What do you make from scratch on a regular basis?

[picote]

One of my major goals for the year is to overhaul our food budget and cut back on processed foods. I made mayo for the first time yesterday and can’t believe how easy it was. I can hardly wait to start experimenting with flavored mayos!

I know many here make yogurt in the instant pot. That’s on my list. Wondering what other basics are worth making from scratch, either because of improved taste/quality, fewer preservatives or lower cost.

The ones on my list to try so far:
Salad dressing (first recipe I tried was just ok, but still better than store bought glop)
Mayo
Yogurt/Greek yogurt
Bread (found a great Jewish rye recipe, but it only seems to be good for a few days. Need to convert to making it in the bread maker I think)
Broth/stock

What else am I missing?

[edited to add that I’ve been thinking about getting a deli slicer as well. We go through a TON of deli sliced turkey.]

[caribougrrl]

that's a good list... I find that although I love making bread, it's one of the first things I stop doing if I'm busy because it's a long process... but also, I don't have a bread maker

re: salad dressing - I rarely make up salad dressing, certainly not in quantity... just dress the salad before serving, usually with some really good olive oil and either vinegar or lemon juice... sometimes I'll make a small quantity of something more sophisticated (oil, lemon, garlic OR oil, mustard, honey, balsamic OR sesame oil, tamari, maple syrup) but still only enough for the salad we're eating... most recipes are 2:1 oil:acid, I prefer 2:1 acid:oil or even 3:1 acid:oil

homemade yogurt costs me about the same as store bought, but way less plastic waste since I buy milk in cartons... the taste is similar, so the advantage for me is all in waste reduction

if you can make yogurt, you can make sour cream (you need to buy a starter), and I do find that homemade sour cream has much better flavour than commercial (artificially soured) sour cream

I would also add for consideration:
hummus
pasta/noodles (you will not save money here, but the taste is worthwhile)
apple sauce
mustard

Not exactly basics, but worth doing from scratch:
gravlax (if you are fan of cured salmon, it is super-easy to do yourself)
quick pickles (easy way to add some brightness to meal)
chutneys, relishes

[picote]

Ahh, hummus! I used to do that all the time and got out of the habit. I was wondering about pasta as well—can you make and freeze it and still have the flavor and texture hold up?

Re bread, I’m hoping to find a recipe that’s good enough I can pre-measure ingredients and make it easy with the bread maker.

And I had no idea you could make mustard. DH has been on a quest for good Dijon. Our condiment rack in the fridge probably has 6 different bottles of mustard, none of which meet his standards. Will definitely add that to the list.

Pickles is a good one. We go through a ton of them.

These are great suggestions! Do you have any recipes/instructions on gravlax? We get this as a special treat, but I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy the Costco salmon and not have a chunk go to waste. So much cheaper than our supermarket!

[picote]

And I had no idea you could easily make sour cream! Will have to look into that!

[BonitaApplebum]

I don't know quite how regularly I do it, but if we are having soup I almost always make it from scratch -- I can't remember the last time I bought canned soup.

[picote]

I don't know quite how regularly I do it, but if we are having soup I almost always make it from scratch -- I can't remember the last time I bought canned soup.

Oh, that’s a good one. I need to figure out what freezes well. We almost always have soup (and chili) as a convenience food or when we’re not feeling great, so would be nice to have a good homemade alternative.

[caribougrrl]

I do freeze fresh pasta sometimes... make sure it is well floured and not sticky when it goes in the freezer, and cook straight from frozen (don't thaw)...

re: gravlax - there are a lot of recipes out there, but essentially you need salt, sugar, whatever spices tickle your fancy, and vodka... about 1 tbsp of each part per pound of fish... for spices, dill and white peppercorn is pretty traditional with or without coriander seed with or without orange zest, but you can really do pretty much anything... we sometimes use fennel seed and onion seed, or juniper berries and orange zest... cut your fish into two similar sized pieces and lay them over plastic wrap, spread the salt/sugar/spice mix over the fish, pour vodka over one piece, press the spiced side of the other on top, wrap up tight, and let it cure under weight (like a brick on top) for a few days, turning once a day... we did a blog post a few years ago with a recipe using spruce and juniper, but the technique works for any flavouring http://moosecurrry.blogspot.com/2014/06/spruce-juniper-gravlax-recipe.html

[Run Amok]

I make my own dressing almost always. I think there is even a dressing thread here.

I was making our bread a lot of the time but fell out of the habit when we moved out of our house this summer.

I make soup a lot. And pasta sauce.

I prefer to make stock but storage is a problem so I just use better than bouillon and make up for it with lots of aromatics and herbs in my soups.

I have never been able to nail yogurt. But I keep trying periodically. I think I'm just picky!

[Run Amok]

Oh, and jam. I usually make freezer jam in the summer with farmers market fruit. SO delicious. But then we eat it. Again, storage.

Dressing I usually just make while I'm making the salad. It takes about 30 seconds. But we don't eat creamy dressings (which are also easy just a little less so).

Almost all soups freeze well in my experience.

Oh yeah, and if you eat beans at all....cooking from scratch is so much better and cheaper and they freeze super well, so you can do them in batches.

[picote]

Oh, beans are a great idea for us! I would never have thought they froze well. DD loves them but we end up with a lot of waste because unless we give her beans every night no one else eats them. Do you just make plain beans and then add flavoring when you thaw or do you make a recipe and freeze?

DH goes through a LOT of dressing, so having it made ahead of time in a big batch just makes it easier. I made one batch thinking it would last the week and was shocked at how quickly it was gone. We will often just do oil and vinegar, but he likes the added herbs.

[picote]

And this is in part driven by the fact that we got a garage fridge, so now have a fair amount of storage.

[caribougrrl]

also, refried beans

I follow the Serious Eats method https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/perfect-refried-beans.html

they freeze well

[Run Amok]

I just realized that with my tenant moving out I have a full size freezer and fridge at my disposal! Yes!

Anyway,  beans you can do whatever you like...spices, herbs, or plain. You will need to salt more than you think.

I usually cook my cannellini beans with a whole head of garlic (top chopped off), fresh sage, rosemary,  bay, and an onion cut in half (skin on is fine if not moldy).

Chickpeas usually just salt.

Black beans usually salt, onion, garlic, & bay unless I have particular plans.

The instant pot is great for this. You can freeze in whatever portion you like although a can holds 1.5 cups of cooked beans. You can freeze them with or without the liquid but the liquid from beans you cook yourself is a great flavor boost for soups.

[Run Amok]

And if you buy beans in bulk in your own container and reuse your containers...this is a zero waste proposition.

Rice,  pasta, and bread, also freeze well in their cooked/finished state.

[witchypoo]

bread
hummus
salad dressing
granola
harissa
soup/stock
red sauce
pickles
mayo

[picote]

This is awesome!!! I have a feeling we’re going to have a lot of testing going on in next few weeks!

[Run Amok]

Also, things like tamales,  Asian style dumplings,  and filled pastas all freeze really well

[diablita]

I don't have time to look at all the previous posts right now (but will tonight!  great thread!) but here is my favorite recipe for gravlax:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/132/Gravlax

It turns out fantastic every time with this recipe.  It's truly so easy.  The most important things to remember are: use salmon that was commercially frozen, never fresh.  And don't rush the process; it needs a couple days.

Also, hummus is SO delicious fresh that while i do buy good store bought hummus sometimes, I'm never disappointed by the effort to make my own.  I like Ottolenghi's recipe; I'm sure it's on the web.

[caribougrrl]

oh, and corn tortillas... quick, easy, cheap... can't recall the last time I bought tortillas. I have a tortilla press and just use the instructions on the back of the bag of masa flour.


thanks to diablita, I also make arepas on a fairly regular basis... similarly, just follow the instructions on the bag of flour

[picote]

Thanks diablita! And yes, added tortillas and naan to my list after I posted. Also saag. That would at least cut out our weekly Indian fix if we had something easy to defrost. And might prevent the damn dog from eating an entire package of tortillas like she did last night! She is going to regret my not working anymore!