Disgusting Wal-Mart Meat

[rick]

So the wife decided to cook dinner last night, and ran out to Wal-Mart to grab a couple of steaks.

Now I don't normally buy meat at Wal-Mart because looking at it in the huge air-filled pre-packaged packs is really unappealing, but the wife was in a hurry and figured it would be no big deal.

We threw them on the grill, made some nice side dishes and after a few minutes sat down to eat.

I took a bite of steak and had to spit it out into a napkin, while the wife took a bite of hers and got a look on her face like she had bitten into a turd.

It was hard to describe quite what we bit into.

It was sort of like meat, but the consistency was like a cross between road kill and a pink pearl eraser. Flaky and horrible tasting, and when I looked inside the steak it didn't hold together like meat, it didn't look right.

Whatever it was in the end it came out tasting almost entirely unlike meat.

Just vile.

So I grabbed the packaging the steak came in and the wrapper just read that it was Round Steak. But then in very small letters on the bottom of the package was a tiny line that read "This meat product has been enhanced with up to 8% of marinade".

Apparently Wal-Mart has figured out how to keep their meat prices a few cents lower then other stores, by pumping the stuff with liquid, creating something truly horrible in the process.

So consider this a public service announcement.

When you think of Wal-Mart, just remember the phrase, "Bad Meat".

[worstblogever]

I was catering about 8 weeks ago, and 2 weeks before that, I went down to a Wal-Mart grocery to order 50 lbs. of lamb, to make lamb stew out of. Manager told me it wasn't a big problem, he'd get the order.

I show up the day before the gig, and they hadn't even shipped it from the warehouse.


Fortunately, my gal knew of a Mediterranean deli near this mosque in town, and a guy named Mohammed there proved that yes, "Mohammed is great". I literall bought two whole frozen lambs to defrost and cut up for meat.


So not only does the quality of the meat suck, but the people handling it are often ass-clowns.

[Asmith]

So the wife decided to cook dinner last night, and ran out to Wal-Mart to grab a couple of steaks.

Now I don't normally buy meat at Wal-Mart because looking at it in the huge air-filled pre-packaged packs is really unappealing, but the wife was in a hurry and figured it would be no big deal.

We threw them on the grill, made some nice side dishes and after a few minutes sat down to eat.

I took a bite of steak and had to spit it out into a napkin, while the wife took a bite of hers and got a look on her face like she had bitten into a turd.

It was hard to describe quite what we bit into.

It was sort of like meat, but the consistency was like a cross between road kill and a pink pearl eraser. Flaky and horrible tasting, and when I looked inside the steak it didn't hold together like meat, it didn't look right.

Whatever it was in the end it came out tasting almost entirely unlike meat.

Just vile.

So I grabbed the packaging the steak came in and the wrapper just read that it was Round Steak. But then in very small letters on the bottom of the package was a tiny line that read "This meat product has been enhanced with up to 8% of marinade".

Apparently Wal-Mart has figured out how to keep their meat prices a few cents lower then other stores, by pumping the stuff with liquid, creating something truly horrible in the process.

So consider this a public service announcement.

When you think of Wal-Mart, just remember the phrase, "Bad Meat".
it sounds ultimately negatively productive for the store. Surely, after just one poor purchase of their meat, nobody would go near their product again?

Whatever happened to people believing that quality was a surefire way to success?

[SUPERECWFAN1]

So the wife decided to cook dinner last night, and ran out to Wal-Mart to grab a couple of steaks.

Now I don't normally buy meat at Wal-Mart because looking at it in the huge air-filled pre-packaged packs is really unappealing, but the wife was in a hurry and figured it would be no big deal.

We threw them on the grill, made some nice side dishes and after a few minutes sat down to eat.

I took a bite of steak and had to spit it out into a napkin, while the wife took a bite of hers and got a look on her face like she had bitten into a turd.

It was hard to describe quite what we bit into.

It was sort of like meat, but the consistency was like a cross between road kill and a pink pearl eraser. Flaky and horrible tasting, and when I looked inside the steak it didn't hold together like meat, it didn't look right.

Whatever it was in the end it came out tasting almost entirely unlike meat.

Just vile.

So I grabbed the packaging the steak came in and the wrapper just read that it was Round Steak. But then in very small letters on the bottom of the package was a tiny line that read "This meat product has been enhanced with up to 8% of marinade".

Apparently Wal-Mart has figured out how to keep their meat prices a few cents lower then other stores, by pumping the stuff with liquid, creating something truly horrible in the process.

So consider this a public service announcement.

When you think of Wal-Mart, just remember the phrase, "Bad Meat".

Yikes.....ok note to self...don't eat Wal-Mart steaks.

My mom usually shops at the small supermarket she has shopped at for years. She knows exactly what meat she wants . I also buy meat like turkey , ham bologna from a smaller deli in town and they cut it in front of you.

She told me the small supermarket she goes to is better than the big Wal-Mart price wise anyhow.

[Iangould]

The odd thing is that marinating a steak should give it more flavor and make it moister.

These days I eat meat occasionally - maybe a couple of times a week.

But, honestly, I just can't go through the meat section of the supermarket, it smells like rotting meat.

(I should mention I used to buy meat from this supermarket regularly and never had the sort of problems rick had at Walmart.)

[JeffreyWKramer]

it sounds ultimately negatively productive for the store. Surely, after just one poor purchase of their meat, nobody would go near their product again?

Whatever happened to people believing that quality was a surefire way to success?

Walmart has never functioned under that paradigm. Their principle is "putting out cheap shit is a surefire way to success, because you can sell people lots and lots of cheap shit."

That said, I will note that not all of Walmart's meats are of poor quality. I will not eat their beef - my experience with Walmart beef is much like Rick describes - but most of their pork products are pretty good. Indeed, their pork tenderloins have a lower percentage of "marinade" (which is mostly just salted water) than the national brands for packaged pork (Hormel and so forth). I've also not found their chickens any worse (or better) than other packaged chicken, either whole or parts. The sad fact is, most chicken widely available in chain stores is pretty bad, but Walmart isn't a particularly egregious offender in that case.

That whole "enhanced" thing is a real travesty. It reduces the quality of the meat - pork chops with extra liquid pumped into them don't cook up right, and the same is true of steaks and other cuts of meat - and it also rips off the customer, since a bunch of the weight your paying for (meat is priced per pound) is liquid, not meat.

The story the producers will give you about the "enhancements" is that it's a way to maintain moisture and flavor in today's leaner meats. Now, it's true that meat produced in the US is more lean than used to be the case. The push for reducing fat has resulted in breeding stocks of cattle and pigs that have less body fat, which translates to less fat in the cuts of meat. And it's also true that by losing fat, you lose flavor, and the meat cooks up more dry, and often more tough.

Simple fact: A hamburger made from 93% lean ground sirloin is not, and cannot be, as flavorful as one made from 85% lean ground chuck. That's because most of the flavor in beef comes from fat. Similarly, steak with some marbling is a lot more flavorful and juicy than super-lean cuts.

The answer to overly-lean meat isn't meat injected with saline solutions and "flavor enhancers." It's for people to buy meat that isn't quite so lean, and to then manage fat by reducing the amount of meat you eat, or by cooking it in ways that render the the fat so it isn't digested. The former requires some discipline. The latter speaks to the benefits of broiling and grilling.

More and more I buy meat from the meat counter, rather than the pre-packaged meat. We are considering buying into a co-op that provides farm-raised, free-range poultry. I put a lot of time and effort into my cooking, and I want the results to be satisfying.

[JeffreyWKramer]

The odd thing is that marinating a steak should give it more flavor and make it moister.

Depends on what you put on the meat. Injecting the meat with saline doesn't do it much good, as the extra liquid isn't bound to the cells of the meat. As such, it mostly cooks out, and the saline breaks cell walls inside the meat, which means some of the meat's natural moisture leaves along with the added moisture. The result is tougher meat with a bit of internal seasoning from the salt. This is not a good result.

[Asmith]

The odd thing is that marinating a steak should give it more flavor and make it moister.

These days I eat meat occasionally - maybe a couple of times a week.

But, honestly, I just can't go through the meat section of the supermarket, it smells like rotting meat.

(I should mention I used to buy meat from this supermarket regularly and never had the sort of problems rick had at Walmart.)

I've found that the meat from my big supermarket chain is far above in quality to the local small butchers. I think it may be due to the smaller butchers lack of buying power when it comes to purchasing quality product - or maybe they just have to keep it on the shelf for longer. Either way some of the best steaks I've had recently have come from the bigger chains. Of course they haven't been specially marinated...

[Iangould]

Simple fact: A hamburger made from 93% lean ground sirloin is not, and cannot be, as flavorful as one made from 85% lean ground chuck. That's because most of the flavor in beef comes from fat. Similarly, steak with some marbling is a lot more flavorful and juicy than super-lean cuts.

This is pretty much a culturally-determined judgment.

Virtually all Australian beef is grass-fed with maybe a couple of weeks of finishing in a feedlot, it doesn;t have "marbling" and it tastes just fine to people who've gown up on while "marbled" meat tastes to those same people as greasy and flavorless.

God knows what the average American would make of Kangaroo which is lower in fat and coarser in texture than even grass-fed beef.

[rick]

We are considering buying into a co-op that provides farm-raised, free-range poultry. I put a lot of time and effort into my cooking, and I want the results to be satisfying.

We have done the Co-Op thing before and it was a very economical way to get quality meat.

What I put in my mouth last night was almost certainly what meat grown in a vat is going to taste like once they put it on the market.

[rick]

God knows what the average American would make of Kangaroo which is lower in fat and coarser in texture than even grass-fed beef.

I've had kangaroo, and thought it was not that different then venison or elk.

Pretty tasty though.

[JeffreyWKramer]

This is pretty much a culturally-determined judgment.

Virtually all Australian beef is grass-fed with maybe a couple of weeks of finishing in a feedlot, it doesn;t have "marbling" and it tastes just fine to people who've gown up on while "marbled" meat tastes to those same people as greasy and flavorless.

God knows what the average American would make of Kangaroo which is lower in fat and coarser in texture than even grass-fed beef.

Culture does play some factor. So does what the animals are fed. Argentinians find American beef mostly inedible, both because it is too lean and because beef fed on corn and processed crap isn't as flavorful as grass- fed beef.

That said, kobe and wagyu beef are, generally speaking, considered worldwide to be the best beef in the world, and they are nicely marbled. I personally prefer the wagyu-angus crossbreeds, which have kobe-style marbling and bolder flavor. It's really pricey, though.

[Iangould]

I've found that the meat from my big supermarket chain is far above in quality to the local small butchers. I think it may be due to the smaller butchers lack of buying power when it comes to purchasing quality product - or maybe they just have to keep it on the shelf for longer. Either way some of the best steaks I've had recently have come from the bigger chains. Of course they haven't been specially marinated...

There's a small butcher near one of my shops that has a window full of awards for best sausage, best steak etc from the RNA and various meat industry bodies. Even when I was a full-on carnivore, the stench from their shop was so nauseating I could never face it.

[Sabrina_Fried]

Culture does play some factor. So does what the animals are fed. Argentinians find American beef mostly inedible, both because it is too lean and because beef fed on corn and processed crap isn't as flavorful as grass- fed beef.

That said, kobe and wagyu beef are, generally speaking, considered worldwide to be the best beef in the world, and they are nicely marbled. I personally prefer the wagyu-angus crossbreeds, which have kobe-style marbling and bolder flavor. It's really pricey, though.

I make it a point never to buy any groceries, except for canned goods, at the local Wal-Mart. You simply cannot get any non "marinated" meat there, and their turnover doesn't seem to be that high.

[Slam_Bradley]

More and more I buy meat from the meat counter, rather than the pre-packaged meat. We are considering buying into a co-op that provides farm-raised, free-range poultry. I put a lot of time and effort into my cooking, and I want the results to be satisfying.

I only buy meat from a place where the cutting is done on-site. It comes from growing up with a butcher for a father and eating very high quality beef and pork for the first 30 years of my life.

Meat and dairy are two areas I absolutely refuse to "go cheap."

[Dreadstar]

So I grabbed the packaging the steak came in and the wrapper just read that it was Round Steak. But then in very small letters on the bottom of the package was a tiny line that read "This meat product has been enhanced with up to 8% of marinade".

Apparently Wal-Mart has figured out how to keep their meat prices a few cents lower then other stores, by pumping the stuff with liquid, creating something truly horrible in the process.

So consider this a public service announcement.

When you think of Wal-Mart, just remember the phrase, "Bad Meat".

The real solution is to not buy pre-packed meat. it's the stuff they need to gt out of the butcher case and out of the store.

Take a number and have the butcher wrap one up from the case.


EDIT: Coke to Slam.

[Dreadstar]

I only buy meat from a place where the cutting is done on-site.

All three Wal-Marts near me have a butcher section.

But I imagine they also have a lot of pre-pack shipped in.

[JeffreyWKramer]

All three Wal-Marts near me have a butcher section.

But I imagine they also have a lot of pre-pack shipped in.

I can't speak for all the area Walmarts, but the one in the small town where I live just has the deli counter, so the only meat they'll cut to order is cold cuts and the like. I think availability of butcher services varies a lot between markets.

[Captain Clarkie]

Wal-Mart equivalent over here is Asda. Don't have one near me, so I don't bother going there. I live a short walk away from two very good local-source organic butchers too. I still buy cheaper meat from the nearest supermarkets sometimes though. Pork's always fine, Beef and Lamb good to average, I avoid cheap chicken like the plague though. Especially whole chickens - grease, water and shit, stringy meat.

[Guapo Méndez]

I've said before that, here, Wal-Mart is an upscale supermarket. We've had very tasty steaks (skirt or arrachera) and their arrachera burgers are to die for.

Maybe you caught a bad batch.

[Dreadstar]

I can't speak for all the area Walmarts, but the one in the small town where I live just has the deli counter, so the only meat they'll cut to order is cold cuts and the like. I think availability of butcher services varies a lot between markets.

True. All three of the ones near me are of the "Super" variety.

[rick]

The real solution is to not buy pre-packed meat. it's the stuff they need to gt out of the butcher case and out of the store.

Take a number and have the butcher wrap one up from the case.


EDIT: Coke to Slam.

Wal-Mart does not have a butchers case in Colorado.

It had something to do with not wanting to hire union meatcutters.

Still, as this was my first Wal-Mart steak, it was easy to decide not to go back.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Meat and dairy are two areas I absolutely refuse to "go cheap."

I'll go "cheap" sometimes, because depending on what you're doing and how you're preparing it, you can often get good results with cheap cuts of meat. What I won't go with is the stuff that's cheap only because it's of poor quality.

And I am also very selective with dairy. Good dairy is often pricey, but it makes a huge difference. A hunk of parmigiano-reggiano is pricey, but once you taste the difference between that and Kraft dried parmesan, you're not going to want to stick with the green can. And sometimes really, really good isn't that pricey. At Wal-Mart, you can get Cabot cheddars for only a few cents a pound more than Kraft or the Wal-mart brand, but the difference in quality is huge.

That said, I've noticed very, very little difference - and certainly not enough to warrant the cost difference - between different brands of unsalted butter. Thus, unless butter is a centerpiece of something I'm making, I usually buy cheap store brands, saving the premium stuff (like Land O' Lakes) for those dishes that rely on butter.

[JeffreyWKramer]

True. All three of the ones near me are of the "Super" variety.

So is mine. But in some places, "super" is less super than others. You get Metropolis, we get Broadway Spider-Man.

[Tages]

This is pretty much a culturally-determined judgment.

Virtually all Australian beef is grass-fed with maybe a couple of weeks of finishing in a feedlot, it doesn;t have "marbling" and it tastes just fine to people who've gown up on while "marbled" meat tastes to those same people as greasy and flavorless.

God knows what the average American would make of Kangaroo which is lower in fat and coarser in texture than even grass-fed beef.

Something I don't think your average Australian has ever had is bison meat, which similarly tastes a little like beef but is far leaner.

Pretty damn delicious if you ask me.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Something I don't think your average Australian has ever had is bison meat, which similarly tastes a little like beef but is far leaner.

Pretty damn delicious if you ask me.

I like bison, although ground bison is too lean. You practically have to add some fat to get it to cohere into a patty.

Also, the correlation between leanness varies a lot from animal to animal. Different animals have different sorts of muscle fiber and different sorts of fat, which impact flavor. Something like pheasant or venison can be strongly-flavored despite being incredibly lean. Beef, not so much.

No idea how kangaroo fits into that equation.

[Guapo Méndez]

Something I don't think your average Australian has ever had is bison meat, which similarly tastes a little like beef but is far leaner.

Pretty damn delicious if you ask me.

I think our Wal-Mart carried ostrich for a while. Didn't order it, though, 'cause I found out late.

[rick]

While Bison is great in stews, meatballs and such, it's just too lean to eat as a steak in my opinion.

Great texture though.

[jessecuster3]

I really prefer getting my meat from Whole Foods, everything I have gotten from them is even better than the stuff I was getting from the butcher that is right on my block.

[streator]

i rarely go to wal-mart and never do grocery shopping there, although the few times that i have been to a "super wal-mart" or whatever when i'm out of town it looks like they're trying to improve on their food offerings along with everything else. still, it's one of those stores that for me has a stigma about it; i don't think i could ever get fresh food (meat, produce) from wal-mart or aldi or a few other places unless it was out of necessity and there were no other alternatives.

i do buy meat at costco, however, and it's high quality stuff. never had any issues with them. don't know about sam's club (wal-mart's big box store).

[Dreadstar]

And to further the tangent that Slam and Jeffrey went off on, I buy my meat in correlation to what I'm doing with it. Chili? The Giant Eagle (or Wal-Mart, for comparison's sake) is just fine. Pre-pack is OK, if it looks right. Burgers? Again, Giant Eagle, but this time I'm ordering it from the butcher case. Steak?

Carfagna's Meats. Pretty much period.

[rick]

There is a really good high end meat market here in town named Angus Direct.

All beef, pork and chicken locally grown without hormones or antibiotics.

Really good quality, but very expensive unless you buy half a cow.

Damm you Wal-Mart, you ruined my cheap dinner!!!!!

[Slam_Bradley]

I'll go "cheap" sometimes, because depending on what you're doing and how you're preparing it, you can often get good results with cheap cuts of meat. What I won't go with is the stuff that's cheap only because it's of poor quality.


By cheap I meant quality. You can do great things with low-price cuts like 7-Bone Chucks, Ox Tails, shank cuts, etc. if you know what you're doing and have good quality.

[Captain Clarkie]

Mind you, you can get decent Chickens at the supermarket, corn-fed and free-range. The two poshest supermarkets, Waitrose and Supermarkets do Guinea Fowl, Poussin, and other poultry and game, nice. The one thing I don't like pre-packaged is aged/hung beef, that's best from a proper butcher. Bison and Ostrich were both delicious when I had them.

[jessecuster3]

By cheap I meant quality. You can do great things with low-price cuts like 7-Bone Chucks, Ox Tails, shank cuts, etc. if you know what you're doing and have good quality.

Yummm, I love braised ox-tail!

[Lord Bravery]

I've always found, when it comes to meat, you get what you pay for. Cheap meat is 99% of the time gonna be shite.

[jessecuster3]

I've always found, when it comes to meat, you get what you pay for. Cheap meat is 99% of the time gonna be shite.

I wouldn't say that. Cheaper cuts of meat can still be made to taste good.

[dupont2005]

I would never buy meat or anything perishable from walmart. Not a container of milk, not a yogurt, nothing. Not worth dealing with the crowds to go in there for crackers, chips, and bottles of soda so I just don't go. I won't even buy meat from discount grocery stores. And I tend to only buy rib eye steaks unless I'm shopping at a Mexican meat market and then I'll take their marinated carne

[JeffreyWKramer]

i don't think i could ever get fresh food (meat, produce) from wal-mart or aldi or a few other places unless it was out of necessity and there were no other alternatives.


I buy a fair amount of my produce at Wal-Mart. They're more reliable than the other options in town for a lot of different sorts of produce. They're the only place in town that reliably has things like kale, serrano chilis, tomatillos and shallots, and their fresh spices tend to be fresher and more diverse than the offerings at the other stores.

And I've found Aldi produce to be excellent. They don't have a wide range of produce - mostly very staple stuff - but what they have is good quality and generally at a good price. I often buy potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, jalapenos and other produce staples there.

[JeffreyWKramer]

By cheap I meant quality. You can do great things with low-price cuts like 7-Bone Chucks, Ox Tails, shank cuts, etc. if you know what you're doing and have good quality.

Yup, and the difference between "price cheap" (like the shank cuts) vs. "crappy-cheap" (Wal-Mart beef) is pretty profound.

[Typo Lad]

I've never had to deal with Wal*Mart Meat, what with Kosher and all, but there's a Kosher brand that tastes much like the flavorless mess you describe, rick.

If you ever see "Meal Mart" brand Deli at your local Costco, run away.

That said, I do buy pre-packaged Kosher Meat a lot. I'm lucky to live in a community with three exclusively Kosher butchers (maybe four - there's another store front but I've yet to see him be open), and where two major supermarkets (Fairway and Shoprite) have Kosher butchers. I find the Fairway stuff to be a but better than two of the small butchers, but Shoprite wins for taste so far.

And bison rocks.

[Gary_B]

I only buy meat from a place where the cutting is done on-site. It comes from growing up with a butcher for a father and eating very high quality beef and pork for the first 30 years of my life.

Meat and dairy are two areas I absolutely refuse to "go cheap."

I'm of like mind. I sell fish in a grocery store and we always have several top quality choices, but there is a significant percentage that only care about what is cheapest (for a variety of reasons). Those are the people who have made WalMart the empire it is.

[The Black Guardian]

Cool. So we aren't the only ones who've noticed this. We typically buy most of our groceries from Wal-Mart, but we've learned our lesson about the meat (much like you, rick). They sometimes have passable seafood.

And there are a few specialty items that Wal-Mart doesn't sell, which we get elsewhere.

[Ronald Bryan]

My old roommate worked the meat counter at Harris Teeter (higher end grocer) and was always bringing meat home. It really pampered us.

[Sean Walsh]

I wonder if the liquid pumped into this bad meat is made of the tears of W-M's female employees, and the money spent to do it is the overtime of those others who've been denied that pay.

Yes........the anguish of society against Wal-Mart is what sustains them.....

[i_mmmchocolate]

Meat and dairy are two areas I absolutely refuse to "go cheap."
Ditto. I honestly don't mind paying extra for good quality poultry, meats, and cheeses.

If I can't afford meat/poultry for the week, I'd sooner just make eggplant Parmesan or another non-meat dish for dinner than buy Grade-F chicken or beef.

[The Black Guardian]

Meat and dairy are two areas I absolutely refuse to "go cheap."
Meat, yes, but imo, cheap dairy tends to be the better choice. Usually, there simply isn't a reason for dairy to be expensive.

[i_mmmchocolate]

Meat, yes, but imo, cheap dairy tends to be the better choice. Usually, there simply isn't a reason for dairy to be expensive.
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/04/images/Cheese_KraftSingles.jpg

[Lord Bravery]

I wouldn't say that. Cheaper cuts of meat can still be made to taste good.

True, but i'm not talking about cheaper cuts. I'm talking about a cheap steak, for example.

A big bit of steak that costs peanuts is gonna be some poor quality steak.

When it comes to stuff like that, I don't mind paying a bit extra if I can, because it's safe to assume it's gonna be nice.

[JeffreyWKramer]

That said, I do buy pre-packaged Kosher Meat a lot. I'm lucky to live in a community with three exclusively Kosher butchers (maybe four - there's another store front but I've yet to see him be open), and where two major supermarkets (Fairway and Shoprite) have Kosher butchers. I find the Fairway stuff to be a but better than two of the small butchers, but Shoprite wins for taste so far.


Your mention of the Fairway markets brings to mind something sucky re: meat.

In Iowa and some of the surrounding states, we have a grocery chain called Fareway (no relation to the Fairway markets out east). Of the grocery chains in Iowa, they have by far the best meats, and the best butcher services. They're better than a lot of butcher shops.

Unfortunately, the chain was founded by a bunch of religious fanatics, and that perspective is still a prominent component of the chain's policies. Some of the result of that is just a quirk - like the chain's policy of being closed on Sundays - but some of it amounts to bigotry. The Fareway chain has donated a fair amount of money to extremist and bigoted political candidates and causes, and anecdotaly the chain appears to be systematically discriminatory against GLBT employees. As a result, I refuse to do business there.

I don't really regret taking that stand, as I can and do get good meat elsewhere, but it would certainly be less annoying if the chain's meat was as nasty as their policies.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Meat, yes, but imo, cheap dairy tends to be the better choice. Usually, there simply isn't a reason for dairy to be expensive.

Try some actual, imported Parmesan or Romano cheese sometime - not the loathesome domestic stuff - and see if you still believe that.

Sometimes one can get good dairy quite cheap - I mentioned the Cabot cheeses Wal-Mart stocks, which are top-notch cheddar (especially the extra sharp), but only minimally more expensive than the crappy brands - but overall, this is defnitely a place where one gets what one pays for.

[Dreadstar]

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/04/images/Cheese_KraftSingles.jpg

I'm glad you used that for an example. If you'd gone with the Velveeta I would have had to object.

Not that Velveeta is particularly good, but more because it has some legitimate uses. My ex used to call it "cheese glue." It was great to add a little bit of it to the chili con queso to keep the cheddar from clumping.

[Roquefort Raider]

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/04/images/Cheese_KraftSingles.jpg

That thing is like the Rob Liefeld comic of cheeses! Colorful, wrapped in plastic, and polarizing!

[JeffreyWKramer]

That thing is like the Rob Liefeld comic of cheeses! Colorful, wrapped in plastic, and polarizing!

Maybe that's what Liefeld characters carry in all those pouches they tend to wear.

[dupont2005]

There is a grocery store I go to that is kind of like a discount grocery store but not. It's set up to herd you up and down all the isles, like not quite a free roaming experience. I find this is common in crummy discount stores. It also has really cheap off brand crackers and stuff. What they don't seem to have is a crappy meat section. Excellent prices but excellent meat. They also have a huge bulk section with grains and flowers and cereals, dried fruits, dog food, pasta, whatever. Pretty cool. Honey bees on site making fresh honey and fresh ground peanut, almond, and walnut butter. I love that store. I never go there without buying 6 huge oysters at 50 cents each. Some too big to eat in one bite.

[doolbnoom]

Maybe that's what Liefeld characters carry in all those pouches they tend to wear.

actually, i think it's what his character's costumes are made of.

[Matt Algren]

This was one of the nice things about growing up on a farm. Always fresh (brown) eggs, pork products for days, and every year Dad and a friend of his would split a steer bought at the county fair.

I didn't even think about buying meat or poultry products at the grocery store till I moved out, and that was a rude awakening.

[rick]

If you ever see "Meal Mart" brand Deli at your local Costco, run away.

That sounds horrible.

Did I ever mention that I like to buy Kosher whenever possible on most food items I buy?

The quality always seems to be a bit better then I can find otherwise.

[The Black Guardian]

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/04/images/Cheese_KraftSingles.jpg
Kraft Singles aren't cheap for what you're getting. You get more cheese cheaper with the store brand.

Are they really cheese, either? :tongue:

Try some actual, imported Parmesan or Romano cheese sometime - not the loathesome domestic stuff - and see if you still believe that.

Sometimes one can get good dairy quite cheap - I mentioned the Cabot cheeses Wal-Mart stocks, which are top-notch cheddar (especially the extra sharp), but only minimally more expensive than the crappy brands - but overall, this is defnitely a place where one gets what one pays for.
I've tried it all. It's just a waste. And I don't like extra sharp, but when I do buy it, the store brand suffices.

[rick]

Are they really cheese, either? :tongue:


I've always wondered the same thing

It's not actually pressed curds, I know that much.

[Paul McEnery]

This is pretty much a culturally-determined judgment.

Virtually all Australian beef is grass-fed with maybe a couple of weeks of finishing in a feedlot, it doesn;t have "marbling" and it tastes just fine to people who've gown up on while "marbled" meat tastes to those same people as greasy and flavorless.

God knows what the average American would make of Kangaroo which is lower in fat and coarser in texture than even grass-fed beef.

Americans? Jerky.

The English? Pie.

[Lord Bravery]

Ahhh steak and guinness pie... *drools*

[Paul McEnery]

Meat, yes, but imo, cheap dairy tends to be the better choice. Usually, there simply isn't a reason for dairy to be expensive.

You are massively wrong.

My idea of the cheap stuff is standard "sharp".

But it still isn't good.

Buy foreign, or buy artisanal. Everything else is rubbish.

[carabas]

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/04/images/Cheese_KraftSingles.jpg
This is not really what passes for genuine cheese in America, is it?

[i_mmmchocolate]

This is not really what passes for genuine cheese in America, is it?
Err, no.

Even people who buy it for their kids or for nostalgia purposes or because it's cheap or because they don't know any better or for whatever other reason can still distinguish between this and actual cheese.

There are a lot of great dairy farms and creameries in the US that churn out great cheeses, by the way - I can think of few places in California, Oregon, and Vermont that come to mind immediately.

[Typo Lad]

Your mention of the Fairway markets brings to mind something sucky re: meat.

In Iowa and some of the surrounding states, we have a grocery chain called Fareway (no relation to the Fairway markets out east). Of the grocery chains in Iowa, they have by far the best meats, and the best butcher services. They're better than a lot of butcher shops.

Unfortunately, the chain was founded by a bunch of religious fanatics, and that perspective is still a prominent component of the chain's policies. Some of the result of that is just a quirk - like the chain's policy of being closed on Sundays - but some of it amounts to bigotry. The Fareway chain has donated a fair amount of money to extremist and bigoted political candidates and causes, and anecdotaly the chain appears to be systematically discriminatory against GLBT employees. As a result, I refuse to do business there.

I don't really regret taking that stand, as I can and do get good meat elsewhere, but it would certainly be less annoying if the chain's meat was as nasty as their policies.

I hate that.

We've a local store that I avoid due to the owner's views, and for a serious time I debated not going to one of the local butchers because he was allegedly trying to get his distributors to help him muscle out the competition. Both places are quite good.

I'm lucky to live where I do.


Try some actual, imported Parmesan or Romano cheese sometime - not the loathesome domestic stuff - and see if you still believe that. p/quote]

I am so, so glad that the Kosher cheese market has been undergoing a sort of renaissance. It used to be if you wanted anything good, you had to get imported, period. There are still some great imported options, but the emergence of small, quality Dairies like 5 Spokes (http://www.5spokecreamery.com/) means we can get something besides the same endless mild chedder, munster, and other bland stuff.

[quote]Sometimes one can get good dairy quite cheap - I mentioned the Cabot cheeses Wal-Mart stocks, which are top-notch cheddar (especially the extra sharp), but only minimally more expensive than the crappy brands - but overall, this is defnitely a place where one gets what one pays for.

Cabot is great. They used to do industrial runs under the OU Kosher symbol, and enough people campaigned to get them to do consumer runs under that certification too. Wonderfully sharp.

They're actually Tablet-K by default, but few people use that supervision.


This was one of the nice things about growing up on a farm. Always fresh (brown) eggs,

Does the brown make any difference, though?


and every year Dad and a friend of his would split a steer bought at the county fair.QUOTE]

Niiiice.

Before Kroger in Memphis opened their Kosher Butcher counter, families there would actually "go in" on a cow together, and make it last.

[QUOTE=rick;12924467]That sounds horrible.

It's the LCD of Kosher Meat. Pumped with filler, bland, and basically what you get if there's no other option.

On the other end of the equation we have [http://www.abeles-heymann.com/]A&H[/url], who actually know how to season meat.

Empire (http://www.empirekosher.com/) is kind of mid range, I guess.

There are more pre-packaged companies, especially for chicken, but all three are generally beaten by our local butchers.

Except, of course, the ones that basically crack open the Empire packages and re-wrap them. Sigh.


Did I ever mention that I like to buy Kosher whenever possible on most food items I buy?

The quality always seems to be a bit better then I can find otherwise.

I think some of that may be psychosomatic, really. For one thing, there's quite a bit of stuff that's Kosher that you wouldn't even realize (like any breakfast cereal w/o marshmallows, basically).

Still, if you're interested in Kosher, try The Kosher board at Chowhound (http://chowhound.*********/boards/28?tag=main_body;board_banner) for interesting stuff. I love them.

[the4thpip]

Try some actual, imported Parmesan or Romano cheese sometime - not the loathesome domestic stuff - and see if you still believe that.

Sometimes one can get good dairy quite cheap - I mentioned the Cabot cheeses Wal-Mart stocks, which are top-notch cheddar (especially the extra sharp), but only minimally more expensive than the crappy brands - but overall, this is defnitely a place where one gets what one pays for.

Two words:

Prosecco cheese.

http://www.ruwischzuck.de/images/produkte/prosecco_kaese.jpg

Worth every Euro.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Two words:

Prosecco cheese.

http://www.ruwischzuck.de/images/produkte/prosecco_kaese.jpg

Worth every Euro.

I've not seen that in any of the local markets. I'll watch for it, though.

I love good cheeses.

[Captain Clarkie]

I'm very unlucky that I just don't like the taste of any cheese, and can't eat it.

So I shall post this instead -

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Mzz3-IVfJ0I/SXuTAuWpm7I/AAAAAAAAA74/X2myFhbRIfc/s400/Pork+belly+roasted+(800+x+600).jpg

[doolbnoom]

Ahhh steak and guinness pie... *drools*

what would be better is guinness cheese. or guinness ice cream.

[The Black Guardian]

You are massively wrong.

My idea of the cheap stuff is standard "sharp".

But it still isn't good.

Buy foreign, or buy artisanal. Everything else is rubbish.
Sure... if you like spending too much for too little gain.

[rick]

I think some of that may be psychosomatic, really. For one thing, there's quite a bit of stuff that's Kosher that you wouldn't even realize (like any breakfast cereal w/o marshmallows, basically).

Still, if you're interested in Kosher, try The Kosher board at Chowhound (http://chowhound.*********/boards/28?tag=main_body;board_banner) for interesting stuff. I love them.

Let me give an example.

Lipton makes a cheap and easy dry chicken noodle soup mix that's tasty but nothing special. The Kosher version on the other hand has a thicker broth with actual chicken fat floating around in it and tastes like, well chicken soup.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Sure... if you like spending too much for too little gain.

I've regretted a lot of the purchases I've made over the years, including any number of shitty comics. I've yet to ever regret a cent I've spent on good cheese.

[Typo Lad]

Let me give an example.

Lipton makes a cheap and easy dry chicken noodle soup mix that's tasty but nothing special. The Kosher version on the other hand has a thicker broth with actual chicken fat floating around in it and tastes like, well chicken soup.
Hnh. Never used the Lipton soups. Seem 'em.

Just stay away from anything made by Maneshevitz

[rick]

Just stay away from anything made by Maneshevitz

A lesson learned in my youth.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Just stay away from anything made by Maneshevitz

Hah! I was wondering if anyone thought their stuff was good.

A few years back, I was curious about Jewish cuisine, and with few options to choose from, I tried some of the various Manischewitz products. I was completely unimpressed, and wondered what the hell people found appealing about that stuff.

Then, during some travels, I had occasion to visit a Jewish deli and sample some real, actual good stuff.

[Lord Bravery]

what would be better is guinness cheese. or guinness ice cream.

Well I guess you could throw some nice grated cheddar on top of the pie.

*drools again*

[Slam_Bradley]

I've regretted a lot of the purchases I've made over the years, including any number of shitty comics. I've yet to ever regret a cent I've spent on good cheese.

Same here. I've spent money on stuff I've regretted. But never quality food. I can't parse that way of thinking.

[Captain Clarkie]

Same here. I've spent money on stuff I've regretted. But never quality food. I can't parse that way of thinking.

Me 3. I'm going to go insane when I get home. Large amounts spent on posh meat and fish.

[Ronald Bryan]

That reminds me of when I was young and would order a burger from a restaurant and my mother would say "If you wanted a burger we could have gone to McDonald's and spent far less." No, if I wanted trash that pretended to be a burger we could have gone there. But this, here, is a real burger.

[Matt Algren]

Does the brown make any difference, though?

Not really, but people swear they can taste the difference. Different colors come from different breeds of chickens, that's all.

I'm guessing you could count on the brown eggs being fresher. Grocery stores, at least when I was growing up, only carried white eggs while smaller stores and local farmers only sold brown ones. That's probably where the perceived difference came from.



Also, once you go brown you never go back.

[Paul McEnery]

I've regretted a lot of the purchases I've made over the years, including any number of shitty comics. I've yet to ever regret a cent I've spent on good cheese.

Try this one.

http://www.fromages.com/cheese_library_detail.php?id_fromage=127

http://www.fromages.com/images/fromages/grandes/127.jpg

[Typo Lad]

A lesson learned in my youth.

A quick way to know if a Jewish family have anything resembling taste-buds is a quick look in their pantry. If they're under 80 and have anything 'shevitz, excuse yourself from the meal.


Hah! I was wondering if anyone thought their stuff was good.

No. No-one.

There's a nostalgia factor. They were the first Kosher "mass production" company (or at least the first successful one). However, their products remain basically the same as they were back when they started - high in salt, low in taste, and with textures that make you wonder what they are actually made of.

The infamous "Kosher Wine" everyone mocks? That'd be Manashevitz Creme Royal. I won't let it in my house and when someone gave the Creme white to my folks, I poured it right down the drain.

There are many very good Kosher wines. Sadly, some of my people insist on remaining ignorant.


A few years back, I was curious about Jewish cuisine,[q/uote]

That should be plural. There are several different types. Manishevitz and most of the national brands focus on basic Ashkenazi fare.

You should also try Kosher Chowhound, if still interested.

[quote] and with few options to choose from, I tried some of the various Manischewitz products. I was completely unimpressed, and wondered what the hell people found appealing about that stuff.

It was basically the only game in town for a really, really long time.


Then, during some travels, I had occasion to visit a Jewish deli and sample some real, actual good stuff.

G-d bless places that cure their own meats.


That reminds me of when I was young and would order a burger from a restaurant and my mother would say "If you wanted a burger we could have gone to McDonald's and spent far less." No, if I wanted trash that pretended to be a burger we could have gone there. But this, here, is a real burger.

Someone opened a franchise of an Israeli burger chain here, and it's basically McDonald's. Trash. And yes, I've been getting grief for not just going there for a burger.

A local deli makes burgers so amazing...


Not really, but people swear they can taste the difference. Different colors come from different breeds of chickens, that's all.

I'm guessing you could count on the brown eggs being fresher. Grocery stores, at least when I was growing up, only carried white eggs while smaller stores and local farmers only sold brown ones. That's probably where the perceived difference came from.

My mom grew up in the Catskills, home to tons of chicken farms, and whenever she visits she gets a case or two of eggs, freshly packed. When you go in to buy them you can actually see the eggs moving on the belts. Love it.


Also, once you go brown you never go back.

Yes well, once you go white you're out for the night.

[Skib]

On a related note to horrible cheese: Pizza Hut pizza. Absolutely disgusting garbage. Last time I had it, I was vomiting in their parking lot. Nothing but salt and grease.

[Shellhead]

What is this world coming to, that you can't buy decent quality meat at a store with a big reputation for cheap goods at cheap prices. I am outraged.

[PiratesPensSteelers]

On a related note to horrible cheese: Pizza Hut pizza. Absolutely disgusting garbage. Last time I had it, I was vomiting in their parking lot. Nothing but salt and grease.

The cheese they put inside their stuffed crust is god awful.

[Typo Lad]

There was a Kosher Pizza Hut in Israel. People tried to get me to go there. No way.

[Captain Clarkie]

Whatever you do, don't try to buy cheese from Henry Wendsleydale's.

[Sabrina_Fried]

A quick way to know if a Jewish family have anything resembling taste-buds is a quick look in their pantry. If they're under 80 and have anything 'shevitz, excuse yourself from the meal.



No. No-one.

There's a nostalgia factor. They were the first Kosher "mass production" company (or at least the first successful one). However, their products remain basically the same as they were back when they started - high in salt, low in taste, and with textures that make you wonder what they are actually made of.

The infamous "Kosher Wine" everyone mocks? That'd be Manashevitz Creme Royal. I won't let it in my house and when someone gave the Creme white to my folks, I poured it right down the drain.

There are many very good Kosher wines. Sadly, some of my people insist on remaining ignorant.



I refer to Manishevitz wine as "Grape juice that will get me drunk" because that is essentially what it tastes like. As for the rest of their food. I agree with your description. I'd rather cook from scratch than buy Manishevitz food. Yet my parents (who are only in the late 50's early 60's) insist on stocking the pantry with it for every major holiday.

I've actually taken to buying kosher meats at the grocery stores that sell it here mostly because they buy the kosher meats in lower quantities so it is guaranteed to be fresher than the mainstream stuff.