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Honestly ... I've used the packets, and I've done my own spice blend, and the results aren't significantly different. If I have enough of the spices on hand, I'll make my own blend, but if the packets are on sale (my store frequently does 'buy 2/get 3 free'), I'll just go ahead and pick up a few of those. Sometimes it's nice not to have to get the various spices down and measure everything out.
When I'm using dried spices, this is it for me. If I'm cutting fresh spices off my plants it is an entirely different story. I just cut a lemon off my tree and cut some fresh rosemary off my plant and stuffed them in a chicken to roast and my entire kitchen smells amazing! OMG!
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Originally Posted by TabulaRasa
This is my experience. The difference in blending seasoning myself in the moment, and using what's in a jar, premixed by Penzeys, is negligible, for the most part, if the proportions are comparable.
On the occasion when I do grind cumin from the seed in my molcajete, it smells fantastic, no doubt...but in the end, the tacos or chili or whatever taste, honestly, pretty much the same.
I do agree that it's dumb to be like, "Oh, my son loves your food, how do you do it?" and then, when told, be like, "Oh, never mind, I'm not going to bother with all THAT." Why ask?
When I'm using dried spices, this is it for me. If I'm cutting fresh spices off my plants it is an entirely different story. I just cut a lemon off my tree and cut some fresh rosemary off my plant and stuffed them in a chicken to roast and my entire kitchen smells amazing! OMG!
God only knows what makes a kid like one thing over another. Their preferences are generally inexplicable. Some things can be improved on and some not so much. Shame though for someone to be against the idea that a recipe might be improved upon.
The packets may be better, if your own recipe is a bad one! But so much of what's in the packets are sodium and a bunch of other stuff I'd rather avoid if I can.
I used to try to get recipes from AllRecipe and the like but most of what's on there is not what I call "real cooking". The recipes are very bland and yet people ooh and aah over them, I guess because they think ANY cooking, even from a packet qualifies as "home cooking". Certainly I don't always cook from scratch but I know the difference!
The packets may be better, if your own recipe is a bad one! But so much of what's in the packets are sodium and a bunch of other stuff I'd rather avoid if I can.
I don't like my food to be too salty, so that is the main reason I started making my own seasoning mixes. I don't know if the seasoning packets changed, but at some point the taco meat just started tasting like nothing but salt was on it. Not something that I considered appetizing.
My son had a friend that always wanted to sleep over because he liked my scrambled eggs. His mo. Actually got defensive because he "would not touch breakfast at home." She wanted to know what I was doing special to the eggs? I was surprised, I mean scrambled eggs . . . eggs stir with a fork, salt ad pepper. Cook in a frying pan until done. Don't burn.
Turned out she didn't't even try. They always had cold cereal or pop tarts.
I'm surprised the son noticed the difference, if he'd been raised on "mixes". My sister is a terrible cook, and any time we'd have a family event and I'd bring something homemade, they'd turn up their noses at it and eat only what their mother brought. They don't know any better. I stopped bringing my homemade "bunny" cake to Easter because they preferred a store bought cake with that lovely grease frosting. GAG! They wouldn't eat my veggies baked with homemade cheddar cheese sauce, but they'd eat her frozen green beans right out of the microwave, undrained, with Kraft singles layed over the top.
That is funny. I remember my work friend telling me she was appalled because at a family picnic, her nieces and nephews turned up their noses at her homemade macaroni and cheese because it wasn't the boxed Kraft mix. '
Someone on another thread on here recently said her brother brought real bagels from NYC to where he lived elsewhere in the country, and people complained that they were too chewy. They wanted the bagels that were just bread with a hole in the middle.
That is funny. I remember my work friend telling me she was appalled because at a family picnic, her nieces and nephews turned up their noses at her homemade macaroni and cheese because it wasn't the boxed Kraft mix. '
Someone on another thread on here recently said her brother brought real bagels from NYC to where he lived elsewhere in the country, and people complained that they were too chewy. They wanted the bagels that were just bread with a hole in the middle.
I've had this happen too. One of the first CD posts I ever did was about this. I brought a homemade lemon meringue pie to a function, but it was hardly touched. what was popular was a dessert with oreos and coolwhip and that dessert with vanilla cookies and instant pudding.
My kids always preferred mac and cheese from a box, too.
I've had this happen too. One of the first CD posts I ever did was about this. I brought a homemade lemon meringue pie to a function, but it was hardly touched. what was popular was a dessert with oreos and coolwhip and that dessert with vanilla cookies and instant pudding.
My kids always preferred mac and cheese from a box, too.
I suppose some of that may be what people are just used to - frankly, I prefer mac and cheese from a box myself. As does my son - he knows what certain things taste like, what he likes, and expect it to be that way forever and ever and ever, Amen. Keep in mind, though, that we're picky eaters - when we see something, we expect it to taste a certain way that we're used to. I do cook a lot of different things, but they're usually the same way I've had them before or close to it - or something I'm at least somewhat familiar with and like. I don't do things that I haven't EVER tried before. I will admit, though, to having food issues (there's a real understatement) so I'm DEFINITELY not the norm.
I also don't really experiment with food - I'm not the person to ask if I want to try a new cuisine. Or even restaurant, depending on the type of food that's served. The son is a bit more open than I am, although, the last time I took him to a steak house for his going away dinner before starting Navy basic training, he ordered chicken tenders. Yes, chicken tenders. At a steakhouse. He said no one could make a steak like my husband could, so he didn't want to bother so he'd have something he knew they "couldn't screw up." (His words - I swear I don't know where he gets it from! )
I've had this happen too. One of the first CD posts I ever did was about this. I brought a homemade lemon meringue pie to a function, but it was hardly touched. what was popular was a dessert with oreos and coolwhip and that dessert with vanilla cookies and instant pudding.
My kids always preferred mac and cheese from a box, too.
That oreo cookie cream pie though, it's a favorite here too. But I get what you are saying. I don't mind people preferring the boxed kind over homemade. Of course they do, it's usually saltier and more potent at times in flavors. Such as the boxed mac and cheese.
Another time I remember a mom calling me asking me what lunchmeat did I give her daughter as she loved it and wants it. And what type of whipped cream? Turns out that my kid had snacks and bought out prosciutto and raspberries with marscapone cream.
I told the mom. I ran into her at the school some time later and she said to me, "Wow, why on earth would you feed your kids that expensive stuff! I almost died when I saw how expensive they were. I told my kid no way I am wasting money on that." I just nodded and was kind of shocked internally and just shrugged.
The irony? She went out to eat for lunch every day and ate out at dinner several times a week. She gets her nails done each week along with a massage and spa visits several times a month. She drives a brand new car and always is shopping for brand name clothes. She also had her kid get mani/pedi along with her. Whatever floats her boat. And the cost of what I paid? It was $3 for pack of prosciutto sliced really paper thin which lasted for the week easily. A tub of marscapone cream was $3 and again last easily a week or two if they had it several times. So she was complaining about $6. Then if I did talk to her afterwards she would always remark about what her kid loved eating at my house and without finding out what it was, she wasn't going to ask as she didn't want to break her bank.
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