What does "from scratch" mean to you??

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Coco

Senior Cook
Joined
Mar 20, 2003
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Location
Vancouver, BC
I wrote a post the other day that mentioned cooking from scratch, (it was in regard to feeding kids.)

Anyway, it sure got me thinking....what does "from scratch" really mean, as I guess it's pretty subjective.

In my case, it means, cooking whole meals from beginning to end. The "cheats", (if they can be considered as such), are things like canned chicken broth, (vs. homemade) , and canned clams, like the linguine I made last night.

Also, I used canned black beans in my quesadillas. Is that still from scratch??

Anyway, what does cooking from scratch mean to you??
 
I wouldent worry too much about quesadillas being "from scratch" or not since it's the equivalent of a grilled chese sandwich (in mexico quesadilla is tortilla and cheese, any thing you add is your own preference).

For me "from scratch" means every thing is fresh except for fermented items (soy sauce, other sauces, spirits used in the preparation, etc) and sometimes I can pass stuff such as tomato paste or as you mention canned broth, but in the situation where these would be too much trouble to make. For example a dish that has no chicken at all yet calls for broth.
 
Hey Coco, to me scratch is anything that isn't prepackaged. So...pasta from scratch is doing the whole egg/flour, rolling dough thing. Tomato sauce from scratch can start with canned tomatoes, as it is tough to do enough of your own to feed the family all year, but after that, spices etc are your own.

I do most of my cooking from scratch, but there are a few cheats that are necessary in terms of time. Come on, working folks just don't have that kind of time anymore.

Hey Coco, nice to meet you btw. Where abouts in Vancouver are you? PM if you like, or just ignore me...I tend to be nosy. :oops:
 
Good question! Hm. If I make something from a recipe without substituting any ingredients for anything commercially made, I would consider that made from 'scratch.' If I had a meat grinder, made my own pasta, made my own cheese, etc. that would be different. I guess 'scratch' means making everything with whatever tools you have. :?
 
from scratch eh?
yea you can use stuff like sauces soy sauce etc. to make stuff from scratch.
i agree with dc make everythin with w/e tools you have

cept i don't use sauces such as A1 or bbq sauce, mayo etc. dressing thats premade i make that myself. because i wanna learn the "basics"
 
DampCharcoal said:
LOL! Only if you live 9 minutes in the future! :LOL: That took too long to think about! :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

DOH!!! Guess I should check stuff like that before I open my yap!
 
I agree with Alix's definition also. 8) I also sometimes cook from what I call "half scratch." Let me explain. If I were to dump a jar of spaghetti sauce over cooked spaghetti noodles, that would definitely not be from scratch. But if I make it with ground beef, onions, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, and a package of spaghetti mix (like Schillings), I call that half scratch. Silly, I know!

:) Barbara
 
it means totally homemade to me, like a homemade cheeeseke or baked mac 'n cheese...or something like a cake.
 
Well, glad to see that I hit on a good topic.

Looks like we all have the same idea. I tend to split hairs a little:

Eg. If I make a pasta dish,(with canned chicken broth perhaps), I say the dish is made from scratch.

Eg. If I make fresh pasta, I say that the "pasta" is from scratch.

Now I'm really thinking.....or not. What the Heck does scratch mean anyway? I guess it means making something from nothing, right?
 
One weird thing is the mixed results I've gotten with "from scratch" food. I dated a girl who well... all her home cooked meals came from cans so when I made ragu sauce entirely from fresh vegetables and chopped tomato she through my spagetti tasted "wrong".

Also my mac and cheese lacked that 99c a box flavor that she was so acustomed to. Still now that Im out of that relationship I make stuff from scratch whenever I can, although I still draw the line at gutting stuff. I cant do whole mammals of foul... although I'll sometimes do whole fish.
 
That is so funny, Lugaru.

I give my parents meals a few times a month when I am making something I think they will like.

My mom makes spaghetti sauce with 1 can of tomato sauce and 1 can of Campbell's tomato soup, (plus onions garlic green peppers, etc.) Don't get me wrong, it tastes pretty good, but it's clearly a Better Homes and Gardens special from the 50's...:)
The first time I made them marinara sauce, my Dad told me it was too tomato-ey.

1 year ago I made them a Wild Mushroom Lasagne.....their comments...."too many mushrooms."

Last week I made them Beef Stroganoff with Beef Tenderloin and shtake and crimini mushrooms. Too much beef.

3 months ago I made them a homemade lasagne. Not enough cheese.

1 month ago, another lasagne. TOO MUCH CHEESE. :)
 
From scratch means to me like if I wanted spagheti and meat balls, I would make my own sauce instead of opening a can or jar.I grow and can my own tomatoes too. I would make my own meat balls and not buy them premade. Pie from scratch is making your own crust and fresh fruit or what ever kind of pie your making.Mashed potatoes from real potatoes not boxed. Cookies, you blend all the ingredients and not buy premixed dough. Home made soup is just that, not from a can or jar.
 
i'm kinda picky about the "scratch" thing. while i'd overlook canned stock, i'd have to make a little mention if i used canned tomatoes, like "the sauce is from scratch, well, i used canned tomatoes but, otherwise, it's from scratch".
certain foods should always be from scratch, like mashed taters, so i wouldn't think to even mention that. shame on you box people.
from scrastch pies start with making the crust, and adding fresh fruit or other ingredients. from scratch pasta is made from a pile of flour, eggs and water.

i guess about 99 percent of the ingredients should be made by hand if you want to say "from scratch", imo.
 
Alix said:
Hey Coco, to me scratch is anything that isn't prepackaged. So...pasta from scratch is doing the whole egg/flour, rolling dough thing. Tomato sauce from scratch can start with canned tomatoes, as it is tough to do enough of your own to feed the family all year, but after that, spices etc are your own.

I do most of my cooking from scratch, but there are a few cheats that are necessary in terms of time. Come on, working folks just don't have that kind of time anymore.

I agree with Alix. Most of my desserts that I make are from "scratch". But at times I do use canned beans, tomatoes, soups, etc. for dinner entrees. It just depends on whether it is a work night or a day off. On my days off I am more likely to make a meal from "scratch". Sometimes, the local store does not have fresh items available and prepackaged is the only alternative.
 
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