Pandemic hoarding

[jnw]

A couple weeks sure, but is keeping multiple months of food normally a prudent thing to do?  It has never been necessary in my life prior to covid, so wasn't really something I had ever seriously considered.

Forty pound bags of rice and beans for $20 a piece, which will last for years in pantry.. cheap peace of mind in case something bad happens.

[jnw]

Regarding our dog, she gets about 2 scrambled eggs per day for breakfast and a few nibbles of bacon.  We eat eggs and bacon just about every day.   In the evening she eats dry food.   We have 3 dog bowls.  One for water, one for kibble and one for eggs/etc.

Was a great deal when eggs were 10 cents a piece for years.. but now they are 20 cents each bleh.. still giving them to her though.  They keep the yeast smell down between her toes down and she gets all the real nutrition of real food.. an egg is a complete animal packed with everything she needs.

At 8.5 years old she is relatively thin compared to most dogs I've seen this age which were fed only dog food which is loaded with grains/carbs.

[Roadrunner53]

I am putting together a grocery delivery from Peapod (division of Stop & Shop). We buy bottled water in gallon sized jugs that are Stop & Shop brand, not a fancy name brand. We use this water for our coffeemaker due to hard, hard water. Hard water has killed many coffee makers in my house. Anyway, just maybe 4 months ago the jug of water was 99 cents and now that same jug is $1.49!

The prices of everything are going up very quickly! You can only stockpile so much of anything, so we just have to deal with it.

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the_kitchen, have you ever bought pork butt from Butcher box? I bought a few and they were really good. Then I bought one that was like total blubber and we were lucky to get enough meat off it for two people for one dinner. I contacted them and they were good and gave me another one for free. Well, we tried it and it was just as horrible. I am not ordering any more. Don't understand what happened there! Then for the New Year, we decided to buy two really big Rib eyes and they were super expensive. I didn't mind because we have not eaten out for probably two years and just wanted to celebrate the New Year with a super nice meal. Well, instead of getting two huge rib eyes, they sent 4 rib eyes. There are the normal ones you can get any week. I was pretty furious. I emailed them and they said I got the same amount of weight of the 4 steaks as the two steaks I had ordered. I said yes that might be true but what I got was like apples and bananas. Not what I wanted and would not have agreed to what they sent if they had contacted me. They grumbled a bit but refunded me the cost. I have been pleased other than these issues. What also gets me is that they offer something and they seem to run out. I got in on the large rib eyes and then they ran out. So, let's say they had 200 of them and I put in for them before they sold out, what happened to my steaks? They let me choose it, charged me for it and then substituted something else.

I got one pork butt from ButcherBox, but it wasn't great so I decided not to try that again.  You're right -- it was very fatty and I didn't get nearly as much meat from it as I expected.

I did buy two of the thick ribeyes, but we haven't eaten them yet.  I also got 20 of the regular ribeyes; I ordered a big box in January and that was the first time I'd seen ribeyes, and I have a ribeye lover.  But they're just okay, not fantastic -- we like the NY steaks better.  But you are so right -- cooking method is so different for the thick steaks vs. the thin ones.  The thin ones cook to medium rare in 8 minutes on my grills straight from the fridge.  I bought the thick ones because I want to try them with sous vide.

I also bought cod (6# for $40) and it has been a slog to get through.  No matter how I cook it we don't like it.  The salmon is fine and the halibut was quite good.  I think there are 6 pieces of cod left and I'm going to cook it for the dogs.

First couple of tri-tips we ate were good, next couple were only okay.  Sirloin cap (culotte) has been better.  Top sirloins weren't worth it.

Oh, and I bought 6 packages of the thick cut bacon back when they were on the Black Friday sale, and they weren't good either.  Their regular bacon is better.  They only sent 5 packages of the thick cut bacon, but I called and they credited me $9 for the missing package, saying they had run out and didn't have anymore to send.  That was a weird box, which arrived open, and was also missing a 2# bag of salmon.  The customer service rep was really great and had me check everything over, and when I found a small puncture in a pack of NY steaks they added a package to my next order at no charge, and also sent the missing salmon.

I will say this though: I've ordered grass-fed beef for 14 years now, and the quality is always hit or miss.  I think ranchers don't have as much control when the animals have to feed themselves, lol.  They're at the mercy of the weather and other factors affecting the pasture.  The best pastured pork I've gotten is from Stemple Creek, and the bone in chops were amazing.

I've gotten better at figuring out the true cost of what they offer as choices in the custom box, and now I won't choose the meats I know they sell for a lot less.  They sell whole chickens for $15 (or less), but the "value" of each item in the custom box is $26.50, so chicken isn't a good choice.  Or they'll offer 1# of breakfast sausage as a choice, when it costs $4.20 per pound when on sale (5# at $21).

We have a few things new to try this month: the breakfast sausage and the apple gouda sausage (Niman Ranch).  We tried the grilled chicken breast and it's quite good although very peppery.

K_in_the_kitchen, we were buying strip steaks from Butcher Box for a while and they were good. Mr. Roadrunner mostly eats them. Recently he had them two different times and he said they were as tough as shoe leather. We are not going to buy them anymore. I am sticking to rib eye, flat iron, fillet mignon which is my favorite, chuck roast and salmon. This month I am splurging on the special of 10 lbs of ground beef and another special of 10 lbs of ground pork. I get one bacon free each time and two pounds of ground meat free. I have bought the shrimp and it is good. Mr. Roadrunner can't eat shellfish due to gout. I have also bought the lobster tails and they are not worth it to me because I am a big lobster fan, and they are small and nothing more than appetizers and too expensive to be an appetizer! In the past I read that you get your bacon 'free' by buying something that offers bacon with it. What in particular did you buy with bacon? We have also purchased the apple gouda sausage, brats and ribs. They have been winners. I did buy a chicken once and agree that it is not worth the money but it was very good!

When you bought 20 of the rib eyes, was that a special? I don't recall that being offered.

On another side note, I made a scalloped potato recipe yesterday and it came out really good. I used this recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/120425/supreme-scalloped-potatoes/
However, I used my food processor and sliced my potatoes and did not boil them as recipe says. I cooked them with the sauce. If you try this recipe, it seems to take longer to cook than what they have suggested. I used a 9" x 11" casserole pan and is enough for a small army. I probably used more than 8 potatoes that they have on the recipe. My taters were so small I just kept slicing till the food processor bowl was full, maybe 12 potatoes. I probably used more cheese than listed too!

I have half a bag of taters left now. Maybe cornmeal French fries next!

[Moonwaves]

@Roadrunner53 If you like curry, I can recommend this curry-in-a-hurry paste recipe as a good way to use up lots of onions and stock up the freezer.

I did an online cooking course yesterday with three Ukrainian recipes. Varenyky/potato dumplings (the filling is made using potatoes), deruny/potato pancakes (can be frozen once cooked) and paprika onions. It seems like checking out some Ukrainian recipes would probably be a good way to find ways to use up potatoes and onions. So far, I am a fan.

[GreenSheep]

Dog fanatic chiming in here to say... don't forget about your pets. We usually keep one open/in-use bag of dog food and one as a backup, but these days we're keeping 2-3 backups just in case of a delay in shipping, a supply problem, etc. Most dogs don't do well if you just suddenly switch them to a new food.

I really wish I could do this, but my picky German Shepherd balks at eating food that isn't very fresh -- I suspect he is hypersensitive to rancidity.  We've taken to keeping one extra bag and he's quite fussy about it because now his food is always one month less fresh than it used to be.

I hear you. Our dog was picky when we had two bags open at the same time (gradually switching from puppy to adult food), and now so it took twice as long to finish them both. She seems to be fine now that we're only opening one bag at a time, but now you've got me wondering how things will go when we get to the second or third of the backup bags!

[GreenSheep]

At 8.5 years old she is relatively thin compared to most dogs I've seen this age which were fed only dog food which is loaded with grains/carbs.

I'm not sure grains/carbs are the problem:
https://www.ellevetsciences.com/pet-care/should-my-dog-be-eating-grain-free-food/

I think in most cases it's too much (of any) food, too many treats (and not the healthy, real food kind), and not enough exercise.

[SquashingDebt]

@Dicey This was at BJ's.  I think they're only on the east coast. 

[Just Joe]

I buy a lot of meat from Butcher Box and the meat isn't low cost but I kind of compare it to if I ate at a restaurant what would a dinner cost me with a certain piece of meat.

We just bought half a cow. Partly for the higher quality meat (we know the farmer) and partly as a hedge against inflation. I recommend it if you can find a source and have a deep freeze. I intend to do this each year.

We had T-bone steak last night. In our 50+ years I don't think DW and I had ever had a T-bone steak. It was excellent. We're more of occasional meat eaters and don't plan on increasing out intake though. 

[Just Joe]

My new freezer is full -- too full to move the baskets around easily -- so I can't really add more to it.

Which baskets did you buy? Thanks...

[Roadrunner53]

My new freezer is full -- too full to move the baskets around easily -- so I can't really add more to it.

Which baskets did you buy? Thanks...

Just Joe, these are the containers Mr. Roadrunner is using in our freezers. We have bought all 3 sizes and a LOT of them. If these interest you at all, I would suggest that you measure the containers and the inside of your freezers to see how many containers you can fit on a shelf. Also, think about what you will put in each container. For us, these work really good! I also have some in my kitchen refrigerator freezer. It has really organized my stuff!

https://www.containerstore.com/s/under-the-sink-starter-kit/d?q=under%20sink&productId=11006241

[Poundwise]

My new freezer is full -- too full to move the baskets around easily -- so I can't really add more to it.

Which baskets did you buy? Thanks...

Just Joe, these are the containers Mr. Roadrunner is using in our freezers. We have bought all 3 sizes and a LOT of them. If these interest you at all, I would suggest that you measure the containers and the inside of your freezers to see how many containers you can fit on a shelf. Also, think about what you will put in each container. For us, these work really good! I also have some in my kitchen refrigerator freezer. It has really organized my stuff!

What's your feeling baskets vs reusable shopping bags for organization (if this hasn't been discussed here already)? I had plastic baskets for a while, but they took up too much space and eventually cracked.  So now I use reusable bags, which pack down well.The downside is if I have something that needs to be level to freeze, the bags present a lumpier surface.

[Roadrunner53]

Freezer containers: https://www.containerstore.com/s/under-the-sink-starter-kit/d?q=under%20sink&productId=11006241

[SunnyDays]

If you have room in a fridge or freezer, keep the extra dog food in there.  Or outside, if you live in a cold climate.  It will delay the stale/rancid time.

[Dicey]

If you have room in a fridge or freezer, keep the extra dog food in there.  Or outside, if you live in a cold climate.  It will delay the stale/rancid time.

Probably goes without saying, but only put it outside if it's in a critter-proof container.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

My new freezer is full -- too full to move the baskets around easily -- so I can't really add more to it.

Which baskets did you buy? Thanks...

I bought a GE garage ready freezer that came with four baskets, and then I found a parts supplier to sell me four more baskets.  I have four upper baskets and four lower baskets, so I can slide them around to find what I want.  Then I have the entire lower portion of the freezer for items not in baskets.  I've used various bags, boxes, etc. over the past 25+ years of having freezers, and I decided to splurge this time and make it easier on myself now that I'm getting older.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

On the fatty pig parts issue: The last ham I got had a fair amount of fat - so I trimmed it as we worked through the ham and saved it. At the end I rendered it down and got close to a quart of lard.

That's a good amount of lard!

I bought a pork butt at Aldi last month and trimmed off so much fat  -- a full pound -- that I decided to grind and freeze it, and I'll render it into lard once I trim the fat from the second pork butt I bought.

I save all of our cooking fats to use in other ways, like using chicken or beef fat for potatoes, bacon grease for eggs, lard in pastry, etc.
[/quote]

Interesting. Does the grinding make rendering faster or something? I just put the random-sized fatty chunks into a skillet and heated til they rendered/crisped up. Cracklins! :D
[/quote]

It does help the lard render more quickly and evenly.  We'll still get cracklins, they'll just be really small.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Dog fanatic chiming in here to say... don't forget about your pets. We usually keep one open/in-use bag of dog food and one as a backup, but these days we're keeping 2-3 backups just in case of a delay in shipping, a supply problem, etc. Most dogs don't do well if you just suddenly switch them to a new food.

I really wish I could do this, but my picky German Shepherd balks at eating food that isn't very fresh -- I suspect he is hypersensitive to rancidity.  We've taken to keeping one extra bag and he's quite fussy about it because now his food is always one month less fresh than it used to be.

I hear you. Our dog was picky when we had two bags open at the same time (gradually switching from puppy to adult food), and now so it took twice as long to finish them both. She seems to be fine now that we're only opening one bag at a time, but now you've got me wondering how things will go when we get to the second or third of the backup bags!

Yes, this is the problem.  I typically was keeping one bag on hand anyway, purchased after we'd opened a new bag.  And even with this plan he is picky, so we think he can tell when the food has been at Costco too long, lol.  When I had 2-3 extra bags on hand, which we did when the pandemic started, he started getting impossible.  He's not a great eater anyway, and if we didn't have a little dog that loves food, the GSD would be an ideal candidate for free feeding because there's no way he'll overeat.  When he refuses the kibble we have to do all sorts of things to entice him, which only makes him pickier.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the_kitchen, we were buying strip steaks from Butcher Box for a while and they were good. Mr. Roadrunner mostly eats them. Recently he had them two different times and he said they were as tough as shoe leather. We are not going to buy them anymore. I am sticking to rib eye, flat iron, fillet mignon which is my favorite, chuck roast and salmon. This month I am splurging on the special of 10 lbs of ground beef and another special of 10 lbs of ground pork. I get one bacon free each time and two pounds of ground meat free. I have bought the shrimp and it is good. Mr. Roadrunner can't eat shellfish due to gout. I have also bought the lobster tails and they are not worth it to me because I am a big lobster fan, and they are small and nothing more than appetizers and too expensive to be an appetizer! In the past I read that you get your bacon 'free' by buying something that offers bacon with it. What in particular did you buy with bacon? We have also purchased the apple gouda sausage, brats and ribs. They have been winners. I did buy a chicken once and agree that it is not worth the money but it was very good!

When you bought 20 of the rib eyes, was that a special? I don't recall that being offered.

I bought 20 ribeyes by choosing 10 of the two packs when I ordered a big custom box in January, which has a choice of 12 items.  The ribeyes quickly disappeared as a selection, so they probably sold out.  Do you order a custom box?

We've had really good NY steaks, and acceptable NY steaks.  The NY steaks do take well to sous vide, which is helpful for the times they might not be as tender.  But the ribeyes didn't sous vide as well.

Twice I've gotten in on a free bacon with tri-tips offer -- you buy a 20 oz. tri-tip for $15 and get a free package of bacon, and I bought 4 tri-tips each time.  I also once got in on a buy 1# tenderloin tips for $18, get two free packages of bacon, but I only bought one of those.

Right now I have the free 2# ground beef for life offer, and free NY steaks for a year.  But I might just go back to buying a half or full beef from the rancher we like.  A full beef is 400# and right now costs $3879 (free shipping in CA), so it's under $10 per pound ($9.70).  But it comes with 160# of ground beef, and it would take us a long time to get through that.  The breakdown is about 100# steaks, 100# roasts, 20# stew meat, 20# fajita strips, and the 160# of ground beef.  The half beef is half those amounts; it costs $2150 so it is a higher per pound price ($10.75), but might be worth it so we don't have meat sitting in the freezer for several years.  I can't do anything like this though until we eat down what is a very full freezer.

We aren't going to buy fish from ButcherBox, at least not on a regular basis.  The cod was awful.  The halibut was good, but pricey.  The salmon is okay.    With one young adult back at home full time, and the other soon to be home for the summer, we'll eat less fish because they don't love it.  And after having started splurging on fresh fish at the harbor when we go for day trips, no other fish we can buy frozen even remotely compares.  We've had the most incredible California halibut, and gorgeous tuna, including the toro (belly) which I ate raw.

I think as ButcherBox gets more popular the company may be having growing pains sourcing the beef, which would account for the variable quality.  I do like the packaging they use for shipping, and I like being able to choose what I want and to skew to the pricier cuts if I want to.  They seemed like a great choice when I wasn't planning to replace the broken freezer, but now that I have it probably makes more sense to buy in bulk again.

I also find ButcherBox to be all over the place with pricing.  This month the 10# ground beef blast is $67.  Last month I got it for $60.  This month the 10# ground pork blast is $55, I got it for $35 in December.  I know prices are going up, but that is a big change for the pork.  I guess like any other store you have to know your prices and be aware of when they do the best deals.

[Michael in ABQ]

Right now I have the free 2# ground beef for life offer, and free NY steaks for a year.  But I might just go back to buying a half or full beef from the rancher we like.  A full beef is 400# and right now costs $3879 (free shipping in CA), so it's under $10 per pound ($9.70).  But it comes with 160# of ground beef, and it would take us a long time to get through that.  The breakdown is about 100# steaks, 100# roasts, 20# stew meat, 20# fajita strips, and the 160# of ground beef.  The half beef is half those amounts; it costs $2150 so it is a higher per pound price ($10.75), but might be worth it so we don't have meat sitting in the freezer for several years.  I can't do anything like this though until we eat down what is a very full freezer.

I also find ButcherBox to be all over the place with pricing.  This month the 10# ground beef blast is $67.  Last month I got it for $60.  This month the 10# ground pork blast is $55, I got it for $35 in December.  I know prices are going up, but that is a big change for the pork.  I guess like any other store you have to know your prices and be aware of when they do the best deals.

I guess I'm spoiled by the price of meat at the commissary on base. 93% lean ground beef is $4.22/lb (was around $3.50 a few months ago) and 80% lean is $2.93. Most choice steaks are in the $7-10/lb range (T-Bone, NY Strip, flank, ribeye, etc.)

I just looked up some local options for half a beef and the prices were from $5-7/lb.

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the_kitchen, we were buying strip steaks from Butcher Box for a while and they were good. Mr. Roadrunner mostly eats them. Recently he had them two different times and he said they were as tough as shoe leather. We are not going to buy them anymore. I am sticking to rib eye, flat iron, fillet mignon which is my favorite, chuck roast and salmon. This month I am splurging on the special of 10 lbs of ground beef and another special of 10 lbs of ground pork. I get one bacon free each time and two pounds of ground meat free. I have bought the shrimp and it is good. Mr. Roadrunner can't eat shellfish due to gout. I have also bought the lobster tails and they are not worth it to me because I am a big lobster fan, and they are small and nothing more than appetizers and too expensive to be an appetizer! In the past I read that you get your bacon 'free' by buying something that offers bacon with it. What in particular did you buy with bacon? We have also purchased the apple gouda sausage, brats and ribs. They have been winners. I did buy a chicken once and agree that it is not worth the money but it was very good!

When you bought 20 of the rib eyes, was that a special? I don't recall that being offered.

I bought 20 ribeyes by choosing 10 of the two packs when I ordered a big custom box in January, which has a choice of 12 items.  The ribeyes quickly disappeared as a selection, so they probably sold out.  Do you order a custom box?

We've had really good NY steaks, and acceptable NY steaks.  The NY steaks do take well to sous vide, which is helpful for the times they might not be as tender.  But the ribeyes didn't sous vide as well.

Twice I've gotten in on a free bacon with tri-tips offer -- you buy a 20 oz. tri-tip for $15 and get a free package of bacon, and I bought 4 tri-tips each time.  I also once got in on a buy 1# tenderloin tips for $18, get two free packages of bacon, but I only bought one of those.

Right now I have the free 2# ground beef for life offer, and free NY steaks for a year.  But I might just go back to buying a half or full beef from the rancher we like.  A full beef is 400# and right now costs $3879 (free shipping in CA), so it's under $10 per pound ($9.70).  But it comes with 160# of ground beef, and it would take us a long time to get through that.  The breakdown is about 100# steaks, 100# roasts, 20# stew meat, 20# fajita strips, and the 160# of ground beef.  The half beef is half those amounts; it costs $2150 so it is a higher per pound price ($10.75), but might be worth it so we don't have meat sitting in the freezer for several years.  I can't do anything like this though until we eat down what is a very full freezer.

We aren't going to buy fish from ButcherBox, at least not on a regular basis.  The cod was awful.  The halibut was good, but pricey.  The salmon is okay.    With one young adult back at home full time, and the other soon to be home for the summer, we'll eat less fish because they don't love it.  And after having started splurging on fresh fish at the harbor when we go for day trips, no other fish we can buy frozen even remotely compares.  We've had the most incredible California halibut, and gorgeous tuna, including the toro (belly) which I ate raw.

I think as ButcherBox gets more popular the company may be having growing pains sourcing the beef, which would account for the variable quality.  I do like the packaging they use for shipping, and I like being able to choose what I want and to skew to the pricier cuts if I want to.  They seemed like a great choice when I wasn't planning to replace the broken freezer, but now that I have it probably makes more sense to buy in bulk again.

I also find ButcherBox to be all over the place with pricing.  This month the 10# ground beef blast is $67.  Last month I got it for $60.  This month the 10# ground pork blast is $55, I got it for $35 in December.  I know prices are going up, but that is a big change for the pork.  I guess like any other store you have to know your prices and be aware of when they do the best deals.

I must have gotten the last of the $60 ten-pound ground beef blast. My closing date is this week but I see it went up to $67. I also bought the pork blast for $55. I buy the small box which allows me 6 items. I did that on purpose so I can do the add ons and the specials. This month I chose 3/2 packs of the fillet mignons, rib eye, pot roast and flat iron steak. Then the pork and beef blast. I get carried away and put a lot of stuff in my cart and then I have to weed out what I don't really need.

That is a really good idea to buy all those rib eyes with the bigger box! I may have to rethink switching between boxes now and then! May do that next month. My freezers are full too and now another delivery! YIKES!

You have really analyzed Butcher Box. Thanks for your input!

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Right now I have the free 2# ground beef for life offer, and free NY steaks for a year.  But I might just go back to buying a half or full beef from the rancher we like.  A full beef is 400# and right now costs $3879 (free shipping in CA), so it's under $10 per pound ($9.70).  But it comes with 160# of ground beef, and it would take us a long time to get through that.  The breakdown is about 100# steaks, 100# roasts, 20# stew meat, 20# fajita strips, and the 160# of ground beef.  The half beef is half those amounts; it costs $2150 so it is a higher per pound price ($10.75), but might be worth it so we don't have meat sitting in the freezer for several years.  I can't do anything like this though until we eat down what is a very full freezer.

I also find ButcherBox to be all over the place with pricing.  This month the 10# ground beef blast is $67.  Last month I got it for $60.  This month the 10# ground pork blast is $55, I got it for $35 in December.  I know prices are going up, but that is a big change for the pork.  I guess like any other store you have to know your prices and be aware of when they do the best deals.

I guess I'm spoiled by the price of meat at the commissary on base. 93% lean ground beef is $4.22/lb (was around $3.50 a few months ago) and 80% lean is $2.93. Most choice steaks are in the $7-10/lb range (T-Bone, NY Strip, flank, ribeye, etc.)

I just looked up some local options for half a beef and the prices were from $5-7/lb.

I should clarify, the prices I mentioned for a full or half beef are for 100% grass-fed, 100% grass-finished, pastured-raised beef grown by a small family rancher.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I must have gotten the last of the $60 ten-pound ground beef blast. My closing date is this week but I see it went up to $67. I also bought the pork blast for $55. I buy the small box which allows me 6 items. I did that on purpose so I can do the add ons and the specials. This month I chose 3/2 packs of the fillet mignons, rib eye, pot roast and flat iron steak. Then the pork and beef blast. I get carried away and put a lot of stuff in my cart and then I have to weed out what I don't really need.

That is a really good idea to buy all those rib eyes with the bigger box! I may have to rethink switching between boxes now and then! May do that next month. My freezers are full too and now another delivery! YIKES!

You have really analyzed Butcher Box. Thanks for your input!

I check deals almost daily and add the good ones to my order, then go through right before the cutoff date and take out anything I don't really need or want.

I usually get the 6 item box as well, except for when I switched to the 12 item big box in January to stock up on those rib eyes.  I'm tentatively set up for another 12 item box this month, to be able to get the maximum of 10 2-packs of the filet (the maximum with the 6 item box is 4 2-packs).  Then I'm getting 2 2-packs of the NY steak for my final items, which along with the free 2-pack will give us 6 NY steaks, or 2 meals for 2 people.  The filet is really a pricey choice, but we haven't tried it yet and I've heard good things -- filet is probably my favorite steak, along with a good Porterhouse.  Since the big box is $288, it brings the price per pound down a little bit.

Quality meat is the one place we splurge.  I'm super careful with the rest of the budget, choosing on-sale and budget produce and most serving rice or potatoes as a side dish, with plenty of cheap vegetables.  We don't buy soda or juice, I bake our whole grain baked goods to save money (milling the flour at home which saves even more money).  I don't buy canned beans (did during the pandemic -- that was a mistake) for convenience, or packaged stock, or many other convenience foods.  I don't even buy packaged cereal unless the college kid is at home on break, and this summer he'll find less of that and will have to make toast or eat cornmeal mush.  I'm also weaning him off commercial almond milk and will go back to making rice or oat milk.

[Michael in ABQ]

Right now I have the free 2# ground beef for life offer, and free NY steaks for a year.  But I might just go back to buying a half or full beef from the rancher we like.  A full beef is 400# and right now costs $3879 (free shipping in CA), so it's under $10 per pound ($9.70).  But it comes with 160# of ground beef, and it would take us a long time to get through that.  The breakdown is about 100# steaks, 100# roasts, 20# stew meat, 20# fajita strips, and the 160# of ground beef.  The half beef is half those amounts; it costs $2150 so it is a higher per pound price ($10.75), but might be worth it so we don't have meat sitting in the freezer for several years.  I can't do anything like this though until we eat down what is a very full freezer.

I also find ButcherBox to be all over the place with pricing.  This month the 10# ground beef blast is $67.  Last month I got it for $60.  This month the 10# ground pork blast is $55, I got it for $35 in December.  I know prices are going up, but that is a big change for the pork.  I guess like any other store you have to know your prices and be aware of when they do the best deals.

I guess I'm spoiled by the price of meat at the commissary on base. 93% lean ground beef is $4.22/lb (was around $3.50 a few months ago) and 80% lean is $2.93. Most choice steaks are in the $7-10/lb range (T-Bone, NY Strip, flank, ribeye, etc.)

I just looked up some local options for half a beef and the prices were from $5-7/lb.

I should clarify, the prices I mentioned for a full or half beef are for 100% grass-fed, 100% grass-finished, pastured-raised beef grown by a small family rancher.

Same as I'm looking at here in Albuquerque. Just goes to show the difference in cost of living in California.

[Roadrunner53]

Should we start hoarding in case this Russia thing breaks out into a world war scenario?  Asking for a friend . . .

I’ve taken a good look at our emergency supplies, stocked up on cat food and chicken feed.

Dd has ordered potassium iodine tablets, which seems a bit extreme …

A source of clean iodine is essential for babies and young children if there is a nuclear leak.  We were lucky in North America with Chernobyl, we didn't get much.  I remember because I knew someone who had just had a baby and she and the pediatrician were monitoring Strontium 90 levels very closely.

Looks like there is a shortage of these tablets:  https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/14/business/potassium-iodide-pills-demand-surge/index.html

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the_kitchen, have you ever bought pork butt from Butcher box? I bought a few and they were really good. Then I bought one that was like total blubber and we were lucky to get enough meat off it for two people for one dinner. I contacted them and they were good and gave me another one for free. Well, we tried it and it was just as horrible. I am not ordering any more. Don't understand what happened there! Then for the New Year, we decided to buy two really big Rib eyes and they were super expensive. I didn't mind because we have not eaten out for probably two years and just wanted to celebrate the New Year with a super nice meal. Well, instead of getting two huge rib eyes, they sent 4 rib eyes. There are the normal ones you can get any week. I was pretty furious. I emailed them and they said I got the same amount of weight of the 4 steaks as the two steaks I had ordered. I said yes that might be true but what I got was like apples and bananas. Not what I wanted and would not have agreed to what they sent if they had contacted me. They grumbled a bit but refunded me the cost. I have been pleased other than these issues. What also gets me is that they offer something and they seem to run out. I got in on the large rib eyes and then they ran out. So, let's say they had 200 of them and I put in for them before they sold out, what happened to my steaks? They let me choose it, charged me for it and then substituted something else.

@Roadrunner53 I wanted to come back to this because I finally defrosted and cooked two of those "thick" ribeye steaks from ButcherBox. Not only are they still not all that thick, but upon defrosting one of them was pretty much in pieces.  I used my Instant Pot to cook them sous vide before searing; I do the sous vide at 131°F for medium rare, then sear in cast iron using mayo to create the brown crust (works like a charm and doesn't taste like mayo).

They were okay.  Instead of being nicely marbled ribeye steaks, they had large globs of fat, especially the one that was in pieces.  With the sous vide they come out incredibly tender, but they were really too fatty for me.  My youngest loved them, however.  I'm glad I only paid $20 each, since the next month they were selling them for $30.  Still, this is another ButcherBox disappointment.

I saw that organic whole chickens are B2G1, so $30 for 3 chickens.  This is a better price than Sprouts, so I put an order into my next box and will make a final decision before it ships.

[sonofsven]

I have tried growing potatoes before and it just wasn't worth it for the amount of potatoes I got out of it. I bought a special bag that was a potato grow bag and had to fill it with potting mix. In the end, I only got a small amount of potatoes. I give up! So, I buy my Yukon gold potatoes from Costco for $6.42 for 10 lbs. and $9.75 for a 15 lbs. of beautiful Idaho potatoes.

Thanks sonofsven for the tips and also FIRE Artist.

Does the cornmeal make the taters crispy?

Yes, I will dice up onions this time. Last time they were kind of like strips and worked out well. Still have a bunch in the freezer!

With the bit of oil the potatoes will get crispy no matter what, but I find the cornmeal dusting adds a different texture and a bit of flavour.  Try a small batch and see how you like it.  I rarely make roast potatoes any other way now, and never bother with fries at all.  I like to make a simple aioli to go along with them, add the same spice mixture to some mayo with a bit of lime juice and some lime zest.

I'll try the corn meal. I use a mix of salt, pepper, chili powder and garlic powder, with a little olive oil. I'm basically trying to recreate gas station jo jo's, which are a "thing" on the west coast, at least.

I think those have a seasoned flour or corn starch dusting on them which really needs to be deep fried to taste good.  The corn meal might be the oven crisp alternative you are looking for.

I did put a little dusting of corn meal and and they did improve the crispness. Thanks, this is a keeper!

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the_kitchen Good to know your results of the big Rib Eye steaks but too bad they were so fatty!

Well, I had another issue with Butcher Box too. Not pleased that they sent the package to arrive on Saturday. It came Laser Ship and we have had some issues with them in the past. The box arrived about 7:30 pm. Mr. Roadrunner was not a happy camper to be juggling meat to the freezer at that hour. He discovered that the ribs we ordered, 2 packages, were thawed/cold as well as one package of bacon and one package of ground beef was getting a little soft around the edges. It was still mostly frozen, so it went into the freezer. The ribs and bacon went to the fridge. I was not happy to be forced to eat the ribs unplanned for. Don't get me wrong, the ribs were delicious but arrived not frozen! If there was dry ice it was long gone and no evidence of it remained. I emailed them and they offered to replace, refund or credit my account. I took the offer of replacing in my next box. My biggest concern is now summer is approaching and hotter temps. I voiced my concern, but they didn't have much to say but if I have problems, let them know. I hate to complain but this stuff is not cheap! Mr. Roadrunner has always complimented their good packing and everything in the past being frozen like a rock.

Speaking of Chicken, I also belong to Misfits Market and get a box weekly of veggies and other things. This week they also had chicken at about $10 each and I have one coming. The last time I did a Costco Insta Cart, I bought three of the rotisserie chickens and threw them in the freezer (as is). We have defrosted and eaten them and they are so good!

Last week, I cooked up around 5 good size chicken breasts in my slow cooker. I was making chicken and rice. The recipe I used said to cook on high for 3 hours. I checked the internal temp of the chicken and it was 165 F and done so I removed them. The rice was far from done so I left it to cook more. I think another hour on high. The chicken was so good! Moist and perfectly cooked. Chicken breasts are notoriously known for getting dried out. Internal temps are the key. I just got lucky I took the temp at the right time and pulled them out.

Oh, and I also bought a corned beef from Butcher Box. It was $36 if I recall. It looked really nice but shrunk up considerably. We got two dinners and two sandwiches out of it. Not a lot for $36! A month or so previously, I had cooked a corned beef from the grocery store and it had been frozen a long time. The price was much, much less and just as good as BB and maybe even better. I see now they have reduced the price to $30. Not sure I will spend the money on a BB corned beef again.

After about a year or so with BB I am now seeing what things that are worth the money and not worth the money. I am following in your footsteps and next month I am ordering the big box of 12 items. In my box I have already filled it with steaks and chuck roasts. This month I got the ground pork and ground beef blast so I am stocked up on that.

I don't have sous vide option here but I will use that mayo tip on the steaks next time!

Oh, and I have one more somewhat minor complaint about BB. I have noticed that when I thaw out ground beef, steaks, chicken the blood leaks out of the packaging. Lucky I have been around the block too many times to count so I always put the stuff defrosting in plastic ziplocks to catch the blood if it leaks. However, it irks me to waste my plastic bags! I reuse them when possible but blood is where I usually draw the line.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the_kitchen Good to know your results of the big Rib Eye steaks but too bad they were so fatty!

Well, I had another issue with Butcher Box too. Not pleased that they sent the package to arrive on Saturday. It came Laser Ship and we have had some issues with them in the past. The box arrived about 7:30 pm. Mr. Roadrunner was not a happy camper to be juggling meat to the freezer at that hour. He discovered that the ribs we ordered, 2 packages, were thawed/cold as well as one package of bacon and one package of ground beef was getting a little soft around the edges. It was still mostly frozen, so it went into the freezer. The ribs and bacon went to the fridge. I was not happy to be forced to eat the ribs unplanned for. Don't get me wrong, the ribs were delicious but arrived not frozen! If there was dry ice it was long gone and no evidence of it remained. I emailed them and they offered to replace, refund or credit my account. I took the offer of replacing in my next box. My biggest concern is now summer is approaching and hotter temps. I voiced my concern, but they didn't have much to say but if I have problems, let them know. I hate to complain but this stuff is not cheap! Mr. Roadrunner has always complimented their good packing and everything in the past being frozen like a rock.

Speaking of Chicken, I also belong to Misfits Market and get a box weekly of veggies and other things. This week they also had chicken at about $10 each and I have one coming. The last time I did a Costco Insta Cart, I bought three of the rotisserie chickens and threw them in the freezer (as is). We have defrosted and eaten them and they are so good!

Last week, I cooked up around 5 good size chicken breasts in my slow cooker. I was making chicken and rice. The recipe I used said to cook on high for 3 hours. I checked the internal temp of the chicken and it was 165 F and done so I removed them. The rice was far from done so I left it to cook more. I think another hour on high. The chicken was so good! Moist and perfectly cooked. Chicken breasts are notoriously known for getting dried out. Internal temps are the key. I just got lucky I took the temp at the right time and pulled them out.

Oh, and I also bought a corned beef from Butcher Box. It was $36 if I recall. It looked really nice but shrunk up considerably. We got two dinners and two sandwiches out of it. Not a lot for $36! A month or so previously, I had cooked a corned beef from the grocery store and it had been frozen a long time. The price was much, much less and just as good as BB and maybe even better. I see now they have reduced the price to $30. Not sure I will spend the money on a BB corned beef again.

After about a year or so with BB I am now seeing what things that are worth the money and not worth the money. I am following in your footsteps and next month I am ordering the big box of 12 items. In my box I have already filled it with steaks and chuck roasts. This month I got the ground pork and ground beef blast so I am stocked up on that.

I don't have sous vide option here but I will use that mayo tip on the steaks next time!

Oh, and I have one more somewhat minor complaint about BB. I have noticed that when I thaw out ground beef, steaks, chicken the blood leaks out of the packaging. Lucky I have been around the block too many times to count so I always put the stuff defrosting in plastic ziplocks to catch the blood if it leaks. However, it irks me to waste my plastic bags! I reuse them when possible but blood is where I usually draw the line.

Thanks for giving more intel on BB!  I'll keep their corned beef OFF the menu.

Sometimes I go in and change my box date by a couple of days.  If I make my box date a Sunday, it usually arrives on Monday, which usually works for me.  This month I didn't have to change it, but I will for April.

I had one box that arrived with things slightly defrosted.  I'm worried about the heat too, and will keep a close eye on it and complain if necessary.  Only once has my box arrived with any of the dry ice intact, but luckily it's usually fewer than 24 hours from shipping to arrival.

I see that the BB chicken deal is already gone.  I cook chicken by temperature as well, but I've never tried cooking it with rice in the slow cooker.

We're working on eating through the refrigerator this week (started last week).  My family doesn't love when I do this, but they'll live.  We're now out of fresh fruit, but we still have frozen fruit, canned pineapple, and jarred applesauce.  I prepped all of the refrigerated vegetables last Thursday, and we still have carrots and cabbage to eat.  Today we'll be eating leftover cabbage and ground beef from St. Patrick's Day.  Tomorrow I'll do a sheet pan supper with the last of the potatoes, which are a little soft but will roast in chunks just fine, as well as carrots, and we'll have a cabbage salad with both meals.  I'll sauté the last of the cabbage to eat with eggs on Wednesday. The plan is for groceries Wednesday, as our last full shop was 3/3 (the young adults did a perishables run on 3/11 but that has all been eaten).

When I get groceries I'm going to start stocking the pantry foods I know we'll eat, like canned pineapple, jarred applesauce, pasta and sauce, and peanut butter.  Well, I eat very little of that, but the rest of them do.

Our neighbor gave us another 20 or so avocados and they're beginning to ripen, so all meals will have avocado for the next week.  The neighbor doesn't like avocados!  These are very thinned skin and the skin doesn't separate from the flesh easily, but since they are a windfall and she gives us more than we can eat, I just don't worry about getting every single bit from each avocado.

I bought a new rice cooker.  We had donated our large 10 cup rice cooker because we thought we'd never need it again.  It wasn't even that huge, but made far more rice than we need for a family of four, and we didn't like it compared to our smaller Zojirushi.  Our small three cup Zo didn't make enough rice to feed five adults over spring break (not with two of them being competitive athletes who eat hug amounts of food), so I spent more hands-on time cooking for us versus the young adults taking responsibility.  A 5 cup Zo would have sufficed, but I bought a 10 cup so we can make porridge again.  (I spent several mornings constantly stirring a pot of cornmeal mush for everyone.)  Since rice and other grains are inexpensive, having an easy way to cook them will be nice.  Count me as one of the people who don't love how the Instant Pot cooks grains.  DH will also take the new large rice cooker to races to cook rice for his team.

[Catbert]

Roadrunner - I do re-use ziplock bags that meat has been stored in.  I give it a quick rinse and then store it in the freezer until next time.  The rinse assures me that there aren't holes in the bag.  Whether I reuse in part depends on how I defrosted the last meat.  Defrost in the refrigerator overnight is better than something I left on the counter.  Might be a bridge too far for many.

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the_kitchen Good to know your results of the big Rib Eye steaks but too bad they were so fatty!

Well, I had another issue with Butcher Box too. Not pleased that they sent the package to arrive on Saturday. It came Laser Ship and we have had some issues with them in the past. The box arrived about 7:30 pm. Mr. Roadrunner was not a happy camper to be juggling meat to the freezer at that hour. He discovered that the ribs we ordered, 2 packages, were thawed/cold as well as one package of bacon and one package of ground beef was getting a little soft around the edges. It was still mostly frozen, so it went into the freezer. The ribs and bacon went to the fridge. I was not happy to be forced to eat the ribs unplanned for. Don't get me wrong, the ribs were delicious but arrived not frozen! If there was dry ice it was long gone and no evidence of it remained. I emailed them and they offered to replace, refund or credit my account. I took the offer of replacing in my next box. My biggest concern is now summer is approaching and hotter temps. I voiced my concern, but they didn't have much to say but if I have problems, let them know. I hate to complain but this stuff is not cheap! Mr. Roadrunner has always complimented their good packing and everything in the past being frozen like a rock.

Speaking of Chicken, I also belong to Misfits Market and get a box weekly of veggies and other things. This week they also had chicken at about $10 each and I have one coming. The last time I did a Costco Insta Cart, I bought three of the rotisserie chickens and threw them in the freezer (as is). We have defrosted and eaten them and they are so good!

Last week, I cooked up around 5 good size chicken breasts in my slow cooker. I was making chicken and rice. The recipe I used said to cook on high for 3 hours. I checked the internal temp of the chicken and it was 165 F and done so I removed them. The rice was far from done so I left it to cook more. I think another hour on high. The chicken was so good! Moist and perfectly cooked. Chicken breasts are notoriously known for getting dried out. Internal temps are the key. I just got lucky I took the temp at the right time and pulled them out.

Oh, and I also bought a corned beef from Butcher Box. It was $36 if I recall. It looked really nice but shrunk up considerably. We got two dinners and two sandwiches out of it. Not a lot for $36! A month or so previously, I had cooked a corned beef from the grocery store and it had been frozen a long time. The price was much, much less and just as good as BB and maybe even better. I see now they have reduced the price to $30. Not sure I will spend the money on a BB corned beef again.

After about a year or so with BB I am now seeing what things that are worth the money and not worth the money. I am following in your footsteps and next month I am ordering the big box of 12 items. In my box I have already filled it with steaks and chuck roasts. This month I got the ground pork and ground beef blast so I am stocked up on that.

I don't have sous vide option here but I will use that mayo tip on the steaks next time!

Oh, and I have one more somewhat minor complaint about BB. I have noticed that when I thaw out ground beef, steaks, chicken the blood leaks out of the packaging. Lucky I have been around the block too many times to count so I always put the stuff defrosting in plastic ziplocks to catch the blood if it leaks. However, it irks me to waste my plastic bags! I reuse them when possible but blood is where I usually draw the line.

Thanks for giving more intel on BB!  I'll keep their corned beef OFF the menu.

Sometimes I go in and change my box date by a couple of days.  If I make my box date a Sunday, it usually arrives on Monday, which usually works for me.  This month I didn't have to change it, but I will for April.

I had one box that arrived with things slightly defrosted.  I'm worried about the heat too, and will keep a close eye on it and complain if necessary.  Only once has my box arrived with any of the dry ice intact, but luckily it's usually fewer than 24 hours from shipping to arrival.

I see that the BB chicken deal is already gone.  I cook chicken by temperature as well, but I've never tried cooking it with rice in the slow cooker.

We're working on eating through the refrigerator this week (started last week).  My family doesn't love when I do this, but they'll live.  We're now out of fresh fruit, but we still have frozen fruit, canned pineapple, and jarred applesauce.  I prepped all of the refrigerated vegetables last Thursday, and we still have carrots and cabbage to eat.  Today we'll be eating leftover cabbage and ground beef from St. Patrick's Day.  Tomorrow I'll do a sheet pan supper with the last of the potatoes, which are a little soft but will roast in chunks just fine, as well as carrots, and we'll have a cabbage salad with both meals.  I'll sauté the last of the cabbage to eat with eggs on Wednesday. The plan is for groceries Wednesday, as our last full shop was 3/3 (the young adults did a perishables run on 3/11 but that has all been eaten).

When I get groceries I'm going to start stocking the pantry foods I know we'll eat, like canned pineapple, jarred applesauce, pasta and sauce, and peanut butter.  Well, I eat very little of that, but the rest of them do.

Our neighbor gave us another 20 or so avocados and they're beginning to ripen, so all meals will have avocado for the next week.  The neighbor doesn't like avocados!  These are very thinned skin and the skin doesn't separate from the flesh easily, but since they are a windfall and she gives us more than we can eat, I just don't worry about getting every single bit from each avocado.

I bought a new rice cooker.  We had donated our large 10 cup rice cooker because we thought we'd never need it again.  It wasn't even that huge, but made far more rice than we need for a family of four, and we didn't like it compared to our smaller Zojirushi.  Our small three cup Zo didn't make enough rice to feed five adults over spring break (not with two of them being competitive athletes who eat hug amounts of food), so I spent more hands-on time cooking for us versus the young adults taking responsibility.  A 5 cup Zo would have sufficed, but I bought a 10 cup so we can make porridge again.  (I spent several mornings constantly stirring a pot of cornmeal mush for everyone.)  Since rice and other grains are inexpensive, having an easy way to cook them will be nice.  Count me as one of the people who don't love how the Instant Pot cooks grains.  DH will also take the new large rice cooker to races to cook rice for his team.

K_in_the_Kitchen I read your comment earlier on the good deal at BB and I decided to go in and look. I scooped up the B2G1 chicken deal. I have a question for you. I am buying the large custom box (12 items) and then the chickens and the free stuff and then the replacement stuff. My question is when you ordered the 12 item box did your order come in two boxes or one. If I get one box it is going to be HUGE and pretty heavy.

I also never thought about moving my day of delivery. I will do that because I am also afraid the box will get hung up over the weekend somewhere on a truck.

As far as my chicken and rice, it was just okay. The chicken was great but the rice was kind of mushy. I wonder if anyone can suggest a rice that is more firm when finished cooking in Crockpot.

I used to have a Instant pot but I just couldn't get into it. I bought a 10 quart one. I used it quite a few times and kind of prefer cooking in the slow cooker better. I know I am in the minority here. The only one thing that I really liked it for was making yogurt but it is just the two of us and Mr. Roadrunner isn't a big yogurt eater unless I prepare a bowl of it with fruit for him. He would probably never hunt down the yogurt in the fridge. So, I ended up donating the Instantpot to Goodwill. I have three crockpots. A big one, small one and rectangular one. I also have an old pressure cooker that I used to love to use.

Since I almost never go to the store I have been trying to figure out ways to extend the life of my veggies. Lettuce it the biggest problem. I have started to buy these prebagged kale salads thru Misfits Market. The kale really holds up a pretty long time and the expiration dates on the bags are quite long. Then the last time I got Insta cart from Costco, I bought Romaine lettuce. I think it was 5 heads. They are still in the fridge and in good shape after weeks now. What I did was take a clean white dish towel and wrap the romaine with it then bag it in ziplocks. Making sure to get all the air out of the bag. Then I bought butter lettuce I put them in a reusable vacuum sealer bag. That lettuce has lasted a long time too. With spinach, I pour the spinach out onto a paper towel or dishcloth and roll it up and bag it in a ziplock removing air. This has worked out really good too. Mushrooms are another critter. They do not like plastic and I put them in a paper lunch bag and secure with a clip. That helps them survive for a long time too. Right now I have a bunch of peppers to cut up and onions too. The chopped onions in the freezer has worked out really great and it is nice to pull them out to cook with.

I bought some Kraft macaroni and cheese boxes and they are expiring. Mr. Roadrunner throws out anything expired and it kind of makes me crazy. Got any ideas what I can do with about 10 boxes of macaroni and cheese. It is pretty cheap but still, I hate to throw out food!

I believe May14th is the Stamp out Hunger collection day that the mail carriers pick up donations at our homes. The macaroni and cheese will be expired by then so that is a no go.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I've also had several ButcherBox packages leak upon defrosting.  What I really hate about it is knowing that the vacuum-sealed meats weren't fully protected in the freezer :(   I did learn to inspect packaging carefully upon arrival, looking for any obvious punctures, which BB will make right.  But most of the time the package that leaks is one that didn't show any signs of not being airtight.

I've received 4 BB boxes with my offer of free ground beef for life and free NY steaks for a year.  I doubt we'll make it through the full year of the NY steak offer, especially if they can't get the meat here safely when it's hot (we have temps around 100°F late June through September).  Honestly, I resubscribed when I thought it would just be DH and I here at home, but with one young adult child home full time again it's really too expensive to be feeding everyone BB.  We'd be better off buying half a beef after we eat down the freezer, or even a full beef if there's room.  A full beef would definitely last 18 months and come in at just over $200 per month. It pushes a lot of the beef eating to ground, however.

I do a few things when defrosting meat in the refrigerator.  One is saving bags from other food items, like the plastic zipper bags that frozen produce comes in.  Or I use other food packaging bags and a twist tie, making sure to put the meats in the fridge in a way that it won't leak.  But mostly I just defrost meats on a tray or in a bowl, and then wash the tray or bowl.

I do use ziplock bags for whole chickens, and I do throw them away -- there's no point in risking salmonella poisoning.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the_Kitchen I read your comment earlier on the good deal at BB and I decided to go in and look. I scooped up the B2G1 chicken deal. I have a question for you. I am buying the large custom box (12 items) and then the chickens and the free stuff and then the replacement stuff. My question is when you ordered the 12 item box did your order come in two boxes or one. If I get one box it is going to be HUGE and pretty heavy.

I also never thought about moving my day of delivery. I will do that because I am also afraid the box will get hung up over the weekend somewhere on a truck.

As far as my chicken and rice, it was just okay. The chicken was great but the rice was kind of mushy. I wonder if anyone can suggest a rice that is more firm when finished cooking in Crockpot.

I used to have a Instant pot but I just couldn't get into it. I bought a 10 quart one. I used it quite a few times and kind of prefer cooking in the slow cooker better. I know I am in the minority here. The only one thing that I really liked it for was making yogurt but it is just the two of us and Mr. Roadrunner isn't a big yogurt eater unless I prepare a bowl of it with fruit for him. He would probably never hunt down the yogurt in the fridge. So, I ended up donating the Instantpot to Goodwill. I have three crockpots. A big one, small one and rectangular one. I also have an old pressure cooker that I used to love to use.

Since I almost never go to the store I have been trying to figure out ways to extend the life of my veggies. Lettuce it the biggest problem. I have started to buy these prebagged kale salads thru Misfits Market. The kale really holds up a pretty long time and the expiration dates on the bags are quite long. Then the last time I got Insta cart from Costco, I bought Romaine lettuce. I think it was 5 heads. They are still in the fridge and in good shape after weeks now. What I did was take a clean white dish towel and wrap the romaine with it then bag it in ziplocks. Making sure to get all the air out of the bag. Then I bought butter lettuce I put them in a reusable vacuum sealer bag. That lettuce has lasted a long time too. With spinach, I pour the spinach out onto a paper towel or dishcloth and roll it up and bag it in a ziplock removing air. This has worked out really good too. Mushrooms are another critter. They do not like plastic and I put them in a paper lunch bag and secure with a clip. That helps them survive for a long time too. Right now I have a bunch of peppers to cut up and onions too. The chopped onions in the freezer has worked out really great and it is nice to pull them out to cook with.

I bought some Kraft macaroni and cheese boxes and they are expiring. Mr. Roadrunner throws out anything expired and it kind of makes me crazy. Got any ideas what I can do with about 10 boxes of macaroni and cheese. It is pretty cheap but still, I hate to throw out food!

I believe May14th is the Stamp out Hunger collection day that the mail carriers pick up donations at our homes. The macaroni and cheese will be expired by then so that is a no go.

The time I got the 12 item box everything still came in one large box, but with another large order I got two boxes, so it probably depends on total weight and volume.

I always set my box to close on a Sunday, so they have all week to get it to me.  For my box they ship from the S.F. bay area, so it doesn't have really far to go.

I use the Instant Pot mostly for pinto beans and other basics rather than full meals.  It's great for cooking sweet potatoes, hard-cooked eggs, etc.  It does do a decent whole chicken if I'm pressed for time, but I'd rather use a slow cooker (which I no longer have) or just the stove top.  I no longer think of the Instant Pot as a must have, however, whereas I used it almost daily when we ate plant-based and were feeding the whole family.  I do like that I can use it for sous vide without needing all of the separate sous vide cooker tools, but it's definitely limited in how much it can hold.  I never used it for yogurt since my yogurt method is dead simple using ultra-pasteurized milk and an Excalibur dehydrator.

As for the macaroni and cheese, if I were you I would decant all of the pasta into a bulk container and toss the packets if your DH won't eat expired food.  I'm sure it's the cheese packets that force the expiration, not the pasta.  Then I would use the pasta in soups or casseroles.  We aren't macaroni and cheese people, since one kid can't have gluten and the other is allergic to dairy.

We do really well with not letting produce spoil.  Like you, DH has found that Costco romaine hearts last several weeks if stored well.  We've also bought their kale salad as a long lasting option.  If we buy baby carrots we drain them, then store with paper towels (regular carrots last a long time without help).  Non-staining produce gets wrapped in flour sacks towels set aside for that purpose (kept out of the general cleaning towels).  It's amazing what a help it is to get produce out of the plastic packaging they sell it in!

With the warm and hot weather arriving, we won't be able to keep potatoes even a week, so we switch to eating more rice.  I store potatoes in a canvas bag hanging in the pantry, which usually gives us a month or more, but once it's hot all bets are off.  Sweet potatoes and onions also won't last as long.  I'm really happy with the frozen diced sweet potatoes I bought from Azure, and the frozen diced potatoes as well.  I plan to experiment with making an Indian potato dish with the frozen potatoes and canned chiles, just to see if we like it enough to have as another option when we haven't been gotten groceries.

[Roadrunner53]

The time I got the 12 item box everything still came in one large box, but with another large order I got two boxes, so it probably depends on total weight and volume.

I always set my box to close on a Sunday, so they have all week to get it to me.  For my box they ship from the S.F. bay area, so it doesn't have really far to go.

I use the Instant Pot mostly for pinto beans and other basics rather than full meals.  It's great for cooking sweet potatoes, hard-cooked eggs, etc.  It does do a decent whole chicken if I'm pressed for time, but I'd rather use a slow cooker (which I no longer have) or just the stove top.  I no longer think of the Instant Pot as a must have, however, whereas I used it almost daily when we ate plant-based and were feeding the whole family.  I do like that I can use it for sous vide without needing all of the separate sous vide cooker tools, but it's definitely limited in how much it can hold.  I never used it for yogurt since my yogurt method is dead simple using ultra-pasteurized milk and an Excalibur dehydrator.

As for the macaroni and cheese, if I were you I would decant all of the pasta into a bulk container and toss the packets if your DH won't eat expired food.  I'm sure it's the cheese packets that force the expiration, not the pasta.  Then I would use the pasta in soups or casseroles.  We aren't macaroni and cheese people, since one kid can't have gluten and the other is allergic to dairy.

We do really well with not letting produce spoil.  Like you, DH has found that Costco romaine hearts last several weeks if stored well.  We've also bought their kale salad as a long lasting option.  If we buy baby carrots we drain them, then store with paper towels (regular carrots last a long time without help).  Non-staining produce gets wrapped in flour sacks towels set aside for that purpose (kept out of the general cleaning towels).  It's amazing what a help it is to get produce out of the plastic packaging they sell it in!

With the warm and hot weather arriving, we won't be able to keep potatoes even a week, so we switch to eating more rice.  I store potatoes in a canvas bag hanging in the pantry, which usually gives us a month or more, but once it's hot all bets are off.  Sweet potatoes and onions also won't last as long.  I'm really happy with the frozen diced sweet potatoes I bought from Azure, and the frozen diced potatoes as well.  I plan to experiment with making an Indian potato dish with the frozen potatoes and canned chiles, just to see if we like it enough to have as another option when we haven't been gotten groceries.
[/quote]

I did just that on my closing date a little while ago. Closing date Sunday and delivery Mon-Thurs. That should work out much better! Thanks for the tip! If the delivery people would come at a normal time, that would be great too!

Good idea on the macaroni. I will tell Mr. Roadrunner to do that! He is the inventory manager of the food warehouse! I cannot convince him stuff doesn't automatically rot by the use by date. I worked in the food industry for 18 years and did shelf life studies to determine how long products last. The worst that usually happens is that the nutritional value is depleted or the flavor is a bit diminished. Doubtful macaroni and cheese powder will go to hell in a few weeks time. I have to laugh but he is skeptical and won't eat it. UGH! (Tearing my hair out!) The food products I worked on were refrigerated products, not dehydrated. Refrigerated would go bad sooner than any dried product. Oh well!

Sometimes I have bread for a while in the fridge. Mr. Roadrunner will ask me if it is still good. I tell him if it isn't green, it is still good. He seems to deal with it! Mostly I keep my bread in the freezer so it stays okay.

I also cannot keep onions or potatoes long before the onions get soft and the potatoes sprout legs. I baked up Costco Idaho potatoes and froze them whole. I have found that I can either use them baked or cut them up and use them. Plus, I have been making French Fries which have not been quite perfected yet. Still a work in progress. As far as potatoes go, I have also bought canned whole and sliced potatoes to have on hand when I am out of potatoes. Have not used them much but on youtube some people thought they were excellent. Gotta think outside the box sometimes!

[Tick-Tock]

The food bank I volunteer for doesn’t seem to care about expiration dates. The only things we are instructed to toss because they are expired or are about to expire are baby food products.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I did just that on my closing date a little while ago. Closing date Sunday and delivery Mon-Thurs. That should work out much better! Thanks for the tip! If the delivery people would come at a normal time, that would be great too!

Good idea on the macaroni. I will tell Mr. Roadrunner to do that! He is the inventory manager of the food warehouse! I cannot convince him stuff doesn't automatically rot by the use by date. I worked in the food industry for 18 years and did shelf life studies to determine how long products last. The worst that usually happens is that the nutritional value is depleted or the flavor is a bit diminished. Doubtful macaroni and cheese powder will go to hell in a few weeks time. I have to laugh but he is skeptical and won't eat it. UGH! (Tearing my hair out!) The food products I worked on were refrigerated products, not dehydrated. Refrigerated would go bad sooner than any dried product. Oh well!

Sometimes I have bread for a while in the fridge. Mr. Roadrunner will ask me if it is still good. I tell him if it isn't green, it is still good. He seems to deal with it! Mostly I keep my bread in the freezer so it stays okay.

I also cannot keep onions or potatoes long before the onions get soft and the potatoes sprout legs. I baked up Costco Idaho potatoes and froze them whole. I have found that I can either use them baked or cut them up and use them. Plus, I have been making French Fries which have not been quite perfected yet. Still a work in progress. As far as potatoes go, I have also bought canned whole and sliced potatoes to have on hand when I am out of potatoes. Have not used them much but on youtube some people thought they were excellent. Gotta think outside the box sometimes!

I doubt the cheese powder will go bad, but I figure that's the part he might worry about.

For us, the inability to store potatoes longer term occurs just as we find ourselves not wanting to heat up the kitchen to bake potatoes anyway.  Right now, with warm weather, we get about one week of life from a bag of potatoes. By July I don't expect more than a few days -- potatoes seems to really not like the heat.  Although maybe it has to do with how far past harvest the potatoes are too?  This year I have a toaster oven, so I plan to move that outside if I buy potatoes to bake.

How do you keep your chopped onions from causing odors in the freezer?  I do okay if I cook them first, but when I did raw onions the smell was quite strong, even double bagged, or wrapped in cling wrap and then bagged.

Our main meal today ended up being an egg casserole made with the leftover cabbage and ground beef.  I mixed it with frozen shredded potatoes and grated cheese before topping it with the egg mixture.  We're out of milk, so I used water and sour cream with the eggs, along with salt and onion powder.  There are now leftovers of the casserole, so we'll eat it for breakfast and again at supper time Wednesday.

I actually love the weeks when I stretch the food we have -- I have to be creative and there is a satisfaction is feeding everyone well without them feeling deprived.  If it wasn't for being out of fresh fruit they wouldn't even know I'd skipped shopping for groceries -- I'm really glad I got our youngest to give up drinking milk.  I'm planning to settle us into getting groceries twice a month, or maybe every two weeks.  I know it saves money.  To me this is one of the main reasons for being stocked up (or as our thread title puts it, "hoarding").  I could even go to once a month, but they all love fresh fruit and we're coming into the time of year when it's abundant and cheap, cheaper than frozen fruit.

[Roadrunner53]

I am sure the cheese powder is fine but can't convince him. We will keep the pasta and toss the packets like you suggested. I actually have some cheese powder I got from Amazon that is supposed to be the same stuff so I will just use that. Haha, I wonder if it is expired? I won't tell him if it is!

The onions do sometimes smell and other times don't. Maybe it is the type of onions.

I just cut up 4 giant onions and froze them and cut up 4 more and put in crockpot to caramelize. Will let them cook all night on low. The onions are huge so I cut each one up and put each in a quart ziplock. They are the freezer bags so they are thicker I guess maybe the smell is harder to get thru them.

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the_kitchen Just thought I would critique my latest Butcher Box meat. Right now, I am cooking a chuck roast . It was only 36 ounces. Very small to begin with! I have been cooking it in my crockpot and it is done after about 6 hours on high. Just tasted a piece of the meat and it is very good. But, OMG, do not plan to feed more than two people! The hunk of meat shrunk a lot. I know chuck roasts shrink and normally when I buy one, I would buy a much bigger one. I don't know why BB doesn't have bigger cuts for these cuts of meat! If you plan to feed a family, I suggest at least two if not three of these roasts! Mr. Roadrunner and I will have dinner on it and very little left over.

Chuck roast is one of my most favorite meats to cook so as good as it tastes, the amount is a disappointment. Oh well, lesson learned!

Well, here is an amendment, once we cut the meat, it was more meat than we expected. It would have fed 4 people, but still was a very small roast and not what I am used to. Flavor was very good. If I were to have guests, this meat was cutting it very close.

[Roadrunner53]

Expiration dates: https://www.hungry-girl.com/ask-hg-q-and-a/sell-by-use-by-dates-on-food

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

Expiration dates, take 2: https://www.nytimes.com/article/expiration-dates-coronavirus.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20220323&instance_id=56454&nl=the-morning&regi_id=51069051&segment_id=86269&te=1&user_id=f32ab5c5aa3a800def3de91c87c2e747

If it's behind a paywall, the summary is:
1) expiration dates "act solely as the manufacturer’s best guess as to when its product will no longer be at peak quality, whatever that means."
2) "unrefined grains contain fats, and fats are the first thing to go off when it comes to dry pantry staples" (white rice lasts longer than brown. Grits and steel cut oats go off faster than their instant counterparts. White flour lasts longer than WW. You get the idea.)
3) Use your eyes and nose and ears when opening stuff. If it looks off, smells off, or sounds off (open the jar and it hisses at you, for example) don't use it.

Now if only I could get my son to realize all this! He's like another poster's SO - if the date is past, the item is bad, no questions asked and straight into the trash.

[Roadrunner53]

Expiration dates, take 2: https://www.nytimes.com/article/expiration-dates-coronavirus.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20220323&instance_id=56454&nl=the-morning&regi_id=51069051&segment_id=86269&te=1&user_id=f32ab5c5aa3a800def3de91c87c2e747

If it's behind a paywall, the summary is:
1) expiration dates "act solely as the manufacturer’s best guess as to when its product will no longer be at peak quality, whatever that means."
2) "unrefined grains contain fats, and fats are the first thing to go off when it comes to dry pantry staples" (white rice lasts longer than brown. Grits and steel cut oats go off faster than their instant counterparts. White flour lasts longer than WW. You get the idea.)
3) Use your eyes and nose and ears when opening stuff. If it looks off, smells off, or sounds off (open the jar and it hisses at you, for example) don't use it.

Now if only I could get my son to realize all this! He's like another poster's SO - if the date is past, the item is bad, no questions asked and straight into the trash.

Peak quality is when all nutritional values and flavors are still intact. If a manufacturer says there is so much Vit. C, for example, in the product it has to be in a certain range to be considered in compliance. That is what storage studies establish. Products are stored at various temperatures. Frozen would be basically the gold standard and nothing really changes. Regular refrigerator temperatures, elevated temperatures for a certain period of time to see how much abuse the product can take and still be in compliance. At certain periods of time the samples are pulled from the storage chambers and sent for microscopic and chemical analysis to see if the nutritional's are falling off and if the products remain safe for consumption. Once they are cleared usually trained sensory panels taste these products and can determine rancidity or off flavors or if the product remains fresh tasting.

I cannot convince Mr. Roadrunner that the expiration date isn't the date of death for a product. When he sees me eating expired product, I know he thinks I am part neanderthal. Oh well!

[GuitarStv]

I cannot convince Mr. Roadrunner that the expiration date isn't the date of death for a product. When he sees me eating expired product, I know he thinks I am part neanderthal. Oh well!

It's a valid concern, I've died several times eating yogurt past it's expiry date.

[SunnyDays]

Before expiration dates were a thing, people ate old food all the time.  No one gave it a thought.  We're too easily led these days, and are soft on critical thinking skills.

As I said in a long-ago post, I once called up Maple Leaf foods, because they had a code on the canned ham rather than a date, and I was told what the date was, but that the product is actually good for 2 years past that.  Well, it was something like 4 years old, so I gave it to the dog who seemed to enjoy it.  So I don't take dates too seriously.

[GuitarStv]

Well, it was something like 4 years old, so I gave it to the dog who seemed to enjoy it.

To be fair . . . my Beagle heartily enjoyed eating poop.  Not sure that canine happiness is a ringing endorsement of suitability/quality for food.

:P

[SunnyDays]

Well, it was something like 4 years old, so I gave it to the dog who seemed to enjoy it.

To be fair . . . my Beagle heartily enjoyed eating poop.  Not sure that canine happiness is a ringing endorsement of suitability/quality for food.

:P

Ha! True.  Although my dog has been known to turn up her nose at some things, so it couldn't have been all that bad.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the_kitchen Just thought I would critique my latest Butcher Box meat. Right now, I am cooking a chuck roast . It was only 36 ounces. Very small to begin with! I have been cooking it in my crockpot and it is done after about 6 hours on high. Just tasted a piece of the meat and it is very good. But, OMG, do not plan to feed more than two people! The hunk of meat shrunk a lot. I know chuck roasts shrink and normally when I buy one, I would buy a much bigger one. I don't know why BB doesn't have bigger cuts for these cuts of meat! If you plan to feed a family, I suggest at least two if not three of these roasts! Mr. Roadrunner and I will have dinner on it and very little left over.

Chuck roast is one of my most favorite meats to cook so as good as it tastes, the amount is a disappointment. Oh well, lesson learned!

Well, here is an amendment, once we cut the meat, it was more meat than we expected. It would have fed 4 people, but still was a very small roast and not what I am used to. Flavor was very good. If I were to have guests, this meat was cutting it very close.

We tried the chuck roast a few months ago.  It was tiny, and barely fed the four of us.  It's rather sad, because I love a good pot roast made with chuck.

I cooked up some of the BB breakfast sausage today, and it was a disappointment.  We usually buy Beeler's pork sausage at the health food store, and it's far superior to this.  I cooked 3# today and I hope my kid likes it enough to eat it.  I'm now of the opinion that BB isn't sourcing very good pork, not for the sausage or the thick cut bacon.

We did try the apple gouda sausage last night, and it was good, but it's technically from Niman Ranch, BB just sells it.

[Roadrunner53]

K_in_the_kitchen Just thought I would critique my latest Butcher Box meat. Right now, I am cooking a chuck roast . It was only 36 ounces. Very small to begin with! I have been cooking it in my crockpot and it is done after about 6 hours on high. Just tasted a piece of the meat and it is very good. But, OMG, do not plan to feed more than two people! The hunk of meat shrunk a lot. I know chuck roasts shrink and normally when I buy one, I would buy a much bigger one. I don't know why BB doesn't have bigger cuts for these cuts of meat! If you plan to feed a family, I suggest at least two if not three of these roasts! Mr. Roadrunner and I will have dinner on it and very little left over.

Chuck roast is one of my most favorite meats to cook so as good as it tastes, the amount is a disappointment. Oh well, lesson learned!

Well, here is an amendment, once we cut the meat, it was more meat than we expected. It would have fed 4 people, but still was a very small roast and not what I am used to. Flavor was very good. If I were to have guests, this meat was cutting it very close.

We tried the chuck roast a few months ago.  It was tiny, and barely fed the four of us.  It's rather sad, because I love a good pot roast made with chuck.

I cooked up some of the BB breakfast sausage today, and it was a disappointment.  We usually buy Beeler's pork sausage at the health food store, and it's far superior to this.  I cooked 3# today and I hope my kid likes it enough to eat it.  I'm now of the opinion that BB isn't sourcing very good pork, not for the sausage or the thick cut bacon.

We did try the apple gouda sausage last night, and it was good, but it's technically from Niman Ranch, BB just sells it.

Yes, the apple gouda sausage is good.

I learned my lesson long ago on corned beef shrinking up. If I ever have guests, I would have probably 2 roasts. I would rather have a ton left over than have not enough to feed my guests!

As far as BB goes for pork, don't forget the pork butt. It is a big piece of blubber.

I like the ribs and especially the precooked ones. However, as usual, they are small and only feed two people. We are people that like leftovers so most of the meat doesn't allow for it. So you have to cook double!

[Roadrunner53]

 K_in_the_kitchen

I am sure you got the email from Butcher Box in regard to prices going up.

Custom Classic is $169 (up $10), Custom Big is $306 (up $18).

I ran across another place called Farm Foods. I only looked quickly but I think it said there were no memberships. You just order what you want and shipping is free. If you get a chance, check it out and let us know what you think.

https://www.farmfoodsmarket.com/?c=grassfed&msclkid=5c39605bf17d1662e841021b633d5947&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search%20-%20Grass%20Fed%20Beef&utm_term=grass%20fed%20animals&utm_content=Grass%20Fed%20Beef

[K_in_the_kitchen]

K_in_the_kitchen

I am sure you got the email from Butcher Box in regard to prices going up.

Custom Classic is $169 (up $10), Custom Big is $306 (up $18).

I ran across another place called Farm Foods. I only looked quickly but I think it said there were no memberships. You just order what you want and shipping is free. If you get a chance, check it out and let us know what you think.

https://www.farmfoodsmarket.com/?c=grassfed&msclkid=5c39605bf17d1662e841021b633d5947&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search%20-%20Grass%20Fed%20Beef&utm_term=grass%20fed%20animals&utm_content=Grass%20Fed%20Beef

I just saw the email and came here to see if anyone was talking about it.  I'm not really surprised about the cost increase, although it seems there was another $10 increase not that long ago.

FarmFoods looks pretty good.  I'll probably go with Mariposa Ranch if I order bulk or do a subscription.  Since they're based in California my shipping is free, and I've met the owner (several times, actually, as in his early days he used to deliver my beef himself).

We had the most delicious prime filet last night.  The meat came from Costco, so it wasn't grass-fed or finished, but it was very good.  I did sous vide at 125°F for about an hour, and then browned the steaks in a cast iron skillet using the mayo hack for browning.  They were seriously better than what we've had at various prime steakhouses.  I think they were about $20 per pound, which is significantly less expensive than ButcherBox.  With BB and the new prices, 12 ounces of filet is 1 choice, which comes out to  just over $37 per pound.  (This doesn't have the freebies figured in.)  And the Costco steaks were nearly 2" thick!

It's time to talk to the family about food prices and making adjustments.  I'm sure they would prefer a great steak meal like last night to anything I've received from BB.  I know it's not quite apples to apples since Costco beef isn't grass-fed and finished, but in the past we've made the choice to eat less meat overall and then give ourselves a pass on where we source it.  No one can be perfect, and there are environmental concerns about sourcing grass-fed and finished beef from Argentina, which BB does.

We don't have to give up pastured meats completely.  Costco carries Tejon Ranch grass-fed Polish sausages -- they're under $10 per pound they often go on sale for less than that.  Sprouts sometimes has grass-fed roasts on sale, and their grass-fed ground beef is reasonably priced.

I suppose it's just the Mustachian way to make changes during economically difficult times.  We'll make more vegetarian meals, and eat eggs for protein more often than meat.  Our goal is a nutritionally dense diet made up of unprocessed and minimally processed foods.  During the Great Recession we gave up pastured meats, and we can do it again.

(The Costco steak was intended as an absolute splurge to celebrate a feast on Friday, but then I fell and we had to move the meal a day.  Even my kid knew that it was more money than we normally spend on one meal.  But BB for three people has been pushing up the cost of meat for us anyway -- it's not as reasonable when feeding hungry young adults.)

[MissNancyPryor]

I was shopping for online meats and ordered 10x 1-lb units of chicken skin at 3.99 per pound plus $20 flat fee shipping.  They sent me 10x 3-lb units for that price. 

I thought I must have screwed up but I see that all they offer now is 3-lb units for $9 each and my order for 10 units its still sitting there, priced at 39.90 total plus $20 shipping, filled and completed.  I have a sense of guilt but there is no way I can return the excess obviously since it is a food product.  All I can figure is that I must have hit the cusp of a product size packaging changeover at the plant, and ten units is ten units as far as the order pickers were concerned. 

I have inadvertently hoarded 30 pounds of chicken skins at $2 per pound all in, brought to my door.  They are really tasty fried in their own schmaltz and my freezer is very full.