn good job.


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## GotGarlic (Dec 13, 2014)

Addie said:


> I got the corned beef and Swiss cheese at the Deli and the loaf of rye bread from the store bakery. The sauerkraut is freshly made. Does that count as cooking from scratch when I make my Reuben Sandwich? After all I did have to wait for my number to be called at the deli.



I'd call that assembly, not cooking from scratch. I don't think everyone needs to grow (grains, fruits and veg), raise or catch (fish, poultry, meat), or ferment all their ingredients, but buying a bunch of ingredients and putting them together doesn't equal scratch-made, imo.


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## Kayelle (Dec 13, 2014)

Addie, I'd say you have a "homemade" sandwich...Made from scratch, nope.


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## Addie (Dec 13, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> Addie, I'd say you have a "homemade" sandwich...Made from scratch, nope.



My remark was made with tongue in cheek. I should have put a  there for it. But your right. It is homemade.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 13, 2014)

November was a tough month--but is it just me, or have DCers gotten snippy since I joined in 2011? We've lost some regular contributors...wondering if they backed off because of the snipping? DC used to be my favourite forum to check. Now I go days without checking in because I don't want to read the posts where members are sniping at one another...or maybe, it is just me, but there seem to be certain members that can be counted on to "pick" on others' posts. Probably just me. Back to finishing baking Christmas cookies so I can call it a night.


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## Addie (Dec 13, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> November was a tough month--but is it just me, or have DCers gotten snippy since I joined in 2011? We've lost some regular contributors...wondering if they backed off because of the snipping? DC used to be my favourite forum to check. Now I go days without checking in because I don't want to read the posts where members are sniping at one another...or maybe, it is just me, but there seem to be certain members that can be counted on to "pick" on others' posts. Probably just me. Back to finishing baking Christmas cookies so I can call it a night.



No, it is not just you. A lot of posts have been getting removed also for sniping at others. Depending on what mood I am in, I try to ignore them when it is aimed at me. But sometimes I feel like I have to defend myself against the snipers.


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## Zhizara (Dec 14, 2014)

I take a semi-homemade approach to cooking.  Using a prepared seasoning packet of taco seasoning gives me what I want - the same results every time.

Even gravy mix.  Making gravy is easy, but can come out differently each time, sometimes not in a good way.  

I'd rather use something that will result in a predictable way than take a chance of a bad  from scratch result.

I usually make different additions to these two examples to make them my own.

For taco seasoning mix, I mix it with a can of diced stewed tomatoes before adding it to my meat and onion mixture.

For gravy mix, I use homemade unsalted broth/stock/braising liquid instead of water.  This results in a great tasting gravy.

No I don't cook from scratch, but I'm not ashamed of the way I cook at all.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 14, 2014)

I have come to the conclusion that cooking from scratch can make a person be more creative...don't have xyz, what can I use instead? Have these ingredients...what can I make using them? I was feeling very lazy a couple of weeks ago...hungry, but didn't want to make a mess of the kitchen to clean up. DH was cutting wood and also hungry. I looked in the freezer--oh frozen homemade pasta. In the fridge was a about 4-5 c of homemade kimchi. Cooked the pasta and  tossed in a couple of cups of homemade kimchi. That was lunch (and it was surprisingly very good...must have been the kimchi).


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## GotGarlic (Dec 14, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> I have come to the conclusion that cooking from scratch can make a person be more creative...don't have xyz, what can I use instead? Have these ingredients...what can I make using them? I was feeling very lazy a couple of weeks ago...hungry, but didn't want to make a mess of the kitchen to clean up. DH was cutting wood and also hungry. I looked in the freezer--oh frozen homemade pasta. In the fridge was a about 4-5 c of homemade kimchi. Cooked the pasta and  tossed in a couple of cups of homemade kimchi. That was lunch (and it was surprisingly very good...must have been the kimchi).



The same can be done with store-bought ingredients. I buy onions, garlic, potatoes, three colors of bell peppers and two or three proteins every week (except when I have them in the garden). I always have store-bought rice and pasta on hand. With those ingredients and the many store-bought seasonings, sauces and condiments I have, in addition to homegrown preserved items, I can make dozens of things. 

I have a lot of homemade ingredients, too, but I consider most of my cooking scratch because I prep, combine and cook the ingredients myself. I don't have to grow them all. Even hundreds or thousands of years ago, people specialized in producing bread (the Bakers), wheat (the Millers), fruit and vegetables (the Farmers), etc. This means everyone didn't have to do everything and we could move on to creating culture.


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## Kayelle (Dec 14, 2014)

Zhizara said:


> I take a semi-homemade approach to cooking.  Using a prepared seasoning packet of taco seasoning gives me what I want - the same results every time.
> 
> Even gravy mix.  Making gravy is easy, but can come out differently each time, sometimes not in a good way.
> 
> ...



Nor should you, or me either Z. Even though there are the snide undertones that not cooking from scratch all the time is somehow inferior cooking, many of us call it cooking smart.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 14, 2014)

Cooking Smart...I like that.  I work 40-50 hours a week, when I find something that is as good as or better than what I can make myself, why not avail myself of the convenience?  I monitor these processed foods for ingredients I do not want to consume and feel are bad for my diet.  If there is no convenient sub that meets my standards, I make it from scratch.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 14, 2014)

PF-the inconvenience for me would be I'd have to leave the house, drive either into the village or farther afield. By the time I do that, it is easier for me to make it or make something else. I only grocery shop when I run out of some staples (or, I need something for baking). I hate shopping, including grocery shopping.


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## Chef Munky (Dec 14, 2014)

I liked that "cooking smart comment" that suits just about everyone in here.

Like Princess preprocessed foods don't work well with my diet.

Convenience for me has been investing in infused olive oils.That have conveniently replaced other processed items that would have been used in a recipe.Those have really benefited my cholesterol levels.They're now where they should be for an old bag like myself age/weight.And without the use of the convient Pharmacists bill every month.

How's that for a Hobo on a ham sammich diet?


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## GotGarlic (Dec 14, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> PF-the inconvenience for me would be I'd have to leave the house, drive either into the village or farther afield. By the time I do that, it is easier for me to make it or make something else. I only grocery shop when I run out of some staples (or, I need something for baking). I hate shopping, including grocery shopping.



The question is "How do you define cooking from scratch?" not "Why do you or don't you grow most of your vegetables, make your own pasta and tomato paste, or live many miles away from grocery stores?" 

The question of what constitutes scratch cooking is not relevant to anyone's personal circumstances.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Dec 14, 2014)

Zhizara said:


> I take a semi-homemade approach to cooking.
> ... snipped


Hmmm, aren't there several cookbooks "Semi-Homemade" 
by Sandra Lee and she's made a fistful, 
or two or three, of money doing _just_ that!


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## Dawgluver (Dec 14, 2014)

There are bunches of things I wouldn't want to make from scratch.  Zhizara mentioned gravy packets, there's also Knorr Bearnaise and Hollandaise packets (yum), Lipton onion soup mix, Campbell's cream of mushroom, Velveeta!  

Love 'em all.


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## Cheryl J (Dec 14, 2014)

I love Knorr's, and Lipton Onion Soup mix is always in my pantry.


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## Katie H (Dec 14, 2014)

Cooking from scratch?  For me it almost always means just that...scratch.

We are fortunate to be able to have a decent-sized garden in the summertime, which makes it possible for me to have enough tomatoes to make sauces, etc.  I developed a tomato sauce recipe years and years ago that has replaced commercially-produced tomato sauce in the dishes I cook.

I do occasionally use a can of store-purchased soup in a recipe, such as for tonight's crock-pot roast beef.   I used a can of cream of mushroom soup.

When it comes to mixes, I have nearly worn out a cookbook I bought a hundred years ago.  It's called _Make a Mix Cookery_ and is my go-to book for making my own dry soup mixes, taco mix, etc.  One nice thing about having this tool is that I can control the salt that goes into our foods.

I bake all our bread products and, when it comes to dessert, those are made from scratch as well.  Once in a while I'll use a boxed cake mix and heavily embellish it or turn it into cake mix cookies if I'm in a hurry.

I've never been one to have mixes or commercially-produced foods in my pantry.  That's largely because, when I was growing up, they weren't too available.  They just didn't exist on a large scale.  When I had my own family I continued to do as I learned from my growing up household.  Turns out, it's easy for me and it's what I'm comfortable doing.


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## Cooking Goddess (Dec 14, 2014)

Another vote for liking the "cooking smart" comment.

To me, there is a difference between "cooking from scratch", "homemade", and "SEC" (Someone Else's Cooking). That last is pretty self-explanatory. 

From Scratch cooking means combining ingredients that would not be edible in their singular state. I don't grind my own wheat, but I certainly wouldn't eat a bowl-full of store-bought flour. Same thing with the ready-to-use baking powder. Anything I bake from those types of ingredients is "scratch" in my kitchen. If I use a box mix and add my own oil and egg? It's "homemade". 

Because I don't have a garden, and no really good spot to put one in, I do call it from-scratch even if I'm using canned tomatoes, as long as I'm still using fresh ingredients in the rest of the recipe. But something like last night's soup, made from rotisserie chicken, packaged rice mix, boxed broth, might take as long to make as a different from-scratch recipe, but it was still considered home-made.

As long as you use reasonable decisions regarding nutrition, enjoy your meal, and stay basically healthy, it's all good, right?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 14, 2014)

If'n I make a big pot of my signature Beef Ettoufe, it is made from scratch, even though I have used purchased bitters, Tabasco and Dawn Fresh Mushroom Steak Sauce.


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## Andy M. (Dec 14, 2014)

In my mind this thread started out as an 'academic' discussion.  It has turned into a personalized competition.

I try to cook with basic ingredients whenever I can.  You know, from scratch.  Sometimes I use a labor-saving prepared food if it tastes good and it doesn't bother me in the least that I'm not cooking from scratch. 

Bottom line, none of us cooks from scratch.  Just give my signature line some thought and calm down.


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## Bigjim68 (Dec 15, 2014)

Andy M. said:


> Despite what my signature says, bakechef's statement is a good way to describe my feelings.



Somewhere between Sagan and popping a container in the micro lies the answer, and the answer is different for everybody.  Myself, I try not to buy anything that comes in a box or can, but I don't smoke my own bacon for my from scratch chile.


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## Steve Kroll (Dec 15, 2014)

I agree that some are taking the phrase a little too literally.

Here's what it means to me - since that was the question. Not to pick on Andy's signature, but If I make an apple pie completely from scratch, to me it means I make my own crust (versus purchasing a ready made Pet-Ritz pie shell), cut up the apples, add the seasonings, and bake it.

I also think an argument could even be made that using a Pet-Ritz shell and making the rest of the pie yourself might be considered from-scratch. After all, you still had to peel and cut up the apples, add the sugar and pie seasonings, etc.

A from-scratch pie MIGHT also include any or all of the following, although none would be prerequisites to applying the "from scratch" moniker to your baked goods:

Growing the apple tree.
Milling the flour from your own wheat field.
Growing the sugar cane (assuming you have a plantation) and processing it yourself.
Creating the universe, and waiting several billion years for it to mature enough to allow for the making of pies.

On the other hand, here are examples of a NOT-from-scratch pie: 

Purchasing a Sara Lee frozen pie and popping it in the oven.
Buying a pie from Baker's Square or Perkins.


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## Cooking Goddess (Dec 15, 2014)

People, please just STOP it!

And some of us around here wonder why we're no longer seeing some of our regulars come around...(shaking my head)


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## Kayelle (Dec 15, 2014)

Cooking Goddess said:


> People, please just STOP it!
> 
> And some of us around here wonder why we're no longer seeing some of our regulars come around...(shaking my head)



Actually this would be a pretty dull place if everyone agreed with everyone else. I've found this thread thoughtfully stimulating myself, and see nothing offensive here. Those who don't like opposite opinions, pick up their marbles and leave the sand box, are free to make that choice. In the meantime, this place is called..

*Discuss Cooking.  
*


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## Chef Munky (Dec 15, 2014)

Cooking Goddess said:


> People, please just STOP it!
> 
> And some of us around here wonder why we're no longer seeing some of our regulars come around...(shaking my head)



You can add me to the list.This place hasn't been it's usual self in a while now.
I'm with Addie "shut this sorry thread down."
It's getting old with it's continuous sniping in other unrelated threads.
If you want to stir the pot that's one thing.Continuing to do so just to do it is another.Not really a mature way of discussing cooking.
Just sayin'. I'm making a whole lotta friends today. NOT!


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## Cooking Goddess (Dec 15, 2014)

I don't want us to all agree. Bor-ring! I'm just hoping for kinder and gentler disagreements. 'Tis the season,  ho ho ho, jolly elf disagreements.


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## Roll_Bones (Dec 15, 2014)

Kayelle said:


> Actually this would be a pretty dull place if everyone agreed with everyone else. I've found this thread thoughtfully stimulating myself, and see nothing offensive here. Those who don't like opposite opinions, pick up their marbles and leave the sand box, are free to make that choice. In the meantime, this place is called..
> 
> *Discuss Cooking.
> *



+1- I'm in agreement.


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## bakechef (Dec 15, 2014)

I don't care for mixes when baking, I really enjoy the challenge of perfecting a recipe.  Thing is, I don't expect everyone to have the same enthusiasm as I do for baking.  It's taken me years to "perfect" my cake and cookie recipes and to be honest, I'm still always looking for ways to improve them.  Most people don't have the time or desire to go though all of this and that is OK.  

I think that it is more important to get into the kitchen and enjoy the process of making food and sharing it with your family.  My boss posted pictures of her making cookies with her granddaughter, some were slice and bake and some were homemade.  The important thing here was a grandmother making memories in the kitchen with her granddaughter not whether everything was made from scratch.  

I would love to have the time and ambition to make everything from scratch, but I don't, but I think that I put out some pretty good grub!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 15, 2014)

Once again I have cleaned up a thread because people cannot play nice.  The folks whose posts were removed...enough, stop...PLEASE.  Both of you ignore each other and just stop.


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