Ree Drummond's Strict Rule For Store-Bought Shortcuts Benefits Us All

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

What do you do if you love home-cooked meals but don't have the time to make everything from scratch? A lot of us think in all-or-nothing terms; either we work with completely fresh ingredients or put a freezer meal in the oven and call it a day. But one of the absolute best lessons we've learned from Ree Drummond is that home-cooked meals can still include some store-bought shortcuts. When Tasting Table spoke to the Pioneer Woman in 2023, she told us that the number one rule for using shortcuts is to know the limit. In her view, one or two store-bought ingredients per recipe is more than okay, as long as the fresher ingredients take the flavorful spotlight. "The point of a store-bought shortcut is to save time," she said, "but you never want to use it at the expense of the flavor of the dish."

We all have days, weeks, and even seasons of life when making every single thing from scratch just isn't realistic. Drummond can relate to this sentiment, saying, "Where I am right now is that I still love cooking [and] still love delicious food ... but I don't have the patience I used to have for long prep times and multiple steps." This personal transition was the main reason why her book "The Pioneer Woman Cooks — Dinner's Ready!" primarily includes speedy recipes that cut a few corners so they can be whipped up even when you're in a pinch.

Ree Drummond's favorite culinary shortcuts are super relatable

If you're unsure about which ingredients are worth the extra time and which can be slightly cheated with, Drummond has a few suggestions. Her first pick is a jarred marinara. "It can be a dipping sauce for calzones or incorporated into a rich Bolognese," she told us. By the same token, you can benefit from stocking the pantry with store-bought pesto, which would be a great shortcut for our roasted veggie pesto quinoa salad recipe, or a ready-made hummus that you can use as a spread in a red lentil falafel pita sandwich. In both of these examples, the majority of the dish is still very much made from scratch, but the small shortcut simplifies the process.

Drummond also likes to use — gasp! — frozen bread dough. She'll use it for pizza crust or cinnamon rolls, but feel free to go beyond that and turn it into fast dinner rolls, low-effort monkey bread, or an easy breakfast focaccia on a busy morning. We'll always love creating delicious meals, but like Drummond says, "There's a lot to do in life that doesn't involve the kitchen."

Recommended