# "Doctoring Up" Store Bought Food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 3, 2023, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523 "2023-11-03T11:28:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/21 "2023-11-03T14:27:22Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > When he was little, my kid was probably the only child on the planet who turned his nose up at Kraft Mac 'n Cheese He wasn’t because I’ve never liked it, either, and you can’t imagine the reactions I’ve gotten from people when I’ve verbalized that. My brother, on the other hand, can eat an entire box of it himself. I always say, “You do realize that you’ve probably consumed 3,000 calories, right?” He could care less. LOL ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/22 "2023-11-03T14:30:06Z")
That’s our most often doctored store-bought item. Usually it’s additional aromatics and herbs, and sometimes we add sausage or meatballs. I wonder- is there a distinction being made between “doctoring” and using a store-bought ingredient as a main ingredient in a different dish? I mean, buying a rotisserie chicken, and using it as the base for chicken salad (something we’ve done in the past) would seem to rupture the boundaries of mere “doctoring”. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/23 "2023-11-03T14:31:41Z")
Maybe you (and my son) had instinctively healthy tastes in this regard. IIRC, a few years ago a study was published saying that the boxed stuff was really nasty, health-wise, for some reason (maybe some coating used on the inside of the cheese packet, or something; I don’t remember). When the study came out, I was grateful that I rarely served it; some of my friends practically let their children live on the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/24 "2023-11-03T14:32:57Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I wonder- is there a distinction being made between “doctoring” and using a store-bought ingredient as a main ingredient in a different dish? “Doctoring” in this thread is buying food from a store but then enhancing it with other ingredients in order to produce a superior product to that which was bought originally. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/25 "2023-11-03T14:35:30Z")
I was just clarifying; some people’s answers skate awfully close to “using store-bought ingredient to make a new dish”, rather than “doctoring”, which I define like you do. Doctoring spaghetti sauce is enhancing it with aromatics and meat _and still eating it as spaghetti sauce_, not using it as sauce for a meatball sub. ---
**Author:** ![sb1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@sb1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sb1953)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/26 "2023-11-03T14:37:38Z")
Yes!! my wife would start making the blue box mac-and- Cheese, and while it was boiling she browned a lb. of hamburger in a skillet. She drained the meat, then added it to the pan of mac and cheese and finally dumped in a can of tomato soup. My son would eat any left in the pan after we all ate a portion. TO THIS DAY it is called "macaroni-and- meat in our family. There were never any leftovers even after she doubled the recipe when son began playing H.S. football. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/27 "2023-11-03T14:38:26Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I was just clarifying; some people’s answers skate awfully close to “using store-bought ingredient to make a new dish”, rather than “doctoring”, which I define like you do. Agree but, since they were tasty sounding ideas, I ain’t gonna’ complain. LOL ---
**Author:** ![sb1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@sb1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sb1953)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/28 "2023-11-03T14:39:10Z")
My mother used to buy a brown jar of “B & M baked beans” then she added a two TBS of minced onion and some A-1 sauce while it was heating up in the pan. I still love that stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/29 "2023-11-03T14:46:19Z")
I shied away from the “B&M” until they came out with the vegetarian style beans, which I find delicious. I never liked that lump of fat that, for some reason, they felt had to be the can. It looked icky. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/30 "2023-11-03T14:59:32Z")
I never eat instant chicken soup without adding butter, sour cream, paprika, and a handful of crushed crackers. Ramen noodles can be combined with just about any meat or veg to create a “bowl.” I put big chunks of XO white cheddar into canned chili before I nuke it. Then I add crushed crackers and hot sauce. I even put chunks of cheddar into generic spaghettios before I stick them in the microwave. Makes them much more palatable. I haven’t seen canned gumbo in a while, but I always put butter and a few shots of Tabasco in it when I find it. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/31 "2023-11-03T15:01:52Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Yeah, it makes sense! The uneducated have looked at me and asked in shock and in an accusatory fashion, “You don’t make it from scratch?!” They don’t realize that “from scratch” simply means that you boil fresh tomatoes until you have boiled away most of the water, which is something that is tremendously time consuming and requires virtually no skill whatsoever. In my world, “from scratch” means I open one can of tomato sauce, one can of tomato paste, and one can of diced tomatoes, then add my own seasonings and let it simmer. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/32 "2023-11-03T15:04:02Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > In my world, “from scratch” means I open one can of tomato sauce, one can of tomato paste, and one can of diced tomatoes, then add my own seasonings and let it simmer. Yes, I forgot that tomato paste is an excellent thickener and hastens the process. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/33 "2023-11-03T15:30:37Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > However. Boxed chicken broth - or homemade if you have it - can be upgraded into an ersatz pho if you have the right condiments in your fridge. I have never seen a recipe for faux pho before. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/34 "2023-11-03T15:32:31Z")
I found a deli soup I like a lot, but it’s very expensive and very salty. I buy a can of no-salt diced tomatoes, saute some green pepper and onion, add that with some rice and low-sodium chicken broth. Some seasonings. In other words, using it as a base. It makes a whole lot more, very close in taste to the original, and not so salty. I do that with other soups, too, use as a base. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/35 "2023-11-03T15:55:49Z")
Occasionally I will turn Kraft Mac n Cheese in to Noodles Romanoff by adding sour cream and sauteed diced onions. Sometimes I’ll use real egg noodles and just the cheese packet from the box and save the elbows for something else later. The Betty Crocker Noodles Romanoff boxed stuff was my favorite cheesy treat as a kid. I still miss it. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/36 "2023-11-03T16:32:29Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Occasionally I will turn Kraft Mac n Cheese in to Noodles Romanoff by adding sour cream and sauteed diced onions. Sometimes I’ll use real egg noodles and just the cheese packet from the box and save the elbows for something else later. Very creative! I’d never think of something like that. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/37 "2023-11-03T16:36:34Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Doctoring spaghetti sauce is enhancing it with aromatics and meat _and still eating it as spaghetti sauce_, not using it as sauce for a meatball sub. But that stuff in the jar from Ragu or whoever isn’t “spaghetti sauce”. It’s Italian Marinara sauce, or Bolognese sauce or tomato / garlic sauce or whatever sauce. Doctoring is adding spices, meats, veggies etc. Whether the final sauce goes on a meatball sub or a plate of pasta or over sautéed fish filets it’s still Marinara or Bolognese or whatever. Just a better version than came straight from the bottle. I totally see your point about the vague and slippery slope between “doctored main dish” and “shortcut ingredient.” But IMO the distinction you made ain’t it. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/38 "2023-11-03T16:38:21Z")
Hey, as long as it tastes good, it’s allowed. LOL ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/39 "2023-11-03T16:58:19Z")
For years my standard red sauce for pasta, fish, sandwiches, etc., was bottled basic Ragu or whoever, 1 small can/bottle of sliced mushrooms, 1 can of tomato paste, one diced onion, and waay too much oregano & basil, plus a bit of dried or bottled minced garlic and a bay leaf or 3. Stir well at first to break up the tom paste then simmer about an hour to let it all combine and cook down some. Nil effort and plenty tasty. No matter what you dump it on. Except maybe ice cream. That’d be gross. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523/40 "2023-11-03T17:02:16Z")
I’m a big fan of the herbs and spices, also. I like some zest, so I do add finely chopped jalapeno as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctoring-up-store-bought-food/992523.md?page=3)