Bulk Up!

I ran to my favorite store/farmer's market last night and grabbed a bunch of items, including bags of items sold in bulk. Confession time: one of those items was dark chocolate-covered almonds with dried cherries. Heaven in your mouth... But back to bulk-buying. 

Bulk bins can be a healthy cooks best resource when shopping, whether you’re buying ingredients for dinner or grabbing a nutritious snack. You can find practically everything in bulk bins these days – from rice, grains, flours, pasta, soup mixes, beans, cereals, trail mixes, nut butters, sweeteners, herbs, spices, salts, peppercorns, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and candy, to gluten-free foods, teas and coffees. Here’s why buying these products makes sense:

·         Bulk bins are typically replenished fairly often, meaning ingredients are very fresh. Especially items with a high turnover. Ask the bulk bin manager to be certain. 

When you “bin shop”, you can buy as much or as little as you need – a unique spice for a recipe or a trail mix you’d like to sample before committing to an entire bag. 
 

·         Because there’s no packaging, bulk items are often much less expensive than those on store shelves. 

·         Since there’s no fancy packaging, there’s no waste. 

·         Many items in bulk bins are organic (read labels to make sure).

A few tips for shopping in bulk:

·         Check out the savings first (it helps if you have a rough idea of prices at a regular supermarket). When companies don’t have to pay for fancy packaging and space on store shelves, the savings gets passed on to you. And don’t forget, since you can buy only what you need or think you’ll eat, less is wasted too. 

·         Decide how much of an item you want before filling the bag and buy just what you need, whether it’s 3 tablespoons of curry powder or 4 cups of whole wheat pasta. It’s easy to get excited and over-fill. 

·         Keep track of bin item numbers, this allows the cashier to know how to price the food. Write the bin number on your bag, a label provided by the store or the twist tie.

To keep prices in check, take advantage of the scales and weigh your food before heading to the check-out.

Look for specials, many stores offer huge savings on bulk items every week. 

 

If you can, bring your own reusable containers to the store and eliminate the bags altogether.


When you get home, store dry bulk items in airtight containers in a cool, dry place.