
How cost-effective is it to make pantry staples from scratch? - tptacek
http://www.slate.com/id/2216611/
======
mechanical_fish
Bagel recipe! Score!

It is astonishing how easy it is to make bread from scratch. I've been making
sourdough from Mark Bittman's recipe. It is so, so worthwhile. No two loaves
have turned out quite alike, yet, but it appears to be hard to actually screw
them up, because they're all delicious. Just remember to feed the starter...

~~~
tptacek
Highly recommend Ruhlman's "Ratio":

[http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2009/04/ratio-the-
simpl.h...](http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2009/04/ratio-the-simpl.html)

Bread is much simpler than even Bittman is making it out to be.

This book is the kernel hacker's guide of cooking.

~~~
jonknee
I second your Ratio plug. I'd also recommend adding Artisan Bread in Five
Minutes a Day to the mix, another great (easy!) bread book.

[http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-
Revolutioni...](http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-
Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/prsboos)

~~~
mark_h
Not necessarily easy, but I cannot recommend "Bread" by Hamelman enough:
[http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-
Recipes/d...](http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Book-Techniques-
Recipes/dp/0471168572/)

It's actually geared towards professional (artisanal) bakers, but all recipes
include home proportions as well. I've baked a lot from it, and never had a
failure. It manages to be both incredibly thorough and scientific, yet convey
the passion and craft side of it as well.

I'm not sure there's any book in my home that I'd keep in its place if I had
to choose.

~~~
Daemmerung
Amen. This book is wonderfully quantitative, and in my experience discusses
rye doughs like no other.

I am also very fond of Emily Buehler's "Bread Science"
(<http://www.twobluebooks.com/book.php>), particularly as a gift for precise
individuals new to bread baking who might be put off by the length and depth
of Hamelman.

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teuobk
In addition to being cheaper (usually) and tasting better (very often), the
food prepared at home gives the chef or baker a certain sense of satisfaction.
I feel like I've really accomplished something when I make something delicious
from scratch.

I always find it a bit magical when I bake something: I mix stuff together and
put it in the oven. Out comes a food that's gone through an amazing
transformation.

Incidentally, I think that the Food Network show "Good Eats" would appeal to
the hacker mind.

~~~
tomsaffell
> a certain sense of satisfaction

I think this is an important and oft overlooked point. People so often talk
about their 'time value of money' and use it as a justification to outsource
so many parts of their life, often to the detriment of their quality of life.

Personally, I've been toying with the idea of curing my own ham - I do miss
_english style_ ham. I read a recipe last time I was in England, so I know
roughly whats involved. Sounds like fun, but so far I haven't allowed myself
the indulgence - one day..

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tptacek
If you're going to be "ramen profitable", you might as well put the extra
effort in and enjoy yourself. =)

~~~
cjc
Careful though - All the time spent researching / cooking / perfecting this
food may eat into your ramen profitability.

I recently took up cooking and if you get serious, it gets expensive,
specifically in the following ways:

1) Stocking up - Initially buying spices ($4 each), pots, pans, trays (a
decent set will run you $400), a good knife($80) which you will eventually
need, other staples ($a bunch)

2) Experimenting - You'll get stuff wrong a lot. You'll ruin food. You'll buy
more food. Sometimes it's expensive food like steak.

3) Showing Off - When you figure out you can cook something that is noticeably
better than rubber, you'll want to cook for your friends. They will like the
food and thank you, but they won't always remember to leave cash behind.

4) No more junk food - Cooking the good stuff makes you appreciate good food,
and by appreciate I mean spend more money on.

I find cooking to be a lot like programming. There are tons of options and
methodologies and evangelists and opinions, but when it comes down it, the
thrill of creating something (even something palatable only to you) is
unbeatable.

~~~
timr
_"Initially buying spices ($4 each)..."_

Let me recommend Penzey's:

<http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html>

You'll get _vastly_ better spices and herbs than you would at the store, for
half the price (less if you buy in larger quantities). Every year, I shop the
retail store in my hometown, and walk away with all the spices I need for a
year (20 or 30 different kinds) for about $60. It's slightly more if you have
to get them shipped, but still way cheaper than the megamart.

~~~
silentbicycle
Penzey's is nice as a nationally available place, but I've had better luck
getting spices locally. There's an Indian market that carries several spices
for shockingly cheap, and they're quite fresh. You can get tons of other great
stuff at ethnic grocery stores, too:
[http://ask.metafilter.com/117514/Interesting-foods-in-
ethnic...](http://ask.metafilter.com/117514/Interesting-foods-in-ethnic-
groceries)

One of the local health food stores bags their own spices, and they have
pretty good turnover. That might be more hit or miss, but worth a try.

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Raphael
So am I to understand that this person's time is worth nothing?

~~~
Confusion
It is primarily about the taste, not about the cost. You are to understand
that she willingly spends lots of time in the kitchen and would get
satisfaction out of making better tasting bagels, that just happen to be
cheaper. I'm rather happy with the fact that my girlfriend insists on baking
our breakfast cereals herself.

~~~
adamc
But it's presented as being about the cost.

------
rozim
Check out pain à l'ancienne, the cold fermented baguette from Peter Reinhart
in The Bread Bakers Apprentice. Several people who have tasted this say they
can no longer eat store bought bread and it's amazingly easy to make.

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sdurkin
This article doesn't factor in the value of the writer's time. Ignoring
opportunity cost is a major no-no.

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chris11
I have wanted to make granola. So easy, yet so incredibly tasty.

Too bad I'm stuck with a dorm kitchen.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
Use a toaster oven.

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dhughes
Two words: slow cooker.

~~~
tptacek
Two more words: sous vide.

