Bob's Red Mill: any good??

[Tom Hall]

This guy is selling all kinds of stuff: flours (some gluten free), grains, beans, seeds, oats, nuts, etc including some organic products. They have entered my local area in a big way. Is any of it great or good... or forgettable?

This is the whole list:
http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/in...

[kayandallie]

Many thanks for that link to their website! That really widens my narrow world; I'm trying to follow Hyman's "Ultra-Metabolism" diet and finding it difficult to get the kinds of foodstuffs I need.

[typetive]

I love their breakfast grains - creamy rice, 7 grain, 10 grain and barley bits.

I've ordered online for my mother before because she doesn't have a very good selection at the stores near her and she was very pleased.

I've also picked up their bread machine mixes and have had good results.

[Chocolatechipkt]

I'm a fan of Bob's Red Mill products too. I can find many of them in regular grocery stores around here, though the selection (and turnover) is greater at Whole Foods, so I tend to buy from there. I've also ordered directly from Bob's Red Mill, and the service was great.

[glazebrookgirl]

Just one comment about their gluten free products, many people who have gluten allergies do not use these products because of problems with cross-contamination. My little sister is allergic to gluten and we have tried some of the gluten-free options and she has gotten sick. We then learned from celiac.com that this company has problems with cross-contamination in their factory. Just a heads-up!

[celeste]

That is too bad about the gluten. I guess it sort of makes sense as they share the stone wheels amongst products and it's almost impossible to remove all traces of things from stone.

[Emme]

LOVE...

the soy grits (make 'em into a cereal with cinnamon, vanilla, and a little sweetener)- for 2/3 cup dry, 39g of protein and 14g of fiber

cornmeal/polenta

apple granola cereal mix

kamut cereal

ten grain cereal

and their website is excellent with recipes...

[knoxhound]

Sorry, I find that this pre-packaged, whole foods stuff sits around on the shelf for a while. I have found the flours to be rancid or buggy. Since I don't buy mixes I can't speak for them. The beans and grains are rather old, too. Maybe you live in a place where there is more turn-over. I lived in NYC and I saw this packaged stuff sit around. Whole foods is difficult to mass market because of the volitility of the ingredients...that's a sad fact...the oils break down very quickly leaving a bitter aftertaste and who knows what. Buy bulk if you can...the turnover is quicker at least where I live now.

[taco_belle]

This is a risk of all packaged foods. It has nothing to do with the quality of the product as it comes out of production.

[jen kalb]

There is more risk of spoilage with whole grain products (including the germ)- they will go rancid, whereas degermed flours will keep quite long - all grains are vulnerable to bugs, freezing or refrigerating the grains will help in both areas.

In purchasing you just need to look for a store with turnover in these products - or buy mailorder if your local store seems lacking. Make sure the package you buy is clean and sealed, too.

[taco_belle]

Yes, I agree. I'm merely saying that it has nothing to do with the product being Bob's RM.

[toodie jane]

I have to agree. If not kept refrigerated, these milled whole grain products quickly oxidize and can become at best stale or at worst rancid. Rancid oils can contribute to the formation of free radicals which can lead to changes in body cells, often leading to cancers.

If you must buy a product like Bob's, buy them from a store with a quick turnover. I'm lucky enough to buy my ww flour at a grocery store where I can grind it myself. I wish more health food stores would have this option availbale! When I can't get to El ERancho, I buy my flours and grains and nuts at a small health food store that refrigerates them all. They are more pricey, but the quality is better.

[Davwud]

My wife and I have been buying the steel cut oats for a few years now. It's great and I'm not an oatmeal person.

Enjoy
DT

[celeste]

I too love their products. They are from my hometown and I have visited their mothership (and bought waaaay too much stuff!)

I love the 10 grain cereal, the oatmeal, the cornmeal, the flours, the grains, all of it. It's of very high quality.

Recently, my hugest revelation is their powdered buttermilk. It's *great* and now I can make buttermilk biscuits or anything else with buttermilk whenever I feel like it without going to the store.

[Dommy]

I love their products, I eat their quick cooking oats almost everyday! L.A. folks can get them at a discount too (Sadly not the quick cooking oats! :P) at the Orowheat Outlet in Culver City near the Farmer's Market and Fords. :)

--Dommy!

[taco_belle]

I've never had any problem with any of their products I've used. They seem to be of very good quality.

[Janet from Richmond]

I use their coarse ground corn meal for grits and polenta. It's very good.

[Produce Addict]

They have an apple-spice muffin mix (add molasses and egg) which is quite good, I made a buncha nd froze them for a quick breakfast.

[cooknKate]

Count me in as a fan too, I have been buying their stuff for many years, far longer than it has been 'PC' to do so and would never go back. I love their hot cereal mixes and use them in bread recipes too.

[Non Cognomina]

Excellent products. I particularly like steel cut oats and oat flour. All of their flour products are excellent and much more reasonably priced than most other places I've found. I LOVE all of their cornmeal products, and their whole wheat pastry flour, which is softer than regular wheat flour, substitues well for AP flour in a lot of recipes I use at home.

[Alexandra Eisler]

Ditto.

Brown rice farina is a breakfast staple, and I love their flour for bread baking. They also make buttermilk powder and dairy whey which I use regularly.

[Becca Porter]

It is great. They have steel cut oats that are much cheaper than the McCanns. Their 7 grain cereal makes the most amazing multigrain bread (Cooks Illustrated). It is also a delicious quick thing to eat if you are too hungry to cook dinner. You just add a little water and zap it in the microwave. Really yummy.

I love all their stuff, great quality.
-Becca