Canned Foods

As most of you realize, many canned foods are cheaper than fresh or frozen. In recent years, they have lost favor and are even shunned as low quality. This is a mistake.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with canned foods. True, canned vegetables will not be crispy and, in a few cases, may not have the same flavor intensity, but they are nutritious and sometimes very tasty. In fact, sometimes tastier that fresh. Tomatoes are picked green and ripen in shipment (unless you live near a farmer's market). Tomatoes bout fresh in a Grocery store often have all the flavor of soggy newspaper. On the other hand, canned Roma tomatoes are picked ripe and flavorful and when canned, they retain all of that great taste.

My Grandma used to fix dried beans, like pintos, by picking through them for stones (and they were always there) soaking them over night, pouring off the water and refilling the pot with fresh water, then simmering for hours. One day, I had dinner with her, complimented her on the beans and learned that she had switched to canned. They were just as good and since then, I have always used canned pintos, black beans, black eyed peas, etc.

Most folks eat canned tuna. Why not canned chicken or ham? There is nothing wrong with them and, not only are they convenient, they are often very reasonably priced.

There is a myth that dented cans are to be discarded as contaminated. There is nothing wrong with dents. There is only contamination if the top or bottom is bulging; then throw it out.

I would try not to keep cans longer than six months. After that, they are still perfectly edible, but they do lose taste.

In short, canned food is perfectly acceptable and you can often find great bargains that will save you considerable money.

Buying in Bulk

There are things that are cheaper, a lot cheaper to buy in bulk. Not everything, for example, you don't want to buy spices in bulk, unless you are running a restaurant; they lose flavor over time. Likewise, buying a case of lettuce is cheaper than buying a head, but it will rot before you get half way through the case, if you are buying for a normal family.

But, there is a way around such problems. Get together with family and/or neighbors and form a loose cooperative group. Buy in quantity, divide the purchase and the cost and everybody saves, and, again, you can save a lot.

This doesn't just apply to produce. Canned and boxed goods can be purchased in case lots, as can cleaning supplies. Frozen vegetables are very cheap when you buy by the case. Again, just divide the purchase and the cost, and everybody's happy.

When it comes to meat, the savings get even bigger, but, generally, when bought that way, the meat is in big pieces. So, if possible given your finances and room, buy a freezer. They aren't cheap, but they will, if used wisely, pay for themselves fairly quickly. You will also need a good chef's knife and a cutting board. With a little practice, you will learn to cut those big pieces of meat to size with no trouble. For example, ground chuck can often be bought in 10 pound tubes that come 8 to a case. You divide the case with 3 others and you each have 20 pounds of ground chuck for a fraction of what you pay retail.

Where do you buy in large amounts? If you live near any urban area, you will likely have a food distribution company that services restaurants fairly near by. Contact them. They often will sell to private citizens if the quantity is large enough. I know that Sysco opens to the general public once a week, and there are other distributors that you can work something out with.

Let me add 2 notes. When you buy meat in this manner, you will get good meat. It will not be what you get in the finest steakhouse so keep your expectations real, but it is good quality. Second, before you place the order, sit down with your buying partners and write out the order. Make sure everyone gets a copy and that they know what they are getting and how much they are paying. It is best to avoid any possible disagreements.