Cooking from Scratch

Cooking From Scratch

by Donna Martin

ooking from scratch is rapidly becoming a long-lost art in most modern households. Women have become too busy and no longer have the time or strength to fix a big meal after working all day. The quick-cooking philosophy of today’s homemaker is to use a minimum of the freshest ingredients, and to assemble it all in a single pan or dish, which takes a total of 20 minutes or less to prepare. This sacrifice is being created by today’s busy lifestyle and at our own expense.

What expense am I talking about? Look at the health of the people in our country today. If we were truly in charge of our diets, we would be eating healthier and we would not be so sick. Cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity are but a few of the illnesses we have come to know, which are primarily caused by this accepted modern diet. This type of quick cooking and fast food that we have become accustomed to, and our being at the mercy of the food manufacturers, are the factors that have caused it all.

I mention this topic in this issue because of the two preceding articles. If I may say this frankly, we don’t know what is in our food anymore, or how it has been prepared. Our food is being injected with chemicals and preservatives; and much of our produce is covered with pesticides and sprayed to make the fruit more attractive for the consumer. Our international imports have been approved for entry into our country without any long-term FDA research having been done to much of it. It’s only when the media draws attention to one company’s blunder that we learn that it’s already too late.

Just recently I learned about the fish our country has been importing from China. I love the Chinese people, but their waters are filthy. The news article stated that they have been raising fish in chemically polluted waters, and then exporting it to our country. This is one area where we have not been inspecting and a lot has been getting imported, regardless of how the fish was raised.

Cooking From Scratch Sounds Time-Consuming

Cooking from scratch is cooking with simple food. These foods are fresh, unadulterated, and straightforward. It is nourishing, not rich, and it is just plain food. It’s cheaper, healthier and can be quicker to cook, once you learn how. The ingredients are very basic: vegetables, grains and flours, meat, fish, and some herbs and spices. About the only things you have eliminated are prepared boxed foods and manufactured canned goods. When you look at the label, which you should do, and you cannot understand the ingredients, then make it off limits.

Eating from scratch can be simple and will make your life easier if you can rethink what you have been preparing for meals. Eat some of your foods raw and be willing to eat in a variety of ways; for example, it is not necessarily more difficult to prepare food that has been sautéed, baked, boiled, mashed, or shredded. It will actually open you up to new meal choices. These meal choices are made during your menu planning, so you’ll need to know which foods are in season. One simple rule to cooking from scratch is to skip the processed foods.

Short Cuts

There is an easy way to find replacements for your favorite prepared foods, and that is to make copycat recipes. If you like a certain name-brand spice package that flavors your potatoes, look at the ingredients written on the package. Copy them down and then physically look at the ingredients in the package. Determine, by tasting, which of the spices are used more, and then estimate the measurements of their (the manufacturer’s) ingredients. By trial and error, you can make your own copycat recipe. Of course there is yet an easier way. You could always look on the Internet for recipes of your favorite spice items and canned soup recipes.

Conclusion

Food is important, and it is an important part of our culture. It is an important part of our life together as a family, and as a church. Sometimes it is too important - some people live to eat, instead of eating to live. We can make healthier choices and control what we are eating if you take that extra step of knowing what you are putting in your mouth, and cooking from scratch can do that.