Cooking from scratch takes time, planning, and patience. For many people, including myself, the reward almost always makes it worthwhile, but sometimes the results are no different from what you can get from a store. A recent online discussion, however, sparked a debate about which dishes simply aren’t worth the effort. Some take hours to prepare, others use countless ingredients, and a few even end up tasting worse as their store-bought versions.
The story
The post came from a Reddit user who described spending an afternoon boiling and peeling beets, only to realize they tasted nearly identical to the prepackaged or canned versions. They asked others to share foods that yield the same results as store-bought versions despite the extra effort. The thread drew hundreds of comments from people who had spent hours in their kitchens making food that wasn’t any better than what could be bought ready-made.
The reactions
The most frequently mentioned item was puff pastry. One person shared, “Puff pastry, if you buy a good brand. I’ve made it by hand before, and the slight improvement isn’t worth the hours.” Someone added, “Whichever one has butter as the only fat in it will get you 90% of the way to ‘good.’”
Several users said that while homemade pastry can feel rewarding, it rarely justifies the time investment.
As a professional baker, I can understand why. Making traditional French puff pastry involves repeatedly layering butter and dough, resting it between each fold, and maintaining a precise temperature to prevent the fat from melting. One mistake can ruin the entire batch. For that reason, most people agreed that high-quality store-bought puff pastry achieves a nearly identical light, flaky texture. I only recommend making puff pastry at home if you see it as a baking challenge and a chance to develop your skills, rather than a quick way to make dessert.
As a cheat version, you can try my quick and easy rough puff pastry. It’s made using a slightly different, quicker method, but the final result is almost as good.
Another person described their experience with maple syrup, “Maple syrup. I brew beer, so I have a lot of the same equipment. I had two large Norway maples I tapped. Kept the sap in my keezer till I couldn’t hold any more buckets. Boiled it all down. Tasted exactly the same as real maple syrup from the store. In terms of cost, if you don’t factor in my equipment and time, it still costs me about the same in propane to run my large burner to reduce the sap to get the same volume of syrup I can get from the store.”
The process of making maple syrup sounds simple in theory, but it requires enormous quantities of sap, steady heat for hours, and constant attention to avoid scorching. That’s why the maple. Several users said they enjoyed doing it once for the experience but would not repeat it due to the time required and the propane needed.
Many people agreed they wouldn’t make pumpkin puree again, since it tastes the same as store-bought but requires less effort. One said, “Pumpkin puree. It’s not worth the effort, buy canned.” Another said, “The only time it’s worth it is to do it for your kids just once while they’re growing up. My dad made a big ‘to-do’ before Thanksgiving one year of buying a real pumpkin, roasting it in the oven all day, and making pies from scratch. I still remember the delicious smell!”
However, some people believe that if you want your kitchen to smell amazing and experience the flavors without additives, making pumpkin puree from scratch is still better than the canned version.
Some people also thought it’s not worth making ketchup at home, “Ketchup. Had a bounty of tomatoes one year and made homemade ketchup. Tasted the same as Heinz and wasn’t worth the time and effort.”
Ketchup is one of those condiments perfected by large-scale production. The balance of sweetness, acidity, and spice is hard to match at home, and the long simmering process is also not worth all that effort. Even those who enjoy canning said that ketchup is the one recipe they wouldn’t repeat.
Another commenter mentioned it’s better to buy pumpkin pie from the store, “Pumpkin pie. My mom and I made pumpkin pie at home one year and went to a family get-together. We couldn’t tell the difference between ours and a family member’s that had just been bought from a store. So it’s store-bought for us because the pie just ended up taking up space in the oven.”
Many agreed that pumpkin pie tastes the same regardless of who makes it. The filling, whether from a can or blended at home, delivers the same familiar flavor.
As a baker, my heart breaks reading these comments, but I understand why making pumpkin pie can feel overwhelming for some, especially with all the other dishes and responsibilities that come with preparing for Thanksgiving.
However, if you want to serve a pie that tastes different from store-bought, you can try some of my unique versions, such as pumpkin pie with sweetened condensed milk, double-layer pumpkin pie, or pumpkin custard pie. Not only are these easy to make, but you won’t regret the effort, as they aren’t sold in stores.
Kimchi was another food people said doesn’t change much from homemade to store-bought. One person shared, “Kimchi, there are excellent versions at Korean grocery stores and in the end it’s cheaper.” Another said, “Kimchi. My Mom is Korean, and sometimes she makes it herself, sometimes she buys it. Honestly, I can’t really tell a difference.”
Several commenters pointed out that commercial kimchi from Korean markets often tastes nearly the same as homemade, since many brands use traditional recipes and high-quality fermentation. For most people, the main difference is the satisfaction of making it; however, you cannot tell the difference in taste.
Some people mentioned lasagna from the store is better than all the effort and cost it takes to make it, “I made my own lasagna once and it tasted bar for bar the same as the frozen. Definitely not worth the $30 in materials.”
Lasagna is time-consuming, involving several ingredients prepared separately before layering and baking. Some said they still prefer to make it for special occasions, but most agreed that high-quality frozen versions taste just as good as the homemade ones at a lower price.
Someone mentioned another ingredient that people try to make at home, but it’s better to just buy from the store: “Mayonnaise”. The taste is nearly the same, and store-bought versions last longer, saving the mess of whisking and cleaning up.
Not everyone mentioned foods that are better to buy from the store; one chef shared how people can make homemade food taste different.
“As a chef, I think the main difference comes down to the origin and quality of the ingredients. With beets, for example, small, young ones are usually sweeter and more delicate than the large, pre-cooked ones from the store. The next key factor is how you cook them – when they’re cooked precisely and taken out of the water at the right moment, they keep both flavor and color.
Then it’s all about seasoning and marinating – that’s where homemade food can really shine. A touch of good vinegar and olive oil sometimes makes all the difference.
Maybe it’s less about the recipe itself and more about learning the step-by-step cooking know-how that professionals rely on every day. Many “foodie recipes” online skip those small details – but that’s exactly where the magic happens.”
The chef’s comment made a fair point. Store-bought foods can taste just as good as homemade, but you can make them unique by seasoning, adding ingredients you like, or adjusting them to your taste.
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