How far from scratch do you make your food?

[QuootieSpookypie]

Just wondering as there seems to be different levels IYSWIM - firstly take lasagne, you can buy ready made (yuk), buy mince, lasagne sheets and the 2 sauces, or buy mince, lasagne sheets and make the two sauces OR buy mince, make the sheets and two sauces. How far do you go? I am at that stage where I am worried because I don't make everything for the bare ingredients and presume/assume everyone else does! Plus I am just being nosey.

I usually make lasagne from scratch, but fraw the line at making my own pasta. That, I buy! Occasionally I use a jar of dolmio if I'm in a hurry, but I always make my own bechamel sauce. Had the bought one, once at a friends house. Wasn't fussed on it.

I do use the chicken tonight honey and mustard sauce though as I've never seen a recipe for something similar and I don't reckon I could make that one as easily. Apart from that, I seldom use packets and jars.

don't think most people make their own pasta (or am I deluding myself?!)

erm...I meant, draw the line!

I buy lasagne sheets, but use fresh mince and make both sauces myself.

We make most things from scratch, but do use things like tinned tomatoes, dried herbs and stock cubes.

In your example, I would always make the 2 sauces from scratch and usually buy the pasta. I do make pasta now and then, but that's more something I like to do rather than do all the time. Never buy jars or packets of sauce or marinades or anything like that. If I wanted a really quick sauce I would tend to do one of those where you just mix up ricotta and eggs or a similar idea. I would never buy lasagna ready made.

I'm with Aero - make the sauces but no way would I ever make pasta!

Make most things from scratch but use frozen pastry for things and a jar of Korma sauce for the younger kids when I make a curry (and use a jar of paste for us).

I use stir fry sauces too but most other things I make myself just because I like the taste more - certainly no great cook!

I go out and slaughter the livestock necessary to make the mince too.

The idea with making from scratch is that you want FRESH food

Dried pasta is something that is made to be stored, so you are not losing loads of valuable nutrients by buying it

Well, I knew I missed a stage out Soupy.

I hope you grown your own wheat to grind to flour to make the pasta too Dragon.

I don't buy jars of anything apart from mustard, jam etc

no packets, or sauce stuff

I buy pasta and bread and also Tesco's houmous as mine just does not taste the same!

I have to do most things from scratch now because DH has to keep sodium really low.

My lasagne has 2 sauces plus egg& yogurt topping. and I sometimes mince the beef.

Curries have to be pretty much from scratch too - can't find any curry pastes or powders where salt isn't high on the ingredients list.

I make from scratch because where I live you can't easily (or affordably) get hold of those usful 'props' for cooking (like sauces, ready meals, frozen meals, lasagne sheets etc etc).

And I would just like to comment that eating like this for 18 months (no added salt/sugar/preservtives/etc in the food) has made me lose a lot of weight even though I am not eating less! So I would say that it is worth it for me. [smug cow in witch's hat]

I make our bread, yog and hummus too! And some chutney.

Its crept up on me gradually... gosh I'm feeling quite smug.

I do buy jus-roll pastry though.

I haven't lost any weight cos homemade bread etc is too good.

Curry sauces and pastes are SOOO inferior.

Once you have got the hang of the real thing with spices etc. you will not want to go back to the crap stuff

When I make lasagne I use readymade lasagne sheets, but mke everything else myself, mainly cos its cheaper and tastes better!

Thats true about curry sauces etc, we have chicken tikka massala at least once a fortnight, all made by moi, its bloody gorgeous, and you can shove veggies in it too.

I use lasagne sheets, but makintg your own sauces is so so so much cheaper ... I don't go and hand oick the tomatoes or make my own cheese, but I will use a carton of passata and add mince and grated carrot etc, make my own cheese sauce (which honest to god is a piece of piss, milk, flour butter and cheese)

I don't make bechemel sauce, I make cheese sauce because I prefer it.

I'd always buy pasta rather than make it - as dh does most of the cooking and generally from scratch (when it's proper cooking rather than putting something in the oven)
he's been known to make his own curry spices

We buy dried pasta (made my own once, and once was enough), also bread, but make pastry (rarely have it tbh).
We do have one jar of sauce on standby for nightmare evenings, also oven chips (mmm), but would make two sauces for lasagne.

Meat quality is another deal-breaker - tbh I'd rather have free-range chicken in a jarred sauce than value battery chicken in a lovingly handcrafted one.

There's no way I'd make my own pasta but I never buy a shop made lasagne etc. I always make my own sauces and veggie filling.
I don't know anyone who makes their own pasta!

I make the worlds most awful pastry maker so I do buy jus-roll.

For lasagne, I would buy sheets, but make my own sauces.

Not that making pasta sheets is hard - I have a pasta maker, but it's not much more than a gimmick.

I'd make pasta by myself for a special occasion or if kids were v. bored on a rainy afetrnoon! But wholewheat dried is pretty nice anyway, and cheap, so I don't see it as a bad thing to get dried.

Sauces I like to make myself as you can't really beat fresh veg and it's easy and cheaper. Sometimes we'll use a good quality jar and bulk it out with a can of lentils or chickpeas if pushed for time. Home made does freeze well though.

Generally, the more you prepare it, the better it tends to be, and the healthier usually! But the occasional convenience thing, espech something like pasta, will not break the bank or damage your health!