I have thought that so many times when I see these flour mixes. like bro you can literally make your own premix and I would assume you save a lot of money doing so

[–] TwanHE 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Here its legit cheaper than making it yourself unless you're buying in bulk.

[–] olutukko 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I mean by buying every ingredient yeah, but if you consider the amount of sugar, salt and baking powder you need which most peoplenown and use anyway it's soo much cheaper to just flour and mix that stuff in it. here cheapest flours are 0,90€ while pancake mix is over 3€. the rest of the stuff you add there costs almsot nothing if you consider how little you need them. like maybe 1€ total

if you however have to buy every ingredient for the mix it costs like 4€ here.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

But I also have to mix that with eggs and milk. The mix is just add water and there's no difference in taste or texture. Why do extra work when you get the same results with less?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

I prefer to have some ingredients that are more flexible over having a specialized product that only makes few things or just one thing.

I do like to bake and I cook a fair amount, so ingredients like flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar go far in my household.

Sometimes my family needs to go on special diets and having more control over what goes into my food helps a lot. (That low FODMAP diet was a bitch.)

But that's just my situation. These types of mixes save a lot of time and effort. Can't really knock that.

[–] kbotc 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

It’s “buttermilk” just add water, so I suspect there’s some dairy flavoring of some kind in there.

EDIT: Yea, it’s flour, sugar, a leavener, starch, salt, a bit of soybean oil, some dehydrated egg whites, and dehydrated buttermilk

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I wish there was a store with all sorts of food additives the regular person doesn’t have access to, like dehydrated buttermilk, or whatever artificial and natural flavors is.

[–] kbotc 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The internet has that at least?

https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/dried-buttermilk-powder

For egg whites, it’s not too bad to make them yourself with a dehydrator.

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/dehydrated-eggs-make.html

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

But I’m old and I like to shop with my feet and ADHD fueled puppy-like enthusiasm. If the staff leaves me alone and there aren’t many people there, I’d wind up with a whole chemistry lab of barely regulated food additives.

I’d have whole brunches with solid mimosas (agar), and fully cooked liquid eggs (I don’t know, but I’d do it. I’ll find something that prevents the proteins from tangling!). My friends would hate me.

[–] kbotc 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Agar agar is a bit of a laxative, so I may suggest you find another thickening agent. I think the store you are looking for is a baking supply store for most weird flavorings and powders. Restaurant supply may also have aisles as well, though the good ones are harder to come by. If only the modernist pantry had a storefront.

https://modernistpantry.com/categories/ingredients.html

Liquid eggs are pretty easy too: Just pasteurize the darn things with a sous vide machine. Hold them at 130 for a few hours.

https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-101-all-about-eggs

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

The actual food items I suggested were a bit of a joke, but the food science and baking store suggestion you offered are excellent.

It looks like the closest fit for a baking supply store is a Williams Sonoma, otherwise I’ve got an hour+ drive of me. But it’s on the list for next time we travel to more populous cities!

Edit: A local (hour drive away) baking shop has a pretty comprehensive website. I’ve learned that Vanilla powder exists and I might wind up buying edible metallic powders to put on things that shouldn’t be those colors.
We’re doing a ‘super soft’ birthday for one of our dogs this year. My whole paradigm for decoration and (human) foods has shifted.