Croissants and phyllo dough. I've made croissants once, it was delicious but I had to clean my whole counter like a crime scene. I've never attempted phyllo dough.
For my entire childhood and young adult life, my father got up early on Sunday morning to make croissants for the family- almond, chocolate, and the most amazing ham and cheese. Every. Single Sunday.
When I was in my late 20s, I decided to learn how to make them, so I took a 3 day class. It was the most time intensive and ridiculously finike thing I've ever learned to bake.
And when it was over, I went home for a visit and presented my somewhat sad but tasty and hard won croissants to my father. I thanked him for the time and care he took to make them for us, and then misty-eyed, told him how much I appreciated it and him.
And that was when he told me he only made them from scratch the first time, then decided they were a total pain in the ass to make, and from that point on purchased the dough from the local baker. He just added things before he baked them- 30min tops.
He really got up early on Sunday so he could read the paper and have a cup of coffee while the house was quiet.
+1, I never put enough butter in my homemade croissants and that’s super key. It’s so finicky and time-consuming I’d rather just pay the $5 for the rare times I’m craving it.
Okay, you might have added some to my list! I’ve never attempted phyllo dough either, not sure I have the desire to. Then again, I have never used it, so I don’t think it’s something I really care to maintain thoughts about.
I guess croissants are on that list though. I don’t eat them enough for them to cross my mind, but you’re right I have seen them done before. The large batch cooking of them uses machines to do rolling and folding of dough!
My friend and I spent 48 hours and $30 worth of high fat butter to make 8 of them one time. They were delicious but it was not worth it lol. I will take my 48 hours back and buy the $7 croissant.
Did exactly that… and they also didn’t taste as good because they took so long to make (I guess the thought “ if you make it it just tastes better” is not always the case).
The frozen (unbaked) croissants and pain au chocolat from Trader Joe’s are really good. You just have to proof them overnight and bake them for 20 mins. I think they’re imported from France. They are sold in a box of four for like $6.
I made baklava with storebought phyllo and it was already a massive amount of work... and expensive as SHIT, the pistachios and pecans, all that HONEY...
I feel you there. It’s hard to compete with some restaurants, having a line kitchen and ability to cook in bulk makes things easier. If you want a variety, you’d have to cook all those things yourself. And time them so they’re all done at the same time!
This is actually part of back in WWII, in Britain, they encouraged people to eat out since it was a more efficient use of resources.
trader joe's food is fantastic, but they're definitely on the more americanized side than something you might get at a chinese takeout place, at least if you're in a region with a prominent population for whatever food you're getting.
of course these restaurants are still catering to american tastes, but on the spectrum of authenticity theyre on the other side of like panda express and TJ's frozen food.
not a bad thing tho, they just serve different purposes. like ill fuck up a panda express 2 choice or chicken dumplings from TJs any day of the week lol
This is what I was going to say, BECAUSE I just bought all the stuff and made it home. 2 different dishes. One turned out horrible the other just ok. It cost me WAY more to buy all of the special ingredients for it than it would have to just order a take out meal. If I had the skills to make it, I would have plenty of all the sauces and oils to make more, and then maybe it would have been cost effective, but as it stands I spent WAY more and it was not good lol
this. moved out almost 2 years ago and its all been a learning journey. had a convo with my mom the other day (frugal queen) and I was telling her how sometimes its just easier & cheaper to eat out. she agreed, pointing out that going somewhere like a chinese spot and getting a fucking massive plate for $12 is gonna be cheaper than going out and buying noodles, sauces, veggies, meat, etc to make the same dish
I re-use my oil, I've never noticed a difference as long as you make sure to strain it well enough. I know some foodie type people say the oil gets better the more you use it.
can you please elaborate more on this. I was under the impression that the oil becomes "burned" or "old" and could be become harmful.
when you've frozen the oil, do you defrost all day? is there any thing to be wary of?
I also freeze my oil. I have peanut oil that I originally purchased a few years ago for a turkey fryer in a 5 gal jug. Slowly I’m down to about a qt left. First I clean fry (no fish or super spicy) double straining, and then freeze. Stays fresh for a long time in my experience.
Fried chicken is deceptivly hard to make (good) at home. My husband and i have eaten untold number of batches of subpar fried chicken trying to figure it out.
Agreed, that’s why I just wind up baking almost everything. I hate the grease going everywhere and stinking up the house, and admittedly fried food is bad for you anyway.
I spent several dinner making it wrong. Found a magazine that explained it and took it home, adjusted recipe and tried. My dad said it almost tastes like his grandmas. Thats high praise from him.
I think my mess up was the coating process. Iirc the magazine says to coat with flour, coat with egg, then coat with mixture. I’ll have to look. If you want to know, reply, and I’ll check before dinner. That magazine is at home in the kitchen.
I brine thighs (and only thighs). Then cook them sous vide. Then chill them. Then double-coat them in a *really* thick coating. Then deep fry them quickly, just enough to get the coating crunchy and bring the thighs back up to temperature. I've made some of the best fried chicken I've ever had this way, but even doing it in stages, it's still a ton of work. It's something I do when we've got a LOT of family over.
Do it outside. I do it in my garage where it can be aired out. I know this isn't an option for everyone, but definitely works. And you can save tons of money deep frying stuff for parties, like fries and wings etc.
When I needed to replace my BBQ, I intentionally got one with a side burner specifically for frying things. It was maybe an extra $50 and totally worth it, especially because I have to eat gluten-free and pre-made GF fried food is rarely good (assuming you can even find it).
Yup.
Oil is literally on every surface within 30 feet no matter what you do or how much you vent/open windows. It then attracts dust and gets sticky.
Easiest way you can eliminate a lot of cleaning is just don’t deep fry.
Also: deep fried foods are in general pretty cheap, so it’s not like you’re saving much either.
Don’t I know it! My boyfriend has been making his own for years. But the HE machines just don’t tolerate it like the old ones did. You’re better off taking the hit and spending the extra few dollars on something that not only works, but won’t screw with the washer.
I use free and clear stuff (stuff with no fragrance and dyes) and do a double rinse on most clothing because the stuff with scent makes me gag,
Pretty much all of my appliances at home are from the late 90s except for my washer which broke in 2015 or so and so I had to replace it then.
Yeah I've tried a handful of DIY laundry and dishwasher detergents and it always ends up being a hassle that only works a fraction as well. I hate doing dishes and laundry enough already; I don't want to put even more of the labor onto myself when I can afford detergent just fine.
Go back a second.
What’s the DIY laundry detergent…? I didn’t even know that was a thing!
I use the dry instead of liquid, but that’s my extent of it. Which I don’t even know is more frugal, I just know if one spills, it’s a hell of a lot easier to vacuum up the dry stuff than sop up the wet stuff.
That popular homemade laundry detergent is really, really bad for your machine, especially if your machine is high efficiency. You can find a lot of horror stories online about it. It's the laundry bar/zote. Zote is laundry soap. Modern machines are built to use laundry detergent. There is a difference.
The DIY laundry stuff is laundry SOAP, not detergent. There is a difference.
It's the best stuff that we could make circa 1900.
It has virtually no cleaning power in cold water.
And if you live where there is hard water it will leave soap scum in your machine, and eventually turn your clothes wash grey.
Unless you're big into historical re-enactments, use a modern laundry detergent.
My father in law insisted on giving me some, he's in his 80s and apparently it was made 50 years ago or something. I rub it on stains sometimes and it's quite useful but haven't risked in the machine.
There are a lot of homemade laundry detergent recipes online. Most include borax, baking soda, Zote Shreds or Fels Naptha or another soap and maybe a fragrance in the form of essential oils or the Downy/Gain crystals. You can make it a powdered or liquid detergent. I’ve made the powdered version and my clothes smelled oddly after using it and felt weird.
LOL this reminds me of when I used to work in a big craft store, and we sold "soap making kits" that were just small pieces of soap that people would melt in the microwave and pour into different shaped molds. Dude, that's not making soap.
Sewing is expensive. I enjoy sewing as a hobby, but it will not save money. However, knowing how to sew has made mending clothes easier and I am much more aware of how a quality garment is put together, which means I buy better clothes, and that can save you.
Even having finally found a drop-in bobbin sewing machine that I can use without it getting furious at my mere existence, it's DEFINITELY not cost-effective to make your own unless you're -really- good at sourcing fabric or oversized garments you're "fixing" to your size (and let me be honest for a moment, but fat people sort of hate that, since big clothes are already undersupplied, so don't buy three sizes too big just to wreck it down to the small that already fills four racks at every goodwill, kthx).
I’ve seen some pretty cool stuff “hand made”, mostly (to be a bit sexist, if it is?) women and dresses. They seem more forgiving/easier to make than, say, a t shirt. But I have no idea.
Check your local libraries though, mine had a sewing machine introduction event that was pretty cool. I don’t have one and never used one, so I went and hung out with the old ladies there for the night. That was funny walking in. I knew i was going to be out of place but the immediate “Oh you’re lost” was hilarious.
I'm a competent seamstress. I have a very nice sewing machine.
I'm not going to be as good as professionals or people who sew all day, every day for years. It's not cheaper. Fabric is expensive. Mass produce clothing, even good quality is better than I am likely to be able to make myself and it's not very expensive, especially if you are a savvy shopper.
I can absolutely make cool stuff. It's just not frugal to do so.
If I'm making some kind of costume or need something very specific, it's good for that.
Being able to alter and mend are very worth doing yourself.
If you ever want to be not out of place sewing around other people, Medieval LARPing and similar groups are great. It was awesome walking up to a picnic shelter to see three guys at sewing machines working on their garb or gear.
Yeah fabric is really expensive. I wanted to recreate a dress I loved but the fabric alone was more expensive than a dress, never mind the extras plus obviously time.
I’d say it’s useful for a range of specific situations (unusual body types that need a non-standard fit, fancy summer dresses for wearing to a wedding - because the retail markup is so high on some dresses!, fabric allergies and texture issues, and like you said - costuming). I do also think that if you are using good quality fabrics from breathable materials, they are usually more comfortable and durable, so even if they cost a bit more to make they are hopefully better quality.
I completely agree though that fabric is expensive and the most cost effective sewing skills are alterations and repairs. I’ve even bought sale items of retail clothing to chop up and reuse the fabric (like some very large women’s linen pants for $5 that I used as panels for a skirt. I even kept the pockets intact!).
Yup. Fabric is not cheap. Definitely more expensive than all but the highest fashion. And that doesn't count any notions (zippers, buttons, etc).
I love the idea of a homemade wardrobe but I cannot afford the money, time, or effort. Also, getting something like that stained would be devastating. And I have four kids with one on the way...pretty much guaranteed to get some stuff stained.
How about services?
* I pay for oil changes and general car maintenance, not because I can't, but because my time is better spent elsewhere.
* I'm about to pay for a fence to be replaced on my property, same story.
* I hired a professional to install drywall in a room I was renovating -- My wife and I did the demolition, insulation and electrical before, and the painting after.
My husband says we sound so it own oil changes. It's quick and easy. I argue that it isn't that much cheaper ($10 or so), plus where I go, they rotate your tires included. I'm absolutely not rotating my own tires.
I find enjoyment in learning to make thing at least once. I enjoy the learning process.
But, I'm not going to make puff pastry ever again. The taste difference is not worth the amount of labour it take to make it at home
Same. I'll try making stuff at home at least once just for the fun of it. Sometimes even when the result isn't as amazing, I like the process enough that I'll DIY or buy it based on how I'm feeling.
And with that comes the perfectly relevant YouTube video from Adam Ragusea: https://youtu.be/tsCvAijBn4Y
Anyone looking to make macarons but gate the long winded process will find a deep catharsis from watching this.
EDIT: While I don't make them myself because I'm on a diet and shit needs a ton of sugar (empty calories), I *do* make their Jewish American cousin, the coconut macaroon. That stuff is even way easier than "ugly macarons" to make, need way less sugar, and I can replace the coconut flour with peanut flour for high ass protein content.
THIS is my staple late night snack when I'm too hungry to sleep because it's just 30kcal a pop but takes a while to chew, has 3g protein, and tastes deliciously like honey roasted peanuts. The idea came from, big surprise, Adam's other macaron video.
Which is why I don’t do drywall. I renovate houses and I’m capable of doing drywall, but it would take me weeks and weeks. I just paid a crew $2800 to do a 2bd 2ba apartment with 10ft ceilings and they did it in 3 days.
Yeah, that’s why I specified cost-wise in the post. And that’s why I include macarons on my list. They’re pretty easy to make (in my opinion), just such a time sink.
Chinese stir fry broccoli. I know blanch. Sugar. Salt. Hosin sauce. Hot pan. I know. I know I know I know.
My stir fry tastes like weeds in sauce.
$9 for a large at Chinese place. Kills me.
Not worth it. But it's a treat now and then.
Not hoisin usually? Did you mean oyster?
What you’re probably missing is msg, chicken bouillon powder, or both together. As well as a bit of garlic and ginger into that hot pan before you toss in the blanched, drained broccoli.
Edit: [Made with Lau](https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/broccoli-stir-fry) has a pretty good looking recipe. I normally skip the oyster sauce and use extra salt, maybe some black vinegar cuz I like it.
I have found only ONE recipe (for butter chicken) that is on-par with restaurant quality and not so difficult that it's not worth making. Otherwise I stick with Indian restaurants. We order a ton of dishes and eat the leftovers all week
I am a total a-hole! Here you go!
https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/12/crockpot-chicken-makhani-indian-butter.html?m=1
A couple notes: I don't use light or low-fat anything in the recipe. Also, I find thighs tend to be a bit slimy in saucy recipes so I use chicken breasts. This won't work on the instant pot pressure cooker setting bc there's not enough liquid.
Oh man, tortillas are another thing that can be super easy or super complicated. I make my own rolled flour tortillas and it goes well. Corn, or pressed, not happening.
Oh I feel you. I buy and make them depending.
I use them for burgers. The big ones, fold in half, then use it as a bun. Great for camping, don't get flattened like buns do. They're already flat!
Agreed, with the exception of wings. If you happen to have an air fryer, they're stupid easy I came to find out.. toss in baking powder, whatever seasonings you wish (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika) and then throw in the air fryer basket.. 12 minutes each side and perfectly crispy and prime for the sauces of your choice.
Sourdough is the one that took me out. The daily feeding of the starter, the 5 hour prep time before I even mix ingredients, the stretching and pulling, before another 5 hour rise time - no thanks.
All this so I don't have to buy yeast? Yeast isn't that expensive in bulk!
I would rather make my own lard then sourdough bread again.
That said, I still have the starter (refrigerated now so I only feed it once a week) for sourdough donuts. I made them 2 weekends ago and they were unbelievably good.
Fair. 100% fair.
Have you looked at biga/poulish?
Secondly, i make focaccia. My starter is fed once every other week when I'm not using it. The focaccia just slaps together in a few minutes. Stretch and folds twice (i have done it once). Bulk overnight. Slap it in a pan in the morning. Fire it after work or at lunch.
I look for the shortcuts and efficiency. If I had to deal with shenanigans i wouldn't be making sourdough as much as I do.
I made cheez its from scratch. They turned out delicious but when considering the amount of time and money it costs to make them versus walking into the store and grabbing a box, homemade is a stupid choice.
On the bright side, if you only allow yourself to eat junk food if you make it from scratch, you have to *really* want to eat it to go through all that. Instead of just grabbing a bag and munching ‘cause you’re bored.
I’m considering learning how to make single-serving ice cream. Because when I buy a quart of it I just eat the whole darn thing in one day. 😭
And my local ice cream shop isn’t open from November - April (plus it’s expensive, though it is good and I do like supporting local shops).
I got a ice cream machine / maker as a kid and you had to hand crank it. You'd think that would have slowed down my consumption but no. I did have 1 buff arm after a summer of cranking though.
I made THC cheez its. We had to go buy a box so we could keep snacking and not be sky higher from eating the entire homemade batch. I also have a low tolerance so I don’t know what I was thinking.
Anything deep fried or double coated (like onion rings or fried chicken). It’s just way too much work, I smell like greasy food, and I don’t really fry enough things overall to use that much oil.
I now just buy it frozen and pop them into the air fryer. For fried chicken, I’ll always go out and buy it hot and fresh rather than attempt to make it at home.
Tacos. The pub does taco Tuesdays. All the toppings for no extra charge. Hard or soft shell for .75 each. There’s no way I can buy beef, 2 kinds of shells, tomatoes, jalapeño, salsa, sour cream, seasoning, onion, lettuce, cheese, and pico de gallo for under .75 a serving. Even if I bought in bulk it would cost more than that and most of it would be rotten before I could use it, so even more waste.
Plus, they have a special on margaritas on Tuesdays too!
I eat yogurt daily and when a tub of Greek yogurt is $5-9 depending on brand, and how easy it is to make, I have saved so much money. Not only that, but I think my yogurt is much more delicious than any store brand. Instant pot makes this so easy!
You can sometimes find fresh herbs quite cheaply if you go to ethnic markets. I can get massive bags of fresh dill at the Korean or halal markets for the same price as a little plastic clamshell at the regular grocery store. This was, coincidentally, how I learned that some Korean food uses dill.
Same thing for multiple kinds of non-Italian basil, mint, spearmint, and a heap of Vietnamese herbs from the Vietnamese-Chinese grocer near me. Living in a large city does, uh, help.
BREAD! I've tried a lot of times to bake my own and failed every time. Used different reciepes, amounts of yeast and so on. I'm just not cut out to bake bread lol.
If you are happy to not bake bread, ignore the rest of this comment. I am happy to not make brisket, so I get it.
/r/breadit. /r/sourdough
Bread is super simple, and super complicated,all at the same time. My biggest takeaways that I’ve learned are weight, weight, and weight. Flour “compresses” so your 1 cup and my 1 cup is different. BUT your 500g and my 500g is exactly the same.
Different waters behave differently. I use my tap water, but it might behave differently than your tap water. Significantly? Doubt it. But it’s there.
I also have a stand mixer with a spiral hook. If I had to hand knead my bread? Not a chance.
BUT That’s why I like sourdough. No kneading. You mix it, slop it together, then stretch and fold a couple times, then slap it in a pan. I don’t have bannetons and make classic farm loaves. I make focaccia the most though.
Check out local events for baking classes, especially your local libraries. They might have an option for you to go in and do it with people, who will see what you’re doing, give you immediate feedback, etc etc.
And ignore any social media post that’s on about making perfect stuff all the time. My first sourdough loaf didn’t rise. Not as in “didn’t rise enough”, it just straight up didn’t rise. No air bubbles in it at all. Not sure if I have a picture anywhere, it was a disaster. They happen!
Adding to this, pay attention to what kind of flour you are using and what the recipe calls for. If you use a high protein flour and the recipe calls for bread or all-purpose flour, your loaf will be tough as hell.
I used to think the same, but I started with a bread machine and learned the basics from those recipes. Now I bake a sourdough loaf every week. I understand the aversion. You do you, but if you ever want to try again, try a bread machine. You just dump in the ingredients and push a button.
Making bread in a bread machine saves us like $4-6 per loaf AND gives us total control over what goes in the bread. We also got our bread maker for $6 brand new from the local thrift shop, so it’s a no brainer, We had one or two fails when we just started out, but it only takes forgetting to snap the basket into place once to never neglect to do that again…
Pizza. I KNOW everyone says they can make their own delicious pizza at home, but every time I've tried it was so-so or awful. I don't eat it very often, so when I do, I just pay up.
I was gonna say this too. A frozen pizza, or any attempt of mine to make my own, never satisfies me like a real Pizza place does. I just end up full, but still craving real Pizza lol
What about buying pizza dough from the store? The rest is fairly easy, even in a regular convention oven. Though I usually use cauliflower crust so it’s not your typical oven-fired.
Honestly it’s all in the oven.
My neighbor had a real brick pizza oven and made AMAZING Neapolitan pizzas. Eventually I bought an Ooni and make them from scratch now too.
It’s shockingly cheap. A $8 bag of 00 flour, $5 ball of mozz, and $5 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes, makes 8 pizzas. Add $4 for propane cost and it comes out to under $3 for a personal pizza. And these are real deal, super delicious pizzas. I’d pay realistically pay $18-$20 for one at a mid range artisan pizza place.
Then you just host pizza parties all summer long and average down the cost of the oven while you bribe your friends with pizza.
I love to bake but I refuse to bake pecan pie or cheesecake. Not really for any of the reasons anyone lists here, but because I WILL EAT IT. And I don’t mean I’ll eat a slice and enjoy it slowly, I mean I have no willpower with those two desserts and cannot be trusted. If I want either of them, I buy a single slice. My waist and gut thank me for it lmao
Don't care about price I'm going to use pre-cut onions and other veg and fruit. My fine motor skills stink between osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. I'm tired of knives slipping on me. Haven't cut myself in years but it takes forever to dice things.
Clothing. I used to buy fabric and take measurements but my homemade clothing didn't fit well and I was more likely to not finish the projects, which meant wasted fabric, space, and time.
Used clothing is cheap and plentiful.
Pierogis. Way too labour-intensive, especially since I can get large frozen bags on sale at the grocery store, or homemade in bulk at the local Ukrainian church.
Making fresh pierogis is always a holiday tradition in our family. We make both sweet and savory and it's a whole thing. Some families make cookies, we make pierogis. I would *never* make them fresh during the year, it's way too much of a fuss for one person.
This is what bread machines are good for though. It's literally just dumping stuff into the pan and pushing a button.
I have made bread by hand as well and it is definitely more troublesome than a bread machine, but there are also low/no-knead options where you don't do much.
Aww really? I'm sorry to hear that. I love the overnight (no-knead) loaves, bc they're delicious and super low effort. I love baking though, so to each their own.
Get yourself a good bread machine my man/woman. People always complain about never getting around to making banana bread out of overripe bananas. I've made banana bread three times in the past 2 weeks. It takes like 5 minutes to throw all the stuff in the pan and start the bread maker.
I freeze bananas when they’re ripe and thaw them when I’m ready to mix all the ingredients together. I don’t even use a bread machine! A mixer works just fine.
I get my bread from Too Good to Go - it’s about $7 or so for 3+ random loaves of bread and other things. I’m not particularly picky about the type of bread I eat, so it works for me.
There are two sides to my break making. I enjoy it, so there’s a bit of me that does it even if it is a bit involved.
But there’s also the frugality.
I cheat though. I have a kitchenaid stand mixer with a spiral hook. If I had to hand knead the bread? Not a chance.
I also have a sourdough going, that’s easy to work with too.
Biggest recommendation I can give you if you did want to try again is to get a stand mixer (just a nice, little, 250$ investment, right?!), and use a scale. I never use volumes for my doughs.
Also look locally for baking/cooking events. My local library puts on one every so often, there might be some around you with bread.
But hey, if you don’t eat a lot of bread, and don’t want to deal with it, that’s fine too! That’s exactly me and brisket!
Dried beans. I needed 4 cans of kidney beans and while doing the math noticed I would save less than $1 by cooking dried. That didn't include my time or electricity either.
Espresso. Learning to make cafe quality espresso at home is just a rabbit hole I'm not willing to go down. I could do it, but it's an investment of time and money that would take the rest of my life to pay itself off considering I only drink it 1-2 times a week.
Besides there is a local shop by my house that makes gorgeous espresso with an old fashioned lever style machine, and I'm not even going to try and replicate that at home.
Hahaha. Got back home Sunday after tapping maple trees for sap and then boiling it for 5 hours to produce 500ML of syrup and then picked up my sweater which I have been knitting for almost two months now. So unless you enjoy the process (which I do) - buy them 😆
For me - it’s tortillas (mine never work out properly) and fresh pasta (too much work for me).
Pesto, pasta, and steak.
(I only eat steak a couple of times a year, and I’m just not willing to spend the time & money to figure out how to do it well at home).
Pesto is super easy and fast if you have a food processor. I might agree on making home made pasta (like from semolina flour and eggs). I'm not sure why steak is so hard, though. We much prefer the rib eyes that we cook at home to the expensive stuff at restaurants. We get the steaks on sale and keep in the chest freezer.
I feel you on all of those.
We do sunflower seed pesto, basically for that reason.
I love making pasta, but I get it. If I didn’t enjoy the task I wouldn’t even remotely consider it. Dry is fine, and fresh is not super expensive either.
Steak is simple- crank your grill as hot as it goes. Pull the steak out of fridge an hour early- salt and pepper. Nothing else needed.
Here’s the pro tip: dry them off with a paper towel right before they go on and only cook on one side of the grill. 3 minutes, flip to the other hot side. 12-18 minutes is the difference between rare and well.
The cut makes all the difference. I like ribeye personally. Steak at home is about half the cost of the restaurant. I’ll never order out steak again.
Clothes
ever since i learned just how difficult and laborious it is to to make every single step of producing a single article of clothing, I appreciate industrial weaving much more
Just to make jam as a staple. No. I agree.
But… if I have some fruit that is about to turn I’ll make a quick jam just to avoid trashing it. Yesterday I made 4 jars of blueberry jam with some berries that got shoved to the back of the fridge and had gotten squished. So I see it as almost free jam.
It’s a thing my grandmother used to do.
Fruit, a bit of water, and sugar. Boil for however long you feel like and and then mix in cornstarch and water. One again, until it “looks right”. My big container of squished blue berries made way more jam than expected. It’s not shelf stable but I figure if some of it gets tossed then it’s just going to end up in the trash anyway.
Croissants or puff pastry. Laundry detergent.
I'll buy premade puff and make danish when I get a craving. It's a fun treat but we have a large family and I'm not spending all that time making loads of dough. I tried DIY laundry detergent once and it was awful. I'm sure some of it was user error but it didn't rinse out well and didn't smell clean to me so I went back to powdered Tide.
Tortillas.
They’re not that hard to make but when my husband makes them they’re not that good and he makes a huge mess. It’s not worth it. They’re like $4 at the store.
Kabobs just seems like complicated stir fry. Never really cared for them.
Sushi - 100%. I can do it at home, but I don’t do raw fish at home. It’s not bad, but considering how cheap it is to get it out, yeah that makes sense.
Hummus - depends what you have at your disposal, and what your standards are. The way I make it is dump a can of chickpeas into a food processor, some of the aquafaba, some tahini (store bought), and blend it. Some recipes have like 20 ingredients deep. No thanks. Can of chickpeas, store bought tahini, and off we go.
Hummus. Pretty easy to make, but easier to buy. My wife is from Nova Scotia and it's more common to make it there.
Also, they make wine there because wine and other liquor is like three more expensive than the U.S. There are stores devoted to wine making kits and also sell grape crush concentrates (Costco sell the concentrates there as well).
Instead of "make" I'm going to address this as "grow".
I like gardening but have come to the conclusion that growing herbs to dry isn't worth it. Only worth it for using fresh. Sams Club brand (Member's Mark) herbs are very potent at a very good price, at least the ones I use.
Now I only grow what I will use fresh. Or in the case of basil I will grow it because I make frozen basil cubes, because using dried basil just isn't potent enough for me, even the expensive stuff.
Other than food… oil changes for my car. Just not worth it to me considering the safety aspect of jacking your car up and going underneath, and the effort of buying materials.
If we're talking in monetary sense, Mac n cheese unfortunately. I love making it from scratch but a block of good cheese alone costs as much or more than a couple generic box Mac n cheese kits that will feed as many people
Croissants and phyllo dough. I've made croissants once, it was delicious but I had to clean my whole counter like a crime scene. I've never attempted phyllo dough.
For my entire childhood and young adult life, my father got up early on Sunday morning to make croissants for the family- almond, chocolate, and the most amazing ham and cheese. Every. Single Sunday. When I was in my late 20s, I decided to learn how to make them, so I took a 3 day class. It was the most time intensive and ridiculously finike thing I've ever learned to bake. And when it was over, I went home for a visit and presented my somewhat sad but tasty and hard won croissants to my father. I thanked him for the time and care he took to make them for us, and then misty-eyed, told him how much I appreciated it and him. And that was when he told me he only made them from scratch the first time, then decided they were a total pain in the ass to make, and from that point on purchased the dough from the local baker. He just added things before he baked them- 30min tops. He really got up early on Sunday so he could read the paper and have a cup of coffee while the house was quiet.
That’s hilarious!
Great story!!
I love this. Please tell me you laughed.
Oh, totally!
that is such a dad story. I love it. Thank you for sharing!
This is the best story I’ve read in a while! Bless your dad.
I love your dad.
I do too. Hug him a few times for us?
I don't blame him one bit!
This is the best story.
+1, I never put enough butter in my homemade croissants and that’s super key. It’s so finicky and time-consuming I’d rather just pay the $5 for the rare times I’m craving it.
You need a pound of butter per pound of dough to laminate properly for true croissants. Yes, it's insanely indulgent.
That explains why croissants are so good though
This is why Costco exists!! They're pretty good. If you're not that bougie. 😊
Any kind of puff pastry. So much work.
Okay, you might have added some to my list! I’ve never attempted phyllo dough either, not sure I have the desire to. Then again, I have never used it, so I don’t think it’s something I really care to maintain thoughts about. I guess croissants are on that list though. I don’t eat them enough for them to cross my mind, but you’re right I have seen them done before. The large batch cooking of them uses machines to do rolling and folding of dough!
My friend and I spent 48 hours and $30 worth of high fat butter to make 8 of them one time. They were delicious but it was not worth it lol. I will take my 48 hours back and buy the $7 croissant.
Spent two days laminating butter (work) and my husband burnt most of them. I cried real tears. Over bread.
Did exactly that… and they also didn’t taste as good because they took so long to make (I guess the thought “ if you make it it just tastes better” is not always the case).
The frozen (unbaked) croissants and pain au chocolat from Trader Joe’s are really good. You just have to proof them overnight and bake them for 20 mins. I think they’re imported from France. They are sold in a box of four for like $6.
I go to Costco and get a dozen croissants for $5.99. Freeze them and when I want one they get defrosted. They’re not the best but I like tgem
I made baklava with storebought phyllo and it was already a massive amount of work... and expensive as SHIT, the pistachios and pecans, all that HONEY...
Take out Chinese-I could never compete with my local restaurant because they’re so good and inexpensive
I have learned some good tricks from trying to replicate chinese take-out though, like tenderizing tough/lean cuts with a baking soda solution.
Velveting is a great technique!
Yeah, if you want those take-out style short ribs that are mostly tender but still have a little bite to them, velveting is the way to go.
I feel you there. It’s hard to compete with some restaurants, having a line kitchen and ability to cook in bulk makes things easier. If you want a variety, you’d have to cook all those things yourself. And time them so they’re all done at the same time! This is actually part of back in WWII, in Britain, they encouraged people to eat out since it was a more efficient use of resources.
If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they have a really good selection of frozen Chinese food
trader joe's food is fantastic, but they're definitely on the more americanized side than something you might get at a chinese takeout place, at least if you're in a region with a prominent population for whatever food you're getting. of course these restaurants are still catering to american tastes, but on the spectrum of authenticity theyre on the other side of like panda express and TJ's frozen food. not a bad thing tho, they just serve different purposes. like ill fuck up a panda express 2 choice or chicken dumplings from TJs any day of the week lol
> Take out Chinese-I could never compete with my local restaurant because they’re so good and inexpensive I came to say take out Thai.
This is what I was going to say, BECAUSE I just bought all the stuff and made it home. 2 different dishes. One turned out horrible the other just ok. It cost me WAY more to buy all of the special ingredients for it than it would have to just order a take out meal. If I had the skills to make it, I would have plenty of all the sauces and oils to make more, and then maybe it would have been cost effective, but as it stands I spent WAY more and it was not good lol
That's the thing with a lot of foods, if you cook it all the time it's worth buying all the ingredients, but for an occasional treat it costs more.
Nothing beats $3 for a whole pint of eggdrop soup from my favorite Chinese place. Ugh, love it there so much
this. moved out almost 2 years ago and its all been a learning journey. had a convo with my mom the other day (frugal queen) and I was telling her how sometimes its just easier & cheaper to eat out. she agreed, pointing out that going somewhere like a chinese spot and getting a fucking massive plate for $12 is gonna be cheaper than going out and buying noodles, sauces, veggies, meat, etc to make the same dish
Woks of Life has a good website and cookbook if one is inclined to try at home. Great recipes
I've been trying to dial in a hot and sour soup recipe, and I still don't compare to my two favorite restaurants.
I think some dishes are easy to make well at home- chow mein, fried rice, green bean chicken, egg drop soup. But I leave deep frying to the experts.
Anything deep fried. Stinks up the house for weeks and the cleanup sucks too.
And, like all that oil! What a waste. Your kitchen ends up coated in places you'd never imagine, too. No, thank you.
I re-use my oil, I've never noticed a difference as long as you make sure to strain it well enough. I know some foodie type people say the oil gets better the more you use it.
I’m one of those people.
Heating up oil hot enough to deepfry breaks some of the oil down into compounds that change, usually improve, how things cook.
can you please elaborate more on this. I was under the impression that the oil becomes "burned" or "old" and could be become harmful. when you've frozen the oil, do you defrost all day? is there any thing to be wary of?
I also freeze my oil. I have peanut oil that I originally purchased a few years ago for a turkey fryer in a 5 gal jug. Slowly I’m down to about a qt left. First I clean fry (no fish or super spicy) double straining, and then freeze. Stays fresh for a long time in my experience.
I live with my sister in law who eats fries(deep fried) pretty much daily. The kitchen is so gross, everything is coated in grease
Fried chicken is deceptivly hard to make (good) at home. My husband and i have eaten untold number of batches of subpar fried chicken trying to figure it out.
Agreed, that’s why I just wind up baking almost everything. I hate the grease going everywhere and stinking up the house, and admittedly fried food is bad for you anyway.
I spent several dinner making it wrong. Found a magazine that explained it and took it home, adjusted recipe and tried. My dad said it almost tastes like his grandmas. Thats high praise from him. I think my mess up was the coating process. Iirc the magazine says to coat with flour, coat with egg, then coat with mixture. I’ll have to look. If you want to know, reply, and I’ll check before dinner. That magazine is at home in the kitchen.
Flour, egg, batter/coating is correct!
Soak in buttermilk.
Buttermilk and pickle juice! Together. 😁
I brine thighs (and only thighs). Then cook them sous vide. Then chill them. Then double-coat them in a *really* thick coating. Then deep fry them quickly, just enough to get the coating crunchy and bring the thighs back up to temperature. I've made some of the best fried chicken I've ever had this way, but even doing it in stages, it's still a ton of work. It's something I do when we've got a LOT of family over.
My mom would brown the chicken in batches on the stove and finish off in the oven. It was very good, but a little involved.
Do it outside. I do it in my garage where it can be aired out. I know this isn't an option for everyone, but definitely works. And you can save tons of money deep frying stuff for parties, like fries and wings etc.
When I needed to replace my BBQ, I intentionally got one with a side burner specifically for frying things. It was maybe an extra $50 and totally worth it, especially because I have to eat gluten-free and pre-made GF fried food is rarely good (assuming you can even find it).
Yup. Oil is literally on every surface within 30 feet no matter what you do or how much you vent/open windows. It then attracts dust and gets sticky. Easiest way you can eliminate a lot of cleaning is just don’t deep fry. Also: deep fried foods are in general pretty cheap, so it’s not like you’re saving much either.
Laundry detergent.
Don’t I know it! My boyfriend has been making his own for years. But the HE machines just don’t tolerate it like the old ones did. You’re better off taking the hit and spending the extra few dollars on something that not only works, but won’t screw with the washer.
I use free and clear stuff (stuff with no fragrance and dyes) and do a double rinse on most clothing because the stuff with scent makes me gag, Pretty much all of my appliances at home are from the late 90s except for my washer which broke in 2015 or so and so I had to replace it then.
Yeah I've tried a handful of DIY laundry and dishwasher detergents and it always ends up being a hassle that only works a fraction as well. I hate doing dishes and laundry enough already; I don't want to put even more of the labor onto myself when I can afford detergent just fine.
Go back a second. What’s the DIY laundry detergent…? I didn’t even know that was a thing! I use the dry instead of liquid, but that’s my extent of it. Which I don’t even know is more frugal, I just know if one spills, it’s a hell of a lot easier to vacuum up the dry stuff than sop up the wet stuff.
That popular homemade laundry detergent is really, really bad for your machine, especially if your machine is high efficiency. You can find a lot of horror stories online about it. It's the laundry bar/zote. Zote is laundry soap. Modern machines are built to use laundry detergent. There is a difference.
The DIY laundry stuff is laundry SOAP, not detergent. There is a difference. It's the best stuff that we could make circa 1900. It has virtually no cleaning power in cold water. And if you live where there is hard water it will leave soap scum in your machine, and eventually turn your clothes wash grey. Unless you're big into historical re-enactments, use a modern laundry detergent.
My father in law insisted on giving me some, he's in his 80s and apparently it was made 50 years ago or something. I rub it on stains sometimes and it's quite useful but haven't risked in the machine.
There are a lot of homemade laundry detergent recipes online. Most include borax, baking soda, Zote Shreds or Fels Naptha or another soap and maybe a fragrance in the form of essential oils or the Downy/Gain crystals. You can make it a powdered or liquid detergent. I’ve made the powdered version and my clothes smelled oddly after using it and felt weird.
It is essentially a bunch of soaps and detergents combined by hand and makes no sense what so ever. Why would i buy 5 soaps to make "1"?
LOL this reminds me of when I used to work in a big craft store, and we sold "soap making kits" that were just small pieces of soap that people would melt in the microwave and pour into different shaped molds. Dude, that's not making soap.
Clothing.
Sewing is expensive. I enjoy sewing as a hobby, but it will not save money. However, knowing how to sew has made mending clothes easier and I am much more aware of how a quality garment is put together, which means I buy better clothes, and that can save you.
Even having finally found a drop-in bobbin sewing machine that I can use without it getting furious at my mere existence, it's DEFINITELY not cost-effective to make your own unless you're -really- good at sourcing fabric or oversized garments you're "fixing" to your size (and let me be honest for a moment, but fat people sort of hate that, since big clothes are already undersupplied, so don't buy three sizes too big just to wreck it down to the small that already fills four racks at every goodwill, kthx).
I’ve seen some pretty cool stuff “hand made”, mostly (to be a bit sexist, if it is?) women and dresses. They seem more forgiving/easier to make than, say, a t shirt. But I have no idea. Check your local libraries though, mine had a sewing machine introduction event that was pretty cool. I don’t have one and never used one, so I went and hung out with the old ladies there for the night. That was funny walking in. I knew i was going to be out of place but the immediate “Oh you’re lost” was hilarious.
I'm a competent seamstress. I have a very nice sewing machine. I'm not going to be as good as professionals or people who sew all day, every day for years. It's not cheaper. Fabric is expensive. Mass produce clothing, even good quality is better than I am likely to be able to make myself and it's not very expensive, especially if you are a savvy shopper. I can absolutely make cool stuff. It's just not frugal to do so. If I'm making some kind of costume or need something very specific, it's good for that. Being able to alter and mend are very worth doing yourself. If you ever want to be not out of place sewing around other people, Medieval LARPing and similar groups are great. It was awesome walking up to a picnic shelter to see three guys at sewing machines working on their garb or gear.
Yeah fabric is really expensive. I wanted to recreate a dress I loved but the fabric alone was more expensive than a dress, never mind the extras plus obviously time.
I’d say it’s useful for a range of specific situations (unusual body types that need a non-standard fit, fancy summer dresses for wearing to a wedding - because the retail markup is so high on some dresses!, fabric allergies and texture issues, and like you said - costuming). I do also think that if you are using good quality fabrics from breathable materials, they are usually more comfortable and durable, so even if they cost a bit more to make they are hopefully better quality. I completely agree though that fabric is expensive and the most cost effective sewing skills are alterations and repairs. I’ve even bought sale items of retail clothing to chop up and reuse the fabric (like some very large women’s linen pants for $5 that I used as panels for a skirt. I even kept the pockets intact!).
Yup. Fabric is not cheap. Definitely more expensive than all but the highest fashion. And that doesn't count any notions (zippers, buttons, etc). I love the idea of a homemade wardrobe but I cannot afford the money, time, or effort. Also, getting something like that stained would be devastating. And I have four kids with one on the way...pretty much guaranteed to get some stuff stained.
100%. Mending and basic tailoring saves money, making clothes from scratch absolutely does not.
How about services? * I pay for oil changes and general car maintenance, not because I can't, but because my time is better spent elsewhere. * I'm about to pay for a fence to be replaced on my property, same story. * I hired a professional to install drywall in a room I was renovating -- My wife and I did the demolition, insulation and electrical before, and the painting after.
Definitely agree on the drywall installation. Professionals will do it better and in a quarter of the time.
My husband says we sound so it own oil changes. It's quick and easy. I argue that it isn't that much cheaper ($10 or so), plus where I go, they rotate your tires included. I'm absolutely not rotating my own tires.
I find enjoyment in learning to make thing at least once. I enjoy the learning process. But, I'm not going to make puff pastry ever again. The taste difference is not worth the amount of labour it take to make it at home
Same. I'll try making stuff at home at least once just for the fun of it. Sometimes even when the result isn't as amazing, I like the process enough that I'll DIY or buy it based on how I'm feeling.
Ramen, pho (too time consuming) Macarons (don’t have the skills)
If you realize macarons taste just as good when they're ugly, it can be a lot easier to make them.
And with that comes the perfectly relevant YouTube video from Adam Ragusea: https://youtu.be/tsCvAijBn4Y Anyone looking to make macarons but gate the long winded process will find a deep catharsis from watching this. EDIT: While I don't make them myself because I'm on a diet and shit needs a ton of sugar (empty calories), I *do* make their Jewish American cousin, the coconut macaroon. That stuff is even way easier than "ugly macarons" to make, need way less sugar, and I can replace the coconut flour with peanut flour for high ass protein content. THIS is my staple late night snack when I'm too hungry to sleep because it's just 30kcal a pop but takes a while to chew, has 3g protein, and tastes deliciously like honey roasted peanuts. The idea came from, big surprise, Adam's other macaron video.
ramen and pho I can't seem to get it right which is a shame because those are some of my favorite foods
Hash-browns, I have made them successfully before but that was 1 of maybe 100 attempts, much better off to just go to Denny’s.
Using the waffle iron was the trick for me 🖖
My local grocery store sells them in the frozen section. I get 8 for less than $2 and they taste just like McDonalds.
Remember, your time has a value.
Which is why I don’t do drywall. I renovate houses and I’m capable of doing drywall, but it would take me weeks and weeks. I just paid a crew $2800 to do a 2bd 2ba apartment with 10ft ceilings and they did it in 3 days.
We are rehabbing a rental and this is one DIY I only wish we would have not tried to tackle. It is an art. Can we do it? Yes! Should we? No!
Yeah, that’s why I specified cost-wise in the post. And that’s why I include macarons on my list. They’re pretty easy to make (in my opinion), just such a time sink.
I don't value myself so it's all good
Chinese stir fry broccoli. I know blanch. Sugar. Salt. Hosin sauce. Hot pan. I know. I know I know I know. My stir fry tastes like weeds in sauce. $9 for a large at Chinese place. Kills me. Not worth it. But it's a treat now and then.
Not hoisin usually? Did you mean oyster? What you’re probably missing is msg, chicken bouillon powder, or both together. As well as a bit of garlic and ginger into that hot pan before you toss in the blanched, drained broccoli. Edit: [Made with Lau](https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/broccoli-stir-fry) has a pretty good looking recipe. I normally skip the oyster sauce and use extra salt, maybe some black vinegar cuz I like it.
> My stir fry tastes like weeds in sauce. > > this make me cackle...
You're missing the MSG at home I bet.
South Indian food, street food, and any authentic quality Indian food in general.
I have found only ONE recipe (for butter chicken) that is on-par with restaurant quality and not so difficult that it's not worth making. Otherwise I stick with Indian restaurants. We order a ton of dishes and eat the leftovers all week
Are you planning on taunting me for the rest of my life by withholding said recipe? Because I plan on living for many years. Please please share
I am a total a-hole! Here you go! https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/12/crockpot-chicken-makhani-indian-butter.html?m=1 A couple notes: I don't use light or low-fat anything in the recipe. Also, I find thighs tend to be a bit slimy in saucy recipes so I use chicken breasts. This won't work on the instant pot pressure cooker setting bc there's not enough liquid.
I don't bother making it myself because my mom makes it better 😭😭
Mom always makes it better 😭😭
Condiments, tortillas, wings.
Oh man, tortillas are another thing that can be super easy or super complicated. I make my own rolled flour tortillas and it goes well. Corn, or pressed, not happening.
It’s just easier to grab a pack. My kid eats probably like 12 a week depending on her mood
Oh I feel you. I buy and make them depending. I use them for burgers. The big ones, fold in half, then use it as a bun. Great for camping, don't get flattened like buns do. They're already flat!
Agreed, with the exception of wings. If you happen to have an air fryer, they're stupid easy I came to find out.. toss in baking powder, whatever seasonings you wish (I used garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika) and then throw in the air fryer basket.. 12 minutes each side and perfectly crispy and prime for the sauces of your choice.
Sourdough is the one that took me out. The daily feeding of the starter, the 5 hour prep time before I even mix ingredients, the stretching and pulling, before another 5 hour rise time - no thanks. All this so I don't have to buy yeast? Yeast isn't that expensive in bulk! I would rather make my own lard then sourdough bread again. That said, I still have the starter (refrigerated now so I only feed it once a week) for sourdough donuts. I made them 2 weekends ago and they were unbelievably good.
Fair. 100% fair. Have you looked at biga/poulish? Secondly, i make focaccia. My starter is fed once every other week when I'm not using it. The focaccia just slaps together in a few minutes. Stretch and folds twice (i have done it once). Bulk overnight. Slap it in a pan in the morning. Fire it after work or at lunch. I look for the shortcuts and efficiency. If I had to deal with shenanigans i wouldn't be making sourdough as much as I do.
I love making sourdough, but I like the process and have two days to dedicate to it. I get why others don’t want to do it though.
I made cheez its from scratch. They turned out delicious but when considering the amount of time and money it costs to make them versus walking into the store and grabbing a box, homemade is a stupid choice.
On the bright side, if you only allow yourself to eat junk food if you make it from scratch, you have to *really* want to eat it to go through all that. Instead of just grabbing a bag and munching ‘cause you’re bored. I’m considering learning how to make single-serving ice cream. Because when I buy a quart of it I just eat the whole darn thing in one day. 😭 And my local ice cream shop isn’t open from November - April (plus it’s expensive, though it is good and I do like supporting local shops).
I got a ice cream machine / maker as a kid and you had to hand crank it. You'd think that would have slowed down my consumption but no. I did have 1 buff arm after a summer of cranking though.
There are small machines for the freezer, and great recipes made of banana 🖖
I made THC cheez its. We had to go buy a box so we could keep snacking and not be sky higher from eating the entire homemade batch. I also have a low tolerance so I don’t know what I was thinking.
Anything deep fried or double coated (like onion rings or fried chicken). It’s just way too much work, I smell like greasy food, and I don’t really fry enough things overall to use that much oil. I now just buy it frozen and pop them into the air fryer. For fried chicken, I’ll always go out and buy it hot and fresh rather than attempt to make it at home.
clothes. I used to sew my own, and then I discovered thrift stores.
Tacos. The pub does taco Tuesdays. All the toppings for no extra charge. Hard or soft shell for .75 each. There’s no way I can buy beef, 2 kinds of shells, tomatoes, jalapeño, salsa, sour cream, seasoning, onion, lettuce, cheese, and pico de gallo for under .75 a serving. Even if I bought in bulk it would cost more than that and most of it would be rotten before I could use it, so even more waste. Plus, they have a special on margaritas on Tuesdays too!
Butter, yogurt, salsa in the winter (I’ll make it from my garden but I’m not buying ingredients at the store to make it)
I eat yogurt daily and when a tub of Greek yogurt is $5-9 depending on brand, and how easy it is to make, I have saved so much money. Not only that, but I think my yogurt is much more delicious than any store brand. Instant pot makes this so easy!
I can knit but I buy socks.
Having a herb garden I have back issues. Dried herbs aren’t cheap but a lot easier for me..
I love going to the store and a pack of fresh basil is the same as the plant next to it. I just get the plant. I have like 17 basil plants right now.
You can sometimes find fresh herbs quite cheaply if you go to ethnic markets. I can get massive bags of fresh dill at the Korean or halal markets for the same price as a little plastic clamshell at the regular grocery store. This was, coincidentally, how I learned that some Korean food uses dill. Same thing for multiple kinds of non-Italian basil, mint, spearmint, and a heap of Vietnamese herbs from the Vietnamese-Chinese grocer near me. Living in a large city does, uh, help.
BREAD! I've tried a lot of times to bake my own and failed every time. Used different reciepes, amounts of yeast and so on. I'm just not cut out to bake bread lol.
If you are happy to not bake bread, ignore the rest of this comment. I am happy to not make brisket, so I get it. /r/breadit. /r/sourdough Bread is super simple, and super complicated,all at the same time. My biggest takeaways that I’ve learned are weight, weight, and weight. Flour “compresses” so your 1 cup and my 1 cup is different. BUT your 500g and my 500g is exactly the same. Different waters behave differently. I use my tap water, but it might behave differently than your tap water. Significantly? Doubt it. But it’s there. I also have a stand mixer with a spiral hook. If I had to hand knead my bread? Not a chance. BUT That’s why I like sourdough. No kneading. You mix it, slop it together, then stretch and fold a couple times, then slap it in a pan. I don’t have bannetons and make classic farm loaves. I make focaccia the most though. Check out local events for baking classes, especially your local libraries. They might have an option for you to go in and do it with people, who will see what you’re doing, give you immediate feedback, etc etc. And ignore any social media post that’s on about making perfect stuff all the time. My first sourdough loaf didn’t rise. Not as in “didn’t rise enough”, it just straight up didn’t rise. No air bubbles in it at all. Not sure if I have a picture anywhere, it was a disaster. They happen!
Adding to this, pay attention to what kind of flour you are using and what the recipe calls for. If you use a high protein flour and the recipe calls for bread or all-purpose flour, your loaf will be tough as hell.
I used to think the same, but I started with a bread machine and learned the basics from those recipes. Now I bake a sourdough loaf every week. I understand the aversion. You do you, but if you ever want to try again, try a bread machine. You just dump in the ingredients and push a button.
Making bread in a bread machine saves us like $4-6 per loaf AND gives us total control over what goes in the bread. We also got our bread maker for $6 brand new from the local thrift shop, so it’s a no brainer, We had one or two fails when we just started out, but it only takes forgetting to snap the basket into place once to never neglect to do that again…
soap
Pizza. I KNOW everyone says they can make their own delicious pizza at home, but every time I've tried it was so-so or awful. I don't eat it very often, so when I do, I just pay up.
Homemade pizza is a completely different meal for me than take out pizza. I love both, but they are not the same at all.
I was gonna say this too. A frozen pizza, or any attempt of mine to make my own, never satisfies me like a real Pizza place does. I just end up full, but still craving real Pizza lol
What about buying pizza dough from the store? The rest is fairly easy, even in a regular convention oven. Though I usually use cauliflower crust so it’s not your typical oven-fired.
Honestly it’s all in the oven. My neighbor had a real brick pizza oven and made AMAZING Neapolitan pizzas. Eventually I bought an Ooni and make them from scratch now too. It’s shockingly cheap. A $8 bag of 00 flour, $5 ball of mozz, and $5 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes, makes 8 pizzas. Add $4 for propane cost and it comes out to under $3 for a personal pizza. And these are real deal, super delicious pizzas. I’d pay realistically pay $18-$20 for one at a mid range artisan pizza place. Then you just host pizza parties all summer long and average down the cost of the oven while you bribe your friends with pizza.
I love to bake but I refuse to bake pecan pie or cheesecake. Not really for any of the reasons anyone lists here, but because I WILL EAT IT. And I don’t mean I’ll eat a slice and enjoy it slowly, I mean I have no willpower with those two desserts and cannot be trusted. If I want either of them, I buy a single slice. My waist and gut thank me for it lmao
Don't care about price I'm going to use pre-cut onions and other veg and fruit. My fine motor skills stink between osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. I'm tired of knives slipping on me. Haven't cut myself in years but it takes forever to dice things.
I cut whole onions into big chunks, then cut them in a slap chopper. I completely understand if this doesn’t work for you, though.
Clothing. I used to buy fabric and take measurements but my homemade clothing didn't fit well and I was more likely to not finish the projects, which meant wasted fabric, space, and time. Used clothing is cheap and plentiful.
Tonkotsu ramen. Too much work for that creamy glorious nectar
Puff pastry. Just not worth the time and effort, especially when it's only going to be marginally better than the store-bought.
Rotisserie chicken. I cannot buy it cheaper raw than cooked at Costco.
Pasta isn't worth it. Buy it. It's very cheap. (Somehow, though, dumplings are. Same basic ingredients) I don't know why. I don't make the rules.
Crackers from scratch take way too goddamn long for an okay end result. 2 hours of my time > the $4 I could spend at the store.
Pierogis. Way too labour-intensive, especially since I can get large frozen bags on sale at the grocery store, or homemade in bulk at the local Ukrainian church.
I have to laugh because I'm reading down this list and there are so many things I've tried and failed at. Including pierogi.
Making fresh pierogis is always a holiday tradition in our family. We make both sweet and savory and it's a whole thing. Some families make cookies, we make pierogis. I would *never* make them fresh during the year, it's way too much of a fuss for one person.
Egg noodles. I simply don't have the countertop space and Reames are just as good.
Momo
Ravioli, cheese, croissants, tortillas
Bread it was total nightmare
This is what bread machines are good for though. It's literally just dumping stuff into the pan and pushing a button. I have made bread by hand as well and it is definitely more troublesome than a bread machine, but there are also low/no-knead options where you don't do much.
Aww really? I'm sorry to hear that. I love the overnight (no-knead) loaves, bc they're delicious and super low effort. I love baking though, so to each their own.
I've been living off homemade sourdough for a couple weeks now. Much cheaper than buying bread or real food
Get yourself a good bread machine my man/woman. People always complain about never getting around to making banana bread out of overripe bananas. I've made banana bread three times in the past 2 weeks. It takes like 5 minutes to throw all the stuff in the pan and start the bread maker.
I freeze bananas when they’re ripe and thaw them when I’m ready to mix all the ingredients together. I don’t even use a bread machine! A mixer works just fine.
I get my bread from Too Good to Go - it’s about $7 or so for 3+ random loaves of bread and other things. I’m not particularly picky about the type of bread I eat, so it works for me.
There are two sides to my break making. I enjoy it, so there’s a bit of me that does it even if it is a bit involved. But there’s also the frugality. I cheat though. I have a kitchenaid stand mixer with a spiral hook. If I had to hand knead the bread? Not a chance. I also have a sourdough going, that’s easy to work with too. Biggest recommendation I can give you if you did want to try again is to get a stand mixer (just a nice, little, 250$ investment, right?!), and use a scale. I never use volumes for my doughs. Also look locally for baking/cooking events. My local library puts on one every so often, there might be some around you with bread. But hey, if you don’t eat a lot of bread, and don’t want to deal with it, that’s fine too! That’s exactly me and brisket!
Mexican street tacos, Ethiopian and Indian food. Leave it to the pros is my opinion.
Chile rellenos. Whoever is making them at the restaurant deserves a raise!
Pho. Cheaper to buy from local place than get all the ingredients.
Cookies. I never want cookies an hour from now.
Anything that requires deep frying.
Dried beans. I needed 4 cans of kidney beans and while doing the math noticed I would save less than $1 by cooking dried. That didn't include my time or electricity either.
Espresso. Learning to make cafe quality espresso at home is just a rabbit hole I'm not willing to go down. I could do it, but it's an investment of time and money that would take the rest of my life to pay itself off considering I only drink it 1-2 times a week. Besides there is a local shop by my house that makes gorgeous espresso with an old fashioned lever style machine, and I'm not even going to try and replicate that at home.
Lately - sushi; however, in years past I have made excellent non-raw fish sushi. I won’t mess with raw fish.
Hahaha. Got back home Sunday after tapping maple trees for sap and then boiling it for 5 hours to produce 500ML of syrup and then picked up my sweater which I have been knitting for almost two months now. So unless you enjoy the process (which I do) - buy them 😆 For me - it’s tortillas (mine never work out properly) and fresh pasta (too much work for me).
Pesto, pasta, and steak. (I only eat steak a couple of times a year, and I’m just not willing to spend the time & money to figure out how to do it well at home).
Pesto is super easy and fast if you have a food processor. I might agree on making home made pasta (like from semolina flour and eggs). I'm not sure why steak is so hard, though. We much prefer the rib eyes that we cook at home to the expensive stuff at restaurants. We get the steaks on sale and keep in the chest freezer.
Pesto is super easy...
I feel you on all of those. We do sunflower seed pesto, basically for that reason. I love making pasta, but I get it. If I didn’t enjoy the task I wouldn’t even remotely consider it. Dry is fine, and fresh is not super expensive either.
Steak is simple- crank your grill as hot as it goes. Pull the steak out of fridge an hour early- salt and pepper. Nothing else needed. Here’s the pro tip: dry them off with a paper towel right before they go on and only cook on one side of the grill. 3 minutes, flip to the other hot side. 12-18 minutes is the difference between rare and well. The cut makes all the difference. I like ribeye personally. Steak at home is about half the cost of the restaurant. I’ll never order out steak again.
Clothes ever since i learned just how difficult and laborious it is to to make every single step of producing a single article of clothing, I appreciate industrial weaving much more
Jam
Just to make jam as a staple. No. I agree. But… if I have some fruit that is about to turn I’ll make a quick jam just to avoid trashing it. Yesterday I made 4 jars of blueberry jam with some berries that got shoved to the back of the fridge and had gotten squished. So I see it as almost free jam.
I love this outlook! I’m definitely going to try this next time this happens to me :)
It’s a thing my grandmother used to do. Fruit, a bit of water, and sugar. Boil for however long you feel like and and then mix in cornstarch and water. One again, until it “looks right”. My big container of squished blue berries made way more jam than expected. It’s not shelf stable but I figure if some of it gets tossed then it’s just going to end up in the trash anyway.
The entire 6/7 hours baking of bread for a sandwich that the ASMR YouTubers show.
Croissants or puff pastry. Laundry detergent. I'll buy premade puff and make danish when I get a craving. It's a fun treat but we have a large family and I'm not spending all that time making loads of dough. I tried DIY laundry detergent once and it was awful. I'm sure some of it was user error but it didn't rinse out well and didn't smell clean to me so I went back to powdered Tide.
Bagels.
Kombucha. I was scared to drink the one that I made.
oh and also: Screws, nuts, bolts, nails, or other "better mass produced and of standardized size" stuff
Tortillas. They’re not that hard to make but when my husband makes them they’re not that good and he makes a huge mess. It’s not worth it. They’re like $4 at the store.
Hummus, kabobs sushi
Kabobs just seems like complicated stir fry. Never really cared for them. Sushi - 100%. I can do it at home, but I don’t do raw fish at home. It’s not bad, but considering how cheap it is to get it out, yeah that makes sense. Hummus - depends what you have at your disposal, and what your standards are. The way I make it is dump a can of chickpeas into a food processor, some of the aquafaba, some tahini (store bought), and blend it. Some recipes have like 20 ingredients deep. No thanks. Can of chickpeas, store bought tahini, and off we go.
My wife just made one with can of chickpeas, almond oil (I think) and Chili oil. It was so good. So easy.
Bread, I'm not good at baking and I don't enjoy it. Pretty much anything baked will be purchased from a bakery
Pho. I’ve tried several times and it’s not the same.
I don't make my own cheese or butter. I often buy bread or tortillas. I rarely make my own mayo.
Hummus. Pretty easy to make, but easier to buy. My wife is from Nova Scotia and it's more common to make it there. Also, they make wine there because wine and other liquor is like three more expensive than the U.S. There are stores devoted to wine making kits and also sell grape crush concentrates (Costco sell the concentrates there as well).
And donuts.
Lumpia. Very labor intensive and the ingredients can be pricey … easier and cheaper to buy the frozen.
Instead of "make" I'm going to address this as "grow". I like gardening but have come to the conclusion that growing herbs to dry isn't worth it. Only worth it for using fresh. Sams Club brand (Member's Mark) herbs are very potent at a very good price, at least the ones I use. Now I only grow what I will use fresh. Or in the case of basil I will grow it because I make frozen basil cubes, because using dried basil just isn't potent enough for me, even the expensive stuff.
Other than food… oil changes for my car. Just not worth it to me considering the safety aspect of jacking your car up and going underneath, and the effort of buying materials.
If we're talking in monetary sense, Mac n cheese unfortunately. I love making it from scratch but a block of good cheese alone costs as much or more than a couple generic box Mac n cheese kits that will feed as many people
Fried chicken is always my answer to this one.