Most junk food in the US has gone off the rails in terms of price. Like seriously, don’t spend money on food that has zero nutritional value and is actively harmful to your health. You’ll feel so much better and your bank account will be so much bigger.
I guess I have corporate America to thank for no longer buying chips, candy, or baked goods that I might’ve otherwise splurged on as a treat. Can’t justify it with prices the way they are.
Frito Lay fucked up by charging $7 for a bag of chips. It took a chunk out of their profits when people stopped buying them. They have reversed course for now.
I was with you, up until baked goods. What’s wrong with baked goods? A nice loaf of bread freshly baked from a bakery? Or maybe a baked potato with cheese and bacon? Or maybe a big bag of pot…wait, sorry. Wrong kind of baked.
😋
I think baked goods as a treat would be cakes or cookies.
Also from what I hear in USA bread is generally of very poor quality, but probably better from a baker.
Mass produced, store bought bread is trash, but you can also find some of the nest quality bread you’ll ever taste if you go to specialty bakers insteadof supermarkets. I live in Wyoming and I can buy breads made with heirloom grains that are actually highly nutritious. The same applies to cookies, etc. Remember, the USA is a major producer of grains. We grow grain of exceptional quality. We just don’t sell it to our own people at a discount. We export the good stuff for profit and eat the low quality high yield stuff.
I was in California in the 80’s, and the store bought bread tasted very well back then IMO.
I bought some at a local shop, and used as part of my breakfast I made myself in my hotel room to save money. 😋
I’m with you about forgoing chips/candy these days. I can’t get behind paying 3 bucks for a small snickers bar.
I will say it has me baking more these days if I want something sweet or want bread. Thank God tortillas are still cheap, I have no idea how to make them… yet.
Corn tortillas are easy and taste great fresh. Buy Masa Harina and use the recipe on the bag. (2 cups masa harina, ½ tsp salt, 1½-2 cups hot water.)
If you aren’t sure enough to buy a 5-pound bag, Bob’s Red Mill sells a 624-gram bag with complete instructions on the back. Remember to plan ahead to let the dough rest an hour to absorb the water, and have waxed paper or a cut ziploc bag to flatten it between.
Don’t try to use corn meal or polenta. The nixtamalization of the corn before grinding is important.
Flour tortillas aren’t hard either, plenty recipes online.
Costco sells uncooked tortillas from TortillaLand, and they’re fucking amazing. Cook like 60 seconds in a hot skillet on each side and you get a fresh, hot tortilla. No oil or anything needed. It’s wonderful. If you can find them, I’d recommend checking them out.
Only downside is because they’re uncooked, they have a limited fridge life, unlike the pre-cooked ones, but they taste soooo much better.
Making tortillas from scratch is also not that hard, and that way you never have to worry about pre-cooking shelf life, as long as you generally have flour, oil, and baking powder kicking around.
Tortillas are amazing right off the pan. It’s hard to eat anything else. So depending on your views on that information, you might want to wait or hurry up on making your own. Pro tip, make sure to use flour that a Mexican store would have and they seem to go through quickly.
No problem. I just got King Arthur’s flour once by mistake, those turned out terrible. I’m sure there’s a reason that your Abuela videos will explain. They are so good.
My local grocery outlet still has gummy works in the plastic thing for like $2, and Marshall’s still has treats for a decent price. If you’re expecting cheap stuff from your local grocer, that’s on you.
Most junk food in the US has gone off the rails in terms of price. Like seriously, don’t spend money on food that has zero nutritional value and is actively harmful to your health. You’ll feel so much better and your bank account will be so much bigger.
I guess I have corporate America to thank for no longer buying chips, candy, or baked goods that I might’ve otherwise splurged on as a treat. Can’t justify it with prices the way they are.
Even red meat. I’ve basically given up on beef and pork because it’s so expensive. Just tofu or poultry these days.
Frito Lay fucked up by charging $7 for a bag of chips. It took a chunk out of their profits when people stopped buying them. They have reversed course for now.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-04-07/how-7-bags-of-doritos-cost-pepsico-billions-in-sales
I was with you, up until baked goods. What’s wrong with baked goods? A nice loaf of bread freshly baked from a bakery? Or maybe a baked potato with cheese and bacon? Or maybe a big bag of pot…wait, sorry. Wrong kind of baked.
😋
I think baked goods as a treat would be cakes or cookies.
Also from what I hear in USA bread is generally of very poor quality, but probably better from a baker.
Most of us have plenty really good bread options, it’s just many people choose poorly
Mass produced, store bought bread is trash, but you can also find some of the nest quality bread you’ll ever taste if you go to specialty bakers insteadof supermarkets. I live in Wyoming and I can buy breads made with heirloom grains that are actually highly nutritious. The same applies to cookies, etc. Remember, the USA is a major producer of grains. We grow grain of exceptional quality. We just don’t sell it to our own people at a discount. We export the good stuff for profit and eat the low quality high yield stuff.
I was in California in the 80’s, and the store bought bread tasted very well back then IMO.
I bought some at a local shop, and used as part of my breakfast I made myself in my hotel room to save money. 😋
This particular store is heavily inflated. The exact same bar at the store by me is $3.29.
It’s also 6 servings worth, and the whole bar is 720kcal.
Tbh if you’re purely viewing it as kcal per $ that’s not that bad.
I’m with you about forgoing chips/candy these days. I can’t get behind paying 3 bucks for a small snickers bar.
I will say it has me baking more these days if I want something sweet or want bread. Thank God tortillas are still cheap, I have no idea how to make them… yet.
Corn tortillas are easy and taste great fresh. Buy Masa Harina and use the recipe on the bag. (2 cups masa harina, ½ tsp salt, 1½-2 cups hot water.)
If you aren’t sure enough to buy a 5-pound bag, Bob’s Red Mill sells a 624-gram bag with complete instructions on the back. Remember to plan ahead to let the dough rest an hour to absorb the water, and have waxed paper or a cut ziploc bag to flatten it between.
Don’t try to use corn meal or polenta. The nixtamalization of the corn before grinding is important.
Flour tortillas aren’t hard either, plenty recipes online.
Costco sells uncooked tortillas from TortillaLand, and they’re fucking amazing. Cook like 60 seconds in a hot skillet on each side and you get a fresh, hot tortilla. No oil or anything needed. It’s wonderful. If you can find them, I’d recommend checking them out.
Only downside is because they’re uncooked, they have a limited fridge life, unlike the pre-cooked ones, but they taste soooo much better.
https://www.tortillaland.com/where-to-buy/
Making tortillas from scratch is also not that hard, and that way you never have to worry about pre-cooking shelf life, as long as you generally have flour, oil, and baking powder kicking around.
We freeze a bunch and they have been fine.
Also some grocery stores sell uncooked tortillas. And some Walmart’s
Eeeeew Walmarts. A pipeline of questionably manufactured foods that no longer have any safety or quality controls.
Buy Canadian.
Good to know; I’ve never tried freezing them!
Oh this is a great starter option and there’s a Costco on the other side town. I’ll go look for them tonight, thank you!
You’re welcome!
You’ll either find the TortillaLand or the Tortilla Fresca packs. We prefer the TortillaLand, but both are uncooked and both are excellent!
Video showing packaging and cooking: https://youtu.be/4535gNwvy3k
Enjoy!
Tortillas are amazing right off the pan. It’s hard to eat anything else. So depending on your views on that information, you might want to wait or hurry up on making your own. Pro tip, make sure to use flour that a Mexican store would have and they seem to go through quickly.
Thanks for the advice! I have a really nice Mexican market right across the street.
But before that I’ll watch a couple hundred videos of abuela’s making them first! Also a buddies mom might be a resource, she makes killer tamale’s!
Thanks!
No problem. I just got King Arthur’s flour once by mistake, those turned out terrible. I’m sure there’s a reason that your Abuela videos will explain. They are so good.
I appreciate the heads up, I know I would have done the same thing thinking APF is APF. I had no idea there was a difference!
My local grocery outlet still has gummy works in the plastic thing for like $2, and Marshall’s still has treats for a decent price. If you’re expecting cheap stuff from your local grocer, that’s on you.