Tonight’s Scratch vs. Store bought comparison is for Stove Top Stuffing, Chicken flavor vs. Home made Stuffing on the stove.
The Recipe:
Stuffing from the Stove, chicken flavor
6 cups cubed bread – I used 100% whole wheat ($1.25)
1/4 c diced onion ($.08)
1/2 c diced celery ($.10)
1 T dry parsley
1 t dry thyme
1 t ground pepper
1/2 t ground sage (I’m counting $.10 for all herbs, and I think that’s high. I buy them out of bulk bins by weight, very cheap!)
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c. chicken stock (free from the freezer)
1/4 c. butter ($.37)
Chop bread and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until toasted, tossing once. While the bread is in the oven, saute the onion and celery over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add seasoning, stock, and butter, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add bread when removed from the oven. Stir to combine, remove from heat, and leave covered for five minutes.
The Cost Breakdown:
Stove Top Stuffing mix costs $3.59, plus $.37 in butter, for 6 servings at $.66 per serving.
Home made stuffing costs $1.90 for 6 servings at $.37 per serving. It would be cheaper if I made my own bread.
Home made stuffing on the stove wins at more than 40% cheaper than Stove Top.
The Taste Test:
Stove Top Stuffing tastes like the chicken flavoring packet in Top Ramen. It’s very salty and has a “fake” chicken flavor, according to Mr. Penny. He loves Top Ramen, so this was not a disqualifier for him; I do not love Top Ramen, and it was way too salty for me. The texture is gummy, mushy, and there is no dimension.
The home made stuffing had a more subtle flavor and the added textural elements of onion and celery were welcome additions. The sage, thyme, and parsley gave it a nice herbed flavor, but next time I’ll add poultry seasoning to intensify it a bit more. The bread held its own, not dissolving into mush at the introduction of real chicken stock.
On flavor and texture, home made wins by a landslide.
The Time Factor:
The scratch version took 15 minutes from start to finish. I cut up the bread and popped it in the oven for about 10 minutes; while that was in the oven, I diced up onions and celery, sauteed them for a few minutes, and finished the preparation.
The Stove Top Stuffing took just under 10 minutes. I brought the water and butter up to a boil in a few minutes, then let it sit the 5 minutes suggested on the box.
The 5 minute time difference is small enough that it wouldn’t be a deciding factor for me.
Other Considerations:
Ingredients of Stove Top Stuffing: Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Onions (Dried), Salt, Contains Less than 2% of Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Yeast, Cooked Chicken and Chicken Broth, Maltodextrin, Celery (Dried), Monosodium Glutamate, Parsley (Dried), Spice, Sugar, Caramel Color, Turmeric, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, with BHA, BHT, Citric Acid, and Propyl Gallate as Preservatives.
I try to avoid high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils; I buy bread without either. Again, home made wins for its real food ingredients.
Scratch vs. Storebought winner:
If it isn’t obvious by now, you haven’t been paying attention! Stove Top Stuffing has no place in our pantry; home made really is the way to go on cost, flavor, texture, and health.
Are there any products you’re curious to see tested? Post Scratch vs. Store Bought requests in the comments!
Good for you! Storebought foodstuffs can be quicker, but you pay for the convenience…and the flavor is nowhere near the genuine article. Also, storeboughts have all the processing and added condiments that may diagree with some eaters’ tastebuds and/or their health.
Unprocessed foods are better because you can control each ingredient’s measurement in the recipe. The end result will be more flavorful and absolutely more satisfying.
Pricewise, it helps to shop around. Some vendors get away with higher prices because their customers assume ‘better for health’ without knowing what they are buying. Some so-called ‘Natural’ foods are no better than the processed items sold in major supermarkets. It’s all in the knowledge.
Thanks very much from Ralph promoting The Dean Martin Show at http://draaiorgelfan.wordpress.com.
I’m glad the homemade tasted better. I’m not a stuffing fan, but make the boxed kind whenever it’s needed or the mood strikes (maybe twice a year at most). I have to question the price of the boxed mix. Until I moved this past summer I used to live in a much more expensive area and I could often get stove top on sale for $1/box. Since my family doesn’t use much processed food, I totally understand getting away from it. However, I’m not sure the price comparison was right on. Do you keep a price book and watch the sales rotations? I think the price you paid is the FULL mark up and I’m kinda surprised that you would pay that much for a blog post and even more so if you’ve regularly been paying that much for stuffing. I would wait until a sale near the holidays or some other time and stock up at $1/box. That sale price runs 3 or 4 times a year.
I love your comparisons! Keep posting!
[...] Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): The Saved Quarter – January 30 – Scratch vs. Store Bought: Stuffing on the Stove. [...]
Treva, I have had the box in my pantry for ages and probably didn’t pay full price. I used the shelf price on shopping day this week for comparison. Of course, a savvy couponer would be able to get it on sale with a coupon and pay significantly less. I would say that most of the products I’m comparing are like that.
Also, I live in a high cost of living area, which may make a difference in the prices listed versus your local prices.
Still, the home made version could be made with sale or day-old clearance breads for even cheaper, and the flavor alone makes it worth making from scratch.
draaiorgelfan and Amy, thanks for the kind words!
I absolutely love this post. I don’t buy a lot of convenience foods because of food allergies but now that you have listed the ingredients to this I can definitely make this with a few modifications. I have been arguing with friends for years that convenience food isn’t always cheaper and now you’ve given me proof (Yay!) Could you do a cost break down on pancake mix?
More Style Than Cash – I did a Bisquik mix here: http://thesavedquarter.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/scratch-vs-store-bought-master-baking-mix/