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This is something that always confuses me about cooking and commercial products. Apparently making it at home, freezing it, and using it later is easy. Having

by wmil 3y ago

This is something that always confuses me about cooking and commercial products. Apparently making it at home, freezing it, and using it later is easy. Having someone else make it, freeze it, then sell me the frozen product is somehow impossible and lower quality.

TremendousJudge 3y ago
I don't understand it either. Buying fresh from a local store and freezing is also easy. But I can never find a product of that quality that already comes frozen.
- vladvasiliu 3y ago
  It might depend on the product and brand. Here in France, I'm very happy with the frozen berries I get at Picard. Their fish is also very good.
polygotdomain 3y ago
A few things you're missing. You're making a batch in your kitchen. They're making a significantly higher volume through an industrialized process. You probably throw things in a ziplock bag, then into the freezer. They need to think of actually packaging a product. You can source the highest ingredients you can, as you only need a little. They need to be able to source ingredients at a volume that can satisfy production and at a cost that makes the item profitable. You don't really worry about how long it'll last because you plan to use it in a month or two. They need to ensure the product stays fresh during storage, on the shelves, and in your fridge/freezer for longer than you expect. Each of these components requires compromises in a way that the home cook doesn't need to worry about. These are the things that cause compromise in quality, the addition of ingredients you'd never add yourself, and a lack of freshness that's apparent to anyone who makes their own versions from scratch. The best you can do is buy items from small, local, specialty shops, but it will be much more costly and just about anything you find in your average grocery store isn't going to be produced at that scale at all.
- ethbr1 3y ago
  > You can source the highest ingredients you can, as you only need a little. They need to be able to source ingredients at a volume that can satisfy production and at a cost that makes the item profitable. 100%. This is always the epitome of French cooking, to me. France: No good X at the market this week? I won't make X dish. America: We have X on the menu, so we must be able to make it every week.
ethbr1 3y ago
I think the assumption is that mass-produced frozen isn't using the best ingredients. I know when I made refrigerated yoghurt (so only milk+culture ingredients) I could taste the difference in the milk freshness, and I was just using gallon store milk. Freezer section has generally been where cheap or low-quality ingredients get a logo and heart-warming story about Nana slapped on them. And to some degree it's a lemon market: I can only see the logo, the story, and the price, not what went into production. So high-quality ingredients have little pricing power.

by wmil 3y ago

TremendousJudge 3y ago

I don't understand it either. Buying fresh from a local store and freezing is also easy. But I can never find a product of that quality that already comes frozen.

vladvasiliu 3y ago
It might depend on the product and brand. Here in France, I'm very happy with the frozen berries I get at Picard. Their fish is also very good.

polygotdomain 3y ago

A few things you're missing. You're making a batch in your kitchen. They're making a significantly higher volume through an industrialized process. You probably throw things in a ziplock bag, then into the freezer. They need to think of actually packaging a product. You can source the highest ingredients you can, as you only need a little. They need to be able to source ingredients at a volume that can satisfy production and at a cost that makes the item profitable. You don't really worry about how long it'll last because you plan to use it in a month or two. They need to ensure the product stays fresh during storage, on the shelves, and in your fridge/freezer for longer than you expect. Each of these components requires compromises in a way that the home cook doesn't need to worry about. These are the things that cause compromise in quality, the addition of ingredients you'd never add yourself, and a lack of freshness that's apparent to anyone who makes their own versions from scratch. The best you can do is buy items from small, local, specialty shops, but it will be much more costly and just about anything you find in your average grocery store isn't going to be produced at that scale at all.

ethbr1 3y ago
> You can source the highest ingredients you can, as you only need a little. They need to be able to source ingredients at a volume that can satisfy production and at a cost that makes the item profitable. 100%. This is always the epitome of French cooking, to me. France: No good X at the market this week? I won't make X dish. America: We have X on the menu, so we must be able to make it every week.

ethbr1 3y ago

I think the assumption is that mass-produced frozen isn't using the best ingredients. I know when I made refrigerated yoghurt (so only milk+culture ingredients) I could taste the difference in the milk freshness, and I was just using gallon store milk. Freezer section has generally been where cheap or low-quality ingredients get a logo and heart-warming story about Nana slapped on them. And to some degree it's a lemon market: I can only see the logo, the story, and the price, not what went into production. So high-quality ingredients have little pricing power.