|
|
Post by Ticket Mouse on Mar 8, 2012 13:13:32 GMT -5
I finally gave in and have started doing my grocery shopping at Central Market. I never thought I'd say this, but I love the place. I've gone several times over the last couple weeks to buy a few things here and there but we went the other night for the first time together. We bought everything we needed for the week and were scared of what the total would be. To our surprise our total was $111 which is about what we usually spend each week at Kroger. Now, I don't think we bought as much but we (she) didn't buy all the crap we (she) normally do (does) because they don't carry most of that stuff. I didn't have to give the customary "do we need 8 Totino's pizzas?" or "you do realize what's in those frozen burritos" speeches.
Their produce is amazing. The meats are incredibly lean. Even the seafood looks apetizing. I always thought the whole free range chicken thing was a scam but I can tell a huge difference in the breasts and the eggs. I was told once by a chef that if you're paying less than $4 a lb for chicken then you're buying a roided up hormonal chicken. He was right. The breasts aren't as big but they cook better and retain their juices better. I'm sold. I'm now a Central Market P1.
|
|
fischer
honorary peso (chingador*)
Posts: 16,271
|
Post by fischer on Mar 8, 2012 13:25:58 GMT -5
After hearing your stance on brunch from yesterday, this is not a surprising development.
|
|
|
|
Post by The River Assassin on Mar 8, 2012 13:33:38 GMT -5
I hate to be bearer of bad news but that chef was completely full of shit. Free range chicken is nothing but a marketing gimmick, the difference is minuscule. Eggs might taste a little different but that just has to do with what the chicken ate, it has nothing to do with the quality. Chickens have never and will never be given any sort of growth hormones, it's also illegal. The difference in breast size is either because the chicken was killed younger or it's a slightly different breeding strain. The extra juices is because they brined the chicken before packaging, improves the moistness but is used to recoup losses from selling a younger bird. You are literally paying the producer $4 a pound to brine the chicken for you, which would cost you about 5 cents and an hour or two of prep time.
Unless you are buying certain types of chicken for specific dishes (cornish game hen, spent layers) you are literally flushing money down the drain buying chicken at $4 a pound. That chef has absolutely no clue what he is talking about.
|
|
fischer
honorary peso (chingador*)
Posts: 16,271
|
Post by fischer on Mar 8, 2012 13:40:41 GMT -5
pow
|
|
|
|
Post by Ticket Mouse on Mar 8, 2012 13:41:36 GMT -5
Dang...so free range is about as useless as certified organic. Duped by the libs again.
|
|
|
|
Post by The River Assassin on Mar 8, 2012 13:59:38 GMT -5
Yup
The definition of free range by the USDA basically just says that the bird must have access to an open outdoor space to exhibit normal behavior for so many hours a day.
There are some places that raise birds in large pens on the ground where they can move around freely, but that only lasts as long as the coyotes and hawks stay away. Once they find the nice buffet you laid out for them your free range business is done.
The majority of free range chickens are raised in a house just like all the others, they just send a Mexican over to open the door for a few hours a day. It's up to the chicken if the want to go out, which most don't because apparently living in an environment free of predators is more important to chickens than having a little leg room. Imagine that
|
|
|
|
Post by The River Assassin on Mar 8, 2012 14:02:25 GMT -5
There is a huge difference in produce quality though, they sell a lower volume so they can afford to buy the freshest produce around rather than the cheapest.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ticket Mouse on Mar 8, 2012 14:07:13 GMT -5
I know some folks who raise chickens and their pen is completely surrounded by wire for that very reason. They learned the hard way that leaving the pen uncovered does not keep out racoons.
|
|
fischer
honorary peso (chingador*)
Posts: 16,271
|
Post by fischer on Mar 8, 2012 14:11:28 GMT -5
stubbs. I recommend that you buy a few yard birds and let them roam around your place.
They'll be free range and you won't be able to find a more fresh chicken.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ticket Mouse on Mar 8, 2012 14:12:50 GMT -5
There is a huge difference in produce quality though, they sell a lower volume so they can afford to buy the freshest produce around rather than the cheapest. I've noticed that with several other items. I don't think they're necessarily a better product...just fresher, like you said. Particularly the seafood. They do, however, carry different varieties of produce that regular grocery stores don't carry. You go there and find that they have 10 different kinds of tomatoes. That also attributes to the higher price. They have these massive bell peppers that I've used quite a bit lately. This particular variety probably takes longer to cultivate resulting in a longer turnover rate. |
|
|
|
Post by The River Assassin on Mar 8, 2012 14:13:22 GMT -5
And you can allow them to grow for a year so that they actually develop a little flavor rather than store bought chickens. Older broilers or spent layers make the best soups and stocks.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ticket Mouse on Mar 8, 2012 14:13:41 GMT -5
stubbs. I recommend that you buy a few yard birds and let them roam around your place. They'll be free range and you won't be able to find a more fresh chicken. When I get my farm they'll be residents. |
|
cowtownmike
honorary peso (chingador*)
I done been thru the scruggles.
Posts: 12,467
|
Post by cowtownmike on Mar 8, 2012 15:09:14 GMT -5
Central Market is too expensive for me. Give me HEB, one of the perks of living in South Everman.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ticket Mouse on Mar 8, 2012 15:12:54 GMT -5
You can still buy plenty of HEB products at CM.
|
|
sully
honorary peso (chingador*)
Posts: 13,045
|
Post by sully on Mar 8, 2012 15:12:57 GMT -5
We stick with Walmart or Kroger at our house.
|
|
