Groceries

The first time I picked up a piece of honeycomb from my local farmers market, I was definitely intimidated. Honestly, I think I was drawn to just how pretty it looks. But once I got home, I had no clue about what to do with it. So it sat in my pantry for months before I had the courage to go back to the beekeeper at the market and ask him for advice. As it turns out, there are a whole lot of delicious ways to use it in the kitchen.

A few tips on reducing the amount of food packaging in your life.

With so much being written these days about food waste, comparatively less is written about the wastefulness of food packaging. Yet food packaging waste accounts for at least as much as, if not more than, food waste. From complex, tri-fold plastic egg cartons to snack-friendly boxes of individually wrapped apple slices, it’s not uncommon to find two or more layers of “protection” between us and the food we eat.

For many, salmon is the go-to choice when picking fish to buy for dinner. It’s not only a crowd-pleaser, but it’s also pretty easy to prepare for a weeknight or dress up for company. So given its popularity, it would seem that it would be effortless to shop for, right? Not exactly.

When you shop for limes, do you feel disappointed by a selection that’s anything less than the greenest of green? I certainly do. I always thought that yellowing limes were past their prime — but it turns out that’s really not the case at all. Mind-blowing fact of the day: Bearr’s limes (aka Persian or Tahitian), which are the most commonly sold limes in the U.S., yellow as they ripen.

The first step in my week of cutting down on food packaging was to take a hard look at my household of two, which seems to generate a lot more trash than I would like. I realized that even though I was doing a pretty good job of reusing and recycling, reducing the amount of waste I brought into the house in the first place was an area for improvement.

It seems like everyone is on the fermented drink bandwagon lately, but what if kombucha or even shrubs and switchels aren’t for you? Then it’s time to try something made with whey instead — like KeVita’s line of sparkling probiotic drinks. Not quite as bubbly as sparkling lemonade or seltzer, these drinks get their fizziness from fermented whey. It’s a much more subtle sparkle, which allows all the flavors to shine through.

Forget the woodsy, folksy engagement photos of yesterday, and welcome the new trendy thing: engagement photos taken in your favorite warehouse-style grocery store. Nothing says romance like giant vacuum-packed slabs of meat and packs of toilet paper large enough to TP an entire town. All jokes aside, I understand this couple’s shared devotion to Costco. When you’re into food, you spend a lot of time at the grocery store.

I have a weakness for ice cream that reaches its peak in the summertime, but the ice cream itself is only the half of it: I am a sucker for great toppings. Even as an adult, I insist on chocolate sprinkles when I visit my local ice cream shop because I am convinced they make the ice cream better. But what if you have outgrown sprinkles, and are hungry for something new and a little crazy to dress your ice cream sundae?

If you’re lucky enough to have a halal grocery store near you, stop what you’re doing and go there right this second. Well, actually, read this post first and then make the trip. Like other specialty food stores, a halal market is home to a slew of ingredients that are worthy of a spot in your kitchen. Beyond halal meat, the halal market is a great resource for North African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian specialty groceries.

Stuffing yourself with berries is easily one of summer’s greatest pleasures. I mean, it’s pretty much your duty to fill up until you’re tired of them because you’ll have to wait a whole year until you’re able to get your hands on fresh summer berries again. That means it’s pretty important to buy the best berries you can find — especially since they usually don’t come cheap, even when they’re at the peak of season.

Fresh berries are the highlight of summer. Nothing beats the satisfying “pop” of a fresh blueberry, the decadence of a juicy strawberry, or the sweet-tart symphony of a ripe blackberry. But that tiny box of raspberries in the grocery can set you back a pretty penny, and organic berries — well, you’d better brace yourself. Why are the jewels of the produce world priced like semi-precious stones?

Choosing an ice cream isn’t as simple as vanilla and chocolate anymore. Slow-churned, non-GMO, no-sugar-added, grass-grazed — your grocer’s ice cream section is a display of never-ending banners, slogans, and callouts, all vying for your attention with a very wide array of pricing options. The freezer is crowded, the goalposts are always changing, and new arrivals seem to come every week.

As impulse buys go, you can do worse than the occasional box of fresh berries, but who among us hasn’t broken out in a cold sweat over the refrigerator case, stricken with sticker shock? Luckily, there are a few ways to eat your berries without breaking the bank. You might have noticed that you can get a lot more bang for your buck purchasing strawberries than blueberries.

Looking to recreate a baseball game experience? Feeding a bunch of picky kids? We tasted nine top hot dog brands to decide which ones are best for your situation.

Whenever I am lost for dinner ideas and wandering aimlessly through the grocery store (this happens more often than you might think), I make my way over to the antipasti bar. You know the one — it’s that little corner of the store, maybe by the fancy cheese or the deli, with a gorgeous display of olives and marinated vegetables.

A Caesar salad is only as good as its dressing. And while it’s not hard to make an incredible one from a few pantry staples, sometimes you just don’t have the time. A bottle of the store-bought stuff is a quick, painless way to get salad on the table fast. But with an aisle full of bottles to choose from, just which one exactly is worth buying? We tasted some of the most popular brands in order to find one that’s worthy of its convenience.

I’d be the first to tell you that nothing beats homemade croutons. But even though they’re quick and easy to make, there are times when they’re still not fast enough. That’s when store-bought croutons come to the rescue. There are a whole slew of bagged options out there — we tasted our way through them to find the best. If you like your Caesar croutons to add extra cheesiness to the salad, then these are for you.

Not to be dramatic, but a breakfast sandwich can make or break your entire day. We tried seven from national and regional chains and ranked them from worst to best.

We love Trader Joe’s for so many reasons, but especially for their incredible selection of frozen foods. And while their frozen breakfast section isn’t the most robust, what they do offer should pique your interest. Whether you’re looking for a savory or sweet start to your day, they have some fabulous — and affordable — items on hand. We sorted through the offerings, and we can say with confidence that these are their best frozen breakfast foods.

We all know the big soda brands like Coke and Pepsi, but in almost every corner of the United States, there is at least one well-loved regional brand of the bubbly stuff. Here are just some of the most popular regional soft drinks from around the country. Combine the flavor of cream soda and strawberry bubblegum and you’ve got Big Red. The glowing-red soda has been around since the late 1930s and continues to be popular in the southwest.

Back-to-school means packing not only lunches for my two small children, but also school snacks. While I enjoy making their lunches, I primarily rely on packaged foods for snacks. Most weeks we load up on crackers, cheese sticks, and fruit from our regular grocery stop, but we occasionally switch things up with a trip to Costco or Trader Joe’s. Just before school started, I took my 5-year-old daughter, Ella, with me on a snack-stash trip to Trader Joe’s and asked her for her help.

Nabisco released a new flavor of Oreo a couple weeks ago, and it’s a far cry from the birthday cake and cookie dough flavors we’ve grown familiar with on grocery store shelves. Oreo’s latest flavor replaces its traditional creme filling with Swedish Fish gummy candy. The new limited-edition flavor is only available at Kroger stores, but if you don’t have one nearby, don’t get FOMO just yet.

Chicken nuggets in almost any form beyond homemade are a much-demonized convenience food. It’s difficult to call which presentation of convenience is more polarizing: the drive-thru chicken nuggets or the box of store-bought, frozen chicken nuggets. Truthfully, I once held the same distain for both and swore up and down that my future kids would never eat mass-produced nuggets. Ah, how little we know about parenting before we are parents.

We love Trader Joe’s for their snacks and pantry staples, but what’s really special is the freezer section. Amongst the frozen veggies and appetizers, there’s a selection of frozen shortcuts that help ease our dinner woes on harried weeknights. Here are five of our favorites. Did you totally miss fresh fig season? Not to worry — Trader Joe’s has your back. Instead of opting for dried, look to the freezer section.

The first thing I do when I come home with a bag of grains, flour, or seeds is put it in a glass container. Having to deal with rubber bands or bag clips usually ends in me spilling things all over my kitchen counter. But what if you run out of glass containers? What if you just don’t want to deal with the hassle? Luckily, Bob’s Red Mill It seems like an obvious switch to go from the regular plastic bags to resealable bags.

I started working at the supermarket in my town when I was in high school, and continued to pick up shifts when I’d come home from college in the summer, for winter break, and (you guessed it!) Thanksgiving weekend. Even though I’d be home for just a few days during Thanksgiving, there were two things I could count on: My jeans wouldn’t be as comfortable when I got back to school, and my boss would ask me to work a shift the day before Thanksgiving.

So, you bought your pumpkin pie instead of making one this year — that’s totally okay. What’s more important is what you do with it on the big day. Go beyond the standard whipped cream for a fast-and-fancy upgrade that really brings that wow-factor to your pumpkin pie. Piled high with ultra-fluffy, sweet meringue, this is the upgrade that gives your store-bought pie instant pizzazz.

Let’s be honest here — if you are shopping at Costco for Thanksgiving, chances are you are feeding a crowd. Feeding not just your immediate family, but also your friends, neighbors, and extended family means that beyond buying your turkeys and hams (yes, you’ll need multiples of both), you’re also going to need more plates, more tables, and more wine. Given that, here are three things your should pick up at Costco for Thanksgiving.

And serve eight people.

I heard about Aldi in snippets for years before I ever made my way there: It’s owned by the same people as Trader Joe’s (which is almost the case, but not quite), it’s filled with brands you’ve never heard of (mostly private label, similar to Trader Joes’), and if you’re going to buy anything there, this one particular item has to be it. If you go to Aldi, buy the chocolate.

Target is the ultimate one-stop shop for the Thanksgiving host. While many of us love it for chic homeware, Target has spent the last few years reworking the grocery departments in most stores. If your local Target has a decent-sized grocery section, chances are that you’ll find everything you need for Thanksgiving. Here’s your guide for hosting of your most festive Thanksgiving yet with just one stop.

If you’ve never been to Aldi, it might surprise you that it’s a great place to shop for Thanksgiving. I understand. Before I started shopping at Aldi, I imagined they sold subpar food; something akin to what you’d find at a supersized convenience store. How wrong I was. Aldi carries a nice selection of produce, dairy, and other kitchen essentials at low prices. They even offer a small line of organics and gluten-free foods.

One trip to Trader Joe’s could be your solution to buying everything from the turkey down to the salt and pepper, and even a bouquet of flowers for the Thanksgiving table. It all depends on your cooking style and the size and type of Thanksgiving dinner you plan to host. What do we mean when we say one-stop shopping? For starters, don’t confuse this with one-size-fits-all shopping.

From road trip snacksfrozen desserts The next time you decide to keep it casual with a snack board for dinner, make sure you’ve picked up a few things from TJ’s; it’s how you keep your snack board from feeling stale. With a crisp 20-dollar bill, you can scour the shelves to stock your snack board pantry and fill your snack plate with a few unexpected additions.

Everyone gifts wine this time of year, and I have absolutely no problem with that! The more wine, the better. (Even if your host doesn’t drink or totally hates the varietal of grape you’ve brought, she can always crack it open and serve it to her guests. Or regift it later!) You don’t have to spend big bucks, or go nuts picking a bottle that might mean something to its intended recipient.

Grocery shopping. Everyone has to do it, but not everyone knows what they’re doing. We rounded up some of our top 2016 grocery store tips, tricks, and helpful advice so that next time you walk through those whooshing doors, you’ll be a master in the fine art of grocery shopping. Your refrigerator, pantry, and cupboards — and, ultimately, your belly — will thank you. Here’s our basic roundup of 10 essential tips for smart grocery shopping.

If you’re considering Aldi as a place to do some or even all of your Thanksgiving shopping, there are a few key elements you need to be aware of. We covered some tips in our first look at Aldi, but when it comes to a big shop, there are even more details to know about. Here are 10 important tips to keep in mind. Since Aldi stocks a limited inventory, do your Thanksgiving shopping early. If your schedule allows, plan to shop when the store opens.

Do you need the absolute easiest solution for the morning rush? The lack of something totally easy is why so many of us end up drinking a coffee and calling it breakfast (probably not ideal) or eating the free donuts in the office kitchen (hey, no judgment). But you can do better than that! We’ve rounded up 10 grab-and-go breakfasts from the grocery store that will make your mornings great — or at least make you less hangry during your 10 a.m. meeting.

I’ll be the first to admit that the Trader Joe’s cereal aisle is top-notch, but it only scratches the surface of what my favorite grocer delivers in the breakfast department. Whether you like to start the day with a meal that’s sweet or savory, hot or cold, or you have the time to cook in the morning or your routine requires an on-the-go solution, you’ll find something in the aisles that’s just right for you.

Some conveniently packaged, easily accessible grocery store foods do in fact make the Whole30 cut, despite all odds to the contrary.

So you’re doing Whole30. You are prepping your meals like you’ve never prepped your meals before; you are embracing your temporary sugar-free lifestyle — apples are basically candy to you now! — you have mastered the art of ordering at restaurants; and you’re drinking so much LaCroix you should probably buy stock in the company. Congratulations! There is, however, one last frontier: desk snacks.

For years, all I knew of tahini was the single brand available to me at my local grocery store — the contents were as dusty as the tin itself. The paste, made from sesame seeds and oil, was chalky and so cement-like that I could never get the separated oil to blend back in. I was close to giving up on tahini altogether. Then one evening, while living abroad, an Israeli friend had me over for dinner.

Most people associate aromatic bitters with Angostura bitters — you’ve probably seen the bottles, decked out in the brand’s signature oversized label on supermarket shelves or at your local liquor store — but there are plenty of other bitters out there that will make your tipples tastier and also impress your friends. Check out five of our favorite bitters (besides Angostura) and learn what to pair them with.

We taste tested boxed brownie mixes against our favorite brownie recipe to find the mix that's just right for you.

Simplifying life in the kitchen always sounds good, doesn’t it? This whole idea that, barring everyday necessities, the only things that belong in your home are the ones that spark joy? Well, although I do love Marie Kondo, it’s not always super easy to pull off — especially if you’re an avid cook and, you know, you need a lot of things! But there is one place I find this simplifying approach really works, and that’s the home bar.

Every Southerner knows it's true.

Whether you’re a Baton Rouge native or Boise born and bred, here are 10 small ways to taste the South, all of which are readily available in most major grocery stores or online. Just because you find yourself north of the Mason-Dixon line doesn’t mean you have to eat like it. Velveeta: Sure, Velveeta originated in New York State, but nobody puts it to better use than a Tex-Mex restaurant.

After marching down every aisle at the Winter Fancy Food Show this week, I realized that some of my favorite bites were decidedly cheesy and savory, helping to counteract the endless booths of cookies and chocolates. If you also love cheese snacks, check out these new ways to devour them all day long. And look for them to start popping up in grocery and specialty stores soon.

The apples that never turn brown.

One year for Christmas, my father decided that he was going to make edible presents for everyone in his department, namely meringue-chocolate mushrooms. With about 50 people each receiving 100 mushrooms, he obviously needed his kids’ help. “Pipe the meringue!” he’d shout if we turned on the TV. “Melt some chocolate!” he’d bark if we’d finished piping caps and stems.

After years of meal planning for my family, I’ve finally realized what makes the plan work each and every week: embracing the grocery store dinner. See, for a long time I didn’t include this as part of my meal planning strategy, and time after time weekday life thwarted my best-laid plans. A meal I thought would be good for leftovers would get devoured in one sitting or a late workday would derail the meal schedule and I was left without a backup plan.

It’s interesting to me how financial experts, mothers-in-law, and total strangers on a Facebook page all have distinct opinions on how much you should spend on groceries. The thing is, while food costs certainly shouldn’t be complex, they can vary from person to person and household to household — even region to region.

What's 365? In a locally sourced, organic nutshell: It's kind of like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's had a baby. Read this before you go.

The 365 by Whole Foods Market stores are billed as a lower-price version of the mother store, but how much will you really save? I decided to investigate. On the same day in February, I checked the prices of items in regular rotation on my grocery list at the 365 by Whole Foods in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles and an old-school Whole Foods seven miles away in Glendale, CA. Here’s what I found out. Almost all items were less expensive at 365 — some amazingly so.

Costco is known for lots of things — humongous shopping carts, a generous free sample policy, and cheap hot dogs, to name a few — but it’s not just a fabulous place to go when you want to stock up on giant jars of peanut butter or massive containers of dish detergent. Costco also has a fantastic selection of healthy snacks. I’ve rounded up my favorite healthy snacks that you can only find if you go to Costco.

Sometimes our real-life grocery stores can prove to be a little limited in their offerings (why do we need so many brands of ketchup and so few types of whole grains?). And other times, certain things (we’re looking at you, five-pound bag of flour!) can just be too heavy to lug home in addition to everything else we’re already schlepping. Luckily Amazon has a selection our editors have come to rely on.

Some families go to houses of worship on weekends. Some spend the day with loved ones, cuddling on the couch or playing touch football. My family goes grocery shopping at the store that offers the best samples. We love samples and I’m willing to bet we’re not alone. The question is, where are the best samples? Where are samples most frequently offered?

Here's how to coupon without letting it take over your life.

See how one young journalist stretches her money while living in the city.

There's always a sale on cereal and you should never pay more than a dollar for toothpaste.

Do you remember life before the world dominance of Greek yogurt? Ten years ago, it was only one percent of the yogurt market. Now? Fifty percent.

When you think of Greece, you may think of many things — warm Mediterranean weather, the Parthenon, perhaps — but I think of feta cheese. Greece is most definitely the motherland for this salty, tangy, oh-so crumbly cheese. Go visit the cheese aisle of your local grocery store and you’ll most likely be greeted by a myriad of feta choices from Greece. So how do you choose the best one? Keep these tips in mind and you’ll be able to find the feta that’s right for you.

This is the one wedding present the bride and groom are sure to love. Hint: It's not money.

You can't go wrong with any of these ideas!

I love getting fresh flowers — hint, hint, husband! — but what I don’t love is how quickly they fade. I hate getting a gorgeous bouquet, only to toss it a few days later when the petals start to brown, the leaves are drooping, and the water has turned into a murky mess. And the smell! There are few smells worse than a vase stew of rotting stems and leaves. But with a little maintenance and a few tricks, you can get extra days of enjoyment out of your cut flowers.

Muggles who’ve been dreaming of enjoying a mug of lightly boozy butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade might not have their wish coming true any time soon. But, thanks to Pennsylvania-based Yuengling’s Ice Cream, they can drown their sorrows in a pint of butterbeer ice cream. Author J.K.

Ice cream lovers of the world have some exciting news to freak out about: Talenti just released four new flavors for spring, and they all sound delicious. And one of them — a decadent peanut butter fudge flavor — isn’t so decadent at all. In fact, it’s vegan. Now, don’t expect some sugary treat with the lightest hint of peanut butter flavoring with this sorbetto. This new flavor is made up of 30 percent real peanut butter, and has swirls of dairy-free fudge.

Every Easter Americans go to town on jelly beans, consuming around 16 billion of the small candies. It’s the third most popular Easter candy — first place goes to the chocolate bunny, and second place belongs to marshmallow Peeps. Now, thanks to a ranking from CandyStore.com, we know what each state’s favorite jelly bean flavor is and the 32 most popular flavors across the nation.

Aldi has quite a following, as I learned when I asked one simple question on Facebook: “Friends who love Aldi: I’m about to make my first trip there. What’s good?” Sixty-something comments later, I was on a mission. I like inexpensive groceries that taste good, and I always bring my own bags (a requirement at Aldi). I made sure I had a quarter (more about that later), and got on the road.

America’s unicorn craze — the love for all things rainbow-themed and sparkly — is going mainstream. After lattesbagelsgrilled cheese The franchise previously had a unicorn drink in their secret menu (although an anonymous barista has debunked the myth that a secret menu is real; it’s really just customers asking for weird stuff they’ve read online), but after the concept of the beverage went viral, Starbucks is hopping on board with an official drink on its menu.

No trip to IKEA is complete without a visit to the restaurant for Swedish meatballs. You might technically go to IKEA for the affordable furniture, but that ligonberry sauce makes the trip way sweeter. In fact, the quick eats are so successful that the company may be diving into creating standalone eateries, Fast Company reports. IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad conceived the idea of including a sit-down dining space a year after opening the first store in Sweden in 1958.