When to Splurge and When to Save: Grocery Shopping

When grocery shopping, it pays to be strategic. From price and packaging to potential time savings while cooking, here’s what to consider at the supermarket.

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[whiskeychicken]

This should be a series. Evaluate several products each time and provide a nice explanation of why it's the "best" choice.

[kensimmons]

Maple syrup or nothing. I like the dark amber for everything, goes great in coffee. Living in upstate New York I can get good stuff at the farmer's market.

[caramimi]

Yes, more of these tips please! The price of vanilla is outrageous and I don't have the energy & time to make my own extract. I'll feel less guilty about buying "faux" vanilla now.

[wotan]

100% agree about maple syrup. My adult children drown their pancakes in "syrup, " so I just buy them a store brand. I reserve the real deal for myself, and I use it sparingly because you don't need much for robust flavor, and it's very expensive. Selfish? Not so much when 30-year-olds move back home.

[thebd]

I'm in total agreeance with everyone else: this needs to be a recurring segment! I definitely only buy maple syrup (the specific brands vary, but I'll NEVER touch "pancake syrup" again!). I'll make sure to target the dark and very dark variants on my next trip to the store.

[ddee]

I wish in your taste testes that you would rank the store brand at Aldi, Walmart, and target. Some of these store brands are better than the name brands. I also enjoy our local brands for some products too.

[wordkyle]

I once read a statement by Stanley Marcus, from the Nieman-Marcus family. He said "Buy the best quality you can afford." Spend the money on those things that are important to you, and don't buy anything just to impress other people. They say that quality lasts longer than the memory of what you paid for it.

[drewpknutz]

Butter too! Stepping up to the Kerrygold or Amish butter is definitely worth the higher price!

[Karen-vsfo]

More of this type of segment, please! 👍

[pamcadd]

I recently saw a recipe for cream cheese frosting that recommended buying Philadelphia brand rather than store brand. When they used store brand, the frosting slid off the cake. The recipe said that the added stabilizers vary, so buy brand name for consistent results. I agree with another commenter, Jack. I'd like to see more of your save/splurge videos. Also, please comment on availability. You have brands in the Northeast that we don't see in Washington state.

[MrTheBigNoze]

Thanks for not being pretentious and recognizing what the average person is willing to spend more on! Grocery splurges are few and far between these days but you provided some thoughtful options.

[kpnitrl]

Finally. Let's settle this debate once and for all! Mrs. Butterworth's is not syrup. It's car oil.

[barcham]

I live in Montreal and buy my Parm at Walmart, it is imported from Italy, aged a minimum of 24 months and costs me $24.97 CAN for one kilo, which is 2.2 pounds for you Americans. It is better than any Parm I have gotten from any other store, even specialty cheese shops.
Unfortunately that OJ is not available here, and I have been unable to find anything similar, so I will stick to squeezing my own or drinking one of the premium grocery store brands. I have come across fresh squeezed OJ at one grocery chain, but paying close to $20 for one litre is not something I am willing to do.
I am lucky when it comes to Maple syrup because a friend owns a maple syrup farm and I get very high quality syrup for free. That price cannot be beat, and neither can the quality.

[voidofbeeswax]

I have to disagree about the imitation vanilla. A good vanilla extract increases the aroma of what is made, even after it is baked. We taste with our noses, too. When I eat something like a cookie made with a good extract I can smell that vanilla while I chew.

Now I do have a strong sense of smell. It has often worked better than other people’s sense of smell, so maybe for some people the difference isn’t as noticeable.

[angelwings]

I recently bought both of those expensive cheeses and it's true. We made a noodle recipe with both of them and we could instantly tell the difference. I agree with the maple syrup. I used to "make" it with my dad on his WI hobby farm. I was surprised by the vanilla. I always thought you should not by imitation so it's nice to know that's okay.

[michaelsalmon]

What do I think? Me think that we need much more of Jack Bishop wisdom and explanation in the world today! Thanks for sharing this extremely useful info with us, Jack! Any suggestions for where to find the Natalie's juices? Any ideas about how to stop the insanity in the Ukraine?

[honeyfromthebee]

I may be a feinschmecker in a number of ways, but I actually still like pancake syrup. Maybe it’s the nostalgia

[aedwa]

This is the kind of kitchen table journalism that everyone could use more of. I love every single one of these rating and taste test videos

[midlifeinprogress]

I recently learned about the different maple syrup types. For me, all are great, but for different purposes. If you're baking, go for dark; for pancakes or ice cream, golden. But seriously, ALL are so good!! The other stuff is NOT syrup, it's glorified sugar, ew.

[jimmeyers]

One of the most useful things I've learned from ATK is that I can (and should) do my own taste tests. Grew up with "brand loyalty". Now? I'll buy a handful of the top brands for a thing after researching a bit online. Try them. Throw the losers away and consider the money well spent. I've done this several times and always find something surprising.