Make your own food: Cheap Trick Thursday
Make your own yogurt? Bagels? Granola?
Sounds like something an enterprising Martha Stewart acolyte might attempt, but numerous bloggers and writers have tested and confirmed that recipes for some of the basic prepared foods that Americans have grown accustomed to purchasing already made could be constructed from scratch.
And of course, the question isn't whether these items could be made at home ...
... but whether they should be made at home. As in, "do I have the expertise and equipment to make my own Oreos --- Oreos that I would actually want to eat?"
Sometimes, the answer to these questions is yes. Sometimes you can make much better versions of what's available in stores, according to Jennifer Reese of Slate. And much, much cheaper --- at least when it comes to making your own yogurt and bagels.
The Citypaper recently highlighted yogurt-making as well as instructions on how to make your own tofu.Reese points out early that she doesn't factor the cost of her time into her equation, and that's a personal choice. But, she also warns not to overestimate the amount of time some of these projects would take. Yogurt does its thing on its own, she says.
That's a choice everyone has to make for themselves --- how much your time is worth. But! You might just enjoy the process, gaining the knowledge and experience to make your own food. And, you might save some cash.
Any other items that survive the cost-benefit analysis? Beer? Sausage? Twinkies?
(photo: Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
