Cooking, American Style Class 2

Navigating the Supermarket

International Centerat Catholic Charities Community Services

May 2013Instructor: Virginia Guilford

Cooking American Style

• Class 1 – American Cuisine

• Class 2 – Navigating the Supermarket

• Class 3 – Recipe & Shopping Reports

Cooking, American StyleClass 2

• Where to Shop

• Navigating the Supermarket

• Smart Shopping

• Your Assignment

Deciding Where To Shop

• Traditional Supermarket

• Warehouse Stores

• Natural/Organic Stores

• Farmer’s Markets

• Ethnic Specialty Stores

Traditional Chain Stores

• Stop & Shop, Safeway, Pathmark• Advantages

– Accept coupons– Sales– Wide variety of items

• Disadvantages– Produce brought in from far away, not fresh– Big selection can tempt you to buy things you

don’t need

Warehouse Stores

• Costco, Sams Club, BJs

• Advantages– discounts on groceries, gas, and a wide range

of products from suitcases to televisions

• Disadvantages– Membership fee– Large quantities & sizes

Natural, Organic Stores

• Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s

• Advantages– High quality– Unique items

• Disadvantages– May carry only their own brands– May be more expensive

Farmer’s Markets

• Farmer’s Markets are held in many places throughout NYC and New Jersey.– Fresh, local products– Best visited in July, August, and September– Prices can be expensive

• Tips– Know what is in season– Bring a shopping bag– Ask the seller for cooking suggestions

Ethnic, Specialty Stores

• Jackson Heights, Queens – Indian stores

• Chinatown – Chinese specialties

• Others – ???

On-Line Groceries

• On-line Only Stores– Fresh Direct– Peapod

• On-line Ordering from Regular Grocery Stores– D’Agostino– Safeway

• Automated Delivery– Amazon Subscribe & Save – good for unperishable

items that you use regularly (coffee, laundry detergent, pet food, etc.)

Choosing Where to Shop

• Choose the Cheapest– Check out local newspapers or flyers for

weekly sales and specials – go to a different store each week, choose the store that has the best prices for what you want.

• Choose the Most Efficient– Choose a convenient store – go there every

week and get to know it well. Stock up on staples when they are on sale.

Other Considerations

• Will the savings from low prices be eliminated by the cost of getting to distant stores?

• Does the store meet your needs for special options – like organic foods, prime cuts of meat, or unusual fruits and vegetables?

• Is a store’s reputation for how they treat their employees important to you?

• If you shop at a big discount store, will you be tempted to buy more than you need?

Supermarket Rewards Cards

• Requires you to show your membership card at check out

• Gives you special discounted prices or cash back rewards

• Allows the supermarket to track your purchases

Store Gift Cards

• Some supermarkets offer gift cards.– You prepay for the card– The card can then be used for purchases at

that store.

Supermarket Brands

Navigating the Supermarket

• Supermarkets can be very large

• Each supermarket is different, but there are some similarities

Supermarket Layout• These departments are usually

located around the perimeter of the store– Produce – fresh fruits &

vegetables– Meat – fresh meat, butcher – Dairy – milk, butter, eggs,

processed cheeses– Bakery – bread products

baked in-store– Deli – sliced meats, prepared

foods, cheeses– Frozen foods - prepared

meals, fruits & vegetables, ice cream

– Wine & Liquor– Flowers– Pharmacy

• These departments are usually in aisles in the center of the store– Soft drinks – Coke, Pepsi,

bottled water, – Pet Foods – dog food, cat food,

kitty litter, bird seed, pet supplies– Detergents and Household

Cleaning Supplies– Baking Ingredients – flour, sugar,

spices, cake & biscuit mixes – Canned Fruits & Vegetables– Canned Soups– Pasta and Sauces– Ethnic Items – Chinese,

Mexican,

• Checkout Area – impulse buys such as candy, gum, magazines

Supermarket Aisles

• Aisles are often numbered. Sometimes letters will also be used to indicate the left and right sides of the aisle.

Supermarket Aisles

• Sale items and items that the store wants to push are often located at the ends of the aisles or in special displays in the middle of aisles

Supermarket Shelves

• Products with the greatest profit potential for the store are placed at eye level, in the ‘Bulls-Eye zone’. Better buys may be found on higher or lower shelves

Shopping Smart

• Make a Grocery List– Make sure you don’t forget items you need– Make sure you are not tempted to buy items

you don’t need

• Use the information in the product labels and on the product shelves to choose the best items.

Making a Grocery List

• For a weekly shopping trip, think about what meals you want to cook in the coming week.

• Review what you have already, and add items that you need to the list.

• Compose your list in the order that things are arranged at the store where you will shop.

• Online shopping will often provide a list-making options.

Pricing

• Make use of unit pricing labels– In the example below from Walmart, a 40 oz jar of Jif Crunchy

Peanut Butter offered for $6.44, is shown to have a 16.1 cents per ounce unit price.

Coupons

• Coupons are a marketing strategy to encourage you to buy a product– New product– Product that has not been selling well

• Coupons are good if they give you a lower price for something you really want

• The basic price may be increased before the coupon is made available, so that even with the coupon, you are paying the same.

Best By, Sell By, Use By Dates

• Best By – used for canned foods, soft drinks, and other non-perishable foods. Up to this date, the quality and flavor should still be good. After this date, the food may still be safe to eat, but it won’t taste as good.

• Sell By – used for meat, milk and other dairy products, and bakery goods. This label is not a safety label - it tells the store how long to display an item on their shelves. You may want to get the most advanced ‘Sell By’ date to make sure that you buy the freshest products.

• Use By – The product is not safe to eat after that date.

Labels

Choosing ProduceFresh Fruits & Vegetables

• Picking Ripe Fruit– See it. For some fruits like apples, bananas, and tomatoes, you

can tell it’s ripe simply by looking at its color. – Squeeze it. A soft squeeze is a good test for ripeness. – Smell it. Sniff the blossom end of the fruit (the end opposite of

the stem). It should have a light, sweet smell.– Heft it. The heavier the fruit, the juicier it’s likely to be.

•  Picking Ripe Vegetables – See it. Vegetables should be evenly colored – no brown spots or

crushed leaves. Leafy greens should be dark in color. If a vegetable looks wilted or dried up, don’t buy it.

– Squeeze it. Unlike fruit, vegetables should be as firm as possible. Broccoli, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, onions, peppers, and cauliflower should be firm to the touch. Leafy greens like lettuce, kale, and cabbage should snap with a nice crisp sound.

Shopping for 1 Person

• Problems– Spoilage– Not enough variety– Buying take-out food instead of cooking at home

• Solutions– Find a store that carries the smaller sizes that you

want. Many small Manhattan grocery stores do this.– Avoid buying more than you need – even if the sign

says ’10 for $5’, you can usually buy just 2 and pay only $1.

– If you don’t see a package of meat that is the right size for you - ask the butcher for 1 steak or 1 lamb chop or ½ pound of hamburger.

Getting Out of the Supermarket Fast

• Shop at slow times– Early morning on weekends (9 AM or 10 AM)– Later in the evening on week nights (7 PM or 8 PM)

• Get through the checkout line fast– If you have only a few items, use the Express Lane– Choose the line with the fewest people, even if they

have carts that are very full of food.– Put items on conveyor belt grouped together by type

– dairy, meat, etc.

Your Assignment

• Either– Go to a supermarket – ask where a certain item is

located. Follow the directions you are given, and when you find the item, take a photo of it.

• Or– Go to a supermarket – read the Unit Price information

and decide which size and brand is the best buy.

• Report on your findings in Class 3– What supermarket did you visit?– Was it easy or hard to complete your task?