Food Any mass produced foods you find better than home made

I guess things that are made with industrial equipment that most domestic versions cannot replicate: ovens that don't quite get hot enough for example?
 
Golden Syrup. I did make it once out of interest but it is not worth the quite modest effort.
I was going to say biscuits of the savoury kind but actually one saves money as well as taking back control.
Cheese is the thing that most of us can't even get near at home, I would say.
 
Alistair Scott said:
Kimchi?
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Actually very doable at home, and once you're over the initial investment, it is vastly cheaper than store bought and I believe far superior from the times I've made it.

Maangchi is a darling of the internet's culinary community and her recipes are pretty accessible whilst keeping authenticity. Give this one a go:

www.maangchi.com

Easy kimchi

A traditional, simpler, & faster way to make classic kimchi, done by chopping the cabbage in the beginning. Spicy, fermented, and delicious, it's a great side dish for any meal!
www.maangchi.com www.maangchi.com
 
Thanks all - some fascinating examples......... Interesting how some staples are hard to beat. Also that ketchup is tricky to get close to when home made yet mayonnaise is way way superior when made at home
 
Alistair Lime said:
I remember when Albert Roux used to have a column in the Evening Standard, someone asked him about making baked beans from scratch and he told them not to bother. It was one of the few mass produced foods he would have in his cupboard and couldn’t be easily improved upon.
If I recall correctly, he said that it was a luxury food when it was initially introduced, but that doesn’t seem right?
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Fortnum & Mason were the first grocer to list Heinz Baked Beans in the UK, so the story goes anyway.
 
Thom Blach said:
Golden Syrup. I did make it once out of interest but it is not worth the quite modest effort.
I was going to say biscuits of the savoury kind but actually one saves money as well as taking back control.
Cheese is the thing that most of us can't even get near at home, I would say.
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I made some invert sugar syrup for the first time the other week. It is easy to do but as I've discovered, not so easy to make so as to prevent it re-crystalising. I now have a jar of crystalline sugar in a light syrup.
 
Phil David said:
I made some invert sugar syrup for the first time the other week. It is easy to do but as I've discovered, not so easy to make so as to prevent it re-crystalising. I now have a jar of crystalline sugar in a light syrup.
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Did you include a bit of liquid glucose at the beginning, Phil? I think it's more or less essential.
 
Thom Blach said:
Did you include a bit of liquid glucose at the beginning, Phil? I think it's more or less essential.
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No, I wasn't aware of that tip. Of course that then leads to the question of where it may be obtained, and that probably ends with buying the commercial product.

I suppose Phil's original question somehow includes the trade off between how much better/how much effort and perhaps how much you enjoy the process. I've realised that I've come to quite dislike cooking when I'm obliged to prepare a meal for myself, but enjoy it when it's more discretionary.
 
Will Devize said:
Beer.

No matter the commitment, experience, skill or fullness of beard sported by the home brewer, I have yet to taste an amateur batch that can beat quality cask-conditioned ale from a decent pub.
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I have strong reason to believe that the atelier of our own Kinley Smith may provide the exception that proves the rule though alas I have no first hand experience.
 
Re Baked beans - my mum told me that when they first appeared in the UK they were sold as a complete meal as the can of beans also had meat. I remember small sausages in the can. The baked beans sold in the UK now are meat free.

When I lived in the USA I struggled to find can of baked beans like I was used to buying in the UK. Though the US supermarkets had many more brands of baked beans than we had in the UK, they all contained meat. I eventually found one brand labelled as vegetarian.

The original Boston Baked Bean recipe has meat in.

The problem with beans in the UK is they have so much sugar and salt in them.

For the past few years I have been making my own baked beans, which I much prefer. Are they a duplicate of Heinz/Branston? No, as they aren't sweet and the tomato sauce isn't as thin. Do I want a duplicate? No, that's why I make my own ;)
 
Thom Blach said:
Hummus really is much better made at home, and shouldn't have olive oil in it(perhaps stir some more tahina into commercial versions). The non-negotiable secret is to skin the chickpeas, tinned will do fine. Just put them into a bowl of water and rub firmly, the skins will rise to the top. repeat a few timnes
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Brindisa chick peas (in a jar) make great hummus, much better than shop bought (using a recipe from Arabica).
 
Peter May said:
Re Baked beans - my mum told me that when they first appeared in the UK they were sold as a complete meal as the can of beans also had meat. I remember small sausages in the can. The baked beans sold in the UK now are meat free.

When I lived in the USA I struggled to find can of baked beans like I was used to buying in the UK. Though the US supermarkets had many more brands of baked beans than we had in the UK, they all contained meat. I eventually found one brand labelled as vegetarian.

The original Boston Baked Bean recipe has meat in.
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Last time I looked there were about 10 versions of meaty baked beans in the average supermarket here; Sainsbury's carry something described as Baked Beans in tomato sauce with pork sausages, potato chunks, button mushrooms, mini bacon burgers and a mini chopped & shaped beef & cereal cutlet.

Beans and 3 meat and 2 veg. Must be a big can.
 
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