5x We’d Rather Buy This Ready-Made #1
We prefer to make everything ourselves. Not only is it more fun to do, but in many cases it also genuinely tastes a whole lot better. But there are exceptions. We’d rather buy these ingredients and foods ready-made.
Puff pastry
Making your own puff pastry is a Sunday-afternoon job of the ‘you have to be in the mood for it’ variety. Of course, the homemade version is incredibly delicious, but a free afternoon is at least as nice. So stock your freezer with puff pastry from a food-service wholesaler: the quality is much better than those square slices from the local supermarket, and no one can taste the difference. At least, if you keep your mouth shut about it.
Steamed buns
I can’t think of a single reason why you would want to make your own steamed buns. It takes a long time, and the end result is never demonstrably better than the frozen version from the Asian supermarket. Another advantage of ready-made buns: you have plenty of time to focus on the filling, such as crispy roasted pork belly. Although those store bought bao are also fantastic with Peking duck from the same freezer aisle.
Peking duck
Peking duck, then. Fantastic to make yourself – although it involves, among other things, a bicycle pump – but why would you? Anyone craving Peking duck can head to the hysterical Dynasty on Reguliersdwarsstraat in Amsterdam. Or you can pick up a frozen duck at the Asian supermarket for around ten euros. And while you’re at it: the pancakes are right next to it.
Ketchup
It’s not difficult to make your own ketchup. And my colleague Lauretta enjoys doing it. But still… Heinz is and remains the tastiest ketchup, and you can purée tomatoes to your heart’s content, but your own tomato sauce will not be tastier than the market leader’s. Perhaps that has something to do with the most important ingredient in Heinz sauce: the extract of spices and herbs.
Digestives, Bastogne, Oreos, etc.
Cheesecakes are fantastic—we all agree on that. But that base: you’re not going to bake the cookies yourself for it, are you? There are limits, and this is one of them. The same goes for the cream cheese, by the way. According to Miljuschka, the best kind for baking is simply available at Lidl. They probably have the cookies mentioned above too, albeit in different packaging and under a different, slightly odd name.
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