Food shopping and recipes

[creative]

I thought I would share how I do a food shop since I have a system whereby I can take advantage of bargains and combine it with recipes immediately, i.e. that I have with me!

I tend to cut out recipes from magazines, i.e. that I have yet to try and so have not been incorporated into my food books. (I paste up successful recipes making them into 'books').

I keep a handful of these recipes always in my daily shoulder bag (not bulky). They are each divided off (into little envelopes) for easy referencing e.g. pork, beef, lamb, chicken, fish, veg. misc, desserts etc.

On the envelope cover I write down a brief summary of what's in the envelope e.g. 2 lamb shanks then in brackets other ingredients (celery, carrots etc). This enables me to see something in the supermarket and quickly scan my recipe collection e.g. if I see 2 lamb shanks reduced in price I can quickly see what else I need to buy to make the recipe.

I am not saying I always match what I buy to a recipe (often I just like to improvise) but it does provide an option to do so.

 

[Kayelle]

My Souschef does all of the supermarket shopping at our only local grocery store and he does a better job than I ever did before I met him. He checks out the twice weekly flyer that comes in the mail for sales and also goes on line to Von's to check for additional "just for you" specials they offer. After discussing with me what's on sale, I get an idea of the weekly cooking plans I have. He keeps our large "garage pantry" filled with items I need to put meals together, all found on sale. Our freezer is also filled with meats, with an organized list of what shelf they are located in the freezer. He saves a ton of money, and gets a big bang out of doing it.
I shop at Trader Joe's (10 miles away) for my part where I get lots of our favorites.
Costco we do together.

 

[Dawgluver]

Dontcha just love men who do grocery shopping? DH doesn't do dishes or most other household chores, other than shoveling snow and mowing the lawn, but he's a decent shopper.

If and when we get to TJ's and Costco, we go together.

 

[Kayelle]

Yep, tiz true Dawg. They are men on a mission rather than women on a browsing trip.

I do love going to Trader Joe's alone for that reason though. I have to look at every single new item in the store.

 

[Dawgluver]

Sadly, Kay, I misplace DH at Costco all the time. Usually when he has his phone turned off. He's the one most likely to wander.

I agree about TJ's, I could spend a lot of time meandering there. Unfortunately, our nearest TJ's is 3 hours away.

 

[Kayelle]

I loose him all the time in Costco Dawg, because he's getting all the free samples to munch on. The last stop is always the rotisserie chickens so we meet up there. I've never thought to use our cell phones.

 

[Dawgluver]

Kay, it only works if both cellphones are turned on!

 

[creative]

I thought I was passing on a useful tip - combining shopping with the ability to create recipes the same day (without returning for extra ingredients).

Oh well...

Thereagain, I overlooked having a partner and using a mobile phone (I don't have one of those).

 

[Cheryl J]

Costco is 90 miles away and I don't drive that far by myself anymore, so I tag along with my daughter and SIL when they go.

I'm the one who wanders off and gets called on my cell.

 

[Cheryl J]

I thought I was passing on a useful tip - combining shopping with the ability to create recipes the same day (without returning for extra ingredients).

Oh well...

Thereagain, I overlooked having a partner and using a mobile phone (I don't have one of those).

creative, I meant to say earlier that IS a useful tip. Especially for those of us who don't use the grocery apps on cell phones. I still rely on paper much of the time so I can cross off what I've gotten. I do have a cellphone with a camera, so sometimes I take a picture of my grocery list that I have written on a whiteboard on the fridge. Just depends on what I need, whether it's a biggie shopping trip or just for a couple of things, and if I'm trying new recipes with ingredients I don't usually get.

Plus, you know how threads go off in different directions here. LOL

 

[creative]

creative, I meant to say earlier that IS a useful tip. Especially for those of us who don't use the grocery apps on cell phones. I still rely on paper much of the time so I can cross off what I've gotten. I do have a cellphone with a camera, so sometimes I take a picture of my grocery list that I have written on a whiteboard on the fridge. Just depends on what I need, whether it's a biggie shopping trip or just for a couple of things, and if I'm trying new recipes with ingredients I don't usually get.

Plus, you know how threads go off in different directions here. LOL

Ah thanks for explaining. I didn't know about all these facilities since I choose not to have a mobile phone. I guess that makes my thread somewhat redundant now then if grocery apps give recipes...do they?

Yes of course I realise posts go off on a tangerine but I was interested in how people shop if they find something and want to use it in a recipe.

As you were then....

 

[Kayelle]

I thought I was passing on a useful tip - combining shopping with the ability to create recipes the same day (without returning for extra ingredients).

Oh well...

Thereagain, I overlooked having a partner and using a mobile phone (I don't have one of those).

Creative, so you wanted this to be all about you? I thought it was a good general subject until you brought that up. By the way, I only use my flip cell phone to make or receive calls.

 

[creative]

Creative, so you wanted this to be all about you? I thought it was a good general subject until you brought that up. By the way, I only use my flip cell phone to make or receive calls.

Huh?

...no not at all! Ha! As if!!!

If it needs further clarifying...I was mostly curious to know how others do food shops when thinking of trying out recipes (hence the title of the thread) but I also wanted to pass on (what I thought was) a useful tip. That's all.

 

[larry_stewart]

Do to my work week ( some long days where i can't really cook anything, shorter days , and days off), I need to plan what Im going to eat prior to going shopping ( which is usually Sunday morning).

I do %95 of the food shopping myself. Occasionally, my wife will pick up a few things i couldn't find, while she is also shopping for the boring things ( detergent, napkins ...).

If I'm trying a new recipe, i will have already read through it, searched what I have ( and don't have) and include it on the list.

Occasionally, while shopping, I may come across something on sale, or something in season that I wasn't planning on buying ( but I buy anyway) or something I couldn't find, but for whatever reason, there it is now. If this happens, I'll either have an idea in mind, or go home look for a recipe or come here and ask around to see if anyone has ideas.

My weekly menu depends on how many days I can actually cook ( my days off), what I can make in advanced and just be heated up when I get home ( late nights), whats in season ( months garden is up and running), suggestions from the family, special dinner ( birthday, celebration ..), whether or not I can make it to a specialty store ( asian market, Spanish market, health food store, Indian market ).

I don't use any kind of apps. I used to use pen/ pencil and paper , but now I do it on the computer, and just take a picture of the list/ menu with my cell phone. Whats kinda cool, is for the last 2 years I've been doing this, i have saved everything. So kinda have a 2 year diary of everything I've made for dinner.

 

[Andy M.]

I try to create a menu for the week, select recipes and list ingredients I need. SO and I shop together and can change things on the fly. Costco trips are more about stocking up rather than weekly dinners.

 

[creative]

larry and andy - thanks for your posts. Yes I see that these are the usual way of trying out recipes, i.e. to prepare before shopping. Of course I do this too.

I was approaching this from a different angle - the other way round i.e. the food item generating the recipe. Notably, showing a spontaneous way of buying a reduced price food product in the supermarket and combining it, whilst still there, with a possible recipe to try out; effectively working with what's found and matching it to a recipe that I have with me (rather than the other way round). Just offering another way. I admit it's a bit unusual to do it this way but I find it very useful and thought I would pass on the tip here for others.

This method has the economical benefit of using current bargains.

 

[larry_stewart]

I think its great the way you do it, and I appreciate you sharing it with us.
Unfortunately for me, Im not a very spontaneous person. I kinda need to know everything before I go do something ( not just cooking).

 

[CWS4322]

I just fly by the seat of my pants. What's in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. I don't shop for recipes. I figure out what I can do with what I have. Sometimes I need fresh cilantro, lemon or lime, but I can usually go as a week or two with what is on hand--often more than that. Nice tip--a photo of what you have in the pantry/fridge might help, too.

 

[rodentraiser]

Yes of course I realise posts go off on a tangerine but I was interested in how people shop if they find something and want to use it in a recipe.

As you were then....

I usually get my recipes online and then bookmark them, so before I go shopping, I pick the ones I want to make and check the ingredients. So I guess I kind of go backwards from you - I have the recipe first and get the ingredients 2nd.

I have to do it like that because I can't afford to buy something I might not use and toss it away if I don't.

I vaguely remember seeing a recipe for apple cider pork roast last month and got some apple cider, but the smallest size was almost a gallon. So now I'm looking all over for recipes that might take apple cider.

I'm definitely not as organized as you are!

 

[larry_stewart]

Apple cider freezes well, so if you can't find something soon, freeze it for now, and defrost when you need it .