What Foods Are Actually Cheaper to Cook Yourself?

Posted on June 20, 2018 by resourcefulman

Do-it-yourself cooking is an important part of the home-cooked culture. The reasons for doing this yourself can vary, but they usually have to do with taste, health, or cost. In terms of cost, some things are obvious; Making dinner at home is almost always cheaper than taking out dinner, but when it comes to preparing staples, it’s not that simple.

Welcome to Cheap Chow Week ! Food is now more expensive than it ever was, and it might seem like the only cost-effective options for you are fast food or instant ramen. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This week, we’ll show you how to buy, prepare, and eat food in a cost-effective way without sacrificing pleasure or taste.

To see if it is really profitable to make your own bread, hummus and other foods that you usually make with your own hands, I did a little mathematical analysis of the measurements , to be honest, this is the only tool in four years of studying chemistry that I still use – and we calculated how much it will be worth making these treats yourself. Of course, this does not necessarily tell you whether to “cook it yourself”, since the “value” of a recipe depends not only on the cost, but also on the taste, as well as on whether you enjoy making it.

Yogurt

Initial Investment: All you need to make your own yogurt is half a gallon of milk and half a cup of active culture yogurt, which you can easily get for less than $ 3.
Batch Cost: The cost of the batch is the same as the initial investment, but you get two quarts of product.
Cost of store-bought yogurt: One liter of whole milk yogurt will cost you two or three dollars, depending on where you shop.
Is it cheaper?: Yeah. About half the price.
Points to watch out for: Yogurt is one of those things that can have a lot of sugar added, and making your own allows you to add as much or less flavor to it as you like. It’s a bit of a tricky process, however – and you’ll need a thermometer – but it’s not difficult once you get the hang of it.

Bread

Initial Investment: If your home is completely sugar, flour and butter free, buying all the bags and bottles you need can cost up to $ 12, especially if you like shaped flour.
Batch Cost: However, when you have all of these ingredients, the cost for a loaf of this delicious Amish-style sandwich bread will be around $ 2.50.
Store Bread Cost: White sandwich bread can cost anywhere from 99 cents to three dollars, depending on where you shop.
Is it cheaper ?: This DIY bread is definitely more than what you can find in a discount store, but it’s about the same as most sandwich breads and cheaper than the fancy stuff you can. found in the bakery.
Points to watch out for: Mold builds up faster in homemade bread than in the store, but this can be reduced by storing slices in the freezer . Plus, this bread is delicious and very enjoyable (and surprisingly simple) to make.

Hummus

Initial Investment: Tahini isn’t exactly cheap, so the initial investment is between $ 9 and $ 12, depending on where you shop and whether you’re using dried or canned chickpeas.
Batch Cost: A batch of hummus made with dried chickpeas will cost you about $ 2.90 and canned food up to about $ 3.50.
Store-bought hummus costs between $ 4 and $ 6 per can, depending on brand and place of purchase.
It’s cheaper? Yes.
Points to watch out for: Making your own hummus allows you to tinker with both flavor and texture, which means you can add as much damn garlic as you like, or maybe go crazy and fry the chickpeas again .

Salad dressing

Initial Investment: If you live in a home without oil and vinegar, you should buy it because it is a dull home. This very important investment (plus a bottle of mustard and some garlic) will set you back $ 12-15, depending on how delicious your olive oil is.
Batch Cost: Each serving of homemade vinaigrette (3.2 ounces) (enough for a large salad) costs about $ 1.50, which equates to about $ 6 a bottle.
Shop salad dressing cost: $ 5 or $ 6.
It’s cheaper? Technically no.
Points to watch out for: You are unlikely to need olive oil and vinegar for other uses, and buying olive oil and vinegar is cheaper than buying olive oil, vinegar, and a bottle of vinaigrette. Plus, by cooking a little as needed, you can fool around with the flavors, which means you don’t have to allocate one bottle of one dressing for every salad you cook in a month.

Almond milk

Initial Investment: You really only need raw almonds , but a cup will cost $ 5 or $ 6.
Lot cost: $ 5 or $ 6 ( maybe $ 4), depending on where you buy the raw almonds.
Store-bought almond milk cost: about $ 3.
Is it cheaper?: No
Points to watch out for: DIY almond milk will not have any ingredients added and you can flavor it however you like, but it will have a finer consistency.

Ricotta

Initial Investment: The required milk, cream, and lemons will cost approximately $ 3.50–4.50, or more if you buy organic dairy products.
Batch Cost: For $ 4.50, you get about two cups of fresh homemade ricotta .
Store-bought ricotta cost: $ 3.50-4.50 for two cups.
It’s cheaper: no. This is about the same or slightly more expensive, depending on what kind of milk and cream you buy.
Points to watch out for: Homemade ricotta is no doubt a thousand times better than store-bought ricotta. It’s totally worth doing it yourself.

What paper clips do you like to make yourself? Are you forcing them to save money or for other, more delicious reasons? Share your favorites in the comments below!

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