Cooking, American Style
Class 2
Navigating the Supermarket
International Center
at Catholic Charities Community Services
May 2013
Instructor: Virginia Guilford
Cooking American Style
• Class 1 – American Cuisine
• Class 2 – Navigating the Supermarket
• Class 3 – Recipe & Shopping Reports
Cooking, American Style
Class 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 Produce
Fresh 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?