MagmaCarta
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Not my recipes, of course
But instead of saving it and forgetting it
I'm posting it here
So other people can save it and forget it too
Go ahead and follow her blog if ya want
Or don't. I'm a lazy kitchen man, not a cop.
I haven't tried any of these yet so idk how well they turn out.
Imma put this in my Cooking folder and hope I remember this shit.
FP Edit: I didn't expect this to blow up, and I didn't think I'd end up in the comments section trying to defend or justify recipes that aren't my own. But here we are.
And yes, you're clearly a genius for pointing out that "I need to buy the ingredients at the store." Unless you shoplift them or something.
VinnyVeritas
Weird that I don't eat any of that... except for pancakes a couple times a year
izzitekk
3 cups of cocoa powder for brownie mix?!!!! I doubt it
Babomonkey
TLDR: Instead of mixes you can make things from scratch like in ye olden days.
IhopeUgetwhatUvoted4
There is no cheese in the cheese sauce packets
Babomonkey
wtf brand are you buying
Turkleturts
#2 Not a sauce as it's all dry ingredients. Also eww. Just use cheese and cream like a normal country. In fact, all of these are pretty nasty.
Gremlynn4023
Who the fuck keeps cheese powder in their pantry?
Neurisko
I bought some once so I could experiment with adding it to different meals, but it was crappy and clumpy so I just tossed it.
IncognitoEnthusiast
Unless you're really into cooking, or pinching every penny out of your budget there isnt really a reason to do this in the modern world, the savings and time are not worth it for most people.
fonsecaariel1914
Who in Hades keeps such ingredients, you end up spendind more just like recipes from mumbler 1/2 worm eaten brain in the Health Circus
JackieTreehornProductions
why on earth would anyone make dry mac and cheese powder themselves when you can just make a good cheese sauce that's better in every way?
Turkleturts
Don't even need to make a cheese sauce. There are plenty of really good Mac and Chee recipes that is as simple as milk/cream and cheese in a dish with dry pasta.
tizme
Call me crazy (or blind), but shouldn’t #1 mention something along the lines of, oh, I don’t know, maybe dry macaroni? @OP
MagmaCarta
If it were a recipe for macaroni and cheese, I'd agree with you. But considering it's just the sauce, probably not.
InsertTabA
Wow not throwing shade but most recipes had a hyper processed ingredient. Food doesn't usually come with a powder form in it's natural state.
derpsquadcaptain
Yea but now I know how much sugar is in brownie mix and really I just need to turn the other cheek on that one
skapanda616
For the last two gravy mixes... Isn't it easier and cheaper to just use drippings and your choice of starch, spices?
Like why the hell are you making country gravy if you haven't already fried bacon or sausage? Take grease add flour to thicken and milk or cream and spices to taste. I get that it's a bit of a balancing act to dial it in, but after you've done it successfully it's infinity repeatable.
NightOwlRally
I already couldn't make the first, I don't even know where powdered cheese lives
intaglioguy
The pudding recipe is just a cooked pudding, which was the way it was made before "instant" pudding was marketed. The brownie recipe is just that, a simple brownie recipe. It seems so much food prep knowledge is being lost.
TheLastBootyBender
"simple brownie recipe"...3 cups of cocoa? No thanks
SoGrosslyIncandescent
It's a bulk recipe, it makes just shy of 4 batches, so each batch of brownies has about 3/4 of a cup of cocoa powder in it
thedill2000
I don't understand a lot of the comments here. Having a basic set of spices is not a huge cost. The roi can easily be within a month for anyone cooking regularly at home. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1141826713/set-of-16-spices-16x50g-for-homemade
Beans, noodles, rice are all under 50 cents a meal. Having high quality cheap meals is a basic life skill.
Turkleturts
I'm assuming it's an American thing. Base ingredients there are more expensive in comparison than the pre-mixed stuff, which is also often full of filler and other really nasty stuff. But it's cheap and does the job, and if you grow up with it your brain starts to makes sure anything different tastes bad. Don't forget all the govt subsidies for things like corn syrup too, and that shit is in everything.
thedill2000
Natural Grocers here in America is known for bulk and cheap spices. There are lots of spice shops. I guess a lot of people are stuck on the thought that it has to come in a small glass bottle with a 500% markup.
junkgoof
So much too much sugar in pretty much all the recipes. You can reduce from the more typical values that are already a third of what these selections suggest. Some things, like icing, use sugar for structure. For most other foods a little sugar tastes pretty much the same as a lot of sugar, with way fewer health problems. I’m a dessert freak, and I can’t tell the difference between a third cup of sugar and a cup or more for most things.
SarcasticComment
... almost all of these cost 4x more than buying it at the store. It's like Gwyneth Paltrow telling you to not buy Sriracha because for $17 you can make a $4 bottle of Sriracha
mrhowser
These look they could be recipes for the ship's cook to use when the stores of fresh ingredients run out after the first week.
charondaboatman
Good to have as a backup, and scratch made usually tastes better!
HaveANiceFace
Featuring ingredients that must be bought at the store. And not just any store, the ones that carry powdered cheese and powdered milk.
SoGrosslyIncandescent
I will admit I have never seen powdered cheese, but powdered milk is a staple of every baking aisle in every major grocery store I've ever been in. Smaller places like Aldi I supposed might not have it, but unless you're living in a food desert (which is possible, and I'm sorry if that's the case) powdered milk should be pretty easy to obtain.
HaveANiceFace
Oh hahaha I guess I didn't realize that was a thing. I have never used it and never had it growing up. Not much of a baker. My main point was that all this stuff needs to be bought in the store. I understand why one would want to make their own versions of premade mixes but claiming that you're not buying these from the store even though you're buying the ingredients anyway is just bs.
SleazyBijou
Yeah nah…. To all of these
RetiredLaserMan
#2 if you are going to that much trouble you should just make real mac & cheese using milk and actual cheese. The difference is incredible and it's not really that much work.
Sullivanish
I like both, for different reasons. They're basically different dishes.
RetiredLaserMan
Agreed - one's a synthetic bowl of crap, the other is actual food.
SoGrosslyIncandescent
absolutely use fresh ingredients if you have time and money, but the point of these kinds of powdered mixes is to have a shelf stable product you can have in the back of your pantry to use in a pinch.
RetiredLaserMan
I get that but they are really just synthetic crap, not actual food.
DecapodianSaysWoopWoopWoopWoop
You guys in US really buy brownies mix, pancakes mix etc? I tough it's just in a movies to save screen time.
Turkleturts
We have it here as well, but I only buy it because keeping the base ingredients on hand isn't something I need to do. I get a cake or pancake mix maybe twice a year. In that time, all the base ingredients would go bad or have to be replaced so a $2 mix is better than $10 of ingredients.
izzitekk
3 CUPS? of cocoa powder for the brownies.. I hope nobody makes that recipe!
Turkleturts
You'd need the bitterness of the cocoa to offset the 8 CUPS OF SUGAR. I'm sorry, but are brownies really 50% sugar? No wonder the USA is full of Diabetos.
PastureofMuppets
That is the recipe for the bulk dry mix. You keep it in a giant container so that whenever you want to make brownies you have the "dry mix" created, and you follow the recipe which uses 4 1/2 cups dry mix.
izzitekk
Thank you
carmexcoveredlips
It makes 4 batches of "box brownie mix" so it works out to whatever 3 cups divided 4 ways is. My brain gave up on the math after that.
BlootLoper
I don't think I've ever seen powdered cheese in my life, same for powdered buttermilk. Are they common in the USA then?
whitebbwolf
they cant cook. best that they can still do is "self assembly" like building rouge IKEA furniture
DoctorJAZoidberg
apparently commonly around the popcorn.... 3 cups.... think about how much in a packet for a box of Mac & Cheese... are they trying to make enough for a lifetime??
Detacheddavid
So, you probably also have never seen powdered bacon, aka bacon dust or bacon powder?
RummageSaleBubbler
Wisconsinite here: Fresh cheese FTW.
Granted, I've ordered https://amazon.com/dp/B08Y5ZZPWP, though its price went up 55% in 3 years.
sleepinggreenidea
Given that whey is a common additive in things like this, and that we're currently on the cusp of a whey shortage (from how trendy protein as a random additive in everything coupled with how expensive it is to create new whey production capacity), I'd guess that's the reason this stuff's price climbed faster than inflation.
netutoring
At least not where I shop here in Southern New England. I have no idea what kind of stores she goes to.
ohthatsY
No. Nope. No they are not.
FreeSpacePlace
No.. no they are not
mcglirkymeow
Can easily find it in Canada at Bulk Barn.
psugab
In box dinners like macaroni and cheese they are.
CrisprCAS
Amazon has plenty.
ServerMonkeyKing
Local stores, specialty shops (in person or online), artisans and crafters, second-hand and thrift, any and all of these before immediately going to a big box store or Amazon. Bet you there is an online specialty shop located somewhere in Wisconsin or Upper New York or similar that sells cheese powder or cheese products just dying for your business.
ydwyrd
Powdered cheese I've only ever seen in Kraft Mac and Cheese boxes, and I stopped using that the instant I learned to make my own sauce properly. Powdered buttermilk I have never heard of before in my life.
Ozimbah
Winco has it, but they have a whole bulk section where you can buy mixes, grains, pastas etc. by the pound. Haven't seen it in other grocery stores.
scotcherton
Yeah I have never bought a powdered Mac and cheese sauce without buying boxed Mac and cheese. And if I am making homemade Mac and cheese, I’m sure not making a powdered sauce mix.
HarryDresdenIsMySpiritAnimal
Making homemade doesn't even have to be "hard". Cook noodles. Drain. Add a splash of milk, butter, and grated cheese. Stir.
LordFancypantsicus
Not in grocery stores, but available online and in restaurant supply stores. I make my own sausage and BBQ. I buy powdered buttermilk because I use it as a binder in place of refular powdered milk for certain BBQ sausage recipes. I also use it to make my own ranch powder, which is the not-so-secret ingredient in my BBQ rub (among about 10 others).
anteyeclimbaxe
Some grocery stores. WinCo has it in their bulk section.
astrangehop
Powdered buttermilk became a supermarket staple when bread machines came in. Cheddar powder is a health food store thing.
WarKittyKat
Specialized baking stores more than health food stores, in my experience. It's an ingredient in things like cheddar biscuits.
androgenoide
I think one supermarket in my area carries powdered buttermilk but powdered cheese will have to be ordered online.
martineb72
If you are going to the bother of making it from scratch then just buy sodium citrate from Amazon, and use real cheese to make your mac and cheese.
FreeSpacePlace
Or use lemon juice and baking powder in place of sodium citrate
Nofoxlefttogive
Sodium citrate is the bomb for a smooth sauce!
Whatdoyousaytoanicecupoftea
Yeh...aside from powdered parmasan cheese*, ive never encountered it...I suppose you could sub in nutritional yeast?
*no one has yet to convince me that what my dad told me (its actually just scrapings from feet) is wrong
Kemi337
Foot scrapings would have a less consistent flavor but the odor is still on point
crazyfishlady
As someone who can no longer eat dairy: nutritional yeast does not have a cheesy flavor, and fake cheese is the worst. (Feel free to eat extra dairy on my behalf, especially cheese.)
Whatdoyousaytoanicecupoftea
I find that nutritional yeast at least adds the slightly "funky" edge to things.
crazyfishlady
As long as you go into it not expecting anything resembling a cheesy flavor, you're good!
Mokisan
Powdered cheese is a little more specialized, but powdered buttermilk should be with baking supplies like vital-gluten or yeast.
netutoring
....what on earth is vital gluten?
Mokisan
The protein component of wheat flour. It's what gives wheat breads their "chew." Cake flour is lower gluten, bread flour is higher. If you want even more chewiness or structure to your bread (think a chewy bagel), you add additional protein in the form of vital gluten. It's a powder and just mixes with whatever other flour you are using. Also, if you have celiac or are allergic to wheat protein, it's very bad for you.
netutoring
I've never heard it called 'vital' before. Usually just gluten. Is vital gluten another term or is it a special kind?
Mokisan
"Vital" means that the protein's spring power is preserved. That's what you want. Technically, you can wash flower/dough to get the gluten and dry it, so you have nutritional gluten without the stretching/chew power, but I'm not sure why that would be done. https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/vital-wheat-gluten
FreeSpacePlace
Where...do...you ..shop? Is this some all organic gluten free new leaf place Im too middle class to even know about?
Mokisan
Walmart, Hannaford, Price Chopper. https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Saco-Pantry-Cultured-Buttermilk-Blend-Powder-12-oz-Tub-Gluten-Free-Treen-Nut-Free-and-Peanut-Free/10319960?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1200&from=/search
FreeSpacePlace
Today i learned.
Mokisan
If you do a lot of baking, it's handy to have on-hand. I don't have to worry about buying buttermilk (or making it) for a quick batch of pancakes or waffles, or to whip up a batch of biscuits. Likewise, it's good to have the gluten to fortify flour for chewy breads or homemade bagels or pretzels.
Mokisan
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bob-s-Red-Mill-Vital-Wheat-Gluten-Flour-20-oz/598909418?classType=VARIANT&from=/search
Mokisan
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fleischmann-s-Active-Dry-Yeast-4-oz/10306743?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1200&from=/search
TotallyNotGLaDOS
Could you post a cake mix alternative? Asking for a friend.
skapanda616
https://www.reddit.com/r/Old_Recipes/s/9eTTn0L3Hp
Aspernari
EzraFell
spinbutton3
Just cook a cake from a recipe. That's what is in the mix...the flour, levening agent (like baking powder), sugar, butter, eggs, flavoring like vanilla or melted chocolate, or whatever and you're done. But, follow a recipe because measurements matter when you're baking.
Aspernari
ThatOtherGirlYouKnow
1 cup mud, 1 cup sand. Its an alternative, just not a good one. 🙄
hendawg2020
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1aWViazM1N2d5czRiM2tuYnVvaW1ldm93d3M0bDFseno2M3JzbXRqNCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/4HNrJuM97R0csjpD4r/200w.webp
TotallyNotGLaDOS
Thank you! New and improved cake and grief counseling will be made available at the conclusions of all tests going forward!
ThatOtherGirlYouKnow
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1OTJ2OWQ2NTdlb3k4c2wxNm81NXBmZHNpZmNjaDl6NG9kMHRuemhzZyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/MFuYS9IB6oipG/200w.webp
Cactus21
#2 What is powdered cheddar? That sounds gross. Use grated mature cheddar and a little bit of grated mozzarella (although it takes a little longer to melt). I used half a veg stock cube and maybe some whole grain mustard and garlic in mine
mrhowser
I use 1/2 shredded low fat cheddar and 1/2 Velveeta. It comes out smoother and less oily than some of the other recipes I've tried.
Cactus21
Also normal flour, milk and butter so I can make a roux instead of all the powdered stuff it’s done with fresh ingredients
SoGrosslyIncandescent
I am skeptical as to whether or not these recipes are actually cheaper than buying the premade seasoning packets (maybe, depends if the ingredients are things you'd use in other situations or if you're buying them just for this) But the whole point is to have a shelf stable product. Of course grated cheese will be much better, but the cheese powder will let you make cheap mac and cheese with just water in a pinch.
Turkleturts
Perhaps, but most "shelf stable" dry mixes are also full of stabilisers, preservatives, and anti-caking agents specifically there to allow it to have a longer shelf life. Something like that recipe (4.5 cups worth? JFC) would turn to concrete as soon as any moisture gets into it.
netutoring
No offense, but you did read 'pantry', right? IE: needs to be shelf stable?
skapanda616
If you grew up with poverty mac and cheese, it's kind of comfort food. A bit like canned tomato soup.
You can buy powdered cheese, although I'm not sure why you would. The only reason to do it is the nostalgia, and if that's why you're doing it, buy the thing you grew up with.
Granted there are other uses for the stuff. People put it on popcorn and so on, but again there's better ways to achieve the same end.
skapanda616
Reverse engineering processed food only really makes sense if that processed food is no longer readily available.
WarKittyKat
I put it in regular mac and cheese. Along with the cheese packet it came with. Sometimes a little sour cream or plain yogurt too. Double cheese!
snarkybitch
Sometimes its just cheaper to buy the spice packets. Or im lazy and dont want to use all my measuring spoons/cuos
thedill2000
What? That $1 seasoning packet has less than a dime worth of spice in it.
williamjjacksonjr701337
It takes five seconds to clean measuring cups and spoon or just “eye ball” it and there’s nothing to clean.
aducksayswhat
Cheaper in preparation time, storage, and keeping some form of recipe book (online or not) too. They'll be in sealed packets too. Also if you're starting out and just want to make one, you've got the up front cost of buying whatever container the store sells of each of the ingredients to take a smaller portion for whatever recipe you're making now, it might pay off long-term but if you're trying to count pennies on those recipes it's "technically right" rather than practical.
shitheadtookmyname
You don't need to actually make these mixes into you need them. Just have the flour, baking powders, salt etc and you can make it on the fly
Ajierene
I saved the Ranch one but even that one, I don't use Buttermilk powder normally so that would be an extra purchase... most of the rest I have recipes for and/or there are several ingredients I would have to buy for only that so it isn't really cheaper/ easier
Moto42
Do none of you people cook for yourselves? The only ingredient I see here that isn't a pantry staple is powdered cheese and powdered buttermilk (which I recommend you keep in the fridge, it's great).
Affray
That's the whole point of pre-mixed packets made in factories. It's faster and cheaper but you sacrifice quality for shelf life.
BatmanDeadpoolSlenderMan
Just make a big batch of the spice mix and you can use it multiple times and for other recipes
Hypothesist
PastureofMuppets
This lets you control the quality of the ingredients though, and if you mix a giant batch of dry mix once and store in airtight container, you're set for months/years with the same convenience of packets from then on.
yamsonyamsonyams
Just make these at home for free once you have all $200 of these ingredients
thedill2000
This is just not true. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1141826713/set-of-16-spices-16x50g-for-homemade?ref=elp_anchor_listing&sts=1
There are even cheaper sets that can be had.
yamsonyamsonyams
Ah yes, bags of mystery powder that dont even list what they claim to be, shipped from Ukraine
Perfect!
thedill2000
It says... In the description. Gg
yamsonyamsonyams
Oh yes “seasoning for sausage” Thats super clear lol
Go ahead and buy that jd you want. I’ve never gotten cheap spices that didn’t taste like shit
Probably riddled with heavy metal contaminants too
skapanda616
Beat me to it. You'd likely end up with a better version using these recipes, but for most of them they'll be considerably more expensive.
shitheadtookmyname
What in the world on this list is obscure spices??? This is all normal stuff every American household should have available.
FreeSpacePlace
You have cheese and milk and buttermilk powder just sitting around??? I don't even know where i would buy that and I have an American, oriental and middle Eastern Market within a mile of my house
shitheadtookmyname
My Walmart has all three. Though yeah, the Mac powder is the one I wouldn't blame ppl for not having the ingredients bc it's such a fucking disgusting thing. Cheddar cheese powder pretty much only exists to make garbage Mac and cheese, and it's the type of thing Europeans deservedly can shit on us for eating. You can make it yourself: put some cheese on your counter, let it dry out, then grind it. Mix with corn starch, done. Store in freezer. Faster with a dehydrator tho. Cheap machine.
FreeSpacePlace
Wow, disgusting? This is my culture you're talking about. Kraft blue box isnt pretending to be " home made" and don't even try to give me off brand. The soul knows the difference.
Kehy
These would be good if you can order the specialty ingredients like cheddar powder in bulk.
For a lot of use cases though, so long as you can figure out proportions, you could use bulk mix to make any sized batch you want, including tiny or gigantic
skapanda616
Even for the more basic things the spices alone would cost more than the prefab box. Even brownie mix vs coco powder you're operating at a loss.
Kehy
The adjustability is a useful trait, and not everything need be for cost cutting measures alone. Besides, it's much easier to swap out ingredients if there allergy or sensitivity issues if you're the one putting the mix together. This also gives you the chance to customize for flavor as well
SarcasticComment
All of these recipes cost way more than the effort is worth. In the effort it takes to make mac and cheese powder you could make real mac and cheese.
spinbutton3
Right! Mac and cheese sauce is literally just a quick roux of flour and milk cooked together for two or three minutes that you add grated cheese to. Then mix in the cooked noodles. You can add onion or garlic powder or anything else you want.
SarcasticComment
You can buy a gallon of it for $14 online. There's 0 reason to make this unhealthy nonsense by hand for more money.
spinbutton3
At least making the version with real milk and real cheese isn't full of chemicals and preservatives. But you're right, it isn't going to be as good for you as a salad
skapanda616
Count your self blessed that you grew up with a preference for real mac and cheese. For a lot of folk having mac and cheese made with real cheese for the first time feels weird and wrong.
It's one of those things where you prefer it the way mom used to make it, If mom made it out of a box, that's how you like it.
skapanda616
I was a short order cook in my late teens and early twenties... 3 am at Denny's, ya that was me. There are a lot of things that people prefer the way that mom used to make even if mon was a terrible cook. If mom made runny eggs and soft half cooked bacon.... That feels like home. It's clearly incorrect, but people like it and request it.
SarcasticComment
Those folk can also buy bulk Mac and Cheese powder. It's not a "boo hoo I'm so poor" when making it yourself cost more than the few bucks it cost to buy 2 cups of bulk powder
skapanda616
I was a short order cook in my late teens and early twenties... 3 am at Denny's, ya that was me. There are a lot of things that people prefer the way that mom used to make even if mon was a terrible cook. If mom made runny eggs and soft half cooked bacon.... That feels like home. It's clearly incorrect, but people like it and request it.
skapanda616
/gallery/Xbdinjt/comment/2512184563
SarcasticComment
I don't give nearly enough shits about you to click a link. Check that ego
DisUsernameAmsDildos
And when the first ingredient is "cheese powder", I'm like bitch my store ain't got that! And isn't the recipe done after you acquire cheese powder?
SarcasticComment
You can buy a gallon of Mac and Cheese powder for $14. It's just insane that OP is making this at home and getting really bitchy about it
SMB42
Do Americans not have Bulk Barn? I haven't been down there since 89'.. It's a glorious store! I get my soap, cheese sauce & baking supplies from them
FreeSpacePlace
I second your motion