Five Foods Even Chefs Won’t Make from Scratch

Are you a pretty good cook?  Well, if you’re making any of THESE foods from scratch, you’re apparently wasting your time.

Someone asked professional chefs to name things even they buy pre-made.  Making them yourself is either not worth the effort, or homemade just isn’t as good.

1.  Pasta.  Yes, fresh is better, but THAT much better?  If you’re just trying to put dinner on the table, dried pasta is the way to go.

2.  Salsa.  Every grocery store has fresh salsa in the refrigerator aisle now.  So find a brand you like and just go with that.  Cutting up all those veggies is a lot of work.

3.  Ketchup.  Not a lot of people make it themselves, and for good reason.  The big brands nailed the recipe a long time ago.  We’ve even got “natural” and “sugar-free” options now too.

4.  Mayonnaise.  Again, it’s not worth it from a time or cost standpoint.  There’s just not a great reason to be making your own condiments in 2025.

5.  Bread.  If baking is something you enjoy, keep doing it.  But if you’re just trying to save money, remember time is worth money too.  A lot of grocery stores sell fresh-baked bread now.  Or, hit a bakery. 

(Food & Wine)