|
|
Post by snowwhite on Mar 12, 2018 12:02:34 GMT -5
So what foods have you found it's worth trading up (ie buying the premium or non-economy brand) and which are fine or even identical if you go for a cheaper version?
We've found Supermarket own brand sweetcorn is noticeably nicer than the 'saver' versions, and I've discovered that Tesco economy cornflakes (costing 45p a box) are apparently identical to the ordinary Tesco own brand (costing £1.45 a box) - the nutritional info and ingredients listed are exactly the same at any rate and I can't tell the difference.
Thought it was quite funny when Kellogs had a promotion on - buy 3 boxes for a fiver - I can buy 11!
|
|
|
|
Post by shilgia on Mar 12, 2018 12:35:55 GMT -5
Worth paying extra: ketchup, bread (here in the US anyway; the cheap bread is terrible here), chocolate
Not worth paying extra: pasta, rice.
I don't think of myself as a high-end consumer, but thinking through this question I do realize I steer away from a lot of the cheapest foods (canned soup, cheap cheese, etc.).
|
|
|
|
Post by whothingie on Mar 12, 2018 12:48:28 GMT -5
For me it depends a little of the processer.
Bread I buy good quality and expensive but I don't eat a lot of it. Frozen veggies during off season I only buy from one producer as the other company has a history of 'health infringements' and while I'm sure they have cleaned up their act... when I see their logo my mind won't let go of the frozen mouse surrounded by peas pictures.
Coffee - I go by taste but that's because I know a bit about the selection process. Back in the late '60's during my OE I worked on a long term temp assignment to Tenco who blended then bottled the own brand coffee for the UK super market chains. The expensive and posh labelled stuff was also the more expensive to buy the raw product, sometimes limited in quantity and had (according to the experts of which I wasn't one as I was then a tea drinker) better taste and all the other things that made it better. The cheaper huge bulk coffee came in by the railway carriage loads and the smell was often quite different. Blended with a bit of the good, a lot of the cheap it still made acceptable drinks at an acceptable price.
|
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Mar 12, 2018 13:23:53 GMT -5
anything that's going to be baked/roasted/boiled/mixed in with other stuff, i don't bother with the high end. if it will be eaten raw/lightly cooked/alone, i'll pay more.
i also try to buy stuff with less sugar and salt, which sometimes results in paying a bit more.
we accidentally bought delicious but horrifically expensive bread one week--normally we pay about £1.90--£2.50 for a large loaf, but this stuff was £6 for less! I'd buy it again if i was hosting people and wanted to serve nice bread.
|
|
|
|
Post by Liiisa on Mar 12, 2018 13:37:33 GMT -5
Things where there isn't much difference, like canned pinto beans or couscous, we'll buy the house brand.
But otherwise I'll admit that we're pretty spendy about groceries; we don't really look too hard at prices (up to a point, of course, recalling tzarine's $45 dish liquid, which is just ridiculous). We make up for that by only very rarely getting processed/frozen meals and never eating takeout.
|
|
|
|
Post by leela on Mar 12, 2018 17:11:46 GMT -5
Jams etc are definitely worth the trade up. At work the kids were served 'value' jam with their breakfast toast*, and it was simply horrible. It was impossible to find any relationship with fruit (or even sugar). I love lemon curd, but the 'finest' level ones are exponentially better than the standard supermarket ones. I dread to think what the value stuff is like.
*Value sliced white bread is also horrible. Dry and tasting of chemicals.
|
|
|
|
Post by snowwhite on Mar 13, 2018 9:48:21 GMT -5
I started thinking about this when I looked at the introduction to Jamie's 5 ingredients book (borrowed from the library) and his list of 'worth trading up' ingredients includes tinned tomatoes (as well as a few more predictable / unsurprising things such as ice cream and dark chocolate).
|
|
|
|
Post by HalcyonDaze on Mar 13, 2018 18:04:43 GMT -5
tinned tomatoes - I dont go for the cheapest brand, but I dont buy the most expensive.
Steak - Clipper can pick the difference from grass fed and grain fed beef. So I buy grass fed, which is more expensive.
I do buy an expensive brand of ice cream, but that is because it is a nut allergy safe one.
bread - get it from a bakery, not the cheaper supermarket ones.
|
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Mar 14, 2018 12:26:16 GMT -5
cheese. i'll spend serious money on cheese, unless it's being melted.
|
|
|
|
Post by fishface on Mar 16, 2018 2:43:25 GMT -5
Interesting on the canned tomatoes. I generally find them fine. Then again, I only use them in things like lasagne...So cooked for a while with other things.
I buy doublelength toilet paper. It is better than a usual length roll.
|
|
|
|
Post by fishface on Mar 16, 2018 2:45:29 GMT -5
I buy veges from the provider starting with T, whothingie. Hopefully they aren't the mousie ones.
|
|
|
|
Post by tzarine on Mar 23, 2018 22:29:28 GMT -5
i'll pay for strawberries, chocolate & fish
not for pasta, rice, legumes, spices
will not pay for organic turmeric!
|
|
|
|
Post by whothingie on Mar 24, 2018 0:17:09 GMT -5
I buy veges from the provider starting with T, whothingie. Hopefully they aren't the mousie ones. Not the one I avoid  |
|
|
|
Post by fishface on Mar 24, 2018 4:22:19 GMT -5
Phew! *wipes sweat off forehead*
|
|
|
|
Post by rikita on Apr 18, 2018 3:49:01 GMT -5
eggs and milk i buy "bio" (organic) and if possible locally produced - not so much because of taste (though that plays a part, too), but because there is the highest likelihood of the animals being treated alright. when i buy meat, i usually go for "bio", too, but i must admit not always. mr. r. buys meat more often than me, and for him this is less important ... sweets and desserts, i don't buy the most expensive ones, but not hte cheapest ones anymore either, it varies a lot because i like variety there ... fish fingers we tried out a slightly more expensive brand and a cheap brand and decided the expensive one is the one we prefer ...
|
|
|
|
Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 18, 2018 4:05:09 GMT -5
I was horrified when I moved out here that free range eggs were rarely available, and when they were, they cost twice as much as cage eggs. I agree, I'll pay a premium for eggs that are kind to hens, but double?
|
|
|
|
Post by snowwhite on Apr 18, 2018 9:14:24 GMT -5
I was horrified when I moved out here that free range eggs were rarely available, and when they were, they cost twice as much as cage eggs. I agree, I'll pay a premium for eggs that are kind to hens, but double? Round here it's not that hard to find people selling eggs from chickens they keep themselves - do you not have that option? And I'm interested in how everyone is talking about what they trade up, rather than any happy bargain finds  |
|
|
|
Post by weeg on Apr 18, 2018 16:10:53 GMT -5
Cheap tinned tomatoes can be really runny. I buy the ones from the asian aisle which are both cheap and good. Sweetcorn is defo better at a higher price point, and I also agree about bread and jam being worth the extra. And spghetti - not any other pasta, but the texture on the better stuff helps the sauce stick better.
I love good olive oil (not for cooking), and kerrygold butter is definetly worth the extra for me. Fever tree tonic. Good bacon. For most things I'm happy with the budget brand, though. I am deeply grateful to have the choice.
|
|
|
|
Post by rikita on Apr 18, 2018 19:57:15 GMT -5
i suppose with the eggs, space is one of the most expensive parts, isn't it? so considering you can stack cages on top of each other, i suppose it makes sense if free range eggs cost twice as much ...
as for bargains - mr. r. bought t-shirts and shoes today, and very proudly told me afterwards how little he paid and what a bargain it was. i must admit, i heard bad things about the clothing discounter from which he likes to buy, so i never quite share his happiness, but i don't say anything ...
|
|
|
|
Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 19, 2018 2:57:52 GMT -5
I was horrified when I moved out here that free range eggs were rarely available, and when they were, they cost twice as much as cage eggs. I agree, I'll pay a premium for eggs that are kind to hens, but double? Round here it's not that hard to find people selling eggs from chickens they keep themselves - do you not have that option? And I'm interested in how everyone is talking about what they trade up, rather than any happy bargain finds I usually buy eggs from people I know when I'm home, but where I'm living at the moment, the summers have been so hot and so long the hens stop laying. |
|
|
|
Post by tzarine on Apr 19, 2018 11:16:14 GMT -5
i was given some aged balsamic. when i found out how much it costs, for a moment i thought maybe i shouldn't have cooked w it.
i'd never play $50 for a bottle. one place near me has $100 bottles.
|
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Apr 19, 2018 16:47:38 GMT -5
i found the cheap bacon smells like manure when it's frying. i like healthy manure, but not on my breakfast.
|
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Apr 19, 2018 16:48:06 GMT -5
canned beans--i can never tell the difference, so always buy the cheapest.
|
|
|
|
Post by tzarine on Apr 20, 2018 11:55:35 GMT -5
sprite
i like the naturally smoked bacon, but i hardly eat it anymore
|
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Apr 20, 2018 14:56:10 GMT -5
i usually get unsmoked, because of a gut feeling that it has less of whatever it is in processed meats that can contribute to bowel cancer. as i eat a slice of back bacon everyday, that's probably something i should consider.
|
|
|
|
Post by weeg on Apr 23, 2018 14:19:38 GMT -5
Mayo. Cheap mayonnaise is awful, mid price is fine, the super expensive stuff is fabulous. I usually buy mid range, but I'd rather have the good stuff.
|
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Apr 26, 2018 14:50:22 GMT -5
stokes garlic? oh yes. yes please.
we've traded up on peanut butter, and now i find the regular stuff a bit sticky and bland.
|
|
|
|
Post by snowwhite on Apr 27, 2018 6:38:32 GMT -5
Mayo. Cheap mayonnaise is awful, mid price is fine, the super expensive stuff is fabulous. I usually buy mid range, but I'd rather have the good stuff. Have you tried making it? I haven't, but I understand it's not difficult. |
|
|
|
Post by sprite on Apr 27, 2018 15:44:17 GMT -5
i tried once, but the result was really cloyingly oily. it tasted great as it entered my mouth, but i felt like my mouth was coated in oil after. i may not have had a strong enough blender.
|
|
|
|
Post by ozziegiraffe on Apr 27, 2018 20:24:03 GMT -5
Interesting. One of the reasons I loathe mayonnaise was the home made version my mother made.
|
|
