I've been baking bread for a while but every time I try

>>8062654
Is expensive if you buy stuff in the supermarket

Depends on what you're cooking but it shouldn't be that expensive. Compared to eating out, you should be saving money. What are you buying that's expensive? Shop around and you should figure things out.

How cheap is stove gas in USA?

>want to bake anything
>takes only 1 hour
>want to cook
>first ingredient is broth
>this alone takes at least 4 hours

even if I buy my ingredients at farmers market in bulk, I still need to pay delivery and keep running a refrigeration system to store everything.
On the other hand to bake anything you only need flour, sugar, salt and some fat. Stay away from chocolate and you'll be fine.

>>8062711
>broth
just buy a bouillon cube, you idiot.

>>8062721
I dont like MSG and might as well just go to a restaurant and buy the whole dish.

>>8062711
>4 hours
You're doing it wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oi4DjS5EJU

He says 8 hours

>>8062748
I've had no problems getting a good gelatinous stock from 4 hours.

>>8062711
Not sure what you're complaining about. Why are you buying so much food that you can't just buy it yourself and carry it? Do you not usually keep a running refrigeration system?

I would just do a large batch of stock anyway at the weekend. You just have to put it on and leave it, it doesn't need any attention. Or you can put it in a slow cooker while you're at work.

>>8062654
If you only buy one tiny portion of each ingredient at a time, and cook meals that have 20 different ingredients, it will be expensive. Buying a big block of cheese and a kilo bag of spuds will keep you in cheesy baked potatoes all week for a few quid. Making an authentic chicken Balti from scratch, when you don't have any of the ingredients, could see you spending ten or twenty quid on herbs and spices alone. Obviously one is tastier than the other, so find a compromise that suits you.

Planning is important as well. It's cheaper to buy in bulk, but only if you use it all. Versatile, long lasting ingredients like eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, pasta, oil, salt, etc. are a safe bet. Buying 2 gallons of milk because it's on sale is a false economy if half of it goes to waste.

And like someone else said, the same thing will cost more from a different place. If you get your fruit and veg from a greengrocer instead of the supermarket for example, you'll save money.

>>8062820
To buy at farmers market and get a discount you need to buy in large amounts where I live It's not like going there instead of the supermarket but acting like you're at the supermarket and picking only what you need for the week.
I have a refrigeration system running but it won't hold that much food. I'm talking about buying in bulk (like if I was a small restaurant) to get the discounts in meats and vegetables.

>>8062872
Why would you buy in bulk for a small restaurant? Aren't you just starting out doing cooking as a hobby? Is it just to get discounts? Are you using up the food without any wastage? It seems excessive.