# What Are Some Everyday Foods That Consumers Generally Don't Make For Themselves (and instead buy professionally-made product) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [July 18, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158 "2022-07-18T17:58:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/101 "2022-07-19T17:41:56Z")
The Instant Pot pressure cooker has a “yogurt” setting and from all accounts it works a treat. It takes me weeks to go through a six pack of Trader Joe’s peach and mango tubs so the idea of making job lots of yogurt is a nonstarter for me but a lot of people are saving themselves big bucks by using the IP to make their yogurt. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/102 "2022-07-19T18:01:40Z")
I chose a random Safeway in San Francisco. Their website says they have five different kinds of ground mustard powder. You must not be looking in the right place. [Search Results | Safeway](https://www.safeway.com/shop/search-results.html?q=ground%20mustard&departmentName=Condiments%2C%20Spice%20%26%20Bake) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/103 "2022-07-19T18:11:31Z")
> [@Didi44](#): > > Also like pasta sauces, the real key and signature note to a good ramen bowl is the broth, which can take hours or days to make a good one. The same with pho, the Vietnamese noodle soup. I’ve tried making it at home a few times, but the key to pho is the broth, which can take a long time to make. So if I want pho, I’ll get it from a restaurant. Although I have seen canned pho broth at Asian grocery stores. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/104 "2022-07-19T18:54:59Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > It is so much tastier, and without the sweetness that dominates the jarred sauces (even the ones with “low sugar” still seem sweet to me). I was starting to wonder if I was the only one who found jarred tomato-based pasta sauces too sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/105 "2022-07-19T19:07:30Z")
Had to share this: Commercials intended to convince consumers to use potato flakes for mashed potatoes. (No way - my home made mashed potatoes are ambrosia.) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dPoycMLEDC0/maxresdefault.jpg "Cadbury’s Smash - Martians (1973 - 1992)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPoycMLEDC0) ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/106 "2022-07-19T19:14:46Z")
Agree. There is magic and alchemy and art to the making of that broth - the broth is the main attraction; the noodles and toppings are just bonus. I just go to the local Pho restaurant when the need arises (which is about weekly). I think you live near me, so we have probably been to the same place! > [@Seanette](#): > > I was starting to wonder if I was the only one who found jarred tomato-based pasta sauces too sweet. Yeah, sugar is usually one of the first/main ingredients in pasta sauce, of all things. Sugar is in nearly everything these days. We finally found a Chinese restaurant nearby that appears to hold back on the sugar, so more of the other flavors come thru, without the sweetness. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/107 "2022-07-19T21:30:51Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I think you live near me, so we have probably been to the same place! I’m sure I know the place you’re thinking of, although it seems there’s been an explosion of Vietnamese restaurants in that part of town in the past year or so. In addition to that place that’s been there forever, there was another place a block or two from there, in a storefront where Subway used to be, although they didn’t last long and they’re now out of business. And there’s a newish bahn mi place that also has pho on the menu. Haven’t tried their pho yet but the bahn mi are excellent. And lastly there’s a place that advertises vegan pho. I mean, I always thought the key to good pho was the beef in the broth, but I can see a niche for a vegan version. I have a mental note to take vegan relatives there when they come to visit. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/108 "2022-07-19T22:00:59Z")
Well, I bake twice a week, a loaf of white and a loaf of rye - I grew up baking twice a week so it is no particular hardship. I can also turn out pizza dough, biscuits, cakes, cookies and both regular and rough puff, and short pastry crust and regular pie crust. Well, I can also do medieval coffyn dough which is a really sturdy not meant to actually be eaten dough. We make our own beef jerky [since the whole colorectal cancer thing, I avoid certain chemical additives like the plague, and it is easy enough to make - I do a red wine based fast marinade so it is barely flavored and not salty. I trust it for a couple weeks at room temp but prefer to keep it in the fridge.] mrAru is a dab hand at deep frying, so we do fried chicken, ‘fritter bits’[chunks of cubed steak chicken fried with typically 2 side veggies, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, onion rings, artichoke hearts, it varies with whatever we have on hand, obviously this is a once a month type treat] I do ‘complex set meals’ once a month [a set meal is something like ‘thanksgiving’ being the whole turkey, mashed potatoes, ginger-garlic-orange roast carrots, pumpkin pie, stuffing and gravy; Easter being the roast leg of lamb and veggies, stuff like that] We like to turn leftovers into freezer meals. We actually tend to cook most everything from scratch - I have food sensitivities/allergies to coconut, palm, mushroom, shellfish - all of which are commonly used in the food industry so to avoid giving myself issues we simply make things ourselves and not bother with the problem. I can and have made a number of different formats of noodles or pasta products, I have been known to can and preserve, and am content. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/109 "2022-07-20T00:38:28Z")
There’s an [Instant Pot](https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Multi-Use-Programmable-Pressure/dp/B01B1VC13K) for that. With the pressure cooker, slow cooker, and saute settings, it’s got a permanent place on the island while the dedicated appliances are gathering dust. We’ve made yogurt a couple of times, but that’s a minor application for us. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/110 "2022-07-21T04:36:44Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > And lastly there’s a place that advertises vegan pho. I mean, I always thought the key to good pho was the beef in the broth, but I can see a niche for a vegan version. I have a mental note to take vegan relatives there when they come to visit. I’ve had really good vegan pho and vegan pho that I could swear was just hot water with the usual noodles and veggies tossed in at the last second before they brought it to me. Here’s hoping your place has the good kind! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/111 "2022-07-21T07:27:34Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > I was starting to wonder if I was the only one who found jarred tomato-based pasta sauces too sweet. I bought an Boboli ‘party pizza’ 8-pack at CostCo thinking it might be a step up from frozen. Big mistake. When I opened the box there were only the shells and sauce packets inside, no cheese, not even the sawdust parmesan I expected. I aborted that evening, went out and got shredded mozzarella and some sliced pepperoni while I was at it. Take two we found the pizza sauce was so darn sweet, we could hardly eat them. Dumped the packets in the trash and used the jarred marinara sauce for the next two batches. One more to go and I’m rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/112 "2022-07-21T12:03:55Z")
Chinese roast meats such as duck, chicken, red roast pork, etc. it takes specialized cooking setups to really do it right. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/113 "2022-07-21T18:18:53Z")
Seconding that, and adding Hawaiian Kalua Pig - you need an underground pit to do it right. Of course, there are probably people who live in Hawaii that have a pit in their backyard for such occasions, but folks on the mainland are likely not to have that, and have to get it at their local Hawaiian place. Edit: I think Kalua Pig is not really an “everyday food”. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/114 "2022-07-21T18:58:33Z")
I’ve had Kalua Pig at a number of restaurants around town, but I really doubt they dug a pit in the parking lot! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/115 "2022-07-21T19:11:35Z")
Yah there is probably an oven method for it because our Hawaiian place is also surrounded by a parking lot LOL. That’s what I meant by “doing it right”, with the hot stones, the banana leaves, etc. and the whole show. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/116 "2022-07-21T19:17:48Z")
Yeah, I was agreeing with you. It’s not quite the same. All the Hawaiian restaurants I’ve been to on the mainland were hole-in-the-wall places that I wouldn’t expect the completely traditional preparation from. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/117 "2022-07-21T19:25:34Z")
I would say proper Southern barbecue as well. Whether you prefer brisket or pulled pork (and arguably kalua pig is a kind of barbecue), it’s pretty difficult and time consuming to do well at home, although with the rise of home smokers it’s probably becoming more common than it once was. But barbecue restaurants are common enough I would say it counts as an “everyday” food in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/118 "2022-07-21T23:15:46Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever had homemade pretzels or potato chips, unless you count microwave soft-pretzels. > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Wedding cakes. > Never homemade. The cake, no. The cookie table, that’s a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/119 "2022-07-21T23:21:19Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever had homemade pretzels or potato chips, unless you count microwave soft-pretzels. My wife started making homemade pretzels a few years ago. Really good, and they don’t appear to take much effort. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/120 "2022-07-21T23:42:28Z")
I’d be interested in a recipe. I always buy hot pretzels where available; maybe I’d be up for making them at home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158.md?page=7)