# Nothing beats homemade... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419 "2005-06-22T19:14:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/41 "2005-06-23T14:30:16Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > My answer to this thread: spaghetti sauce. By miles and miles. I mean, you could add black pepper to a can of crushed tomatoes and I’d rather eat it than Prego, Ragu, Newman or any other of that sweet, gummy store stuff with all that weird crap in it. I’m really a lot with you, there. Dave makes a big batch of spaghetti sauce and cans it, so we’ve always got home-made. Except one night last week, and we had friends coming over so no time to make it. I bought a jar of something or other and it was sweet. SWEET. Nasty stuff. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/42 "2005-06-23T14:42:56Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Simple? Not the way I make it. > > Criminal? Yup because it will kill you of a heart attack. > > Try [this](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/102871) when you get a chance. You’ll blow a joy gasket. They had me until the frozen peas. Shiver. Guess I could leave them out. Keep yer veggies out of my mac-an cheese (onions are OK) Best home-made? Bread for sure. Pizza. And I’m surprised no one mentioned **Beef Jerkey**. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/43 "2005-06-23T15:45:00Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Guacamole is one of the few things that I _only_ eat homemade. It’s easy to make good guacamole at home (and with a bit of work you can make _great_ guacamole at home), and impossible to store the stuff for any period of time. As far as I’m concerned, it takes no work at all to make great guacamole. Mash up an avocado with fresh lime juice, salt, a clove or two of garlic, and a sprinkling of cayenne, and I’m in heaven. Any additions to it are just a distraction. This week I discovered something interesting: green beans from the garden have a rich, deep, almost coffee- or chocolate-like flavor to them that I’ve never tasted from green beans before. I can’t wait until we have enough that we can cook them; it’s a thrilling flavor discovery for me. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/44 "2005-06-23T16:09:06Z")
Just thought of another one: Scalloped potatoes. The ones that come in a box are junk. My recipe has been handed down to me from my mother and grandmother. It is ridiculously simple, and sinfully delicious. It’s also my husband’s Favorite. Meal. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/45 "2005-06-23T19:32:15Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > As far as I’m concerned, it takes no work at all to make great guacamole. Mash up an avocado with fresh lime juice, salt, a clove or two of garlic, and a sprinkling of cayenne, and I’m in heaven. I think we’re saying the same thing. It’s just that I consider peeling and mashing an avocado, juicing a lime, pressing a couple of cloves of garlic, mixing all of the ingredients together, and cleaning up the implements (juicer, garlic press, etc.) to be–how did I phrase it?–“a bit of work.” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/46 "2005-06-23T21:56:05Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > The Joy of Cooking has a caramel sauce recipe that is phenomenally good; I’ve never had any caramel that approaches its sublimity anywhere else. I keep a jar in the fridge and eat it by the spoonful. I’m intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. 😉 My caramel gets to the right point eventually but then if I don’t use it right away (in cookies or cheesecake or whatever) it stiffens up and becomes unusable/unspoonable. Homemade lemon curd I will have to try, although I got a source for a good storebought one. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/47 "2005-06-24T01:04:36Z")
> [@archmichael](#): > > I’m surprised. I sort of expected one of our hardcore foodies to come in and chime “I churn my own butter, that thing they sell at the supermarket is for chumps” 🙂 Churning butter is actually ridiculously easy as well and it’s cheaper if you can get a good source of cream (a dairy wholesaler) but not much point otherwise. Just dump cream in a mixer and mix it for 10 minutes or so. Seperate the buttermilk into one bottle and the butter into another. Then wash the butter under cold water until the water stays clear and you can pack it away. If you want european style cultured butter, dump a dollop of creme fraiche into the cream and leave in a warm place for 24 hours, then do the exact same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/48 "2005-06-24T01:35:39Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Simple? Not the way I make it. > > Criminal? Yup because it will kill you of a heart attack. > > Try [this](http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/102871) when you get a chance. You’ll blow a joy gasket. > > My answer to this thread: spaghetti sauce. By miles and miles. I mean, you could add black pepper to a can of crushed tomatoes and I’d rather eat it than Prego, Ragu, Newman or any other of that sweet, gummy store stuff with all that weird crap in it. _shrug_ seems easy enough to me. You can get the sauce done in the time it takes for the pasta to boil. Given that with Kraft Mac & Cheese, you still take the same amount of time and you still have to stir, it sounds about just as easy. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/49 "2005-06-24T01:52:29Z")
My husband makes a killer apple-cranberry pie. He’s going to enter it in the State Fair this year. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/50 "2005-06-24T02:17:21Z")
I make a pretty decent cheese & veggie soup- OK, I do use the cheese soup starter powder but I still have to balance out how much milk & veggies & real cheese to add. Veggies I use- broccoli, cauliflour, carrots & … tater tots. _L_ And fresh-ground pepper! ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/51 "2005-06-24T03:19:35Z")
Homemade Tamales. I make 'em once a month by the dozens, experimenting with different ones. The Goat cheese/mushroom ones were a hit, as were the serrano chicken. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/52 "2005-06-24T03:39:27Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Porn. I agree completely. It just has more _heart_. What? Oh. Um…piecrust! I have yet to taste the store-bought pie that holds a candle to even the worst one I’ve made. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/53 "2005-06-24T04:44:48Z")
OK, now that I have washed the drool out of my keyboard and it works again… All you that have posted so far **must** post your recipes. ---
**Author:** ![bubba\_jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@bubba\_jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubba_jr)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/54 "2005-06-24T05:02:10Z")
Chocolate pudding, in a pie with homemade graham cracker crumb crust (bought graham crackers) with realy homemade whipped cream, oh yeah, kahlua in the pudding. Clam chowder. that canned stuff is like fish flavored slime. Salsa, just some Roma tomatoes, a few roasted jalapenos skinned and seeded, chopped onions, garlic and salt, cilantro if its your thing. Taco shells, that ortega/taco bell stuff is crap. Simple corn tortilla fry it up in a deep frier or shallow pan, and stuff it full and let it set for a minute. Green chile sauce, the canned stuff is flourescant and a bit sweet, onions and garlic sauteed in lard, tiny bit of flour, add some crushed tomatoes, and chile, either frozen or fresh roasted. Croutons. Toretellini, don’t ask me for a recipe, thats my grandmothers thing. but they are SOOO much better. Anything italian, sauce(tomato, alfredo, pesto) , pasta, meatballs, ravioli, lasagna. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/55 "2005-06-24T05:21:04Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Churning butter is actually ridiculously easy as well and it’s cheaper if you can get a good source of cream (a dairy wholesaler) but not much point otherwise. It is, indeed, extremely easy. I generally don’t bother with making regular butter (the store brands are perfectly fine for most things), but I make honey butter whenever I make homemade bread for some gathering or other. I also make garlic and herb butter occasionally, if I’m preparing to make something it will go well with. Also, as **MrDibbles** pointed out, homemade soap is nice. I’ve been working with glycerin soaps lately because it makes it very easy to experiment with different scent blends. Castille soaps are more involved, but also fun. ---
**Author:** ![hathaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@hathaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hathaway)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/56 "2005-06-24T13:03:05Z")
Yes, please do post more of these recipes for those of us reading along. I come from a ‘meat and mashed potatoes’ house (didn’t even have lasagna til I was a teenager and in other people’s homes, for example) and I don’t know how to make almost any of this stuff, but this thread is making me want to try. Please share! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/57 "2005-06-24T13:28:43Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > Oh. Um…piecrust! I have yet to taste the store-bought pie that holds a candle to even the worst one I’ve made. You must be much better at making piecrust than I am. I have made some truely horrid pie crust. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/58 "2005-06-24T19:27:14Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > I’m really a lot with you, there. Dave makes a big batch of spaghetti sauce and cans it, so we’ve always got home-made. Except one night last week, and we had friends coming over so no time to make it. I bought a jar of something or other and it was sweet. SWEET. Nasty stuff. I’m with ya’ll too. Home made sauce rocks. We cook ours in the oven all day. Once an hour we stir, and add more ground parmesean cheese. I will admit the acidity always bothers me, but I got a neato tip a few years ago. Put a whole egg into the batch. The calcium shell absorbs an insane amount of acid, and sure enough it worked. Beats the hell out of adding sugar to perfectly nice sauce. Also, home made jamm is a staple around here. I am not sure we even have a jar of storebought in the house. We’ve got Mixed Berry, Apricot and Spiced Peach in the fridge. 🙂 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/59 "2005-06-24T22:29:20Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > Homemade Tamales. I make 'em once a month by the dozens, experimenting with different ones. The Goat cheese/mushroom ones were a hit, as were the serrano chicken. Mmmmm…tamales. What type of basic recipe do you use? I’ve only made them at home once and they didn’t really come out right. I’m another one who can’t stand boughten spaghetti sauce. Also, there isn’t a substitute for homemade mashed potatoes. I’m sure there are more, but those are 2 that I have strong feelings about. GT ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419/60 "2005-06-25T03:20:05Z")
Another vote for soup. I make about 5 quarts at a time, and freeze it in 1 pint containers. I have mastered beef & barley with mushrooms, lentil with kielbasa and spinach, split pea with ham, turkey vegetable noodle (linguine makes perfect noodle soup noodles!), pasta fazool, navy bean with ham hocks, clam chowder, and black bean chili. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-beats-homemade/309419.md?page=4)