Baking/cooking from scratch far superior

Try making Lardy cake! So much time and effort and the one the local bakery makes is far superior, not that I’ve even tried tbh!

I do make the effort to make Hot Cross Buns. They taste so different and much nicer than the ones you buy. There again it does depend on the recipe you use.

My pancakes are mixed in the liquidiser using plain not self raising flour and definitely no sugar - not even a pinch. It’s not necessary and not good for you. I confess, however, to sprinkling sugar on the cooked pancake together with a little lemon juice.

Buying a packet mix is better than buying ready made ones.

Chocolatelovinggran

Thank goodness for frozen pastry. Made by me- absolutely inedible ....

Me too! I only ever use ready made pastry now as I have arthritic finger joints and rubbing the fat into the flour is extremely painful, plus I don't like the yucky feel of it either!

Having said that, I never use packet mix for cakes out of choice and nothing to do with additives or pressure from sanctimonious individuals. Each to their own I say.

I doubt scratch cooking is 'far superior' in many instances.

We scratch cook everything we eat because we control the ingredients, thus no chemicals, it's far cheaper and easier, and being vegan - the obvious choice for us is scratch cooking, even items as pancakes, breads, and biscuits.

argymargy, That's what I thought too! I looked at a container of so called "pancake mix", read the instructions that said "just add an egg and half a pint of milk". That basically only leaves flour!
On the other hand I find that the dumpling mix that I buy makes much better dumplings than my own from scratch. I mainly bake cakes for fun with the grandchildren, so make those from scratch. They enjoy all the weighing, mixing and egg cracking.

Marydoll

Just for you, Calli.
Leave to rest for 30 mins and dont make the batter too thin.

Thank you Marydoll

I shan't post a photo of my previous efforts 🥞

I must confess to using SR flour when making shortcrust pastry, though. It seems to make it lighter and more 'short'

My Mum used half and half SR and plain flour for pastry MaizieD and hers was lovely.
Mine's average.
My pastry efforts with GF flour were disastrous, could have tiled the floor with it.

I agree with the original poster. Home cooked food tastes much better than processed food. I have allergies, so cook everything from scratch as the preservatives do not agree with me. But everyone to their own.

Ps If in doubt I turn to Mary Berry. Good old fashioned cook. Simple and straight forward.

Marydoll

Just out of the oven. Five minutes to make and 30 mins in oven.

Did you put your oven on, just to cook those?

DaisyAnne

Marydoll

Just out of the oven. Five minutes to make and 30 mins in oven.

Did you put your oven on, just to cook those?

No!
There were other things cooking in it, at the bottom.

Why do I feel this is a criticism?

BTW, I have a Ninja All in one. My oven is rarely on, these days, as we are very conscious of saving energy. .

I've saved this thread under 'Watching'

Thank you for the recipes everyone 🙂

DaisyAnne and Marydoll
Your comments have made me want to turn my oven on just for sheer devilment! 😈

Cooking/baking from scratch does not necessarily mean you are using unadulterated 'chemical' free ingredients. Flour itself contains additives such as ascotbic acid, iron, niacin, calcium carbonate etc. Organic flour is the gold standard but it's not cheap.

FannyCornforth

DaisyAnne and Marydoll
Your comments have made me want to turn my oven on just for sheer devilment! 😈

It's your bill to pay. Do it if it gives you pleasure.

Flour itself contains additives such as ascotbic acid, iron, niacin, calcium carbonate etc.

Ascorbic acid = Vitamin C
Iron = iron!
Niacin = Vitamin B3
Calcium carbonate = calcium carbonate, a food supplement

Flour is unbleached, by law, in the UK.

DaisyAnne it was a joke.
No need to be so touchy

We are not all the same. Some of the posters on GN are less than 50, some are over 80. Some work full-time, some retired long ago. Some are superfit, run or jog, and go to the gym daily, for some it is a major achievement to walk to the end of the road to post a letter. Some share shopping and kitchen duty with a significant other, some do it all themselves.

It doesn't have to be one extreme or the other. Cooking from scratch is therapeutic and (can be) delicious. Buying something readymade is easy, quick, and can be delicious, too .Either can also be inedible or over/underflavoured and full of fat/sugar/carbs and . A mixture of home-made and bought-in can get the best of both worlds, and the ratio of one to the other depends on individual circumstances.

Always cooking from scratch means keeping the fridge and cupboard stocked with fresh ingredients, fine if you live near the shops or you have a car, or are able-bodied enough to carry home bags of heavy fresh veg. It also means time spent on your feet preparing ingredients, standing cooking them, and washing/clearing up afterwards. Making large quantities at a time streamlines the process, but if you live on your own you soon have a freezer full of a limited choice of meals.

Always buying meals readymade is an expensive way to live, and you are at the mercy of the manufacturer on what ingredients are used and in what proportions. The same dish from two different supermarkets can differ wildly in ingredients and quality. However, once you find meals that you like, and which meet your high dietary standards, there is nothing wrong in using them when that is what you feel like eating. When you don't want the effort of shopping and cooking, (or can't do it even though you would love to) having some stored in the freezer can make the difference between having toast and tea and eating a proper meal.

Never mentioned bleach as I know it's banned in UK - merely trying to point out that even baking your own does not rule out additives whether they are food supplements, preservatives or anything else. Flour is not necessarily 'natural', it can also contain:

Calcium propionate (banned in Russia

Sodium benzoate (mixing with ascorbic acid creates benzene, a carcinogen)

Tricalcium phosphate (anti caking agent)

Butylated hydroxyanisole (petro chemical/ antioxidant)

FannyCornforth

DaisyAnne it was a joke.
No need to be so touchy

I wasn't being touchy; I was just surprised at what I thought was implied. I was wrong and the poster was cooking other things. However, even if she wasn't I really do think it everyone's choice to do what they want to in their own home.

But perhaps you think you know better than me what I think and feel? ("Smilies" don't always overcome rude comments, do they?)

This really has been a funny old thread!

Not touchy, then…

I can bake, I used to every week when feeding a family, often for my parents too as my Mum struggled to stand. Now? Rarely. Christmas cake, maybe for a birthday, other special occasions when I know it will be eaten. We rarely have cake in our home, our family aren’t local so no dropping in. If I bake a cake a lot of it isn’t eaten so a foolish endeavour. There’s no room in our small freezer for storage or I’d be encouraged. What I do make is pastry. Always have. I’m told it’s delicious. Each to their own don’t you think?

FannyCornforth

Not touchy, then…

Oh yes, but only about the comment you felt the need to add.

Baking/cooking from scratch far superior

Of course that can depend on the cook!
My Scottish granny’s culinary repertoire consisted of reheated mutton pies, peas and chips (she did cook the chips, oven chips hadn’t been invented but she could have sent be of her sons ie my father or uncle just along the road to the chippy! )