# Would you call this "Home made"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 9, 2024, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004 "2024-11-09T23:01:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/1 "2024-11-09T23:01:36Z")
For a quick dinner I sauteed some Trader Joe’s fried rice in a pan and added some hand shredded chicken breast from a leftover store bought rotisserie chicken, a scrambled egg and some salt, pepper and soy sauce. Would you call this “Home made” chicken fried rice? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/2 "2024-11-09T23:14:27Z")
Yes, I would. You didn’t make the chicken yourself, but you assembled all the parts into a coherent entree. And you did scramble the egg. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/3 "2024-11-09T23:39:43Z")
I would say it’s definitely home made, but not made from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/4 "2024-11-09T23:41:03Z")
As Carl Sagan said, to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the Universe. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/5 "2024-11-10T00:11:55Z")
By American standards, that’s home made. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/6 "2024-11-10T00:43:54Z")
Works for me. Had that last night. Except the rice was cooked at home. Mid-dau makes a mean fried rice. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/7 "2024-11-10T00:46:04Z")
That kind of thing happens often around here and we call it “Improvising”. Also applies to conjuring up a dish from raw / fresh items on hand but without a recipe. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/8 "2024-11-10T03:01:33Z")
Certainly. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/9 "2024-11-10T03:02:28Z")
Is the Trader Joe’s fried rice like already fried? Then I would not call it “home made” in the same way that I would not call campbell’s tomato soup with some added veggies or herbs “home made tomato and herb soup.” But the line here is fuzzy. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/10 "2024-11-10T03:06:50Z")
Close enough. Tho tending towards the “not” side, as the 2 main ingredients - the chicken and the fried rice - were seemingly pre-prepared. But it seems pretty extreme to require that you use only minimally processed, single ingredients for something to be home made. We’ve discussed this often around here. Home made is pretty much meaningless. Always sorta jars me when I see it on pre-packaged food or restaurant menus. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/11 "2024-11-10T03:19:01Z")
I’m a Sophisticate. I’d call that Left-Overture. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/12 "2024-11-10T03:20:31Z")
Carry on, wayward son. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/13 "2024-11-10T03:34:56Z")
Wait…but, you started with ready made fried rice, made additions and called it home made fried rice? I think the judges may have some questions… I doubt it passes the MIL judging round, but Good Luck! ---
**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:** [November 10, 2024, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/14 "2024-11-10T04:06:55Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I would say it’s definitely home made, but not made from scratch. I’d probably further split hairs and call it a “Home cooked meal”. It was cooked (as a complete dish) at home, but not _quite_ home-made, and as TL states, certainly not made from scratch. But really, if you’re cooking what you like, I don’t deeply care about what labels you want to apply. And if you didn’t confess to us, it’s not like we would know. Or the aforementioned “Mother in Law” test. Don’t ask, don’t tell! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/15 "2024-11-10T04:43:48Z")
Hey, I cooked it in my kitchen it’s home-made. I grab a piece of cheese(no, sorry didn’t milk the cow or make and age the cheese) Grab two pieces of bread(again, sorry it’s store bought bread) Grab the country Crock of make believe butter(what can I say? I like it) Put it together, slap it in a skillet. Look y’all I made grilled cheese sammich! Of course I didn’t go to a restaurant and get it, I home _made_ it. Right here in my skillet. On my stove, in the kitchen at my home. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/16 "2024-11-10T12:44:13Z")
Kitchen Artistry. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/17 "2024-11-10T12:55:05Z")
Updated leftovers. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/18 "2024-11-10T15:13:15Z")
Yeah not home made. Sounds good though. Add some chili crisp oil. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/19 "2024-11-10T15:14:56Z")
One can buy readymade store grilled cheeses. Also pbj’s. In the store they’re called uncrustables. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004/20 "2024-11-10T16:42:32Z")
Funny you say that because the first time I made it I added a few packets of hot sauce from a Chinese restaurant and it was good but didn’t have any this time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-call-this-home-made/1010004.md?page=2)