To make or not to make...

As the price of food continues to climb steadily, one starts to wonder if it may just be worth the effort and time of making things from scratch. Hey, I love the beauty of a pre-made cupcake decorated in all the finery as much as the next bakery lover, but at $3 per cupcake, should I? And sometimes that item that looked absolutely amazing behind the glass turns out to be absolutely disappointing at first bite. I've had enough of these experiences to know that nothing tastes as good as homemade. And when you have made it yourself you know what is in it as well. All those additives do nothing to enhance flavor, despite their actual claims, in my opinion. There is no substitute for a good quality authentic butter for instance, but there are plenty of substitutes available commercially these days and some are downright cringe-worthy from a health standpoint.

Ho, ho, hold the over processed, additive filled store bought baking items!!! 

I struggle each and every time I stalk the aisles at the grocery store, especially at the holidays. Should I just make this myself? How much would it cost if I just purchased the raw ingredients instead? How can some processed products be offered for less than the cost of the basic ingredients that go into them and what does this say about the price of basic staple goods these days?

The costs of labour, equipment, raw materials, packaging and logistics of large scale food processing is steep. Consider the theory that in order for processed food prices to be comparable to the cost of the basic ingredients in homemade dishes, they must contain the cheapest ingredients available and must utilize chemical shortcuts to achieve texture, shelf life longevity and flavor enough to come close to actual food at a level required to achieve a passing grade from the average consumer palette. Then, if this is the case, we as consumers do give up a fair amount of autonomy over what goes into our bodies for the sake of convenience and perceived cost savings.

But perhaps, the perceived high cost of staple goods prices isn't the central issue. I mean cost is an issue for the majority of us and our budgets cannot be ignored of course, but could it be that there is a cost to consuming processed food that we have not considered? My own personal experience reflects this most certainly and maybe many of you can relate. I use the following example frequently...when I eat a meal at that famous fast food chain with the well known "letter" adorning its driveway, I am most certainly never satisfied afterwards, I crave sugar right away and I end up snacking substantially later on. The cost in total of this meal is higher because I eat more to achieve satisfaction but I have never really considered the total cost over time. 

Could it be that the reason processed foods seem like a deal, even if we are willing to pay more for them in some cases, is also because they save us time? Many of us don't really contemplate beyond the central time factor because time is indeed our most valued commodity these days. But what if our notion of the perceived amount of time required to make a dish from scratch is overinflated as well? 

Time Comparison: Frozen Cookie Dough vs Make from Scratch

Consider baking cookies from prepared frozen cookie dough vs baking cookies from scratch (assuming all things are equal and you have the basic ingredients in the cookie recipe on hand at home and a stand mixer)

Not a bad time comparison...the time involved in making from scratch is not as bad as one might think! Give or take, there aren't any substantial time savings from using the frozen dough. And likely you are thinking that the clean up in the made from scratch scenario is more, it isn't really when compared to the trip to the store to buy the dough! The above are time assumptions according to my own experience. Certainly being familiar with a recipe and how to bake cookies is a time saving asset, but once you do it once, you will get faster each time. It may be a little more effort, but time-wise there really isn't much time savings and the clean up is honestly very comparable but for a few extra measuring cups and a couple of bowls to do this homemade. 

Honestly, I am as guilty as the next for being too busy in my daily life to really consider these questions. We are all out there doing the best we can for our families with all of life's pressures taking a piece of our conscious thoughts daily. Over the holidays, if you are fortunate enough to have some time off, take some of it in the kitchen. Make something from scratch with staple natural ingredients and savor how good it tastes and how good it feels to have complete control over something. These days, more than ever, it is good to remind ourselves that we can be empowered, and we have got this! 

On that note, here are some links to some delicious holiday baking favorites of our family. And we are proud that our birch syrup is 100% natural from the mother nature, no additives or preservatives, just pure wholesome goodness. Baking with birch lends carmel'y, molasses-y, fruity flavor to pastries that light up all the holiday favorites. Give homemade baking the cred it deserves and...

...just add birch!