The Store-Bought Staples Michael Symon Would Never Add To His Cart

If you'd like to save money at the grocery store, making some staple food items at home instead of purchasing them is one of the most cost-effective ways to do it. The question is, which ones are better and cheaper when you make them yourself, and which staples you should avoid. Professional chefs are often in the know about which store-bought foods can be made even better at home, so consulting them on their choices is key.

To guide you on the path toward empowerment and budget-friendly cooking and help you choose some foods to avoid purchasing, we spoke with a celebrity chef. Michael Symon, American chef, restaurateur, author, and TV personality who's often seen on the Food Network, shared ideas on Tasting Table about the store-bought ingredients he would never buy. Symon's not totally against using store-bought ingredients, such as keeping a can of beans around for when you need a quick dip. However, there are three staples Michael Symon says he will not buy. One of them is BBQ sauce. On the idea of purchasing BBQ sauce, Symon said, "If I bought barbecue sauce, I'd burn in hell," stating, "Barbecue sauce is so easy to make."

To remedy the empty space left in your cart, try making homemade BBQ sauce, which starts with a base of ketchup and brown sugar. With ingredients you'll likely find in your pantry, you can use a basic recipe to make a copycat version of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce by adding molasses, apple cider vinegar, pineapple juice, water, liquid smoke, and dry spices like mustard and paprika. In a pinch, Symon suggested you can use a quality brand as a base, and then doctor it up to take advantage of convenient store bought ingredients.

Another staple Michael Symon suggested you bypass at the grocery store is tomato sauce. "[If] I'm a Sicilian mother, I don't buy tomato sauce either," Symon said. Basic tomato sauce can be made relatively quickly with canned tomatoes and a few herbs and other ingredients. To follow Symon's make-it-youself advice, try this all-purpose tomato sauce recipe using tomatoes, garlic, sugar, onion, basil, parsley, and oregano to create a well-balanced version that's perfect for pasta, but can also go well with pizza, a topping for chicken, and more. If you'd like to make your own marinara sauce, just try to avoid the mistake that may ruin your marinara.

One more common food staple you might consider preparing at home rather than purchasing, according to Symon, is salad dressing. "It's literally oil and vinegar. Why are you buying this?" Symon questioned. If you decide to attempt making your own dressing, avoid making a ratio mistake in your homemade dressing and try to use the most effective 3-1 oil-to-vinegar ratio. You can use your choice of oil, including olive, sunflower, or sesame as well as a variety of vinegars. The trick is keeping the right ratio for a balance of flavor and texture when the dressing is emulsified. Practice these pro tips to save money at the grocery store, as well as to enhance your practical culinary skills and kitchen prowess!

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