8 Grocery Store Products that are Better than Homemade, really

Yahoo/Bon Appetit ^ | 4/17/11 | n/a

[DemforBush]

Usually, the imitation, short-cut, version just doesn’t hold a candle to the original. Consider: Spray tans. Toupees. Press-On Nails. But when it comes to food, most of us don’t have the time to make everything from scratch. So over the years I’ve scoured grocery store shelves for pre-made foods that taste as good as homemade (almost). There are not many. But when I do find a winner, I am instantly hooked. And, while it would probably be more prudent for my culinary street cred to keep my finds to myself, these products are so good, I can't help but overshare.

Do these store-bought foods give the made-from-scratch versions a run for their money? You bet your clip-in hair extensions...

[Moonmad27]

Trader Joe’s chicken enchiladas, scones, bean and cheese burritos — or pretty much everything from TJ’s.

[machogirl]

lol

[buccaneer81]

We have a flat glass stovetop. It’s a nightmare and a $5 bottle of cleaner to work on it. I finally tiled the wall around the range so that the paint wasn’t stained by the sauce.

[crymeariver]

I’m Italian and my family owned a well known Italian restaurant with famous sauce. I have found that Mario Batalli’s marinara is delicious!!

[buccaneer81]

I like Skyline over Goldstar. Ever had a Skyline deluxe burrito? The best.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

Dish soap and Barkeeper’s Friend will clean anything off a glass cooktop at a fraction of that price.

[An American in Turkiye]

Interesting. I have heard of Gold Star but have never tried it. I've actually never eaten at a Skyline. A friend bought me an 8 can pack and told me to try it. I make my own noodles and I absolutely love it. My wife, OTOH.....

I'm thinking about trying it over rice. Ever tried it that way?

[Daffynition]

I disagree with the author, right out of the gate Patsy's sauce is better than Rao's. Patsy's wins Test Kitchen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAZTRYWzeOg

[magslinger]

Canned pumpkin. Mrs Mag and I made pumpkin pies from scratch one year. They were about this much better (Magslinger holds his finger and thumb 1/64th of an inch apart) than those made with canned “pumpkin.” With all of the extra work involved, forget it.
There is a local bakery that makes topping ready pizza crusts that are better than anything in a grocery store and most pizzerias.

[buccaneer81]

Thanks for the tip. I go through $75 worth of the paste every year.

[An American in Turkiye]

Nope, but it sounds good. Do you have a recipe? I live in California, and I’m sure the food nazi’s here would ban any restaurants from opening here.

[freejohn]

Not sure if my entry will fit this post but I just had to give a BIG "Thumbs Up" to P.F. Chang's Chinese dinners.
I was a "No Way" will I eat anything that comes from a grocer and is in a box or bag 'but' .. This stuff is as good as you'll find in any Chinese restaurant!

There is also plenty for a party of two.

In most stores the bags go for over nine dollars but Walmart will have them for around seven dollars from time to time.

PF CHANG

[mass55th]

I use a splatter screen over my pot when making my sauce. It allows the steam to escape while the sauce simmers, and keeps the sauce from getting all over the place. When my sauce is done, I just wash the screen.

[buccaneer81]

You need to experience SkyLine in a real store. With waitress service.

[perfect_rovian_storm]

BKF is incredibly versatile. I had never heard of it until I got some All-Clad pans and they recommended it to clean them. It’s truly amazing stuff. The powder, not the liquid stuff. I haven’t tried the liquid stuff, but I’ve read bad things.

[PA Engineer]

Tastier, yes, but you cannot compete with nitrous oxide for fluffiness.

...or do it yourself dentistry.

[bigbob]

Except for the Marie Callendar pot pies I’ve never even heard of any of that crap. But there’s one thing that just about any store-bought beats the homemade kind, and that’s hard liquor. And you don’t go blind or wonder what happened to the lining of your throat either.

[buccaneer81]

Try this:

SkyLine Burrito

[buccaneer81]

Thanks for the tip.

[DemforBush]

I always use a good brand of plain canned pumpkin for my punkin’ pies too. Works great.

Also makes a good starting point for a semi-spicy cream of pumpkin soup I make sometimes. (as long as I remember to make sure it’s the plain pumpkin and not the pre-spiced pie filling kind, LOL.)