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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you be grossed out by homemade baked good in care package?

635 replies

BusyTraybake · 07/03/2025 15:35

I am helping my sister put together care packages for her wedding. She is paying for the wedding party to stay in a posh hotel for a few nights. We are going to leave little care packages on the bed. I have an exceptional brownie recipe and was going to leave a trio of favours in the box. But sister’s SIL says she would never eat a homemade treat due to hygiene reasons.

obviously I will be clinically clean and wil even wear a hair net as I couldn’t think of anything worse than someone finding a hair.

Who is being weird?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Darkmorningsarethepits · 07/03/2025 17:31

Garlicgarlicgarlic · 07/03/2025 16:10

Nope.
I wouldn't eat anything made in someone else's house.

Have you ever seen threads on here where people announce they don't wash their hands after peeing (because 'sterile' 😄) or after changing a kids shitty nappy?
and for all the other reasons posters have already written.

Show quote history

So you never eat at a friends’ or relatives’ house?

I have never ever known someone not wash their hands after changing a shitty nappy or using the loo. Who are your friends?

I have however been waiting for the toilet at a restaurant which had a sink in the waiting area not the toilet area and seen the chef come out of the toilet and not wash their hands.
ditto similar on holiday when the toilet facilities that was used (as witnessed as such by all the waiting and kitchen staff) had no soap at all available. (I challenged them on this and ended up refusing to eat any food and we all left)

So basically yoh take your chances.

OP my main issue would be that if I’m enjoying a fancy hotel AND a full wedding I won’t want or need extra cake back in my room. So it would be a waste, even if it’s a lovely idea.

Why not have them available for during the boring photos bit to soak up those first glasses of booze everyone piles into? They would definitely be appreciate them or after the speeches.

Psychostates · 07/03/2025 17:31

Could you include a label stating ingredients, "may contain nuts."
And something like "made with love in an extremely clean kitchen, strictly adhering to all food prep hygiene regulations." This would make me personally feel a lot better about eating them. I'd also put them in little cute boxes or sealed bags wrapped with ribbon, or rustic style brown paper string etc.

FondantFancyFan · 07/03/2025 17:32

Probably better to buy mini cakes in sealed packages and include in the care package. At least it won't be thrown away so no money wasted on ingredients etc.

Iamnotalemming · 07/03/2025 17:32

OP have you tried making them with gluten free flour and if so, how did it work out? Asking for a friend 👀

Also I love a home baked goodie. No issues according to me.

Lulubo1 · 07/03/2025 17:32

I think that's lovely and I'd eat it. I've been to weddings where the favours were homemade jams and marmalades made by the bride. It's a nice touch I think

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 07/03/2025 17:32

TheMorels · 07/03/2025 17:29

I’m in the bin it camp.

I help out at my village fete cake stall and am always amazed at how fast the home made cakes go. Possibly because I see the absolute state of some of my elderly neighbours’ kitchens - and they’re the ones kindly baking the cakes.

My Mum only recently stopped baking for things like that and she is 92. She has always had exceptionally good hygiene standards. Not all elderly people have grubby kitchens.

countrygirl99 · 07/03/2025 17:33

FondantFancyFan · 07/03/2025 17:32

Probably better to buy mini cakes in sealed packages and include in the care package. At least it won't be thrown away so no money wasted on ingredients etc.

Eww. UPF and full of crap

diddl · 07/03/2025 17:34

FondantFancyFan · 07/03/2025 17:32

Probably better to buy mini cakes in sealed packages and include in the care package. At least it won't be thrown away so no money wasted on ingredients etc.

But people still won't know who made them or where they were made!

Psychostates · 07/03/2025 17:35

countrygirl99 · 07/03/2025 17:33

Eww. UPF and full of crap

Show quote history

And dry and tasteless. I bake, and bought stuff is never half as nice, and full of additives.

Original poster
BusyTraybake · 07/03/2025 17:38

Have we not all seen those horror news stories where things like dead mice will be found in supermarket sandwiches? I wonder how many people on this thread wouldn’t eat my brownies but would have no problem with a Sainsbury’s prawn mayo

OP posts:
Gwenhwyfar · 07/03/2025 17:39

DappledThings · 07/03/2025 15:42

I wouldn't think twice before eating it. Never known anyone get ill from cake or seen anything other than homemade cake brought into the office/church/someone's house anything other than devoured pretty quickly. Most people don't have these hang-ups.

Yes, I've only seen it on MN.

Zone2NorthLondon · 07/03/2025 17:40

BusyTraybake · 07/03/2025 17:38

Have we not all seen those horror news stories where things like dead mice will be found in supermarket sandwiches? I wonder how many people on this thread wouldn’t eat my brownies but would have no problem with a Sainsbury’s prawn mayo

Exactly. There are multiple times commercial food prep premises have been revealed to be minging. Shop bough doesn’t = quality

melonalone · 07/03/2025 17:40

BusyTraybake · 07/03/2025 17:15

Ingredients
3/4 cup salted butter, cubed 170 grams before browning, 140 grams after
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, choppedChocolate chips work, too
1/4 cup vegetable oil 56 mL
3/4 cup cocoa powder 63 grams
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar 158 grams
1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar 174 grams
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 65 grams
pinch of espresso powder optional
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips You can omit this in a pinch, but it does create delightful pockets of melted chocolate in each brownie!

  • Prep: Preheat your oven to 350℉. Spray an8×8 metal pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper (this makes for easy removal & slicing later).
  • Note: A 9×9 pan is fine, too. Start with about 6-7 minutes less bake time as the layer of brownie will be thinner.
  • Brown the Butter: Add cubed butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter, stirring occasionally. Once it's melted, turn the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking the butter, stirring frequently. The butter will get foamy and bubbly, then turn a deep golden shade with a nutty, caramely aroma. (This will take about 3-6 minutes once the butter has melted.)
  • Once the butter is browned, stir in your semi-sweet chocolate until completely melted, then whisk in the vegetable oil and cocoa powder. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Make the Brownie Batter: In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, egg yolk, and granulated sugar. Whisk for about 1-2 minutes, until the sugar is fully dissolved. (Feel the mixture between your fingers – if it's completely smooth, you're good! If you feel sugar granules, keep whisking.) Next, whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Then, check that the chocolate mixture is no longer piping hot (it will be quite warm, though), and whisk it into the bowl of eggs/sugar/. Fold in the flour & espresso powder, then the chocolate chips. The brownie batter won't be very thick.
  • Bake: Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for 29 to 32 minutes. The center will have the slightest wobble when you move the pan, and the outer edges will appear set.

I know it’s hard but leave the brownies overnight. They really do taste so much better the next day. Add hazelnut cream and broken up kinder bueno or Ferrero Rochers for even more decadence

Hi OP, make sure to include an ingredient list with the gifts, especially because of the hazelnuts - just in case there are any allergy sufferers!

TheMorels · 07/03/2025 17:40

BusyTraybake · 07/03/2025 17:38

Have we not all seen those horror news stories where things like dead mice will be found in supermarket sandwiches? I wonder how many people on this thread wouldn’t eat my brownies but would have no problem with a Sainsbury’s prawn mayo

I think that’s the extreme exception.

I don’t eat cakes, but I’d have far more confidence buying a cake from a bakery or a supermarket than chancing something homemade by someone I don’t know.

fruitbrewhaha · 07/03/2025 17:42

I would eat a homemade brownie but not on a wedding day. There’s already mountains of food at weddings. It all seems a bit over the top. Why do they need a ‘care package’?

DoYouReally · 07/03/2025 17:42

I think it's a lovely idea and will be appreciated by many (if not all).

However, I am a level of reckless that MN will never understand - eat homemade goods, answer the door to unexpected callers, I like an ensuite and a toilet brush!!!
It's a dangerous life but I love the adrenaline rush from living life on the edge. 😁

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 07/03/2025 17:42

A care package for wedding guests?! Why do they need care? No I wouldn't eat them.

petermaddog · 07/03/2025 17:42

do they go to stores for food let them see the back rooms and kitchens
i think it is wonderful thing to do

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 07/03/2025 17:43

Nobody's answered this yet, unless I've missed it. What is the risk people think they are taking by eating home-baked cake? What hygiene problem might you have from eating something made from fat, sugar, eggs, flour and flavourings that's been baked in a hot oven for long enough to kill off all sorts of germs and cook the egg through?

Idontjetwashthefucker · 07/03/2025 17:43

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 07/03/2025 17:42

A care package for wedding guests?! Why do they need care? No I wouldn't eat them.

OP has acknowledged the care package comment at least twice.

Redpeach · 07/03/2025 17:43

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 07/03/2025 17:43

Nobody's answered this yet, unless I've missed it. What is the risk people think they are taking by eating home-baked cake? What hygiene problem might you have from eating something made from fat, sugar, eggs, flour and flavourings that's been baked in a hot oven for long enough to kill off all sorts of germs and cook the egg through?

I agree, its crazy

TheMorels · 07/03/2025 17:43

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 07/03/2025 17:42

A care package for wedding guests?! Why do they need care? No I wouldn't eat them.

Yes, it sounds a bit like they’re going into a convalescent home or off to Mallory Towers 😂

biscuitsandbooks · 07/03/2025 17:44

No, I wouldn't eat it as I'm autistic and really funny with unfamiliar foods and textures. I have my "safe foods" and struggle to deviate. I think it's a lovely idea though and DH would happily eat my share Grin

Zone2NorthLondon · 07/03/2025 17:44

DoYouReally · 07/03/2025 17:42

I think it's a lovely idea and will be appreciated by many (if not all).

However, I am a level of reckless that MN will never understand - eat homemade goods, answer the door to unexpected callers, I like an ensuite and a toilet brush!!!
It's a dangerous life but I love the adrenaline rush from living life on the edge. 😁

You’re a reckless rebel. Starts with toilet brush ends with a dish towel. You reprobate

SnoozingFox · 07/03/2025 17:45

I see the eewwww germs people are out in force.

And the deluded people who think that commercial kitchens are sterile, or they are going to catch the lurgy from a brownie. In real life I have only ever come across one (odd) person who turned her nose up at anything home made, most people appreciate that home made is normally way superior to shop bought.