[Virtus]

And this http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-C...B0061SWV8Y

[RexImperator]

(05-01-2014 01:02 PM)calihunter Wrote:  

And this http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-C...B0061SWV8Y

+1 Looks like they changed the handle. I have this knife and it's very good. (Surprising good for the price, compared to higher end knives costing $140 or so. It's stamped, not forged, so it's a utilitarian option if you don't care about looks, rivets, full tang, etc...) Recommended repeatedly by America's Test Kitchen.

[kerouac]

(05-01-2014 11:41 AM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

Shopping at grocery stores is a joke, even the high end places like Whole Foods. Here's a basic rule of thumb for markups:

Retail is 2x wholesale
Restaurants are 4x wholesale

Out of curiosity, if Ralphs has a special on choice ribeye steak for $6/lb, is the vendor going to be half that? Or is the special close to the vendor price just to get the customers in through the door?

[Veloce]

(05-01-2014 02:15 PM)kerouac Wrote:  

(05-01-2014 11:41 AM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

Shopping at grocery stores is a joke, even the high end places like Whole Foods. Here's a basic rule of thumb for markups:

Retail is 2x wholesale
Restaurants are 4x wholesale

Out of curiosity, if Ralphs has a special on choice ribeye steak for $6/lb, is the vendor going to be half that? Or is the special close to the vendor price just to get the customers in through the door?

That's a glut somewhere in the supply chain and they're looking to cut their losses. Maybe their par dropped off, or they're sitting on too much inventory in their freezer. Maybe the vendor has too much on hand or the store itself does. If the vendor has too much on hand it's crazy how low they're willing to go to recover losses. I get phone calls and emails all the time about fish and meat specials, but it's never premium product. It's usually choice steaks or stew meat or frozen snapper filets etc. Nothing wrong with all that but in my scenario no need to settle

[Basil Ransom]

"Shopping at grocery stores is a joke, even the high end places like Whole Foods. Here's a basic rule of thumb for markups:

Retail is 2x wholesale
Restaurants are 4x wholesale"

Yeah I was royally pissed when I discovered this in the case of young coconuts. Young coconuts are delicious. Whole Foods sells them for $3 a piece, and other stores sometimes for $2 if you're lucky. Then this woman at work told me they're $9 for 9 at the market by her. Sure enough, at my request, she brings me a case. I was fucking incredulous and annoyed at what a ripoff all the local markets are. Even in Koreatown, the price you'll get is $1.50 per coconut.

I noticed that markets will charge prices closer to wholesale on their "bread and butter," on products that they sell a lot of and that customers use as a guide to their prices overall. Whole milk at typical white bread markets is fairly cheap. Go to an Asian market, and the dairy prices are 50-100% higher, because Asians don't eat dairy. Less turnover means less profit, even if the margin is higher.

Costco is supposedly wholesale, but a lot of the stuff I want they don't sell. Like they don't sell the cheaper cuts of lamb or fresh sardines. Their tri tip is pretrimmed and costs $6-7 a lb, unless you buy the case untrimmed for $4.50 a lb.

[kerouac]

Interesting. Only time I tried a young coconut was in Mexico, by the beach. I'll have to see if I can find a place that sells them for cheap around Hollywood/K-Town.

Thedude, when you say you're spoiled by having vendors deliver to you, do you mean at your place of work or at your home? Having fresh food, delivered to my door, at bargain prices sounds amazing, but I'm guessing since you work in the industry they deliver to your place of work with their regular deliveries. If I'm wrong, and they actually deliver to your residence, I would be astonished... no, flabbergasted... no, blippitybloppityblooped

[StrikeBack]

My take (similar to a few that have been posted) as I eat lots of meat as a powerlifter:

1. Organ meats

Best sources of protein and vitamins IMO, and dirt cheap since most people don't eat them.

Here I can get chicken hearts, livers and giblets for about $3/kg. Similar prices for lamb hearts etc.

2. Meat off the bones

Super delicious.

Go to the butcher's or meat market. I'm still learning to identify the parts from my mother, but sometimes for $2.50 I can get a delicious kilo of beef off the bones, other times they throw in a few for free if I'm buying other things.

$5 buys me 10-14 chicken frames at the local poultry's. Can still pull over half a kilo of meat off each frame.

The bones and frames are great for making stock.

A bit time consuming to pull the meat off the bones & frames, but if you want to save money, it's worth it. I also find it fun and relaxing sometimes.

3. Slow cook cuts

Much better tasting than the short cook ones, much cheaper.

[Veloce]

(05-01-2014 09:24 PM)kerouac Wrote:  

Thedude, when you say you're spoiled by having vendors deliver to you, do you mean at your place of work or at your home? Having fresh food, delivered to my door, at bargain prices sounds amazing, but I'm guessing since you work in the industry they deliver to your place of work with their regular deliveries. If I'm wrong, and they actually deliver to your residence, I would be astonished... no, flabbergasted... no, blippitybloppityblooped

Both. 95% of the time my place of work. However a couple of them are willing to deliver wherever I tell them to.

[Veloce]

(05-01-2014 07:35 PM)Basil Ransom Wrote:  

"Shopping at grocery stores is a joke, even the high end places like Whole Foods. Here's a basic rule of thumb for markups:

Retail is 2x wholesale
Restaurants are 4x wholesale"

Yeah I was royally pissed when I discovered this in the case of young coconuts. Young coconuts are delicious. Whole Foods sells them for $3 a piece, and other stores sometimes for $2 if you're lucky. Then this woman at work told me they're $9 for 9 at the market by her. Sure enough, at my request, she brings me a case. I was fucking incredulous and annoyed at what a ripoff all the local markets are. Even in Koreatown, the price you'll get is $1.50 per coconut.

I noticed that markets will charge prices closer to wholesale on their "bread and butter," on products that they sell a lot of and that customers use as a guide to their prices overall. Whole milk at typical white bread markets is fairly cheap. Go to an Asian market, and the dairy prices are 50-100% higher, because Asians don't eat dairy. Less turnover means less profit, even if the margin is higher.

Costco is supposedly wholesale, but a lot of the stuff I want they don't sell. Like they don't sell the cheaper cuts of lamb or fresh sardines. Their tri tip is pretrimmed and costs $6-7 a lb, unless you buy the case untrimmed for $4.50 a lb.

Good point. Same goes with the so-called "specialty" items that Whole Foods keeps in a certain part of their cold produce section. I've seen morel mushrooms, habanero and thai chilies, fresh turmeric, all that kind of shit. All of it is uniformly beat up, old, and withered because noone either wants that shit or knows what to do with it. Selling wild morel mushrooms for $29.99/lb and they're completely wilted...no thanks.

And then you go to markets in Ktown selling a lot of the same stuff at 1/5 the price. Go figure.

[DJ-Matt]

I have one of these, never burned my meat yet:


http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Scientific-...B000RL2ZGO

[Sourcecode]

seems complicated..in terms of needed tech in the kitchen.

Experience trumps all

[TheChef]

Chicken is cheap, but don't skimp when it comes to steaks or seafood. The freshness means everything, so be sure to cook things within a day or two for maximum flavor, especially with fish. Thedude wrote a good post on how to properly pan fry a steak

[Quintus Curtius]

One other possible suggestion that has worked for me: get to know a local "halal" butcher (Islamic). These guys have lots of private connections to locals who raise and slaughter lamb and goat, and can get delicious meats for good prices. I was skeptical at first but it has worked.

I made friends with an Egyptian guy who lifts at the same gym with me, and he hooked me up with a decent butcher. These guys don't care if you're not a Muslim and will sell to anyone. My favorite meat (lamb) is not easy to get where I live (US midwest).

Another great thing about this is that you can get a lot of bones, which I use to make stock (broth? I'm not sure which word is correct). Stock is so underrated. Adds great flavor and nutrition to soups, stews, boiling rice, couscous, etc.

[Basil Ransom]

Turns out the answer to the original post is 'know thedude.' Dude hooked me up.

I tried cooked sprouted lentils, and it tastes great. Don't write off lentils until you've had them sprouted and stewed with some fat and spices.

Quintus, great tip. There's a halal butcher in Hawthorne, CA at Al Watan (great Pakistani restaurant too). Looks like I won't have to go this route for now though.

[Quintus Curtius]

^^
All good, Basil. Hope it works out for you. It has for me.

I've heard that TheDude is a chef or works in the food service industry. I hope he'll post more food tips and suggestions, as I am really appreciating them.

Maybe he already has a culinary tip thread. If so, I can't find it.

[kerouac]

(05-03-2014 04:12 AM)Basil Ransom Wrote:  

Turns out the answer to the original post is 'know thedude.' Dude hooked me up.

Not sure if thedude wants the info out, but if he doesn't mind, can you give an example of prices you got from the vendor?

[Basil Ransom]

Yeah thedude is a professional chef who judging by his forum posts has an encyclopedic knowledge of food, has worked in michelin starred restaurants, and is also a very smart, aware guy on non-culinary topics too. And just cool to chill with.

"Not sure if thedude wants the info out, but if he doesn't mind, can you give an example of prices you got from the vendor?"

Yeah, it's not my place to share that info.

[Veloce]

(05-03-2014 04:28 PM)kerouac Wrote:  

(05-03-2014 04:12 AM)Basil Ransom Wrote:  

Turns out the answer to the original post is 'know thedude.' Dude hooked me up.

Not sure if thedude wants the info out, but if he doesn't mind, can you give an example of prices you got from the vendor?

Sure. The lamb shoulder steaks cost something like 6.95/lb or something like that. Keep in mind that's premium American lamb, not Aussie/NZ (which I'm not a fan of).

Pricing is one thing, but understanding the product is another. If I would have told my vendor, "I want rock bottom, just get me commodity pricing" it definitely would have been lower than 7 bucks per pound. I'll be the first to say that not everyone can tell the difference, myself included depending on the cut. But I can def tell the difference between American and Aussie lamb, so I opt for the better product. Important to compare apples to apples here.

For instance when buying beef, and you see a special for select or choice, those two gradings are somewhat vague. They represent a range of fat content in beef, but like any range there's the low end and high end. I've seen select that looks like choice, and seen choice that looks like prime. The higher grading gets the producer and middlemen a higher price so obviously they shoot for higher grading. Prime beef is very expensive to produce, not to mention horrible for the cow. The worst horror stories of what they do to beef pertain particularly to prime beef. The point being, is it can be hard to tell the difference between Select and Choice, and then Choice and Prime.

For strictly health purposes, you're always best off with grassfed, which isn't cheap. For me, I like to get either grassfed or grassfed and grain finished, where they finish the cow on a couple weeks or a month of grain to up the fat content a little. There's a fantastic beef producer called Creekstone Farms, and that's what I roll with. Here's a good article on them: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/dining...d=all&_r=0 The ranchers that supply their cattle typically raise the steers on grass for a full year before finishing them on grain.

They're not a small cottage industry. They're a huge meat processor but their standards are much, much higher and the steaks are some of the best I've had.

[kerouac]

(05-03-2014 08:04 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

But I can def tell the difference between American and Aussie lamb, so I opt for the better product. Important to compare apples to apples here.

Interesting. I rarely see American lamb in the supermarket. I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Lamb is absolutely delicious, if done right. I would be a happy man if I had a daily supply of high quality lamb and beef. So far, subsisting off inconsistent quality supermarket product has pushed me to take a break from steaks, but hopefully I'll be able to figure it out soon. Thanks for the high-quality info, as always.

[Basil Ransom]

I had the lamb, it was delicious. Compared to the Kiwi lamb shoulder chop I had before, the meat was marbled with fat throughout the meat and not just on the sides. The smell of the raw meat was terrific - a clean grassy, farm smell. I never thought I'd love smelling raw meat, but there I was snorting raw lamb chops. Plus they were cryovaced, and not effing saran wrapped like every market does. The meat was more tender and richer. Taste wise, it was better, but it didn't seem like a big difference. Maybe I don't have a sufficiently discriminating palate, or more likely, my cooking skills are not quite perfected enough to distinguish between them. They were also significantly bigger, by about 50%.

I looked online at some farms that sell whole lamb, and it looks like even then, that's more costly than thedude's vendor prices. You'd think whole lamb prices would be cheaper than wholesale cut prices, but maybe not. I saw whole lamb prices clocking in at $8-10 a lb locally, for a 40-50 lb dry weight carcass.

[Failing]

I do the half-cow in the deep freezer. Does anyone have experience with "sous vide" cooking? I haven't bought one but I'm thinking about it. Is it a direct replacement for the crockpot?

I absolutely hate everything having to do with dishes. I have often wondered if it would be possible to feed myself well entirely with a vitamix, sous vide, and rice cooker, thus removing the need to clean and screw with an oven, stove, pots, pans, etc. I'm a huge foodie, so TV dinners in a microwave are not the solution.

[Basil Ransom]

"I'm a huge foodie"

As a man, you can call yourself many things, but foodie should not be one of them. Leave the label to yuppie chicks who can't cook but fancy themselves experts on haute cuisine. Gourmand, epicurean, hedonist, glutton. Just not foodie. You can't say the word and not sound like a faggot.

[Veloce]

(05-03-2014 09:35 PM)kerouac Wrote:  

Interesting. I rarely see American lamb in the supermarket.

That's because it's too expensive for most consumers and there's not as much to go around, meaning there are supply inconsistencies.

My price on lamb chops is about $45-$50 for an 8-bone rack. That means if you saw a rack of American lamb in a grocery store you're looking at $80-$100. If you find a restaurant serving that lamb you're looking at $45 for 3 lamb chops. It's the same reason you don't see wagyu beef in grocery stores; it's just priced out of what the average consumer is willing to pay and that's a lot of money for a grocery store to risk in case of spoilage.

Here's a website of producers that sell under the brand American Lamb: https://www.americanlamb.com/our-lamb-st...profiles/. Elysian Fields sells specifically to fine dining restaurants like The French Laundry.

[Veloce]

(05-04-2014 10:19 AM)Failing Wrote:  

I do the half-cow in the deep freezer. Does anyone have experience with "sous vide" cooking? I haven't bought one but I'm thinking about it. Is it a direct replacement for the crockpot?

I absolutely hate everything having to do with dishes. I have often wondered if it would be possible to feed myself well entirely with a vitamix, sous vide, and rice cooker, thus removing the need to clean and screw with an oven, stove, pots, pans, etc. I'm a huge foodie, so TV dinners in a microwave are not the solution.

I've cooked extensively using sous-vide. You wouldn't need a crockpot if you've got a sous-vide setup.

For those not familiar:

I've got mixed feelings on sous vide cooking. I'm not a huge fan of it for most cuts of meat. What they portray in the video above is not 100% accurate. Cooking the meat is only half of it; the other half is correctly vacuum sealing it, and this is where most people get it wrong. They don't have the right vacuum pressure setting, so if they're using a chamber vacuum sealer, then odds are the pressure in the chamber drops so low that the water in the meat starts boiling at room temperature. This opens pathways in the meat fiber that causes the meat to dry out during the sous vide cooking. This is a little advanced but I see it all the time with sous vide meat. It has a beautiful, consistent medium rare appearance, but it's surprisingly dry and/or having a cotton-y texture.

Sous vide cooking is, however, very good with long-cooking braising cuts like short ribs. It's also good for certain high end applications that the average home cook will most likely never use; things like making creme anglaise i.e. ice cream base. It makes beautiful poached eggs.

This idea of sous vide replacing traditional cooking is bogus though. If you're a shitty cook and can't grill a steak to save your life or poach an egg the old-fashioned way, then sous vide won't help you much. Sous vide cooking is a tool for skilled cooks that REALLY know what the fuck they're doing and have already mastered the fundamentals like meat cookery, vegetables, grains, grilling, baking, stewing, etc.

Under ideal circumstances, there is also less cleanup, but if you just stick a piece of meat in a vacuum bag, cook it sous vide, and eat it out of the bag you're not going to be very pleased. You still need to sear it in a pan. Stews are another story. You could put together a stew of beans and lamb stew meat, some herbs, tomato paste, white wine, etc, vacuum seal it, cook it sous vide for 4 hours, cool the bags down, and then freeze them and reheat as needed. That would be a more ideal home scenario for this process.

[deerhunter]

Thanks Dude 3737, great tip on not lowering the pressure too much in your chamber vacuum sealer. Can't believe I never thought about that before. I seal hundreds of pounds of red salmon as well other stuff every year (a lot of hunting and fishing), and always just turn the vacuum suction to maximum. More is better theory. Definitely see the water boiling in there. I will have to play with it to find the sweet point now. I don't cook sous vide, but I am sure it still affects the quality of my final product.