Homemade is best – we all know it. We have all heard it a million times except it might not be completely true. Sure, mom’s apple pie and dad’s grilled chicken might be amazing, but there is plenty of stuff that is simply better store bought. Don’t let your excellent cooking skills (or your stubbornness!) keep you from saving time and money by taking some grocery-store help. Here are some ingredients that make you glad to live in the 21st century.

Condensed milk

Sure, this stuff can be made by simmering whole milk and sugar together for hours, but there is a large chance of it burning or of you getting muscle fatigue from vigorously stirring so consistently. The taste is exactly the same as the creamy stuff in the can, and it’s inexpensive and convenient!

Canned tomatoes

If you have a bumper crop of tomatoes and a bunch of time on your hands, by all means, put up your own tomatoes this week. However, if you have no desire to stand around the kitchen in the heat, boiling, seasoning, sterilizing, and washing for hours, then just buy the stuff in the cans. Nowadays, there are so many varieties of canned tomatoes—imported, Mexican, organic, and fire-roasted to name a few—that there is no reason that you can’t find the tomatoes you need for your recipe. Even when tomato is the star, store-bought canned tomatoes offer the same tang and acidity of home-canned ones.

Peas

For heaven’s sake, frozen peas are some of the best frozen veggies on the planet! Sweet, juicy little pops of freshness that perk up a pot pie or spaghetti carbonara without even boiling them first. If the peas are the main event, fresh is definitely the way to go. But as an accent flavor, don’t waste the time on shelling fresh ones. As a bonus (except for a very short time in early spring), frozen peas invariably taste better than fresh ones.

Chicken stock

Just wanted to make sure you were reading. Of course homemade stock is best!