Info about Groceries
How to Buy Groceries in Bulk
How to Buy Groceries in Bulk
Do not be daunted by this prospect; it does not mean that you need to order a truck load, or even fill a spare room, your garage or your store cupboards. Bulk buying can work and wholesalers often have great prices. However, there is no point in buying in bulk if you end up throwing out the food before you can eat it. A great way around this is to buy in bulk with friends and family and share out the case of canned fruit or baked beans. You can apply bulk buying to individuals and to couples too:
- Cook some, freeze some: Buy family-sized packages of meat, cook some now and put the rest in the freezer.
- Cook in bulk: It is just as easy to cook a large pan of soup or stew as it is a small one. Then, freeze your leftovers and eat them later. This works great with casseroles, for example.
- Frozen juice: Buy fresh fruit and vegetables in bulk when they are at the height of their season. Get the juicer out and freeze the fresh juice. Make soups and pot roasts, or parboil and freeze the vegetables.
Do You Trust Sell-by Dates?
Everyone is worried that buying in bulk means that you will end up throwing away the food because of short sell-by dates. You should not take risks, and you should certainly throw away:
- Cooked meats: Throw these away the day after their sell-by date unless you are planning to re-cook them thoroughly.
- Soft cheeses: There is a listeria threat here - it is very unpleasant and not worth the risk. The same goes for pates.
The following might not be at their best, but you could continue to eat them for up to two weeks after their sell-by date:
- Poultry and other raw meat: But make sure it is piping hot and thoroughly cooked when you serve it.
- Milk: Even if it is sour, it won't hurt you and you can use it to make sauces.
- Bread: Most is treated with an anti-fungal agent but you can scrape off the mould and toast it safely.
Don't Throw Away Those Antique Foods!
If a can or jar is not damaged or rusty, then food like baked beans can last for years. Hard cheeses will last for months. Lots of frozen food will last for months too, but the flavor will slowly deteriorate. Most dry food, like rice and pasta, will last for years, but once they are exposed to the moisture in the air, they will begin to taste stale, so they need to be kept airtight. Really, it is all down to common sense. Touch, smell and sample and cut down on unnecessary waste. Labels are contradictory and the use-by date is not an exact science.