Do you like to cook? I do. I’ve been cooking for as long as I can remember. I learned a lot from my mom and then from my sister, Conni. Everything was made from scratch, too.
When I was 9 or 10 years old, I would occasionally get up very early in the morning and make donuts for my dad to take to the office. I’m not sure what time I got up, but I know that Dad was usually at work by 7 or 7:30 so it was early. This was what I would do on Summer days – my vacation. They were always made from scratch, too. Don’t you know I was popular in his office?
I’m not sure why Mom always baked from scratch. It’s likely what she grew up with. Then with Conni it was a point of pride. That’s why I started out making food from scratch. Today I choose to cook from scratch because I can better control the ingredients.
I’m not perfect though. One of the first cakes I ever baked, I left out the eggs. You don’t realize how important eggs are to a recipe until you leave them out. It was dry! Very dry!
I also don’t have a hard rule that says everything must be made from scratch. I will occasionally buy a mix for some things. But I make that the exception rather than the rule. For example, I used to buy the prepared pie crusts. You know, the ones in the refrigerator section. You unfold them and then put them in your pan. But as I became more aware of ingredients, I noticed they contained trans fat. At that point I went back to making pie crust from scratch. Which isn’t so hard once you get the hang of it!
Do you know the best reason to cook from scratch? Food just tastes better. The ingredients are fresher and higher quality. There are no preservatives, questionable oils, or other weird ingredients.
Do you cook from scratch? If not, what holds you back? What would help you to cook more from scratch?
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Big believer in cooking from scratch. Since I can’t seem to cook for two people, I make whatever dish as normal and we have leftovers. One: I only cook a few nights a week. Two: LEFTOVERS! Three: pretty much a good meal all week long.
I’m with you on that one, Patti! Leftovers rule the day at our house. My mother-in-law refused to eat leftovers. She would starve at my house.