the rooted pantry project
What is actually worth making at home—and what can stay at the grocery store?
I started paying closer attention to ingredient labels and realizing how many everyday things we bought on autopilot. What was in them? Did I want those ingredients? Could I make a version at home with ingredients I chose myself—and would it be worth the time and effort?
That curiosity turned into The Rooted Pantry: an ongoing experiment with the things our household actually buys and uses.
homemade is allowed to lose.
I’m not trying to prove everything is better homemade or give up the grocery store. I make it, try it in our real life, and weigh the ingredients, taste, active effort, total time, cost, storage, freezer space, and convenience. How often will we use it? Will my family actually eat it?
Some things become homemade staples. Some work because we can stock them. Some depend on the day. And some can stay on the grocery list.
the verdict key
- MAKE
- Worth the effort at home.
- MAKE + STOCK
- Worth making—and keeping stocked.
- BUY
- The grocery-store version wins for us.
- DEPENDS
- The better choice depends on the situation.
the pantry master list
Open a category to see what’s still on the list and what we’ve tried. Each finished test links to the full story.
bread & bakery
still on the list
- pizza dough
- hamburger buns
- hot dog buns
- tortillas
- biscuits
- breadsticks
- soft pretzels
- bagels
tested in our kitchen
breakfast
still on the list
- muffins
- donuts
- sausage balls
- overnight oats
- granola
tested in our kitchen
meals & convenience foods
still on the list
- frozen pizza
- chicken nuggets
tested in our kitchen
No published Pantry tests in this category yet.
sauces, condiments & savory staples
still on the list
- alfredo sauce
- mayonnaise
- ketchup
- shrimp sauce
- honey mustard
- barbecue sauce
- white cheese dip
- taco seasoning
- ranch seasoning
tested in our kitchen
baking & pantry staples
still on the list
- powdered sugar
- brown sugar
- vanilla extract
- baking powder
- evaporated milk
- chicken broth
- chocolate syrup
- chocolate milk powder
tested in our kitchen
snacks & treats
still on the list
- Cheez-It-style crackers
- club crackers
- graham crackers
- Oreo-style cookies
- marshmallow fluff
- cosmic brownies
- Goldfish-style crackers
- fruit leather
- dehydrated fruit
- applesauce
- homemade ice cream
tested in our kitchen
📋 suggest something to test
what everyday grocery-store basic are you curious about?
check the glossary above first, then send the thing you genuinely want to see tested.
homemade might win, buying might win, or the answer might be more nuanced.