Is It Cheaper To Cook Ourself Or Eat Out?

[barefoot1988]

After seeing some cooking videos and inspired by the great and light taste of yang woon sen, I decided to try it out last night. On videos it seems real easy but my yang woon sen turns out to taste rather . . eh funky? taste like jelly & minced pork in lemonade, urgh

Not to mention the mess I made, it seem rather costly isnt it? Seem like i spend way more when i could get a very tasty one for like 50bht. Even fried eggs, they are selling like 5baht. Raw eggs are like 4baht each? for a single baht i could save on all the hassle for washing, cleaning etc etc

Do you guys think its actually cheaper to eat out?

[supaprik]

answer in one word....YES

Edited February 10, 2012 by supaprik

[beano2274]

I always eat out, find it cheaper and less stress and work.

[Jingthing]

It's a tricky question.

A lot of Thai plates contain small portions of meat. So if you want more meat it might be cheaper to cook at home. For example I can buy a chicken breast for about 20 baht and might want to eat the entire thing in a meal portion. You're not generally going to get that in a Thai portion meal with chicken.

That said, in Thailand, I don't cook Thai food at home even though I could, but do cook western and Chinese food at home, and part of that is economics and part is that it seems a shame to not enjoy Thai food cooked by Thais in Thailand.

[ShopBoy]

it's always cheaper to eat out but more healthier to self cook as least you will choose some of the better ingredients and cook

[Jingthing]

it's always cheaper to eat out but more healthier to self cook as least you will choose some of the better ingredients and cook

Similar to my point. When you cook yourself, you are in control of the ingredients. Portion, quality, etc. For example, you can avoid palm oil cooking yourself.

[Bangkokhatter]

Eat out at lunch time when working, but do prefer to cook at home in the evenings, bigger portions and I do cook a mixture of foods so buying once a week at the markets it does not cost much more and as someone else said cooking at home is probably healthier.

[transam]

I just can't replicate a BigMac.

[Jingthing]

I just can't replicate a BigMac.

Have you tried this:

[yumidesign]

it's always cheaper to eat out but more healthier to self cook as least you will choose some of the better ingredients and cook

this a about it. it depends on the ingredients you use. in general its cheaper to eat out, but if you do it every night chances are you will die early from too much salt and too much saturated fats so to me its not a question of which is the cheapest its which tastes best and what is best for your health. which generally are the same thing. take your pick. i cook at home 90% +

[robblok]

it's always cheaper to eat out but more healthier to self cook as least you will choose some of the better ingredients and cook

this a about it. it depends on the ingredients you use. in general its cheaper to eat out, but if you do it every night chances are you will die early from too much salt and too much saturated fats so to me its not a question of which is the cheapest its which tastes best and what is best for your health. which generally are the same thing. take your pick. i cook at home 90% +

I have to agree.. when im on a diet i cook at home and loose weight easy and use good ingredients. Its much more expensive but loads better. I have better energy levels and loose weight. Thai food tastes great but they put many bad things in it.

[Jingthing]

It can depend on what you order. For example laab gai or a clear tom yum can be healthy options.

[samtam]

I would have said eating out was definitely a cheaper option before, but now I do not think so. I rarely eat out now, not for reasons of economics so much as a preference for privacy, health and being able to eat at the same time as my spouse. Having meals delivered to the table at the same time for all diners in the party seems to be a problem for most restaurants in Bangkok.

[tutsiwarrior]

the attraction of cooking at home is that you can control what you eat as others have mentioned and I have diabetes and high blood pressure so I gotta be careful if I want to eat well...I really like goin' down the market to see what's available then plan my menu accordingly...chop things up, toss into the wok and bob's yer uncle...

the washing up is like a zen meditation: draw the water, add the dish soap and hum quietly until the jobs is done...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://a3.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/105/a5b2b8b090d4e019fe905abc7718d2ed/l.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.myspace.com/mrnaturaldoesthedishes/photos/3633561&h=935&w=600&sz=178&tbnid=6NPBSvvfe_OotM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=58&zoom=1&docid=Lrd74vKfzN9qFM&sa=X&ei=RgU1T5D5I4jyrQfvsYS6Dw&ved=0CFQQ9QEwBQ&dur=176

[Spoonman]

I dont eat Thai and cook at home 99.9% of the time. cant say its cheaper but the variety is only limited by my imagination.

[transam]

I dont eat Thai and cook at home 99.9% of the time. cant say its cheaper but the variety is only limited by my imagination.

Agree, can't eat mush with chillies.

[tutsiwarrior]

I sometimes like to get american V8 vegetable juice but the label sez it's 25% sodium and it messes with my health...

[transam]

I sometimes like to get american V8 vegetable juice but the label sez it's 25% sodium and it messes with my health...

I tried that stuff and it is 'orrible.

[backsoon]

I dont eat Thai and cook at home 99.9% of the time. cant say its cheaper but the variety is only limited by my imagination.

OP question is not an easy one to answer. I am an excellent cook (all my friends admit this) and I like Thai cooking to a limited degree.

I prefer european recipes (Greek, Italian, French) and you can call me food fussy. Result - I cook and eat at home.

As to the cost and mess and time - there is an easy solution. I tought my wife to cook exactly as I like it. Luckily she likes my food. We even make cakes and dark rye bread at home. They turn out much better than in cafe.

But cheaper it is not! Unless you compare 5 Star restaurant prices with home made. Freshness is an added bonus.

P.S. Street vendors or cheap restaurants food is not up to scratch: overcooked, too salty, too spicy and not clean. It's edible, but no, thanks.

[Dap]

I just can't replicate a BigMac.

Have you tried this:

Jingthing, LOL. Watched the vid ... excellent and ... mouthwatering.

We're talking hamburgers here and ain't nothin' like making it at home.

Cheers

[Jingthing]

Personally I'm not interested in either buying or "cooking" a Big Mac, but hey, they're popular.

[yumidesign]

It can depend on what you order. For example laab gai or a clear tom yum can be healthy options.

laab gai is full of salt in various forms, unless you make it yourself

[wolf5370]

Cheaper to eat in for me - but then I live in a cafe (or rather above my own cafe) - bulk buying and shopping at the right places brings the costs down - normal Thais eat at home much cheaper because they buy at corner shops and markets and not at BigC or Tesco. Case in point - I get 30 fresh eggs (size 2) for 60 baht - that's 2 baht each, laid that morning - in BigC I could not buy a dozen 3 day old eggs for that.

[wolf5370]

I sometimes like to get american V8 vegetable juice but the label sez it's 25% sodium and it messes with my health...

Try 5 a day from 7-11 Chlorofil (green) is the best tasting - 20 odd vegies and fruits, much nicer taste than V8 and no additives. 25 Baht/bottle (or by the box from Macros)

[ludditeman]

It's a tricky question.

A lot of Thai plates contain small portions of meat. So if you want more meat it might be cheaper to cook at home. For example I can buy a chicken breast for about 20 baht and might want to eat the entire thing in a meal portion. You're not generally going to get that in a Thai portion meal with chicken.

That said, in Thailand, I don't cook Thai food at home even though I could, but do cook western and Chinese food at home, and part of that is economics and part is that it seems a shame to not enjoy Thai food cooked by Thais in Thailand.

It depends where you buy your ingredients.

I pay in Makro

50bht for about 15 fresh chicken breasts

90bht for 30 eggs

450bht for 12x large beer Chang Classic (37.5bht/bottle)

Tesco and the markets are far more expensive.

PS my Thai food IS cooked by a Thai IN Thailand.

Edited February 13, 2012 by ludditeman

[Jingthing]

A chicken breast for 3 baht? No, I don't think so.

[WarpSpeed]

answer in one word....YES

Answer in 2 words = it depends.....It's not that simple, depends on what you're preparing and what quality and portion size you expect.. Some dishes take just too many ingredients and too long to prepare properly to be worth cooking at home.. Having said that, I'd say that on the whole it's definitely cheaper to eat at home..

Edited February 13, 2012 by WarpSpeed