Why homemade food is worth every effort
When I tell people that we make or cook most of our foods from scratch, I would usually get looks of astonishment followed by "How do you have time for this?" or "Why go through all the trouble, when everything is so easily available?". Let me share with you why I choose to do this, and you can decide if it is worth the time and effort that go into it.
1. Value With homemade or homecooked foods, I can choose better or healthier ingredients that may cost a little more, or opt for cheaper alternatives whenever it makes sense. In this way, I can decide the trade-off between cost and value. When we buy packaged foods or cooked foods, we are also paying for the packaging (e.g. think of the additional 20cents for take-away containers from most hawker stalls), product advertisement, branding etc. On top of this, we have no decision on the ingredients used.
2. Taste To me, homemade foods almost always taste better. Yes, I may not be able to replicate the exact taste in some products. Take my favorite beverage Milo for example. My homemade Milo has a deeper chocolatey and malty flavour, its taste surpasses any tinned Milo and it is equally addictive. Another example would be my homemade bread – off-the-shelf packaged breads just cannot compare. They are not only delicious, but also more filling, and hence providing energy sustainable for the day.
3. Transparency When I read the ingredient list of a loaf of bread or a packet of biscuits, or when I see how commercial cooked foods are prepared, I just know that as much as possible, I need to keep my young children away from them. Now how many of us know what a ‘dough conditioner’ is and why it is required for a loaf of bread? And why is there such a long list of ingredients when all we need to bake a good loaf of bread is just flour, water, salt and yeast? When I bake my bread, I am free from this issue. No preservatives, no hidden ingredients; I know exactly what goes in. There is peace of mind.
4. Packaging Food made or cooked at home eliminates unnecessary packaging - better for our earth as well as our health. One would choose BPA-free water bottles or milk bottles, or use good quality containers to prevent nasty chemicals from leaching into his/her drinks or food. But how about the containers used in cooked food bought from your regular hawker stall, or the packaging of frozen/ready-to-eat foods? I’m sure the exposure of harmful chemicals from these materials is no less than those that come from normal water or milk bottles. Not to mention the amount of waste that is created from these food packaging.
5. Experience Food made at home will change the way you (and your children) think about food. A loaf of freshly baked bread invigorates not only the physical senses, but also evokes a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation to the effort that goes behind. Many recipes are simple enough to involve children in one way or another. While having fun, the children indirectly learn life skills. They learn to focus when spooning batter into muffin cups; they learn about perseverence when they sieved the flour 3 times into the container without overflowing onto the table; they learn to be patient while waiting for the bread to be baked in the oven, and then to cool sufficiently before they could take their first bite. It is priceless to experience the magic of turning flour into bread.
6. Quality Time
I enjoy the time spent in the kitchen. Fine-tuning a recipe, preparing the raw ingredients, kneading dough - these activities are therapeutic. It’s my ‘me-time’! When my husband participates, it becomes our couple time. At times we work through conflicts and differences in opinions (and in other aspects of life) to find a common ground. I have fun watching my daughter jump excitedly when the pita bread dough puffed up in the oven, and I feel proud to see the level of concentration she applies as she mixes batter, sieve flour or cut vegetables. But I've also had a fair share of tense moments (those who have children in the kitchen will know what I mean). I regard these moments as an opportunity to practice my parenting skills as well as to build confidence in my children’s ability to do things on their own.
7. Family values I frequently involve my child when I bake or cook. At the very basic, she learns to help around and participate in household works (I wouldn't call them chores) and learn social responsibility. At a higher level, she sees how something is done, from start to finish, without shortcut. Sometimes there will be failure too. This teaches the reality of life – that life is not always a bed of roses. Then we figure out what could be wrong, tweak the recipe or the method to produce something better in subsequent attempts. This is perseverance and the belief that there would be a solution to a problem. Sometimes a recipe just won’t work after modification, so we decided it’s better to buy it at a good store. We learn to let go and move on. When made on our own, we appreciate the food more and would think twice instead of simply throwing it away when it doesn't taste as expected. I find this a very important lesson in the ‘fast food world’ that we live in today. I want my children to learn to investigate, fix, repair and adjust before deciding to move on, instead of ‘throw and get a new one’ in their approach to life.
8. Thrill and satisfaction
From the pride of seeing a row of freshly made bright orange marmalade–filled jars, the satisfaction of biting into a perfect wholemeal coconut bun that reminds me of my childhood, the joy of seeing the excited father-daughter pair relishing their favourite low sugar banana cake, the sense of achievement when I finally mastered the art and science of bread making; to the peace of mind knowing exactly how our food comes about – these are the things that keep me going. It’s both addictive and infectious – what started as a simple exploration has now become a family hobby where my husband and daughter are also venturing out in cooking and baking. With 3 cooks at home, meals are never boring!
9. Family Tradition
My husband and I grew up in families that cook and eat at home. Eating out is rare and only on special occasions. We looked back with fond memories to the familiar taste of home as we tucked in to our parent’s specialty dishes. We try to keep the recipes alive, infuse it with a characteristic of our own and hopefully pass it down to the next generation. We hope that our children would look back to their childhood with lots of fond memories, including the very thing that nourishes their body – mama and papa’s cooking.
I do my best to provide my family with food that are both nutritious and delicious. I love to surprise my daughter with some freshly baked goodies on the table as she comes home from school, and share my experimental treats with friends and family. However, as a working mum without a helper, there are times when I need to prioritize and only the most important recipes will occupy me – snack bars, bread for daily breakfast, and of course home cooked meals. Whether you are led by cost, taste, time, nutrition or thrill, I would like to invite you to explore with me and try whatever homemade recipe that works for you.
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