HOME(MADE) TRUTHS
Is making your own tofu, almond milk and the like really worth all the hassle?
It’s 11.30pm on a Tuesday and I’m tending to my tofu. Lifting the cheesecloth with the tender loving care I usually reserve for puppies and babies, I give it a prod; it wobbles like jelly. It’s been hours, and it should have set by now. Disheartened, I bid it goodnight, and set my alarm early to check on it again in the morning. I don’t make a habit of tofu whispering, but for the past three weeks, I’ve been on a brave new mission: to create the foods I love from scratch. Why? First, a little background. I’m healthy: I buy organic when I can and I avoid sugar most of the time, but fitting my pursuit of peak nutrition around long hours at work means I often throw money at the problem of sourcing my sustenance. My fruit and vegetables come clad in plastic, and so does my lunchtime protein fix. My cupboards are crammed with oatcakes and processed nut butters, my fridge is stacked with yoghurt pots. I know I could do better. And if I didn’t know already, I certainly did after lockdown.
When we all went indoors, my Instagram feed – like yours – was filled with hundreds of humblebragging homemades. Sourdough, sure, but have you made your own almond milk?
And you’ve not tasted real peanut butter, so I’m told, until you’ve ground your own nuts to a thick, unctuous paste. While you may dismiss it as pure showing off, research suggests it’s worth making time for – for the sake of your nutrition as much as your bank balance. In a study published in the International Journal Of Behavioral Nutrition And Physical Activity, a higher frequency of home-cooked meals was associated with better diet quality overall. But is it possible to fit a hectic kitchen schedule around my nine to five (six, seven or, sometimes, eight)? And if so, is this the best use of my time?