Most people would argue that nothing is better than cookies or muffins fresh from the oven. But not everybody has the time to bake. Supermarkets know this, and are putting more emphasis on producing fresh-baked goods in their bakeries. And manufacturers are creating more mixes.
But how much are you paying for convenience? And how much time are you saving?
We chose several baked goods and compared three op-tions: buying from a supermarket bakery, making the item from a mix and making it from scratch.
Though you end up with a blueberry muffin, say, in all three cases, only you can decide how much the difference in quality matters.
All prices from mix or from-scratch ingredients are na-tional averages from Information Resources in Chicago. The recipes we used are from “Joy of Cooking.”
In each case, we found that the store’s bakery items cost more than either the mixes or from-scratch items–but you have to calculate what your time is worth. In addition to time spent cooking, you might also add time spent cleaning up–which isn’t included here.
Blueberry muffins
— At Jewel you can buy a four-pack of blueberry muffins for $2.79, about 70 cents a muffin.
— The cost of Duncan Hines Bakery Style Blueberry Muffin Mix is $2.61. Adding in the cost of one egg, then dividing by 12 servings per package, you get 22.5 cents per muffin.
— Muffins from scratch cost about $2.76 for ingredients needed to make 24 muffins. Total cost per muffin: 11.5 cents.
Buying muffins from a bakery takes no time at all if you’re already doing your shopping. Making a mix will take about 45 minutes. Add an extra 20 minutes to make them from scratch.
Brownies with nuts
— Jewel sells an eight-pack of brownies with nuts for $4.99, or about 62 cents a brownie.
— Pillsbury’s Traditional Fudge Brownie Mix, which makes 20 brownies, costs $1.34. When you add the cost of an egg, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and a cup of chopped nuts, brownies costs about 16 cents each. It will take about 50 minutes to make the mix.
— From scratch, the cost for 30 brownies with nuts is $3.65, or about 12 cents a brownie. It will take 70 minutes if you follow the recipe.
Two-layer cake with chocolate icing
–If you purchase a cake at Jewel’s bakery, you’ll pay $7.79 for a two-layer cake.
— Betty Crocker’s Super Moist mix is 99 cents–you add three eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and frosting, which brings your cost up to $2.65. The mix will take just over an hour to make, including cooling and frosting time.
— For $2.32, you can make a frosted two-layer cake from scratch. Using the recipe, plan on at least an hour and a half.
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Leave questions and comments for Philip Lempert in Good Eating’s Interactive Kitchen forum in Chicago Tribune Online or write to him at the newspaper.
