While going out to eat or picking up some take-out can be a treat, some things just taste better when they're made at home. So Redditor u/RumIsTheMindKiller asked, "What always tastes better at home vs. from a restaurant?" Here's what people had to say.
1."Mashed potatoes. They just always taste best made from scratch in your own kitchen."
2."Matzo ball soup. When you buy it from most Jewish delis, the matzo balls have been sitting in broth forever and therefore have lost their flavor and texture. Plus the broth is often underwhelming. Homemade broth with a whole chicken and matzo balls cooked just right is incredible."
3."Grilled cheese. When I order 'fancy' grilled cheese at a restaurant, it always feels like it's missing something. Homemade grilled cheese is simple, but it gets the texture and flavor just right."
4."Tamales. I’ve had very good tamales at restaurants but there’s just something about homemade the homemade version doesn't compare."
5."Vegetables. I love going out to eat, but the most disappointing thing is always the vegetables. I hate spending $30+ on an expensive dish for the vegetables to be steamed, unseasoned, and just sad. Sure, I've had some good vegetables out, but I notice when meat is the centerpiece of a dish there's very little thought put into the vegetables. And I like my veggies!"
6."Grilled corn on the cob. Whenever I order it at a restaurant it always tastes rubbery."
7."Chili. No restaurant chili can compare to the homemade stuff. When you order it out, it's usually just watery tomato soup with ground beef."
8."Soup. I fell in love with soup once I started cooking it at home. Pretty much any kind of soup you make from scratch is just so much better than restaurant soup that’s been sitting in a big vat all day."
9."Quesadillas. Whenever I order them at a restaurant I'm always disappointed. Only I know how to season them the way I like best, and only I know the perfect quantity of cheese guacamole and salsa that belongs on them."
10."Lasagna. Unless the restaurant you're at makes a big tray daily, there is a very high chance you're ordering lasagna that was previously frozen and defrosted."
11."Biscuits and gravy. Those are so much better homemade. Every time I order them at a restaurant they're a let down. Never enough flavor."
12."Mac 'n' cheese, homemade roux and all."
13."Baked potatoes. They never have that good, crispy skin at restaurants. Most restaurant potatoes taste either microwaved or soggy, as if they were cooked very far in advance."
14."Rice Krispie Treats. I don't know why anyone would buy the kind in the packages. But even the bakery or restaurant version don't taste as good as the ones you make at home."
15."Steak, only because you can make it taste just as good if not better than 99% of restaurants can, but for a much cheaper price."
16."Chocolate chip cookies. I'm talking your average, no frills, semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies. There's nothing in the world like the home baked kind."
17."Risotto. It's so easy to make it well at home, but it this mystique about it that baffles me. People assume it's difficult to make so they order it at restaurants, but homemade is even better."
18."Gumbo. Nothing beats homemade gumbo. Most restaurants just don’t get it right or they try to make it too fancy."
19."Omelettes. If you order a restaurant omelettes it's almost guaranteed to taste overcooked and leathery."
20."Roast chicken tastes phenomenal every time you make it at home, but it's usually just ok at most restaurants. They usually try to make up for the lack of flavor by going overboard with sauces, IMO."
21."Scrambled eggs. There's nothing like eating them straight out of the pan. Plus, you can cook them precisely to your desired texture."
22."Shepherd's pie. It's one of those dishes that's just begging to be made at home."
23."Homemade cookies because you get to enjoy them in all their stages when you bake from scratch: raw cookie dough, cookies that are hot and fresh from the oven, then the same cookies once they've cooled and get a bit crispy. Oh, and then there's my personal favorite: cold, hard cookies right out of the freezer."
24."Homemade applesauce while it's still warm, chunky, and cinnamon-y is 100 times better than store or restaurant bought.
25."Chicken noodle soup. You know that it's being made with real ingredients, and you can load it up with lots of real pieces of chicken...not just two or three little cubes of sketchy meat."
26."Homemade cocktails, especially when you use real ingredients like fresh squeezed citrus and simple syrup instead of that nasty, pre bottled 'sour mix' crap."
27."Potato salad. Even the worst homemade potato salad is better than the best store-bought version."
Do you have a food to add that's almost always better when it's homemade? Tell us in the comments below!
