When I wrote that foodstamp users should buy “raw sugar” it did not occur to me what real “raw sugar” was. Yes, I meant processed white sugar — to make cheap homemade drinks, candy, and even wine rather than buying prepared stuff.
French fries from raw potatoes I’ve made a lot of in fifty years — practice (and clean oil) makes them better. Some mainstays of my diet when in Pennsylvania was fried fish (those cheap frozen one pound blocks), and french fries from raw potatoes. I even got fairly good at making potato chips — but that takes a lot of work.
A fry-daddy is a great investment. No, I certainly wouldn't recommend deep-frying every meal. But man does not live by health food alone, and fries made at home, if you know what you're doing, are more healthful (or at least less less un-), tastier and far cheaper than anything you'll get from the drive-thru.
Homemade potato chips are also great, because you can tailor the thickness to your taste and conduct your own seasoning experiments.
My mom had a great snack recipe: take your basic inexpensive unflavored oyster crackers. Spritz them with a little olive oil, just enough to make the dry seasonings stick. Then sprinkle taco seasoning, or cup-a-soup, or whatever flavor strikes your fancy. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes and allow to cool.
Viola! you have a batch of snacks for pennies a serving, tastier and lower-calorie than anything from Frito-Lay. My personal favorite is dill. Just spray oil and sprinkle dill on the top. Thinking about it, I might actually heat up the oven and make some, if it weren't so *&^% hot outside.
My folks were into health food, and bought genuine raw sugar for a time. Icky stuff, and expensive. Candy is hard to make. I’m having a hard enough time relearning how to cook, without trying that. Fudge doesn’t count, if you stay away from Divinity...which is divine ;)
I tried to make potato chips once. I think for fries, you either cook twice in oil, or parboil them in water, and pat dry before frying? The price of fish is just insane, and I’m trying to watch out for Chinese imports.