If you've been following the blog, you know I've been experimenting with homemade, healthier, thriftier options to storebought products this summer, and I thought it was time for a results round-up.
HOMEMADE ARTISAN BREAD. Experimenting with ArtisanBreadinFive.com's books and recipes, I whipped up white artisan bread, a mixed-grain, and a mostly whole-wheat version. The white version comes out the most beautiful, but it's hard to justify white bread nowadays, so I stick with the mostly whole-wheat recipe. The recipe calls for sprinkling it with mixed seeds--now I just use one kind of seed and it mostly falls off when you slice the bread.
Effort Rating: Minimal
Taste Rating: Delicious
Tightwad Rating: Highly Recommended
HOMEMADE SANDWICH BREAD. I used the recipe for mostly whole-wheat bread, which is enough to make two sandwich loaves like you might buy at the store. (The nine-year-old did not like the bread made from their "Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread" recipe because she said it was too crumbly. Therefore I used their basic healthy bread boule recipe.) Bake, cool and slice. Excellent crumb and flavor. None of the sugar and additives and preservatives found in even the best storebought sandwich breads. Tip: after slicing, slip a piece of waxed paper between each slice, then reassemble loaf and freeze. Whenever someone wants a sandwich or toast, they can easily pull off as many slices as he needs.
Effort Rating: Minimal
Taste Rating: Delicious
Tightwad Rating: Highly Recommended
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| Sliced, papered, and frozen! |
HOMEMADE WHOLE-WHEAT BAGELS. Another use for the mostly whole-wheat recipe. ArtisanBreadinFive.com's recipe was for cinnamon-raisin bagels using the basic boule dough, but I couldn't be bothered to add those in, and besides, no one in the house but me likes raisins in baked goods. Real bagels require both boiling and baking, and these were real bagels.
Effort Rating: Considerable but not difficult, because of the shaping and multiple steps.
Taste Rating: Delicious (My kids have requested I make another batch, but I haven't yet.)
Tightwad Rating: Recommended
HOMEMADE SOUR CREAM. In my zeal to get rid of plastic containers, I gave homemade sour cream a whirl. Same recipe, two attempts. The first was pretty good and actually thickened up nicely after a week(!). The second tasted okay but never thickened at all. In neither case did I like it as well as storebought, with all its thickening agents. Might try a different recipe in the future.
Effort Rating: Minimal
Taste Rating: Fine
Tightwad Rating: Storebought is actually cheaper
HOMEMADE POWDERED LAUNDRY DETERGENT. Tried this here. Ingredients are found at Fred Meyer.
Effort Rating: Minimal
Effectiveness Rating: Great! Couldn't tell the difference between this and storebought.
Tightwad Rating: Not a whole lot cheaper than storebought, when storebought is on super sale.
HOMEMADE LIQUID LAUNDRY DETERGENT. A little more work than powdered detergent, but a whole lot cheaper! Pretty easy to cook up. The concoction thickens on cooling and setting, so it takes some squeezing to get it out of the container, but then I just hold it under the pouring water as the machine fills, and that breaks it up.
Effort Rating: Involves the stovetop, but pretty straightforward.
Effectiveness Rating: Great! Couldn't tell the difference between this and storebought.
Tightwad Rating: Highly recommended. Much cheaper than storebought.
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| The consistency of phlegm, but it works. |
HOMEMADE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD CLEANSER. Tried recipes from a couple different books (scroll down). Nothing kills like harsh chemicals, but if your house isn't a pit like mine, these will probably do the trick.
Effort Rating: Minimal
Effectiveness Rating: Mild, general-purpose cleanser.
Tightwad Rating: Recommended
CHLORINE BLEACH ALTERNATIVE. Substitute 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide per load. Not homemade but still pretty cheap and easy on the environment.
Effort Rating: Uh, you buy it.
Effectiveness Rating: Not as blinding as chlorine bleach but just fine and no stink.
Tightwad Rating: About the same as chlorine bleach.
HOMEMADE DRAIN CLEANER. Tried this here. Totally effective and environmentally harmless!
Effort Rating: Involves the stovetop, but pretty straightforward.
Effectiveness Rating: Great! Couldn't tell the difference between this and storebought.
Tightwad Rating: Highly recommended. Much cheaper than storebought.
