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What don’t you make from scratch these days?

(91 Posts)
Daddima Thu 05-Mar-26 14:54:01

I was reading on another forum things people find it too troublesome to make, as ready made is just as good. I saw a lot of mentions of pasta sauce ( albeit with additions), with Prego being a popular suggestion.
I rarely make pastry, but would certainly buy ready made, and probably even ready rolled! I’ve also used Idaho mashed potato, as my wrists aren’t up to serious mashing.
What do you buy these days, or wouldn’t you even consider ready made?

Jess20 Sun 08-Mar-26 14:19:35

Yorkshire pudding, puff pastry, beer (thank heavens, home brew was awful), dog food, bread. Why waste time making things that are better pre-made! Most things I still do from scratch though.

Suzieque66 Sun 08-Mar-26 14:13:40

Life's too short to stuff a mushroom ...

Polremy Sun 08-Mar-26 14:09:37

Yorkshire puddings. Mine are never successful.
Meringue. Ditto.

crazyH Sun 08-Mar-26 14:09:11

Sorry - what DON’T I make from scratch -
Pastry
Cakes

readsalot Sun 08-Mar-26 14:00:42

I don’t make puff pastry but also buy ready made short crust when baking for GC as they can’t eat dairy. So quick and easy!

sandye Sun 08-Mar-26 13:58:38

Pastry, life's to short to make pastry. Now I just buy it and roll it out.

crazyH Sun 08-Mar-26 13:58:00

20+ different curries,all from scratch !

Witzend Sun 08-Mar-26 13:48:24

Vintagegirl

Mashed potatoes and oven chips.

Chips! Yes, except occasionally for the Gdcs we rarely have even oven chips, but there’s no way I’d ever make them at home, and TBH I can’t remember if I ever did.

Having said that, I do enjoy good chips made by someone else, so a pub meal for me will often be fish and chips.

NotSpaghetti Sun 08-Mar-26 13:47:19

Oh Croissants!
I don't make those anymore either!

pce612 Sun 08-Mar-26 13:46:08

Buy a MASHA from Lakeland. Easy to clean (dishwasher safe), no effort required.
Perfectly smooth potatoes (not gloopy) and other veggies. Comes complete with an attachment to whip cream or beat eggs.
I wouldn’t be without mine.

Vintagegirl Sun 08-Mar-26 13:40:49

Mashed potatoes and oven chips.

Allira Sun 08-Mar-26 10:02:34

Witzend

Allira

Charlie Bigham' s lasagne this evening.

I used to make it from scratch but not tonight!

Must say lasagne is one thing I’m never going to make from scratch again. Such a faff, and TBH just very recently the Gdcs much preferred the cottage pie I’d made the previous week.

I did ask DH to bring back a ready meal for last night, one with chicken.
He brought back beef lasagne.

Witzend Sun 08-Mar-26 09:43:34

Allira

Charlie Bigham' s lasagne this evening.

I used to make it from scratch but not tonight!

Must say lasagne is one thing I’m never going to make from scratch again. Such a faff, and TBH just very recently the Gdcs much preferred the cottage pie I’d made the previous week.

NotSpaghetti Sun 08-Mar-26 09:09:41

Pastry,
Tomato ketchup,
Baked beans,

I never make these now - and rarely make ice cream. I never grind my own wheat for flour and rarely make my own bean or nut burgers (though I'm not really interested in them as made them for "the children").

I don't tend to make yogurt- but do still make kefir.

sankev Sun 08-Mar-26 08:49:02

Yorkshire puddings and shepherds pie! So much easier especially now I mainly just cook for one!

seasider Sun 08-Mar-26 07:40:17

@jane43 no custard on the chips I hopegrin. Despite many tries I just can’t make rice pudding so I buy tinned and put it in the oven so it gets a skin . I was shocked to see my DD buys ready made mashed potatoes.

grandMattie Sun 08-Mar-26 05:39:08

Puff pastry
Pastry cases for tarts
Custard
Very little else - I was brought up in a Third World country, just after the War,. Everyone was poor, absolutely nothing was available ready made, neither for nor clothing (including shoes) nor foodstuffs. If you wanted it, you had to make it yourself, or go to the shoemaker for your shoes. I was over 20 before I had factory made shoes!

fancyflowers Sun 08-Mar-26 03:54:51

I make spag bol from scratch, although I use a bought tomato and basil sauce, so it can't be said to be entirely home made.

I always use bought pastry, both shortcrust and puff.

I have had several attempts at making custard but I never seem to get it right, so I generally use the tinned variety now.

Coolgran65 Sun 08-Mar-26 00:58:36

A large steak pie made by our local butcher. Crammed with steak pieces and gravy. Just heat for 35 minutes. Expensive at £8 but I cut it into 4 portions. Two for dh and I, and two for the freezer. He also makes a fabulous lasagne. The only ready made lasagne I would buy. Again I use half and freeze half.
I also use his ready made stuffing, always have a bag in the freezer.

Nandalot Sun 08-Mar-26 00:38:12

Fisherman’s pie, unless there are going to be a lot of us eating when son’s family over. We like Charlie Bigham’s

Jane43 Sat 07-Mar-26 21:33:05

Pastry which we don’t have very often because of DH’s acid reflux; chips, again we don’t have them very often but we like the McCain Gastro chips or M&S triple fried chips and custard.

foxie48 Sat 07-Mar-26 21:27:08

Cook's puddings, I try to keep one in the freezer, their chocolate almond torte and mango cheesecake is to die for, much better than I would make.
Puff pastry, the all butter one
stock pots although I do make my own chicken stock if I have a carcass
bottled chick peas and other types of beans
bottled artichokes

Allira Sat 07-Mar-26 21:12:57

Charlie Bigham' s lasagne this evening.

I used to make it from scratch but not tonight!

loopylindy Sat 07-Mar-26 15:26:52

You've jogged my memory about home made marzipan. It was my first teaching practice as a Home Ec. student and I really didn't know which way was up way back then. So there I was with a class of twenty, with twenty cakes waiting for their almond jackets and piles of greasy ground almonds and sugar with the students trying to make the whole lot into something that could be rolled out. Happy days!

kittylester Sat 07-Mar-26 15:07:34

Cauliflower cheese. Sainsbury's frozen with added nutmeg and more grated cheese. It's lovely and GF.

Pies, we buy Brockleby's as they are local

Cottage pie- we always have an M&S one in the freezer. For years I used to make enough Cottage pies to feed 15 to 20 people for our family post Christmas get together. I feel I've done my share.

I love cooking and make most things from scratch and always have home made meals in the freezer but I am also happy to take the easy option sometimes.