Do you dedicate one day of the week to go food shopping. Is it more of a treasure hunt for bargains as you drive from one grocery to another? Then you may be a forager shopper. Is this a good thing? Or bad? There are pros and cons to it.
Many people do spend a whole day foraging for different bargains. Another reason for their madness is that certain stores may have something the others don't I'm familiar with this. I know that Acme has an oatmeal and flax hot cereal that Stop and Shop doesn't have. If I need ingredients for baking I will most definitely head to Stop & Shop which probably has the best stocked baking aisle.Vegan cream cheese? Then i go to Shop-Rite. Yet I won't go to all three stores in one day. To me that's kind of a waste of gas and time. I have a full day everyday. To take away precious minutes from cooking or work is silly. Yet many do this , preferring to have a completely stocked kitchen at all times. An idea like this may work in a big city like Paris or London where there are a variety of stalls that stretch blocks and food shoppers have to traipse from one end to another. New York and other big American cities have long avenues where there are still butchers and green grocers. There's a lot of traveling simply because there aren't any fully stocked grocery stores in these areas, only specialized shops.
What about the bargain side of foraging shopping? Do you really want to go gadding about for the best price for tomatoes or pork chops? This can be tiring, especially on the busiest shopping days - Saturday and Sunday. Then there's the fear of having the store sell out of what you want. The best bet is down loading the stores' apps. These alert you when there are sales and buy one get one free. It's a great way of planning your shopping experience. Also club cards help in discounts too. Many stores such as Stop & Shop, Foodtown and Shop Rite have them in both card and key chain charm form. These give you instant discounts which are always welcome. Another way of catching all the good bargains is scanning the circulars in your local papers. Write up a list of what you need at one particular store and get everything there. If they don't have one item, wait til you go to another store to get it (unless it's immediately needed for that day's eating).
Is foraging shopping a good thing? That depends on the shopper. it can be too much , especially on the weekends. The best bet is sticking to one store at one time. It makes it easier to shop and makes life easier too.
Showing posts with label Foodtown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foodtown. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Supersized Supermarkets
Imagine a store that feels like it's the size of a football field. It has everything , from all sorts of fresh and frozen foods to books, toys , soaps and detergents. That's what the Keyport, New Jersey Stop &Shop is. Now here's the question - do we need super sized grocery stores?
As we all know I'm a big Stop & Shop fan.I will always choose my local one, on the Hackensack-Lodi border over my local Acme and Shop-Rite. Don't get me wrong. I like those two other stores. They each have something Stop & Shop doesn't have but for a large variety especially for baking- Stop & Shop wins hands down. They do have the some of the best tasting baked goods and a wide range of fresh fruits and veggies, perfect for my cooking needs.I like their in house brands such as Nature's Promise and Taste of Inspiration. Now imagine my delight when I walked through the double the size one down at the New Jersey shore. Mind you I just stopped in for a pit stop and a bottle of water. I walked out with much more. The Keyport Stop & Shop has the dimensions of what seems like a football field. The aisles are twice as long as the Hackensack-Lodi one. It was amazing to get almond milk and see that I had a large variety of choices to choose from. I would have spent an hour just on the natural food aisles alone. Honestly I even spent more than enough time browsing and restraining myself from buying other things like shampoo and paper plates. These last two, like everything else, offered a wide array to choose from.
The thing is with super sized stores is that they may give us way too many choices. I walked in to this Super Stop & Shop with just the idea of one bottle of water. I walked out with much more.I can only imagine what would happen if I lived near it. It's one thing to have a well stocked kitchen ; it's another to have a hoarder's paradise. I know I would buy items and foodstuff I may not need but felt like I would. Does this mean that smaller grocery stores like Foodtown are better to shop at? Yes and no. I've been to some of the Foodtowns, now mostly located at the Jersey shore. They're much smaller than the superstores, reminiscent of the A&P's that once dotted the landscape.They're easier to move around in. It's not a hike to get from one end of the store to another and then make the trek out to the parking lot. Then there's the whole concept of choice. A smaller store has less variety , hence less temptation and dithering about what to buy.It's also cheaper. You don't feel the need to try every flavor and every brand. You may not have the wide variety of fruits and vegetables but then again, you don't have to deal with picking over and rotting and moldy unsold produce.
Yes, the larger Stop & Shop store is a home chef's dream. It is dazzlingly huge. Yet it's also a bit too much. However it does pose the question which is better- a larger store with endless choices and more temptation or a smaller one, with less variety and no temptation?
As we all know I'm a big Stop & Shop fan.I will always choose my local one, on the Hackensack-Lodi border over my local Acme and Shop-Rite. Don't get me wrong. I like those two other stores. They each have something Stop & Shop doesn't have but for a large variety especially for baking- Stop & Shop wins hands down. They do have the some of the best tasting baked goods and a wide range of fresh fruits and veggies, perfect for my cooking needs.I like their in house brands such as Nature's Promise and Taste of Inspiration. Now imagine my delight when I walked through the double the size one down at the New Jersey shore. Mind you I just stopped in for a pit stop and a bottle of water. I walked out with much more. The Keyport Stop & Shop has the dimensions of what seems like a football field. The aisles are twice as long as the Hackensack-Lodi one. It was amazing to get almond milk and see that I had a large variety of choices to choose from. I would have spent an hour just on the natural food aisles alone. Honestly I even spent more than enough time browsing and restraining myself from buying other things like shampoo and paper plates. These last two, like everything else, offered a wide array to choose from.
The thing is with super sized stores is that they may give us way too many choices. I walked in to this Super Stop & Shop with just the idea of one bottle of water. I walked out with much more.I can only imagine what would happen if I lived near it. It's one thing to have a well stocked kitchen ; it's another to have a hoarder's paradise. I know I would buy items and foodstuff I may not need but felt like I would. Does this mean that smaller grocery stores like Foodtown are better to shop at? Yes and no. I've been to some of the Foodtowns, now mostly located at the Jersey shore. They're much smaller than the superstores, reminiscent of the A&P's that once dotted the landscape.They're easier to move around in. It's not a hike to get from one end of the store to another and then make the trek out to the parking lot. Then there's the whole concept of choice. A smaller store has less variety , hence less temptation and dithering about what to buy.It's also cheaper. You don't feel the need to try every flavor and every brand. You may not have the wide variety of fruits and vegetables but then again, you don't have to deal with picking over and rotting and moldy unsold produce.
Yes, the larger Stop & Shop store is a home chef's dream. It is dazzlingly huge. Yet it's also a bit too much. However it does pose the question which is better- a larger store with endless choices and more temptation or a smaller one, with less variety and no temptation?
Monday, September 12, 2016
Fall Food Trends
As with fashion food also goes through trends. Fall brings a variety of new flavors or spins on classics It's an exciting time for foodies and gourmands alike.Apples are hot right now and oatmeal gets a new twist.
One of the best new trends is the brioche loaf. This is a take on the classic French roll or bread, enriched with egg and a ton of butter.I first found this at the Super Foodtown in the Atlantic Highlands on a quick stop from the beach. I had never seen this before and had to buy it. The loaf was one of the best loaves I've ever eaten.It was phenomenal with Bonne Maman jam. Even though it has a sweet taste, it was still good supporting sliced London Broil in a sandwich the next day. Luckily my local Stop & Shop also carries a version of brioche bread, so I don't have to make the trek down the shore to get it.(although there are plenty of beach days left,so I probably will be visiting that particular Super Foodtown).Another trend is a returning one - pumpkin spiced lattes,both hot and cold.The hot is comforting , but I have qualms about a cold one. Coffee giant Dunkin Donuts is jumping on the apple bandwagon with a caramel apple cronut. This confection is stuffed with apples and then drizzled with caramel.There's also salted caramel coffee that combine's salty and sweet. This works for caramels and in ice cream but coffee is another matter (who wants salty joe anyway?)
Another coffee giant,Starbucks isn't rolling out a new coffee flavor this fall, but a new oatmeal (!). It's a dark chocolate and caramelized banana flavor. You'd think it would be a kind of tart but no, It's not even made with fresh bananas but it's kind of like a gooey baby food. Chunks of dark chocolate and roasted almond are also added Unfortunately it has to be assembled by the diner too. It would just be better if it had been a tart layered with the other ingredients. Tamer offerings are their pumpkin cheesecake bar and a caramel apple pound cake. Apple seems to be everywhere, although it is the beginning of autumn. Stop & Shop also has jumped on the bandwagon. They're featuring their own brand of apple cinnamon waffles, that would be good with a drizzle of caramel and a puff of whipped cream or a pat of butter and a puddle of maple syrup.Apple cider vinegar will also be a big thing, not so much for the apple but it's a probiotic. It contains micro organisms that help in digestion along with stabilizing gut flora. Use it when making another fall culinary must have : Korean kim chee. This classic cabbage dish is making waves on all the autumn menus, with traditional galbo or American steaks.
Fall 2016 is coming soon. The trends, some delicious,some eye opening, are here already. Taste and embrace for an interesting .
One of the best new trends is the brioche loaf. This is a take on the classic French roll or bread, enriched with egg and a ton of butter.I first found this at the Super Foodtown in the Atlantic Highlands on a quick stop from the beach. I had never seen this before and had to buy it. The loaf was one of the best loaves I've ever eaten.It was phenomenal with Bonne Maman jam. Even though it has a sweet taste, it was still good supporting sliced London Broil in a sandwich the next day. Luckily my local Stop & Shop also carries a version of brioche bread, so I don't have to make the trek down the shore to get it.(although there are plenty of beach days left,so I probably will be visiting that particular Super Foodtown).Another trend is a returning one - pumpkin spiced lattes,both hot and cold.The hot is comforting , but I have qualms about a cold one. Coffee giant Dunkin Donuts is jumping on the apple bandwagon with a caramel apple cronut. This confection is stuffed with apples and then drizzled with caramel.There's also salted caramel coffee that combine's salty and sweet. This works for caramels and in ice cream but coffee is another matter (who wants salty joe anyway?)
Another coffee giant,Starbucks isn't rolling out a new coffee flavor this fall, but a new oatmeal (!). It's a dark chocolate and caramelized banana flavor. You'd think it would be a kind of tart but no, It's not even made with fresh bananas but it's kind of like a gooey baby food. Chunks of dark chocolate and roasted almond are also added Unfortunately it has to be assembled by the diner too. It would just be better if it had been a tart layered with the other ingredients. Tamer offerings are their pumpkin cheesecake bar and a caramel apple pound cake. Apple seems to be everywhere, although it is the beginning of autumn. Stop & Shop also has jumped on the bandwagon. They're featuring their own brand of apple cinnamon waffles, that would be good with a drizzle of caramel and a puff of whipped cream or a pat of butter and a puddle of maple syrup.Apple cider vinegar will also be a big thing, not so much for the apple but it's a probiotic. It contains micro organisms that help in digestion along with stabilizing gut flora. Use it when making another fall culinary must have : Korean kim chee. This classic cabbage dish is making waves on all the autumn menus, with traditional galbo or American steaks.
Fall 2016 is coming soon. The trends, some delicious,some eye opening, are here already. Taste and embrace for an interesting .
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