# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/141 "2022-07-25T17:04:33Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > but in my mind, if all I do is add hot water ( or put a box in the microwave or oven) , it is not gray at all. It is very definitely all the way over on the “not made by yourself” side. I was thinking of the kind of ramen noodles you boil in water in a pan, not the kind you just add water to, though admittedly there’s not much difference. But the OP mentioned buying ramen from ramen shops. Boiling it yourself does require a bit more effort than that: you have to take some action to transform something inedible into something that’s ready to eat. In the amount of effort involved, it’s roughly comparable in my mind to making eggs yourself (e.g. boiling or frying them) vs. ordering eggs at a diner. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/142 "2022-07-25T18:32:41Z")
I don’t think it’s just about some amount of effort - but the the OP says > [@HeyHomie](#): > > the host said that most Japanese don’t make ramen themselves – the process is apparently time-consuming and labor-intensive – and just prefer to buy it from ramen shops where it’s cheap and abundant. “Japanese don’t make ramen themselves” cannot be referring to boiling the noodles in water or adding hot water to a cup with a flavor packet added - doing that could never be described as “time-consuming and labor-intensive”. “Make ramen themselves” must mean either making the noodles themselves , or buying the noodles and making the broth , adding seasoning and toppings etc. In the egg example, when you scramble/boil the eggs, you are doing exactly what the cook at the diner is doing - with the ramen, the cooks at the restaurant are not boiling the noodles with a pre-packaged flavor packet. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/143 "2022-07-26T01:00:46Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Then again, to me “ramen” means those ultra-cheap packages of noodles that you boil in water and sprinkle the flavoring packet into. Yeah, that’s not what E is talking about when E says Japanese people don’t make ramen for themselves. It’s not about instant ramen. It’s about actual ramen noodle soup made from scratch. If you’ve ever had ramen at a real noodle shop, you wouldn’t consider it to be in the same food category as instant ramen packets. Except for being noodles in soup there’s almost nothing in common about the eating experience. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/144 "2022-07-26T03:35:41Z")
Continuing the aside about ramen, you can get good (not amazing, but good) quality dried noodles, but for me, the key element of a really, really good dish is the quality of your broth. And it’s there that most home cooks cut corners. Aaaaand now I have to go watch my copy of the great noodle western, [Tampopo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo)! Which should also qualify as a nearly everyday soup/food item that is easy-ish to make at home, but most people just buy, whether you’re talking about a basic broth or stock. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/145 "2022-07-26T15:07:17Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I am not 100% sure of exactly where the line is , and I suppose there might be some gray area if for example, I assemble a pizza using dough I bought and sauce I bought and cheese I bought - but in my mind, if all I do is add hot water ( or put a box in the microwave or oven) , it is not gray at all. It is very definitely all the way over on the “not made by yourself” side. Many years ago (late 1950s?) when package cake mixes came on the market the manufacturers found that they weren’t selling well. The home cooks used to baking felt like it was “cheating” to just take the mix, add water, stir, & bake. The result was home-made, but not home-made _enough_. So they turned their nose up at the product. Somebody had an idea: remove the powdered egg from the mix, and change the instructions to be “_Add an egg_, water, stir, and bake.” A miracle occurred. The product was harder to use, but sales skyrocketed. Now the result was home-made _enough_ to satisfy the homemaker’s conscience. To this day many (most?) cake mixes require the added fresh egg. ---
**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 26, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/146 "2022-07-26T15:21:33Z")
I’m pretty sure that story about eggs and cake mix is in urban legend. Apparently the real reason was that those early cake mixes where you just had to add water contained dried eggs, and they just weren’t very good. The mixes where you add a fresh egg sold better because the cakes tasted better. Snopes has an article about it: > **[Requiring an Egg Made Instant Cake Mixes Sell?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/something-eggstra/)** > > Rumor: Instant cake mixes sold poorly until one food company decided to require the addition of a fresh egg to their product. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2022, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/147 "2022-07-26T15:32:29Z")
Cool. Thanks for educating me. ---
**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 26, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/148 "2022-07-26T15:47:30Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > > [@DigitalC](#): > > > > Mayo specifically takes like 2 minutes to make with ingredients that everyone always has around and you get a far superior product. > > Possibly with a side-order of salmonella. Exactly. No one here is saying any of the mentioned food items _can’t_ be made at home or that home-made foods are inferior. The topic of the thread is foods people generally _don’t_ (or wont) make at home. Mayo is definitely lined-up with the OP, no matter how easy to make or dangerous to your health it may be. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/149 "2022-07-26T15:53:14Z")
Certainly. But DigitalC’s “takes like 2 minutes” and “far superior product” implied a certain level of “people are so dumb and lazy”. I was answering that implication, not arguing whether mayo fit the thread. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/150 "2022-07-26T16:00:05Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > But DigitalC’s “takes like 2 minutes” and “far superior product” implied a certain level of “people are so dumb and lazy”. Some people certainly are lazy, including myself. But, a lot of them are also not confident cooks, and (rightly or wrongly) believe that they have no skills in the kitchen. Even if they were told that a recipe is, “easy to make!,” they will probably still believe that it’s beyond their skill level. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/151 "2022-07-26T16:05:02Z")
It doesn’t matter that mayo is easy to make from scratch. If I need some for a sandwich or whatever, I might just need a tablespoon right now and then another tablespoon next month or whenever. Making it from scratch is wasteful compared to using some commercial mayo from a jar. ---
**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 26, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/152 "2022-07-26T16:13:27Z")
Yeah I was agreeing with your point, and adding the part about the thread. I think I could have worded it better, on reflection. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 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/968158/153 "2022-07-26T17:58:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It doesn’t matter that mayo is easy to make from scratch. If I need some for a sandwich or whatever, I might just need a tablespoon right now and then another tablespoon next month or whenever. Making it from scratch is wasteful compared to using some commercial mayo from a jar. We just make it and keep it like any other mayo. We are obviously not making a spoonful of mayo every time we want some. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/154 "2022-07-26T18:09:03Z")
But homemade mayo only keeps about a week or so while commercial mayo is good for a couple of months after the best buy date if it’s refrigerated after opening. If I only use a tablespoon of mayo a week , I’m making around a cup or so a week and tossing most of it. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/155 "2022-07-26T20:09:49Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > . . . homemade mayo only keeps about a week or so. . . I have made mayo many times in amounts as large as a quart, and have never had a problem with it spoiling. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/156 "2022-07-26T20:28:53Z")
If you’ve got a proper tortilla press and a cast iron skillet, tortillas are actually pretty easy. Tamales though… we made some for this last Christmas, and while they’re all surprisingly delicious, the amount of effort, prep, and stuff involved was colossal. I firmly believe that we’re buying them from now on out after that 3 day effort-a-thon Pickles are an example of something that are really not terribly hard to make, but people overwhelmingly buy them rather than DIY, unless they’re gardeners with bumper crops. ---
**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 26, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/157 "2022-07-26T22:37:40Z")
Well sure, tortillas aren’t complicated or anything but doing them up from scratch is time consuming and the product isn’t super better than buying fresh made from the tienda. I mean, bread isn’t difficult either and yet most people don’t bake bread from scratch because it’s time consuming, not because it’s all that complicated or the ingredients hard to assemble. Tamales, filled wonton, lumpia and the like are all examples of fairly simple foods that nonetheless take SUCH a lot of time and effort that they’re firmly in the “special occasions only” basket. I think of foods like that as “see how much I love you?” foods that are special far in excess of their admittedly enormous yumminess just because of the effort involved. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/158 "2022-07-26T22:44:43Z")
I think most gringos aren’t even going as far as “buying freshly made [tortillas] from the tienda”. Instead, I think most of us would buy, from a supermarket, the ones in a plastic bag from a brand like Mission. ---
**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 26, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/159 "2022-07-26T23:03:51Z")
You know what I find mind boggling? AT the tienda, where they make fresh tortillas daily, they also sell the whole slate of commercial tortillas as well. There is no price advantage to buying the Don Pancho or Mission or whatever brand, there are better, fresher tortillas right next to them on the shelf made every day right there and yet somebody is buying the inferior ones. I dungeddit. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-everyday-foods-that-consumers-generally-dont-make-for-themselves-and-instead-buy-professionally-made-product/968158/160 "2022-07-26T23:08:30Z")
There’s something like 64 tablespoons in a quart - at a tablespoon a week, that would take more than a year so clearly you use a lot more than the tablespoon a week I would. [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=7) [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=9)