361417 Thu Jan 18 02:25:33 -0800 2007 37 32 Chains 0 2200383 I was at Safeway picking up a prescription yesterday - looked around for a couple things to make dinner - I rarely shop there because I find them overpriced as a rule (plus I'm still ticked from multi times not finding sale items there until I FINALLY caught on that their sale flyer changed over on Tuesdays (wha?) Anyway, looked in the meat case and there was this lovely lean sirloin, 4 "Ranchers Reserve" sirloin steaks about a pound each and maybe 1 1/2" thick @ $1.99/lb. Hadda get 'em and change dinner plans. See, where else do they sell THICK-cut steaks (no, I'm not paying Giant's "gourmet butcher counter" prices and I just don't want to drive half across the county to get to a proper butcher). The result: very tender indeed cooked nice and rare. I've heard people disparage Rancher's Reserve - certainly you could get better at a butcher and more flavorful cuts than sirloin - but I thought I'd report on a lucky find and a pleasant surprise. Any reactions? Your experiences? Thu Jan 18 02:25:33 -0800 2007 14479 wayne keyser 1 2200432 Last time I had Safeway's Rancher's Reserve, they probably should have reserved it for ranchers only. Meat was tougher than leather, and not much flavor. One good thing about this brand is that you can supposedly return it if dissatisfied, but I did not. To me, Safeway is only good for the Sabrett's hot dogs that they carry. On a side note, you can get very thick cut rib-eye steaks at Costco. I've seen them as thick as maybe 2 inches. Price about $8/lb. Thu Jan 18 02:40:53 -0800 2007 2200383 10723 Chownut 1 2200976 Sometimes you get lucky. I have too with Ranchers Reserve. Our local Safeway has gone Yuppie and now has a fancy meat counter. The guys told me that they do special trims of the Ranchers Reserve for the display cases. Extra thick - like the ones you got probably. At the end of the day, they wrap them up and put them in the regular cases. But they're the same price in the regular case and in the fancy display. So now I just go to the fancy yuppie display. Same price. And when they have something on sale it can be a good deal - depending on what it is. Just before Christmas they had prime rib for $4.99. I took a chance for a Tuesday night dinner and, surprise!, it was really good. Got a London Broil on sale for $1.99. Good piece of meat. I've gotten some tasty sirloins and some good pot roasts. All on sale, all well cut and trimmed properly. No. I don't usually buy my meat at Safeway. I go to a real butcher. But if I happen to be there and they have something on sale, I look at the yuppie display. So far it's been worth my while. Thu Jan 18 05:32:36 -0800 2007 2200383 32444 MakingSense 1 2201135 I do notice that Safeway quality does greatly vary from store to store. Here in McLean, we have 2 Safeways. One has been renovated and does seem to have very good quality. The other is a bit run down and their quality in the meats is not as nice the the other Safeway. Thu Jan 18 06:59:22 -0800 2007 2200383 22930 rcheng 2 2201266 There are two near me, both have been renovated, but the meat dept in one is severely lacking still, while the other is fairly full service and fairly good quality. As for the Wed-Tues sales, that's actually a national standard, at least for chains. Cueing in on sales is a bit easier once you know that. Thu Jan 18 11:50:48 -0800 2007 2201135 11368 Dennis S 3 2201440 >>>As for the Wed-Tues sales, that's actually a national standard, at least for chains. Cueing in on sales is a bit easier once you know that.<<< And did anyone think it's just a coincidence so many newspapers have their food sections on Wednesday, and have those supermarket inserts and full-page ads on that day each week??? Hmmm. BTW it's not just national chains. For example, Sniders in Silver Spring has done its weekly specials mostly on a Wednesday-Tuesday cycle for years. IIRC Magruders does the same thing but I'm not too sure about that one. Thu Jan 18 14:07:08 -0800 2007 2201266 10668 johnb 4 2207374 In the SF Bay Area, the supermarket circulars are sent with the Tuesday paper. Fri Jan 19 21:08:23 -0800 2007 2201440 10832 Humbucker 5 2208186 Same here in SoCal, and pretty much everywhere. The circular comes out on Tuesday, but most sales start on Wednesday...and gosh-darned if Wednesday's food section doesn't have recipes for something that JUST HAPPENS to be on sale at MegaGrocers! What a coincidence...though I must say that these "coincidences" were much more common in Nashville than here. Sat Jan 20 00:39:54 -0800 2007 2207374 11478 Will Owen 6 2209141 My aunt's ex-husband used to run a business that coordinated all of the sales for many large chains. I think they may have even acted as a broker of sorts btwn suppliers and the stores. You'll notice that even btwn stores, many of the same things are on sale. The stores all get those deals and make their minor modifications to those. Stores that run other schedules are either shouldering that shift themselves or carrying different lines (I could see Trader Joes, for instance, being in that group). Sat Jan 20 13:47:36 -0800 2007 2208186 11368 Dennis S 3 2201739 It depends upon the chain. Some exceptions to the standard you posted: Giant's sales run from Friday to Thursday. Wegman's run from Sunday to Saturday. Shopper's run from Saturday to Friday. Thu Jan 18 15:34:36 -0800 2007 2201266 12657 Lori D 1 2201356 Meat is meat, and not even the cow has very good control over what it tastes like. I'm sure that even the fancy butcher shop sells a tough piece of meat now and then. I've only had good experience with Rancher's Reserve beef, based on maybe two or three purchases a year. If I got a bad one, and I'm sure my time will come eventually, I'd probably eat it anyway, save the price sticker, and next time I was in the Safeway, take it to the Customer Service counter, tell them that it was a bum steer, and ask for a refund. They'll do it cheerfully. Thu Jan 18 13:25:36 -0800 2007 2200383 10624 MikeR 2 2201994 Meat is meat initially but aging is where it all chagnes. Thu Jan 18 16:31:51 -0800 2007 2201356 49180 jpschust 2 2208126 Meat is not always meat. Better quality isn't dosed with antibiotics and has better quality feed. Better meat has more intramuscular fat which results in grading differences. Made-up labels like "Ranchers Reserve" disguise the lower quality meat being used. Higher grade = more fat= more flavor. Aged meat is different again because of the complex process involved. Aged meet = tenderness & deeper flavor. Sat Jan 20 00:19:36 -0800 2007 2201356 10099 JudiAU 3 2208356 You are right that meat isn't always meat but your explanation is misleadingly oversimplified. Cattle of a breed not good for beef production can be raised without antibiotics and fed poor quality feed yielding poor meat regardless of the intramuscular fat which determines the grading. Ranchers Reserve is not lower quality, just a lower grade - there's a difference. A prime tenderloin will have little fat and many find it has little flavor. Good cooking can produce excellent flavor from lower grades of beef. Overaging can result in loss of texture resulting in an appealing product. Meat is not always meat. Good beef production depends on many factors and wise consumers have to know the difference. Sat Jan 20 01:36:48 -0800 2007 2208126 32444 MakingSense 1 2201358 My Safeway had 1" thick T-Bones for $6.99/lb a few days ago and they were very good. Never really had a problem with this branded meat. If your store still has butchers in the back, they can cut it like you want, these are packaged in the store. My butcher said that will most likely be a thing of the past soon, some stores only have butchers part time (they share time with several stores) and most meat comes in pre-packaged. There was a time when there were several meat people in the back of each store. Thu Jan 18 13:25:48 -0800 2007 2200383 13631 NoVaDog 1 2201587 Just for reference: Rancher's Reserve is an ungraded line of meat. Safeway, as a corporate entity, does not carry USDA Choice meats - they carry USDA Select, one grade lower. Rancher's Reserve is not USDA graded, but would fall somewhere in between the two. You can always get a superior piece of Select and a poor cut on Choice, but in general, you're simply going to consistently find higher quality meats at grocery stores that carry Choice rather than Select. You may personally decide that the price difference is not worth the quality difference, but all other things being equal, purveyors of Choice meat (Giant, Costco as examples) are going to have better quality meat than Safeway. Thu Jan 18 14:49:11 -0800 2007 2200383 18274 DanielK 2 2201894 ...all things being equal... but they weren't equal. Both Wayne Keyser and I had gotten sale prices on Ranchers Reserve beef. His $1.99 sirloins were great. At $4.99, my prime rib roast was an excellent value and it tasted really good, perhaps because this is a heavily marbled cut anyway. Same with $1.99 London Broil since it's sliced across the grain. Or pot roast at well under $2, since it's braised. You have to know what you're buying and shop the sales. I'm not sure I'd ever compare Giant's beef to Costco's. Thu Jan 18 16:11:32 -0800 2007 2201587 32444 MakingSense 3 2202832 I didn't mean all things being equal on price. I completely agree that you pay for quality. What I'm saying is that while individual stores can have variances, if you compare the same cut at Safeway with it's Giant equivalent, you'll pay more at Giant, but are more likely to get a higher quality meat (Select vs. Choice.) Why wouldn't you compare Giant's beef to Costco? I've been pretty pleased by what I've gotten at Costco most times, and the price is pretty darned good. They also have only Choice, not Select. I got some Rancher's Reserve bone-in ribeyes a few months back. They were certainly a few dollars cheaper per pound than the equivalent Giant steak. But what I got was tough and tasteless, though it looked real pretty. For a few dollars a pound difference, I'm going with Giant (or Costco!). Thu Jan 18 19:15:44 -0800 2007 2201894 18274 DanielK 4 2202908 Oh yeah, Costco's got great rib eyes.... Thu Jan 18 19:28:53 -0800 2007 2202832 10723 Chownut 5 2203161 Costco has the best deal around on standing rib roasts. Other than going to Balducci's for a PRIME aged roast, for which I paid dearly, I've not had a better rib roast at any price from any store in the area. Thu Jan 18 20:23:03 -0800 2007 2202908 18274 DanielK 4 2203531 Costco's got great meat. Sometimes they even have Prime. The selection isn't very wide though. Seems they've never heard of pot roast. But Giant isn't in that league by any means. Not a bit better than Safeway and the prices are usually higher. And neither compares to Costco. Mostly in Washington, people shop at one or the other. You have your Giant-people or your Safeway-people, some of which is determined by convenience. Not sure there's really that much difference. You've had bad luck at Safeway, good at Giant; for me, it's the reverse. Thank goodness there's Costco. Thu Jan 18 21:42:15 -0800 2007 2202832 32444 MakingSense 5 2203726 And this is where we disagree. I know that Giant costs more than Safeway - they offer Choice, and Safeway, Rancher's Reserve included, offers only Select. Personally, I can taste the difference, and am willing to spend more every time to go for Choice at Giant. I am willing to concede that, depending on the butcher, there are Giants out there that offer the lower side of Choice, and Safeways that offer the higher side of Select, graying the edges some. But on the whole, the Choice/Select difference is great enough that I am not willing to purchase Safeway meat. Thu Jan 18 22:19:17 -0800 2007 2203531 18274 DanielK 2 4251659 While Costco maybe good, I would never, ever serve any meat from Giant choice or not. Sorry, but I would rather have the Rancher's Reserve" somewhere between choice and select" Black Angus Beef than Gaints "Choice" ordianary beef. Most of the replies are right. Taste , tenderness and flavor can come from all cuts of meat. however, Ribeye or delmonico and prime rib are THE best cuts for all of the above. mainly because of the fat content. Many people think that NY Strips are the better cuts ( ask your local butcher, The Ribeye is far superior for the TTF). it is offered in most resturants and they can be pricey. If you have never tried a ribeye, try it and I am sure you will never go back to ordinary cuts again. Tue Dec 16 13:50:28 -0800 2008 2201587 249047 smdmeeteater 1 2206328 So the standard for Costco's meats are Choice? And if you get lucky, Prime? How do you know if it's Prime? Will it have a sticker on it or something, or do you have to get a Butcher? Fri Jan 19 17:38:29 -0800 2007 2200383 17099 Lonewolfcub 2 2206464 Any USDA graded beef is supposed to be labeled. Personally, I've not seen Prime at Costco, but that doesn't mean they don't have it on occasion. If I want Prime meat, I go to a specialty butcher or Balducci's. Fri Jan 19 18:06:56 -0800 2007 2206328 18274 DanielK 2 2206536 I'm going to doubt you'll get prime at Costco, but you'll get choice for sure. Prime is very expensive, and will be labeled if it has been graded. Fri Jan 19 18:22:47 -0800 2007 2206328 49180 jpschust 3 2206815 I think the only prime I've seen at costco is the filet. If it's not labeled, you can probably tell by the $$$$. Fri Jan 19 19:20:09 -0800 2007 2206536 10723 Chownut 1 2207408 No fan of Rancher's Reserve or Safeway here. My last purchase was two "coulotte" steaks, the presentation side, the side that one sees when looking at the meat package in the display case looked good. At home and out of the package, unevenly cut, utterly webbed with gristle on the reverse sides. If I had a real butcher's shop anywhere close to where I live, I'd be heading there! Fri Jan 19 21:17:12 -0800 2007 2200383 45170 lrostron 1 2208258 Indeed...SW's RR is a mixed bag. Sometimes I've gotten tender meat and sometimes not. On sale it's worth a risk but if you know you want a decent cut, I'll pay more. Sat Jan 20 01:03:52 -0800 2007 2200383 27275 ML8000 1 2209785 I read all 27 comments and I learned a lot about buying meats in supermarkets. It's not that I am young and have no experience shopping. Quite the contrary. I'm 59 and, like most people my age, I have decades of shopping experience. Here in San Francisco we have some delightful butcher shops in North Beach that cater to traditional Italian and Sicilian cooks. On upper Polk Street and along Union Street are some delightful shops that cater to the culinary staffs of those outrageously expensive Pacific Heights mansions. The quality of meat in those shops is absolutely superb. More butcher shops along Stockton Street cater to Chinese shoppers (who insist on everything being super-fresh) and there are many shops in the Mission catering to family cooks from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and other exciting locales. With all these wonderful little mom and pop butcher shops in the City, I cannot think of any reason on Earth why I would want to shop at corporate mega-market. Sat Jan 20 19:14:04 -0800 2007 2200383 67067 dunn.sanfrancisco 2 2209942 Because you happen to be at a regular supermarket buying toilet paper and detergent and see a good deal in the meat case? It's late and it saves another stop. Sometimes you luck out. Sat Jan 20 20:22:10 -0800 2007 2209785 32444 MakingSense 1 4941194 I buy Safeway meat all the time -- to make dog food. You get what you pay for which is so substandard for human consumption, we end up throwing it away. There is simply no comparison between any cut of beef at Safeway and my local butcher shop. Case in point: we recently made baby back ribs. We had a a package that someone had purchased at Safeway and ribs we bought at the butcher shop, both prepared identically. The butcher shop ribs were $5 a pound and I have no idea the cost of the Safeway ones. We ended up saving money by going to the butcher because no one would eat the Safeway ribs as they were fatty and tough and we threw them away. It wasn't the first time we threw out their meat, either. I have had to throw out hamburger before because it was so tasteless it couldn't even be used for chili. Another issue that is rarely addressed is the fact that my butcher shop as real people working behind the counter who can offer advice on preparation and purchasing. One even directed me on how to pick out the best ribs. I have NEVER been disappointed in the quality. You're not saving any money if no one is eating the food. Wed Aug 12 15:51:42 -0700 2009 2200383 1101260 KandyidDandy 1 4942283 Safeway's is seriously overpriced, and the quality is pitifully low. If you have a TJ's, WFs, or even a costco as alternatives (and who doesn't nowadays), you will be much, much better off. Aside from a handful of sale items each week, Safeway's laughs while they gouge you on anything else you may buy there. They're even charging a dollar for a single candy bar! Thu Aug 13 01:31:12 -0700 2009 2200383 258488 NewDude 1 5194649 Safeway Ranchers Reserve is low grade cow grass fed beef No marbling, only thing to do is use as stew meat or very very slow roast cooking meat you can give to some guests a BBQ you dont want back== If you want great taste and best price go to Costco and buy a slab of New York or Rib Roast in wet bag leave in refrig one week ( 7 days ) and then cut your own size of steaks.. drain and freeze them fast .. I have been doing this for 8 years never a complaint. Best meat anywhere. ! Safeway meat Rancher Reserve is like chewing the hide of the milk cow PLUS NO flavor.. Thu Nov 19 13:09:39 -0800 2009 2200383 1125828 Meat Man 64 YO 2 5195825 Can I ask you to explore one part of your statement a bit more - you say low grade and grass fed. I'd be surprised if those two statements exist in the US anymore. I'm not defending SWAY (see my earlier posts) but I'm curious by the statement. Fri Nov 20 03:54:53 -0800 2009 5194649 11368 Dennis S 3 5196563 To extend your remark, I thought this wonderful Argentine beef and other boutique beefs are so highly regarded because they are "grass-fed," not finished with grain in those "awful" feedlots like typical "flavorless" US beef. I'm sure that 99% of beef sold in Safeway, as in most markets, is either choice or good grade. I believe Ranchers Reserve is supposedly choice grade, but that may not be so, or may have changed. I don't know what is meant by "low grade;" there are several grades below "good" but AFAIK these seldom show up at retail except as stew meat and ground beef where the grade going in doesn't really matter so much, but rather the fat content of the final mix. I no longer live near a Safeway, but when I did I often could find a perfectly good piece of meat and did so. In any market, whether it's Safeway, Costco, or anyplace else you will find good and bad, often side by side. One needs to know the difference by sight if one is to be reasonably assured of getting good meat. Sure, if you go to a specialty market and pay the price they will have done the work for you, tho I have even seen complaints about, e.g. Lobels. Personally, I prefer to do the work myself--I always look at the meat case while walking by, and on those occasions I see something good I grab it. Otherwise I pass it up and buy some chicken. There's always next week. Fri Nov 20 10:41:17 -0800 2009 5195825 10668 johnb 4 5197460 The Safeway regular beef is select, not choice, by grade. The Rancher's Reserve is choice. Although, with the variance within each grade, a top-end select cut and a similar cut of bottom-of-the-grade choice are not going to be markedly different in flavor and texture. I read somewhere (sorry, can't recall where) that the Rancher's Reserve is raised at pasture a little longer before being shipped to the feed lot for finishing. Fri Nov 20 18:35:02 -0800 2009 5196563 50613 weezycom 5 5197984 That's correct. Sorry I said good rather than select; I'm an old guy. IIRC, "select" is the new name for the grade that used to be called "good" in the g--- ol' days. I think it those days (I'm talking about a few decades ago) the USDA grades, starting at the top, were prime, choice, good, canner, and cutter. Grading standards have changed over time. Now there are eight grades: prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter, and canner. Most non-ground beef sold in grocery stores is in the choice through standard range. Most of the "branded" beef, such as "Certified Angus," "Ranchers Reserve," and dozens of others, is choice grade. Sat Nov 21 05:51:16 -0800 2009 5197460 10668 johnb