Too much cooking from scratch?

[BeckyFL]

Since we haven't been eating out much and I've been cooking more and more from scratch, I've started to notice something very odd. I took a bite of some Chex cereal the other day and it tasted like chemicals. Threw it out and tried Rice Krispies only to find the same thing. Next I went to a Christmas party where people were to bring a dish to share. I could taste chemicals again! It's starting to really make me wonder. I don't want to be a food snob. Has anyone else had this problem?

[SquirrellyMama]

I cook from scratch a lot also but have never had this happen. I do think things from scratch usually taste better. I love our homemade pizzas and don't enjoy the frozen ones anymore but I don't think they taste like chemicals.

[simka2]

Have you eaten Pine nuts recently?

 

Pine Nuts or bad coffee will change the way other foods taste to me.

[joannqn]

I understand. Restaurant food doesn't taste good anymore...except for Chipoltes.

[angela in ohio]

Not like that, but I'm to the point where I don't like the taste of fast food. We have had to grab something out a few times recently, and it just tastes like salty, mushy cardboard.

 

I don't taste chemicals, but everything prepackaged tastes very salty to me.

[shalom22]

We have been eating a paleo diet for the last month. Basically it is a hunter/gatherer type diet, meat, veggies, some friut and nuts. No grain, sugars, dairy, or processed foods. We can tell if we eat anything that has been processed, our bodies rejected very quickly.;) My kids won't eat the processed foods anymore, they have even turned down pizza and colas. I never thought that I would see that day.

[MotherGoose]

I am with you on this. I really only like homemade bread anymore, seems to have a chemical taste to it if I get it from the store. I do like my Chex, but I can't reproduce that at home.

[4kiddies]

Things don't taste like chemicals to me but they do taste off, especially in things with artificial sweeteners.

[Tullia]

Only occasionally and it's usually with bakery items from the supermarket, but I can always taste the difference. I usually take something I've made from scratch to potlucks or family meals because ds has food allergies. I've found that most people do notice the difference; junk food addicts say ewwww--tooo healthy :tongue_smilie:, people who rely mostly on prepared foods ask what "special" ingredients were used, and folks who cook from scratch will ask if I've used Rumford baking powder, Rapidura crystals or something else that my mother's generation would have considered non-standard.

[Sunkirst]

I do notice a weird taste to things; mainly anything with bleached white flour or white sugar. I've tried to pin it down - there is a hint of chlorine, but mainly just Yucky ;).

 

My dear mom still uses processed stuff, and the holidays are the main time we run into troubles (her home made cookies just taste odd and too sweet, and she loves to put out a huge beautiful spread). I have lots of talks with the kids before we arrive (nothing worse than the 4 yo with the loudest voice in the universe exclaiming about the bad cookies :glare:). OTOH my dad & BIL won't even try my healthy cookies - my sis loves them but knows that her dh would rebel if she ever made that sort of change.

 

I try not to think of our tastes as snobby - we just have a heightened sensitivity - we're tasting what's really there.

[iquilt]

I cannot stand to eat store bought sandwich bread under pretty much any circumstances after baking my own bread for so long. I've not noticed chemical tastes but I'm not surprised that you could. That processed stuff can be so mysterious...

[5knights3maidens]

Well, last night we were given cookies that were store bought. They were very (very) good;) (vanilla cookie with icing and sprinkles), until a few minutes after. I did taste something like chemicals. I do not have this with homemade baked goods. I thought I was imagining this but maybe not.

 

P.S.

I hardly ever buy store bought cookies, cakes, etc.

[alpidarkomama]

Any way you look at it, homemade food is just BETTER! Can't stand storebought bread any more. :) Basically, I just shop for ingredients. Lowers those grocery bills too!

[cjzimmer1]

I've only gotten the chemical taste from salad dressings (ranch mainly) but my kids won't eat store bread anymore. And they tell everyone how good my bread is and that the store sells yucky bread.

 

Also I find most processed foods tastes very salty to me. So lots of cooking at home definitely changes your taste for things in my opinion.

[2cents]

This happened to me after I took my caking classes. Now I make cakes from scratch only. Recently I made some cupcakes from a box and they tasted very chemically and fake to me. That's the only time I've ever had something like that happen to me though.

[Melissa in Australia]

We have the same thing, only I have grown up on homecooked, and only do homecooked myself. Anything manufactured tastes just that- manufactured, or fake.

[LizzyBee]

I can't eat a lot of processed foods because they taste like chemicals. Flavored coffee creamers are the worst! :ack2: Personally, I think it's good when our taste buds recognize the difference between real food and chemical-laden almost-foods.

[fairfarmhand]

yep. Don't even get me started on the taste of twinkies and prepackaged baked goods..pillsbury biscuits....blech.

[Mejane]

I agree; I think one's palate adjusts. I ate some potato chips the other day and they tasted awful. I looked at the label and they had hydrogenated oils in them. I never buy anything with trans fats anymore, but I had grabbed them in a hurry. They tasted gross!

[Soror]

Yep, nastiness. I cannot even understand the lure of fastfood- it all tastes, looks, and smells the exact same.

[Belacqua]

Have you eaten Pine nuts recently?

 

Pine Nuts or bad coffee will change the way other foods taste to me.

 

I had that problem with pine nuts, and I thought I was crazy! Everything had this weird, bitter taste for weeks. I was seriously questioning my sanity (or at least my palate) until I read somewhere that a few kinds of Chinese pine nuts can do that.

[min]

I can always taste the difference. I much prefer real food!

 

Min

[Alphabetika]

We are not a completely "from scratch" family, but my oldest dd claims to be able to taste chemicals in food, feel them on her skin when she uses certain products, and sense them in the air.I definitely think your palate and your body get used to a more natural diet and become more sensitive to an unnatural one. At the very least, food begins to taste different. For instance, now that we've had produce from the farmer's market, nothing from the grocery store tastes nearly as good.

[JennyD]

Making stuff from scratch really does ruin you for the store-bought version.

[Peela]

Yes...I can't understand why people actually like a lot of processed food...not only does it just not taste so good, it makes me feel bad afterwards too.

Finally both my kids are learning to "feel" their food too, and are getting more sensitive and conscious of how it feels in their body after they eat it. They still go out and eat junk sometimes- they are teenagers, its difficult for them not to- but dd16 in particlar is known for her healthier choices.

[Audrey]

I understand. Restaurant food doesn't taste good anymore...except for Chipoltes.

 

 

I agree (except about Chipoltes -- I don't know what that is). Everytime I go out to eat, I'm somewhat disappointed because it's always something that I could have made at home and it would have tasted better if I'd made it myself. Occassionally, I have a really good steak, but that isn't the restaurant's doing, really. It's just a good cut of good meat.

 

The only thing that remotely impresses me anymore is salad dressing. There is a little restaurant in town. Everything is pretty much Cisco foods and prepacked stuff, but they make their own salad dressings, and every now and then, they have a real winner. I just had a business lunch at a little out of the way place where I had a chicken salad with almonds. The dressing was awesome. When I asked, they said the cook makes it herself. Of course -- that's why it tasted good.

 

I went to Boston Pizza for the first time ever recently. I swear it was frozen pasta reheated in a microwave. Really.... it was just like frozen dinners I remember as a college student, except perhaps a bit waterier. I was kind of ticked off to have paid $20 for that.

[mcconnellboys]

LOL, I've been feeling that I'm having this problem the last year or so, too. I had no drink options this past Saturday except a little Coke and it definitely had a wierd aftertaste to me. I can't even stand to take others through the drive through at McDonald's any more and smell the food in my car. And I ate something else recently - can't recall what it was right now - and it tasted bad to me. Not spoiled, just a weird flavor under the taste of the food which I also attributed to chemicals. I wasn't sure if that's what I'm tasting, but I guess it must be....

 

But I don't think it makes you a food snob. I think it just makes you better able to avoid foods that you know contain things that are not all that good for you....

[In the Rain]

I've noticed this too. In a way it is sad- to realize that only high effort food will be truly rewarding. :tongue_smilie: Sometimes I crave a food I used to eat as a kid, or in college. I am invariably disappointed.

 

Dh is on a low sodium diet. My 9yo has adjusted to this so strongly that she will often leave restaurant food uneaten, because it tastes too salty for her.

[Tarreymere]

You know, hamburger has been smelling and tasting off to me for a while now. I wonder if they use chemicals in it to keep it fresher. We don't eat much meat, wonder if I got sensitive to it?

[justamouse]

Yes. It's why I can't drink soda, can't drink Dunkin Donuts (or pre ground coffee), can't eat Chinese food takeout, box cakes taste like plastic and crisco, and I can't eat at chain restaurants.

[Harriet Vane]

Yes, I taste the chemicals strongly and really can't handle it. I grew up on mostly packaged food--my taste buds changed after I married and started cooking from scratch. I don't say anything about it--I just don't eat much when I'm out.

[Amy in NH]

Yes...I can't understand why people actually like a lot of processed food...not only does it just not taste so good, it makes me feel bad afterwards too.

 

Yes! It makes me feel awful! I made that mistake again today. I let myself go too long without eating while out doing errands today, and grabbed some processed junk. That was at 3:30. I'm still feeling yucky!

 

And the texture of store-bought food is all wrong after cooking with fresh-ground flour for the past few years.

[ALB]

Yes, and it makes me a little sad sometimes! The other week my dh and I said that we can't imagine eating store bought tortillas anymore after eating real homemade ones lately, and I just realized that I'm losing yet another convenience option :). Before too long, I'm going to have to start making dinner right after lunch since every single step takes a chunk of time.

[Momma H]

My family is the same way. I was shocked to see that my little kids can't stand pop. My poor son (and my DH who handled it better) went out with our church to the Beef and Bowl (annual guy thing) and came home and threw up his dinner. He just could not handle that rich food. My dh and I went out for our anniversary to dinner and we were both like "eh, it was ok". I think we would have been better off staying home. I can taste chemicals too! I am also very sensetive to the way water tastes. It tastes different in different cities and states.

 

ETA: I think Chipoltes uses natural ingredients. It is like the stuff from home. That is why, no matter what, it ALWAYS tastes good!

[kewb]

I can taste the chemicals in most foods. Some bother me more then others. My kids, othoh, do not care if it was store bought or homemade. They will eat anything. They will admit to not enjoying something as much as my version but they are thrilled on the rare occasion they get some over processed and chemical laden treat.

[In the Rain]

My kids, othoh, do not care if it was store bought or homemade. They will eat anything. They will admit to not enjoying something as much as my version but they are thrilled on the rare occasion they get some over processed and chemical laden treat.

 

My 6yo dd is this way. When she was 5, she had a green frosted lofthouse cookie once as a sample at the store. It was the first time I realized food coloring must have a flavor when highly concentrated. It was disgusting. It left a chemical yuck taste in my mouth for a long time. Even dd complained about it and said it was the worst cookie ever.

 

When I made her throw it away, she sulked. :glare: She still asks for one every time she sees it being sampled. I remind her how gross it was, and she still wants it. :confused:

[MelanieM]

We are not a completely "from scratch" family, but my oldest dd claims to be able to taste chemicals in food, feel them on her skin when she uses certain products, and sense them in the air.

 

This is me. It can actually be quite overpowering at times. (Also not a completely "from scratch" family here, and I do eat my share of junk... but yeah, I can taste chemicals in lots of foods. Yuck.)

[angela in ohio]

My family is the same way. I was shocked to see that my little kids can't stand pop. My poor son (and my DH who handled it better) went out with our church to the Beef and Bowl (annual guy thing) and came home and threw up his dinner. He just could not handle that rich food. My dh and I went out for our anniversary to dinner and we were both like "eh, it was ok". I think we would have been better off staying home. I can taste chemicals too! I am also very sensetive to the way water tastes. It tastes different in different cities and states.

 

ETA: I think Chipoltes uses natural ingredients. It is like the stuff from home. That is why, no matter what, it ALWAYS tastes good!

 

My two oldest never had pop as little kids, and they don't like it. My oldest will violently spit it out if she accidentally drinks it (we're working on that, as it's not very pleasant. :glare:) She says it hurts her mouth.

 

My dc often throw up on the way home from m-i-l's. She insists they need a bunch of candy "like regular kids." :001_huh:

[angela in ohio]

I've noticed this too. In a way it is sad- to realize that only high effort food will be truly rewarding. :tongue_smilie: Sometimes I crave a food I used to eat as a kid, or in college. I am invariably disappointed.

Dh is on a low sodium diet. My 9yo has adjusted to this so strongly that she will often leave restaurant food uneaten, because it tastes too salty for her.

 

I wanted, wanted, wanted a Whopper a few months ago. I used to eat them all the time - with cheese, no pickle, no onion, extra lettuce, cut in half. :D I decided to get one, and it was awful. I think I wanted a Whopper from the mid-90s, back when they actually had beef in them. :glare: The combination of the change, and my changed tastes made it awful.

[Tammyla]

I think many foods now have so many things in them, that they do taste off and cause plenty of side effects. Blech:tongue_smilie

 

Too many chemicals, preservatives and un-natural junk goes into most everything now.

[fairfarmhand]

You know, hamburger has been smelling and tasting off to me for a while now. I wonder if they use chemicals in it to keep it fresher. We don't eat much meat, wonder if I got sensitive to it?

 

yes, store meat does have chemicals in it. NOt only from the processing, (some places spray bleach on it to kill germs) but most store beef is raised on a cocktail of hormones and antibiotics. I know this because we raise our own natural beef and it is SO good. Eating regular beef tastes gross to me and my kids.

 

My family is the same way. I was shocked to see that my little kids can't stand pop. My poor son (and my DH who handled it better) went out with our church to the Beef and Bowl (annual guy thing) and came home and threw up his dinner. He just could not handle that rich food. My dh and I went out for our anniversary to dinner and we were both like "eh, it was ok". I think we would have been better off staying home. I can taste chemicals too! I am also very sensetive to the way water tastes. It tastes different in different cities and states.

 

ETA: I think Chipoltes uses natural ingredients. It is like the stuff from home. That is why, no matter what, it ALWAYS tastes good!

 

My dh and I have quit buying beef when we go out to dinner (when you have several hundred pounds of beef in the freezer a steak is not really much of a treat) NOw we treat ourselves and order fish. Typically though we get baked potatoes so they don't taste too bad.

 

I had always wanted to make rolls as good as O Charley's. Imagine my surprise when I bit into an O Charley's roll and I found that MINE WERE BETTER!

 

For us to go out to dinner, we are wanting the service. I don't want to cook or clean up. It is not for the food, because most of the time I can cook anything better at home.

[The Girls' Mom]

Yes, this is happening here too. We've cut our pretty much ALL processed food from our diet. My dd and I decided to be naughty the other day and get a strawberry slush from Sonic (we used to get them a lot). They tasted so....ick. We ended up throwing them away and running into a store for 100% OJ instead.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

.

[stripe]

Sorry to revive this stale thread.

 

But...

 

I've noticed this too. In a way it is sad- to realize that only high effort food will be truly rewarding. :tongue_smilie: Sometimes I crave a food I used to eat as a kid, or in college. I am invariably disappointed.

Two words for you: Strawberry quik.

And, if you've got words to spare, grape or strawberry soda.

 

BLECH!

 

 

We are not a completely "from scratch" family, but my oldest dd claims to be able to taste chemicals in food, feel them on her skin when she uses certain products, and sense them in the air.I definitely think your palate and your body get used to a more natural diet and become more sensitive to an unnatural one. At the very least, food begins to taste different. For instance, now that we've had produce from the farmer's market, nothing from the grocery store tastes nearly as good.

 

This reminds me of The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake.

[lovetobehome]

I am in the same boat. I discovered my 8 years of migraines were due to msg and related things in food. Just about EVERYTHING has an msg-related chemical in it. I now never eat out, and take my own food to functions. I can't live with the headahces anymore! I bake a lot, and spend a lot more on simpler foods.