Comments on: Saving Pennies or Dollars? Making Your Own Noodles

By: Vivianne

Vivianne — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:24:30 +0000

I’ve heard that dried pasta actually has fewer preservatives than storebought fresh pasta. The dry version is not as microbe-friendly. I agree that homemade is tastiest, and my kids love cranking noodles; my pasta roller was $5 at a garage sale. But then you get into homemade ravioli, “four hours to make and 15 minutes to eat” according to DH

By: Joanna

Joanna — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:33:54 +0000

Sure, sometimes it’s better to just spend more for quality. But this is a blog about personal finance / saving money. The fact that Trent is a bit of a foodie leaks into posts regarding food quality, and he advocates spending more in order to eat better tasting food.
Why is that different from spending more to get quality in other areas?
We all know how to spend more. We’re here for advice on the opposite.

By: Priswell

Priswell — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:50:51 +0000

Sometimes the point to doing it yourself is not that you save money, but that you can live better on the amount spent than if you bought it. Store-bought noodles? Fine. Home made noodles? Luxurious.

By: Gretchen

Gretchen — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:21:07 +0000

Mostly inconsistent because this is the first one that talks about flavor/quality.

the quality of my salsa is way more important to me than the quality of my pasta. (Full disclosure, I don’t really eat pasta.)

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:08:09 +0000

Is there any reason to be more suspicious of “hidden ingredients or preservatives or mysterious industrial processes” in dried pasta than in flour? Unless you’re growing your own wheat and grinding your own flour, you need to trust *somebody* that the food you’re buying contains what they say it does.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:46:25 +0000

These S.P.O.D. articles are really inconsistent in their analysis. How come you didn’t analyze the $/hr effort as you have in the past? Why are you equivocating that this penny-saving activity is worth it for the flavor?

(Kevin, I think in the past Trent has called the trip to the grocery store insignificant because you need to go there for anyway, regardless if its for flour and eggs or dry pasta)

By: DivaJean

DivaJean — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:45:03 +0000

You have also not considered that noodles/pasta items are quite often the loss leaders for supermarkets. Stocking up on them when they are at a certain price point- and then adding a coupon- we have gotten noodles for about 50- 75 cents a pound.

By: Joyce

Joyce — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:03:11 +0000

If you’re fortunate enough to have a KitchenAid mixer, or similar, you can make up a batch of noodles almost as fast as it takes for the water to boil. I wouldn’t buy one just to make noodles, but if you already have it, and can beg or borrow the pasta attachment, you’ll never go back. Though, the manual one is good for back up in case the power is out and you NEED home made chicken and dumplings.

By: AnnJo

AnnJo — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:17:19 +0000

A pasta maker (like an Atlas) cuts the time factor down a lot, and if you have kids around, they usually love to do the rolling out. I can make a batch of fettuccini or egg noodles in about 20-30 minutes, assuming I don’t have to set the machine up and disassemble it every time I use it. It’s worth it if the noodles are the star of the show, and they cook in a quarter of the time it takes for dry, but still, it is a fair amount of work.

For some dishes I actually prefer to use dried pasta: Some baked pasta dishes seem to hold up better if you use dried.

By: MP3

MP3 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:10:59 +0000

Oh wow! Homemade pasta is the best.

And the fun of making it with my husband is so great. We talk and talk while rolling and cutting the pasta and thinking of the terrific meal we are planning.

I am sure it’s cheaper to purchase dry pasta on sale but some things you simply can’t quantify. The fun of making the pasta, the freshness of your meal.

It’s the same with pizza. We make our own every Friday night with home made whole wheat pizza dough from scratch. We think of different toppings and different cheeses to try. I roast garlic for the base underneath the sauce – it adds such flavour. And it takes us forever. The first pizza comes out of the oven about 8:30 pm and the last one about 10 pm…but the taste. We’ll never go back to take out or frozen.

By: Steven

Steven — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:17:24 +0000

When doing these calculations, do you factor in the time it takes to go to the store, shop, checkout, and come back home? I still feel like quantifying your time cost when doing regular household chores like cooking is irrelevent. You have to eat.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:10:47 +0000

Whether it costs more or less, home made noodles in venison broth with chunks of meat and veggies are far superior to store noodles! The sheer comfort food aspect alone outweighs any extra cost, IMO.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:56:54 +0000

You should be comparing FRESH purchased noodles to your homemade ones, not dry packaged noodles. Then you see the real price difference!

By: Kyle

Kyle — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:18:23 +0000

This is great advice to restaurants that want to distinguish themselves by having high quality food. Fresh food is so much better than pre-made, frozen, or dried food.

By: edenz

edenz — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:15:59 +0000

Also keep in mind that if you enjoy making homemade noodles and this is something you do often, getting a pasta maker would cut the rolling time in half.