This Old Baker Podcast

The skills our grandmothers had — scratch cooking, canning, pantry management, bread baking, stretching every ingredient — were dismissed for a generation as old-fashioned and unnecessary. They're coming back now, and not as a trend. In this episode, Kim talks about why these skills disappeared, what's driving their return, and what she wants the people who never stopped doing them to hear: what you know has always mattered, and the world is finally catching up.

Store-bought seasoning isn't worse because nobody cared. It's worse because it was built to survive a truck, a warehouse, and six months on a shelf, not to taste good on your table tonight. In this episode, Kim breaks down the real reason homemade wins, what companies are actually optimizing for when they build a shelf-stable mix, and the one shift that lets you keep the convenience of a jar in your pantry without the flavor compromise. No purist guilt trip, just the mechanism behind why your kitchen can out-cook the aisle.

Today's episode isn't about recipes. It's about what building something real actually looks like from the inside — the work that doesn't show up in follower counts, the frustration of watching shortcuts win in the short term, and why the audience you earn is worth more than the audience you buy. If you're a creator who's grinding honestly and wondering if it matters, this one's for you.

Find Kim at thisoldbaker.com | Facebook & Instagram @thisoldbaker

The coffee shop is costing you $1,400 a year and you might not even realize it. In this episode, Kim breaks down the math on daily coffee shop spending versus making your favorite drinks at home — and walks through exactly how to do it. Cold brew concentrate, seven homemade simple syrups, a home coffee bar setup that actually feels like a treat, and step-by-step versions of the most popular coffee shop drinks including vanilla sweet cream cold brew, hazelnut lattes, mochas, and yes — the Dirty Dr Pepper. All the recipes are on the blog and linked below.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate — thisoldbaker.com/cold-brew-coffee-concentrate-easy-overnight-recipe/

• Vanilla Simple Syrup — thisoldbaker.com/vanilla-simple-syrup/

• Chocolate Simple Syrup — thisoldbaker.com/chocolate-simple-syrup/

• Hazelnut Simple Syrup — thisoldbaker.com/hazelnut-simple-syrup/

• Toffee Simple Syrup — thisoldbaker.com/toffee-simple-syrup/

• Caramel Simple Syrup — thisoldbaker.com/caramel-simple-syrup/

• Raspberry Simple Syrup — thisoldbaker.com/raspberry-simple-syrup/

• Peach Simple Syrup — thisoldbaker.com/peach-simple-syrup/

• Homemade Simple Syrups Roundup — thisoldbaker.com/homemade-simple-syrups/

• Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam — thisoldbaker.com/how-to-make-vanilla-sweet-cream-cold-foam-at-home/

• 50 Kitchen Tips for Scratch Cooks — thisoldbaker.com/50-kitchen-tips-for-scratch-cooks-and-pantry-builders/

Find Kim at thisoldbaker.com | Facebook & Instagram @thisoldbaker

When a sweet craving hits, you don't need to bake a whole cake or run to the drive-thru. In this episode, Kim walks through three single-serving desserts you can make from pantry staples in under five minutes: single serving microwave fudge, the classic 3-2-1 mug cake, and a scratch vanilla mug cake that requires no box mix at all. Plus a quick pantry checklist for keeping your sweet craving supplies stocked and ready.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• Single Serving Microwave Fudge — https://thisoldbaker.com/small-batch-chocolate-fudge-microwave/

• Microwave Salted Caramel Sauce — https://thisoldbaker.com/microwave-salted-caramel-sauce/

• 50 Kitchen Tips for Scratch Cooks — https://thisoldbaker.com/50-kitchen-tips-for-scratch-cooks-and-pantry-builders/

Episode 51: Dropping the Drive Thru

That drive thru drink order is costing you more than you think, and it's easier to replace than you'd expect. Kim walks through building your own crave worthy drinks at home, from cold brew concentrate and coffee syrups to dry lemonade mixes and homemade snow cone syrup. One base in your fridge or pantry, and you're one pour away from whatever you're craving. Full recipes at thisoldbaker.com.

Saturday's the Fourth, and I've got your grilling lineup ready to go — four seasoning blends straight off the blog, what to put each one on, and a make-ahead dessert so the oven isn't fighting you for time on the actual day. If you're still figuring out what's going on the grill, this one's for you.

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Cooking for one or two? Most recipes still assume you're feeding a crowd.

In this episode, Kim talks about the shift nobody prepares you for — when the kids move out, life changes, and suddenly that nine-by-thirteen casserole doesn't make sense anymore. She breaks down why small batch cooking isn't about settling for less, how it actually saves money over big-batch leftovers, and why dinner can feel exciting again when you're not eating the same pan of food for five days straight.

If you've ever stood in your kitchen wondering what to make for one or two people without wanting an entire chocolate cake on the counter all week, this one's for you.

Not everything needs to be made from scratch — and I think that's worth saying out loud. In this episode, I'm talking about the difference between cooking smarter and making life harder. Because my goal has never been to have you spend every waking hour in the kitchen. It's always been about saving money, reducing waste, and making home cooking work for real life. We're talking about what's actually worth the effort, what isn't, and how to stop feeling guilty about it either way.

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There's a reason a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day tastes better than anything you could make in February. In this episode, Kim digs into why summer food hits differently — the science, the nostalgia, and the simplicity that makes it work. She also shares what's been happening in the This Old Baker kitchen, including a brand new homemade lemonade dry mix with five flavor variations, a peach cobbler for two that bakes in a muffin pan in 25 minutes, and the copycat seasoning series that makes grilling season easier. All recipes at thisoldbaker.com.