DIY custard - to make or to buy? - Food Blog

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DIY custard - to make or to buy?

Posted at 12:02PM, 23 October 2012 by Roxanne Fisher - Writer/Sub-editor, bbcgoodfood.com

Is it always worth making your favourites from scratch? Our DIY series puts shop-bought and homemade to the test - this week, custard...

If given the option, I'd always opt to cover my pudding in warm custard rather than cold cream. In fact, I'd happily eat custard straight from the fridge as a dessert in its own right. So why then have I never made my own from scratch? Convenience, cost, taste? As part of our DIY series I decided to put shop-bought and homemade to the test to see what I'd been missing...

The cost:

Cost of shop-bought custard:
Supermarket own brand - £1.50 (serves 4)

Cost of ingredients for homemade custard:
Ingredients for the homemade - £5 (serves 8)

The custard recipe I used:
Homemade custard

''Buying all the ingredients for the homemade custard was considerably more expensive than the cost of the supermarket own brand. However, it made double the quantity and there were plenty of leftover ingredients.''

Tip:

''With a bit of clever planning, the leftover ingredients can be put to use in an accompanying pudding, and consequently I made roly-poly bread & butter pud to serve with our double helpings of custard.''

Other recipes to use up your leftovers:
Roly-poly bread & butter pud
Panettone pudding
Sticky sultana pudding
Marmalade & whisky bread & butter pudding

The making:

''Previously, my biggest reservation about making custard was the potential for skin forming as it thickens. Not the end of the world but pretty off-putting. The steps on this recipe are great as it tells you exactly when your custard is at pouring point. The whole process was so simple, and it seemed to be ready much sooner than the suggested 25 minutes. We had loads left over and popped it in the freezer to be used at a later date.''

Tip:

''Still struggling to get the right consistency? Watch our how to make custard video guide for more help.''

The taste:

''The vanilla flavour in the homemade custard really came to the fore, and when tasted alongside the shop bought the difference in flavour and depth was really noticeable. The texture of the homemade was also superior, thick and silky smooth opposed to the shop-bought's slightly artificial quality.

The only complaint about the homemade was that it was possibly a little sweet. Not a problem if you have an insatiable sweet tooth, but I would consider experimenting with less caster sugar next time to get a balance to appeal to everyone.''

The verdict:

''While making your own might not save you money, shop-bought is no match for the indulgent taste and full flavour of the recipe we used. It also made twice as much as the shop-bought provided, meaning we have some in the freezer for the next pudding.

Before, I wouldn't have thought twice about buying ready-made custard but the stark difference in taste (and examination of the added colours and flavourings in the shop-bought) has converted our household. My only hesitation is the high calorie and fat content in this recipe. Fine as a treat, but I'll be exploring lower-fat options so we can enjoy this more often.''

Fancy having a go at making your own? Try the custard recipe I used.

What are your top tips for making custard? Do you prefer making your own or buying it in?

Comments

cooks diary

31 October 2012, 5:53PM
cooks diary

I tried using ambrosia ready made for a trifle but its not thick enough for this job,but love the creamyness of it.I will try homemade next time as the custard needs to be a lot thicker.

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Love cooking

7 November 2012, 6:41PM
Love cooking

At 6p a packet if supermarket brand custard I can have it every night. It's cheaper than 1 egg! I use half milk and half water and use low fat milk. I also add half a teaspoon of sugar as I like it a bit sweeter and a drop of vanilla extract. It's perfect! If I want it thicker, I add a little less milk, if a want it thin and runny I add a bit more. It's ready in 1 minute and though I've made custard many a time, have decided that this is one short cut well worth doing. It means dessert every night! I also use James Martin's microwave sponge puddings, recipe makes six and as there are just two if us, I keep two and freeze the others for another evening. Delicious wit the custard. An easy recipe to adjust, honey one time, jam another, chocolate another time, very versatile.

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hrfoodie

30 November 2012, 7:29AM
hrfoodie

Gotta be homemade -every time! When I first met my husband I made it to "impress" him. Now I have to make it every time, cos he won't eat anything else. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach - it's true. But I can't seem to replicate his mother's fruit loaf. Oh well, can't win 'em all :)

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Flick

3 December 2012, 11:22AM
Flick

To stop skin forming on the custard (Ug, those school dinners) I sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top while it is in the jug then mix in just before pouring.

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