S/O on cooking from scratch thread: if homemade is better...

[nd293]

I don't think it's got anything to do with taste, but rather with habits, and comfort zones.

 

:iagree:Trying new things can be intimidating, especially in a public setting, hence the love for the good old Oreo. I have found that the range of what I eat has expanded hugely in the past 20 years, but that most of the major changes came after international travel, where I was feeling more adventurous, and happy to step outside my comfort zone.

[Peela]

I am fortunate to live in a rather health conscious community that appreciates home cooked food that is also fairly healthy. You should have seen everyone dive onto a bright green seasweed salad someone brought to a pot luck picnic we had recently. So in that respect, I feel my talents are not wasted and they are frequently appreciated.

However...my own family (dh, ds, dd) are not always so appreciative and dh prefers his comfort food. It is were up to me we wouldnt have soda or much processed food in the house at all...and we dont have much....but they are not particularly appreciative of my forays into healthy food.

However its a bit like water dripping away on stone and slowly wearing it away. Slowly slowly over teh years they have expanded their tastes, and both kids often come home from scout camps and beg me to make them "something healthy" after the rather terrible food they often give them.

Ds15 has been pretty loud in his preference for the junkier end othe spectrum but this morning he actually made himself a vegetable juice from fresh vegies "because its healthy" so I bit my tongue and just made a mental note to buy more juicing carrots! He is suddenly interested in being healthy...I wasnt sure he ever would be but I suspect his girlfriend might have somthing to do with it.

Everyone here loves salads.

 

I cook a vegetarian meal for about a dozen people twice a week. I have foudn Ineed to keep it pretty "comforting"- soups and curries and pasta are about as much as they can handle.

 

For pot lucks I often make bliss balls or a fruit platter because both usually go down well. I try and keep it simple.

[grace'smom]

This is the recipe I use. It's a sticky mess that I curse while I'm cutting them, but I'm always so glad I have them on hand. The way these melt into hot chocolate is to die for.

 

We make marshmallows for my daughter who is allergic to corn (we use cane sugar syrup instead) and we keep it from getting sticky by lining the pan with oil AND putting a thick layer of powdered sugar (also homemade with sugar and potato starch) on top of the oil. Then after you put the marshmallow mixture in it, you put a thickish layer of powdered sugar on top of that too. After we cut the marshmallows we dump them all into a large bag with a bit of powdered sugar and shake it up.

 

Not sure if you've tried that but I hope it helps.

[Michele B]

[quote name=

 

I wonder if people who are used to eating overly processed food find homemade food too strong for their palette the way the OP of the other thread found eating processed food to taste like chemicals...?

 

Have others found their homemade food to be not as well received as packaged/processed food? (please say yes. PLEASE say yes!)

 

Yes, yes!

 

You eat mac and cheese made with powder for years, and then it is difficult to appreciate all the different homemade versions. No one ever eats my food at reunions and potlucks! My food is passed over in favor of vel&&veta and casseroles made with "cream of" soups.....:tongue_smilie:

[Michele B]

My sister actually brought cranberry sauce in a can to my house one Thanksgiving because "it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving with that homemade stuff." Ugh. My own kids won't touch the canned stuff, only the homemade.:D

 

 

:001_huh:

 

I grit my teeth in memory of that canned glop! ;)

[Jumping In Puddles]

I don't think it means they don't appreciate it - sometimes you just don't feel like a thumbprint cookie with homemade jam, you just want an Oreo.

 

:eek: :svengo: Hmmm, I love Oreos but I can buy a bag of those anytime. If someone made thumbprint cookies with homemade jam (:w00t:) I wouldn't pass them up! Now, if we're talking midnight snack, that's a different story. ;)

[Hikin' Mama]

if I could eat gluten, I would eat every last bite of that dessert and ask for more! I think homemade is hands down the best, but I've run into the same thing you have. Oh well!

[Sherry in OH]

DH's family prefers processed foods. SIL brought pre-made mashed potatoes to Thanksgiving. All she had to do was heat them. Most of the family raved on how good they were and asked her to bring them for Christmas dinner. MIL raised her children on hamburger helper and boxed mac and cheese. DH always complements my cooking on the rare occasions that I buy and serve a rice mix. :confused: When we got married, he thought you had to use a boxed mix to make cake or brownies.

 

MIL thinks my children are odd because they won't touch Spaghetti-os and don't eat white bread or American cheese. My children do like instant mac and cheese. I make the real stuff at home, grandma gives them easy mac.

[Trish]

I never have a problem getting people to eat homemade cookies.

[Margo out of lurking]

I came back and the middle kids were just taking the last of the BAKED cookies out of the oven! And the cookie pans were all but done! What a nice surprise to come home to!

 

Nice!! At my house, I'd have expected the cookie dough to be gone too--because at least one of my kids would eat it raw. ;)

 

They are the real thing. They are simply dehydrated and flaked.

 

Perhaps, but they seem to have a completely different texture and can be spotted (tasted?) a mile away. For me, comparing instant mashed potatoes to the real thing is like comparing blue box mac and cheese to homemade. They are both good, but there's no comparison!

 

To the OP. You seem to be looking for honest reasons why your food is being passed over at potlucks. It sounds like people aren't even trying it, not that they don't like it and are throwing it away on their plate. You said it tastes great, but if they aren't taking it, they aren't tasting it. So why aren't they taking it?

 

A few possibilities come to my mind. Is it attractive looking? I think most homemade food looks very appealing, but there are occasions it's unappealing/unappetizing because care is not taken with the presentation.

 

You mentioned the pumpkin bread pudding. I would pass because I don't like pumpkin. It sounds terrific, imo, for a dinner party, but not so much for a potluck.

 

And those pre-cut, bake at home, cookies? Ugh, I am not a picky eater, but they have that nasty chemical taste. They look great on the plate though, and I always go for something with chocolate.

 

My biggest potluck hit that I can remember is prepackaged, frozen meatballs in a crockpot with a jar of grape jelly and a jar of chili sauce. :ack2: I won't even feed this garbage to my family at home. The men, 18-30, came back for seconds, thirds, fourths.

 

My recent surprise was Rice Krispie treats. A pan is gone at my house in a day. I took them to a soccer event and brought home 3/4 of what I took.

 

I think a lot of the success (or not) comes from the "audience," the kind of group and type of event.

 

I would continue with the homemade food but try to cut back on my efforts/food prep time--and be happy when I get to take home any leftovers!

[Janna]

We make marshmallows for my daughter who is allergic to corn (we use cane sugar syrup instead) and we keep it from getting sticky by lining the pan with oil AND putting a thick layer of powdered sugar (also homemade with sugar and potato starch) on top of the oil. Then after you put the marshmallow mixture in it' date=' you put a thickish layer of powdered sugar on top of that too. After we cut the marshmallows we dump them all into a large bag with a bit of powdered sugar and shake it up.

 

Not sure if you've tried that but I hope it helps.[/quote']

 

Oh, that's a great idea! I lightly oil the pan, but I don't put the powdered sugar on top of the oil...duh! Shaking the cut pieces in a baggy of powdered sugar is a great idea too, because I stand there and drudge each individual one. :glare: Thanks for the great tips!

[Princess Peach]

Yes, in particular, my kids prefer Kraft Mac & Cheese, to my homemade mac & cheese. They also prefer take out pizza to my homemade.

 

I am not one who does everything from scratch. I do a few things, but I use pre-packaged, convenience foods, too.

 

Funny story, when my oldest was 4yo, I had to take DH to the hospital and a friend watched him while we were gone. She made homemade mac & cheese for supper. My then 4yo DS said, "That's not how my mommy makes it." Friend said, "Oh? How does she make it?" DS replied, "It comes in a blue box." :001_huh:

[kewb]

I have experienced this. I have learned to know my audience. It took years for my dh to appreciate my cooking. He was raised on rice-a-roni, chef boyardee, and kraft.

 

I don't spend the time and resources on 100% from scratch on people who won't appreciate it. For the pot-luck I will break out the Pillsbury crescent rolls around a hot dog and call it a day.

[Janna]

I wouldn't buy packaged crap but I wouldn't go to much effort either.

 

Yes, I don't think I can get myself to the point where I stop making homemade food for people and buy packaged instead. If I don't believe the packaged/processed/overly refined foods are good for you, I'm not going to buy them for you. But going through a lot of effort is something I can take down a notch, LOL.

 

I do know that the ONE thing I make that is constantly raved over (multiple people have told me it's like eating crack [ :lol: as well as :confused::confused:]) is my pasta primavera. So that's pretty much my standard thing to make for people. But when I have people over on a regular basis, I do have to have other options.

 

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement!

 

P.s. that dessert was just...*swoon*

[Janna]

For the pot-luck I will break out the Pillsbury crescent rolls around a hot dog and call it a day.

 

There's no way I could go that far, but I know what you're saying! :D

[Princess Peach]

For the pot-luck I will break out the Pillsbury crescent rolls around a hot dog and call it a day.

 

:lol:

[H.S. Burrow]

On the homemade mac n cheese vs the boxed mac n cheese thing: I have to admit, I am guilty of only liking storebought mac n cheese...however, they are two quite different things in my experience. Boxed mac n cheese is elbow macaroni in a cheese sauce. Homemade mac n cheese that I've had was elbow macaroni, with milk somehow in/around it, with cheese on top, baked in an oven, and I greatly disliked it (as an admittedly picky child). I've never had homemade mac n cheese which actually had a *cheese sauce* or that was in any way similar to boxed mac n cheese.

 

 

This is PW's Fancy Macaroni. It is wonderful. This is her "plain" macaroni & cheese. My kids now prefer these recipes to the blue box.

[6packofun]

People seem to like to eat what they know at potlucks. Maybe it's just not the time/place they feel like being adventurous and they want comfort(able) food? Maybe they're NOT adventurous, period?? LOL!! I would keep making and baking what YOU like and bringing home the rest if you feel strongly about homemade things.

[angela in ohio]

I've had both. I have a bachelor bil who loves to come and eat homemade food for a change. I have two nephes who won't eat my lavish meals, because they want hotdogs and boxed mac and cheese. :001_huh:

[momchiroto2]

Your dessert sounds yummy. My kids chew chlorella like candy. I personally believe it is how we train our palates. I was hosting a playdate for my children and served one of the children coconut juice. The next time he came over and I offered him a drink his eyes glazed over and this look of absoulte horror came over his face as he asked "is this coconut juice?" I guess he did not like it much :)

[KatieH]

For our last get together with people, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I served the Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise that Bobbly Flay made on his Throwdown with Ree. I even made the whipped cream.

 

OMG! Well, I bow down to you, because dh wanted me to make that after we watched that episode, and I was totally intimidated after reading the recipe! :thumbup:

 

Anyway, I think you're on to something. I love to cook from scratch, and I've noticed the same thing. The farther from prepackaged it gets, the more resistant people seem to be.

[The Girls' Mom]

We make marshmallows for my daughter who is allergic to corn (we use cane sugar syrup instead) and we keep it from getting sticky by lining the pan with oil AND putting a thick layer of powdered sugar (also homemade with sugar and potato starch) on top of the oil. Then after you put the marshmallow mixture in it' date=' you put a thickish layer of powdered sugar on top of that too. After we cut the marshmallows we dump them all into a large bag with a bit of powdered sugar and shake it up.

 

Not sure if you've tried that but I hope it helps.[/quote']

 

 

Do you have a recipe? (sorry off topic) We have corn allergy here too.

[WarriorMama]

Do you have a recipe? (sorry off topic) We have corn allergy here too.

 

Us too! I would also love to see a recipe!

[Cinder]

I don't spend the time and resources on 100% from scratch on people who won't appreciate it. For the pot-luck I will break out the Pillsbury crescent rolls around a hot dog and call it a day.

 

I have made these for potlucks and they're very popular. The first time I made these it was out of desperation for something to bring that was quick and easy. I was surprised when they were gone so quickly.

 

Cinder

[Anne in CA]

My step daughter came to live with us when she was 4 1/2 and she had only ever eaten processed food and even to this day she prefers food sweetened with corn syrup to food sweetened with cane sugar. She does love home made bread and pastas. My homemade rice pilaf is always a hit, but I use a very rich commercially made chicken base so probably that gives it the "tang" of something from a box.

 

I grew up on a farm and never ate any processed food until my mother went to work in town, and even then she cooked from scratch when she came home. I can still remember a boyfriend who was amazed to watch me make spaghetti from scratch, he thought spaghetti sauce only came from a jar. He told many people that I made spaghetti sauce IN A PAN, but it was really good, lol.

 

My kids can eat processed food, or the food I cook. I work part time so their dad feeds them processed food when I work. But he does not want me to work full time no matter how much we need the money, because he likes my cooking.

[Jenny in GA]

It wasn't even homemade food. My pbj sandwiches were rejected by the neighbor kids. Why? Because I use whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter, and blackberry or black raspberry jelly. Not white bread, sweetened peanut butter, and grape jelly.

 

 

This reminds me of a hilarious Chris Rock bit where he says, "We obviously have way too much food in this country. Do you think anyone in Rwanda has a bleeping lactose intolerance problem?" :lol:

[angela in ohio]

For our last get together with people, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I served the Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise that Bobbly Flay made on his Throwdown with Ree. I even made the whipped cream. It was an absolutely fabulous dessert and do you know that only one person in a group of 12 liked it? The others thought it was too fancy and only like Cool Whip.

 

I made peach cobbler with homemade whipped cream for dh's family. Sil kept commenting on the whipped cream. She wanted to know what it was, so I told her it was whipped cream. She said it didn't taste like whipped cream, what kind was it? I told her we made it. She said she didn't know you could make whipped cream :001_huh: and how do you do it? Dh, without missing a beat, said, "You whip cream." :lol: I was glad he said it, because I was having a heard time thinking of something to say that didn't imply that she wasn't bright (she's not, btw, she teacher 4th grade history and didn't know that Lincoln was assassinated.)

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I made peach cobbler with homemade whipped cream for dh's family. Sil kept commenting on the whipped cream. She wanted to know what it was, so I told her it was whipped cream. She said it didn't taste like whipped cream, what kind was it? I told her we made it. She said she didn't know you could make whipped cream :001_huh: and how do you do it? Dh, without missing a beat, said, "You whip cream." :lol: I was glad he said it, because I was having a heard time thinking of something to say that didn't imply that she wasn't bright (she's not, btw, she teacher 4th grade history and didn't know that Lincoln was assassinated.)

 

That's what I was thinking about the bacon wrapped hot dog in the op: you need a recipe for that?

 

I've only read a few of the posts from the first page and this one so excuse me if I repeat . . .

 

Yes, it happens to me and I used to take it very personally. I really couldn't understand why ppl wouldn't like my food b/c I put so much work into it and found it delicious myself.

 

I finally quit making an effort for potlucks. I make what we call throw togethers. Honestly these are by far the most popular in my experience. These are things that aren't boughten like a frozen cake from the grocery but it's a creation with a buch of things from there. Eg: cake mix, can of pumpkin, tub of coolwhip. It throws together and ppl love it and I wouldn't serve it to my family for anything but I won't any longer make a high investment (time or money) food item for a potluck either.

 

My family and friends gets homemade full of love meals. Potlucks get throw-togethers.

 

I keep wondering why I keep going to a lot of these pot lucks anyway. I prefer the company of my small group of friends but sometimes we just have to: chuch functions, et c.

[BeckyFL]

I made peach cobbler with homemade whipped cream for dh's family. Sil kept commenting on the whipped cream. She wanted to know what it was, so I told her it was whipped cream. She said it didn't taste like whipped cream, what kind was it? I told her we made it. She said she didn't know you could make whipped cream :001_huh: and how do you do it? Dh, without missing a beat, said, "You whip cream." :lol: I was glad he said it, because I was having a heard time thinking of something to say that didn't imply that she wasn't bright (she's not, btw, she teacher 4th grade history and didn't know that Lincoln was assassinated.)

:lol:We have a teacher friend like that too but she teaches high school! What a coincidence. lol

[MomOfOneFunOne]

This is the recipe I use. It's a sticky mess that I curse while I'm cutting them, but I'm always so glad I have them on hand. The way these melt into hot chocolate is to die for.

 

The day they took vegetarian gelatin off the market, and homemade marshmallows out of our lives, a little piece of me died.

 

Where's that sad smiley where the tears well up in his eyes . . .