Buying the Best Groceries
Yesterday, I shared tips from Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart for saving money at the store. Today’s continuation — picking the best groceries!
Ask the butcher. For the freshest, best tasting cuts of meat, poultry and fish ShopSmart experts warn against purchasing the prepackaged items in the refrigerated cases. There is a good chance the meat is treated with gases like carbon monoxide, which react with its pigments and keep it looking red even if it’s spoiled. Instead, go directly to the butcher counter to find the freshest cuts.
Check the stems. When picking out produce, first focus on the stems. They should look fresh and be firm, not shriveled. Then take a look at the skin to make sure it is firm as well.
Skip the frozen bricks. When shopping for frozen items look for foods labeled IQF, or Individually Quick Frozen. If that label does not appear then choose packages with individual peas, strawberries, etc. Skip packages that are frozen into one solid mass. That is a sign that it was probably thawed and refrozen at some point, which means its quality wont be as good
as food that is frozen once at its peak flavor.
Baked fresh daily. Check the dates and buy only what was baked that day because some freshly baked goods have no preservatives. Leftover baked goods should be put in the freezer after a few days.
Stinky Cheese? If there is even the slightest whiff of ammonia in the cheese, take a pass. Avoid cheeses with blue spots unless it is a cheese such as gorgonzola that is intended to have them.
shopping, groceries, consumer reports
July 18th, 2007 at 10:27 am
The only difficulty with avoiding stinky cheeses, of course, is that some of them are naturally that way—and it isn’t a comment on their quality. I definitely have to agree with the butcher recommendation; if I want to purchase any kind of meat that won’t be absolutely well-done, I go straight to the butcher.