Yes, of course, if you're willing to trade your time into these things, you can generally end up with an output that is less expensive. The question, as always, is the amount of time required worth the trade?
> You'll save money and eat better.
The amount of my diet that is bread is so small that this really has no measurable impact on my life, and certainly wouldn't be worth the prep, cook and cleanup time required.
I just always dislike the suggestion that you have to become an "artisan chef" to be able to eat well at home. There are plenty of whole and locally made products at your local grocery that you can make great meals out of with very little time involved.
A bagged loaf of bread, some deli sliced meat and cheese, maybe some greens and you've got everything you need for great sandwiches all week that take less than 5 minutes to prepare and serve. You're not sacrificing anything by doing this.
You're right, becoming an artisan chef takes too much time for the average person. I never managed a sourdough, but I was surprised how easy it is to make simple French bread. 5-10min to prep the dough, another 5min over the next couple hours to manage the rising and baking process. Adding a little water in a tray below the bread in the over gives it a nice crust. It's actually ridiculously easy. Naan-like flatbread is really simple as well.
I agree. Tonight I went outside into the greenhouses, took a knife and cut a few leaves of different salad varieties. Went back to the kitchen to let them water a bit in the sink to remove a bit of dirt, dust and a few insects.
Took three minutes.
While the leaves were in the water I quickly did a bit of work for a client that I put off over the weekend but wanted to finish before the week started. Went back to the kitchen afterwards.
Washed the salad again, dry tumbled it, cut a tomato, put two slices of bread into the toaster and prepared the dressing from joghurt, olive oil and balsamic vinegar all bought directly from the producer. Crumbled a bit of feta over the salad, put the dressing over it and a bit of salt and had a very fresh and extremely tasty meal within less than ten minutes.
This was extremely fast food, while still matching the slow food philosophy. And I enjoyed it tremendously.
I know that this is pure luxury. Not everybody has a garden to grow their own food. And not everybody has a SO that infected them with the bug for heirloom varieties of vegetables and salads. And I also know that gardening isn't for everybody. To me it is relaxation as contrast to staring at a screen the whole day.
My SO also bakes bread but we have a great organic local bakery that we get our daily regular bread from. Baking is more for fun.
Yes, of course, if you're willing to trade your time into these things, you can generally end up with an output that is less expensive. The question, as always, is the amount of time required worth the trade?
> You'll save money and eat better.
The amount of my diet that is bread is so small that this really has no measurable impact on my life, and certainly wouldn't be worth the prep, cook and cleanup time required.
I just always dislike the suggestion that you have to become an "artisan chef" to be able to eat well at home. There are plenty of whole and locally made products at your local grocery that you can make great meals out of with very little time involved.
A bagged loaf of bread, some deli sliced meat and cheese, maybe some greens and you've got everything you need for great sandwiches all week that take less than 5 minutes to prepare and serve. You're not sacrificing anything by doing this.