The phrase “from scratch” originally referred to racing events, but now commonly refers to cooking or baking with basic ingredients. Baking and cooking from scratch is healthier and avoids unknown additives found in pre-packaged products.
Most people say they make something from scratch when they cook or bake using only basic ingredients and nothing that has been prepared in advance or elaborate. The official definition describes the creation or preparation of something “from the ground up”. Just like other idiomatic expressions, this saying is used regularly, but the original meaning has changed.
The term dates back to the 1800s, but this idiom spoke of racing or sporting events instead of cooking or baking. Cyclists and footrunners were said to start from scratch if they had no advantage. Unscratched runners had the advantage of an earlier start or shorter distance. The scratch runners had no lead and started the race at what was then called the scratch line, which was simply a line scratched into the ground to mark the start of a race.
Baking from scratch means the cook uses only fresh, basic ingredients to make a cake, cookie, or other treat, rather than using boxed mixes or other prepackaged ingredients. Since baking from a tin is quite common, scratch cakes and baked goods are often the exception to the rule. Sayings like this help you distinguish who’s doing old-school cooking and who’s tricking it a bit.
One of the most popular ways to use this phrase is with sweets. All kinds of goodies can be bought ready-made or cooked from a canned mix, which requires few additional ingredients for cooking. Making a scratch cake or cookies, on the other hand, means the baker started all over with simple ingredients like flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Many sweet tooth lovers prefer baked goods made from scratch over store-bought or boxed ones.
This saying also applies to cooking meals, especially with the easy availability and popularity of processed and prepared foods. Preparing a meal from scratch means the chef uses fresh ingredients instead of items that have been purchased or pre-made. Gravy is a good example. Gravy is made by mixing other ingredients with the drippings created while cooking the meat, but it takes time to prepare and get to the right thickness. Store-bought gravy comes in a bottle and is simply heated and served.
One benefit of baking and cooking is that it can be healthier than using pre-mixed products. Processed products often contain preservatives which ensure a longer shelf life at the supermarket. The scratch meals and baked goods use fresh, basic ingredients with no unknown additions. Unknown sometimes equals unhealthy, so most true chefs make foods from scratch whenever possible.
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