New Whole Foods, what should I buy?

[paulj]

A Whole Foods has just opened in my regular shopping area (Lynnwood, north Seattle suburb), and I was wondering what I should be looking for.

My current shopping habits include:
- I'm frugal, and do most of my cooking from scratch (but have nothing against good semi-prepared items)
- My regular purchases at Trader Joes are things like eggs, tortillas, 9grain bread, plain frozen vegetables, chocolate, beer, and 2buck chuck.
- I get most of my produce from Asian markets, at much for price as selection
- I shop Grocery Outlet
- I have browsed Whole Foods in past years without buying much

[pie22]

the 365 brand OJ and salsa are some of the best i have ever had.
and the salad bar is a great (albeit a bit expensive) lunch option.

[danna]

Things to buy at WF :

Chicken...it's no more expensive than the "natural" brands at my local megamarts, but much better. I got a Whole Foods branded whole chicken for $2.49/lb the other day...it was very good.

Cheese....now, being frugal, this is going to be problematic...i do spend way too much on cheese these days, like Parrano and Cave Aged Gruyere, and Manchego and Fluer Vert and Aged Gouda. Anyway, the 365 brand Feta is lo-cal and not terribly expensive, as is the house brand goat cheese.

Deli Ham...they have a nice selection of nitrite-free deli products, we particularly like the Applegate farms maple ham.

Olli salumeria soppresetas - sometimes on sale for $7.99

Applegate farms nitrite free Sunday bacon

A brand of corn chips that comes in a brown bag and the name starts w/ an X. divine.

Mine carries a number of local products like honey, rice, grits, tea (Charleston Tea Company).

Olive bar, including pequillo peppers.

Enjoy!

[paulj]

Applegate farms stuff is not nitrite free, just no-nitrite-added. TJs sells the same stuff with their own label.

[danna]

does TJs slice it on the spot, or is it the pre-packaged stuff?

So you're saying the pig may have consumed it's own nitrites? interesting.

[goodhealthgourmet]

it's a misleading marketing tactic and semantic workaround. companies like Applegate don't use *chemical* nitrates to cure their meats...they use celery powder or celery juice instead, which happens to be naturally loaded with sodium nitrate. this allows them to claim on the package that they don't use nitrates, and just list celery powder in the ingredients.

oh, and TJ's only sells packaged meats, nothing sliced to order.

[danna]

thanks. enlighten me more, please. Are there brand that don't use nitrites/nitrates at all? Is it impossible to make ham taste like ham without it? Do I need to be concerned about celery-derived nitrates?

btw, the prepackaged stuff is kinda slimy...HUGE difference between that and the sliced to order.

[paulj]

There are qualities that we expect in bacon and ham that require nitrites, Certainly color, I'm not sure about flavor. And mild bit of preservation. Celery is the only source that qualifies as organic.

But a lot of the verbiage on the Applegate Farms package is required by the government. They can't claim it is cured; they have to specify the 40deg storage.

We had a long discussion of these issues in an 'uncured bacon' thread. It may be locked. Also check the website of Applegate.

[paulj]

The bacon has celery seed or extract, which is rich in nitrites. Check fine print on the label, or the company website.

[Rilke]

Pretty sure the corn chips you like so much are Xochitl brand ;)

[suburban_mom]

Best chips ever!

[UTgal]

Ditto others on their bulk items being a great value.

Also Whole Foods is the only store around here that carries rye flour. It's basically my go-to for difficult to find items (Kroger or Walmart are my only other options).

[paulj]

I am fortunate in having an old-school health food store nearby that carries things like rye flour, plus barley and oat flour, as well as several types of corn (meal and flour). But Whole Foods does extend my options in the more trendy direction (e.g. emmer).

[StrandedYankee]

The store brand, 365, are high quality and quite reasonably priced. I do 365 for a lot of my cooking staples. Also, well worth it to keep an eye on their specials...occasionally they will have one that is truly amazing.

[Rilke]

Truly amazing... Can you elaborate? :-)

[StrandedYankee]

Oh, I've seen them have one day specials on meats and/or seafoods that were very deeply discounted. Also, their bulk items are very high quality and very reasonably priced.

[sueatmo]

I buy organic celery there practically every week. I don't think the prices for some of the everyday stuff are too bad. (I don't buy meat there.) I buy sprouted grain bread (low carb), olive oil, cottage cheese and ricotta and dried beans. The brand I usually buy is their house brand, 365. The cottage cheese is wonderful. I can get cheaper dried beans, but the 365 brand is superior. If you have a taste for cheese, WF has a lot of unpasteurized cheeses. They will be carrying locally ground coffee, but I find most of the specialty coffees out of my price range. I have tried the house brand, and I think it is priced competitively. I love their fresh greens. The mustard has been good this past winter. If you like greens, the greens you find there will be lovely. I also check out the apples, to see what varieties they carry. I also often buy a bar of dark chocolate there--many times there is one I can eat that is specially priced.

I don't buy Bob's Red Mill products there, because I can get them slightly cheaper at my regular market. I don't buy cleaners there either. And I can get whole grain chips cheaper at my regular grocer, as well. And the natural nuts are dicey. Sometimes they are great; other times not fresh.

Go in with an open mind, and try things out that appeal.

[paulj]

I stopped by there and bough $11 worth. Mostly bulk grains (farro, emmer, lentils), plus a couple of bags of frozen greens.

And I sampled a snail.

[sueatmo]

I'll have to look for the emmer at my WF. I've never seen it there.

[paulj]

The pealed farro was from Italy, but the emmer was, I believe, from a boutique PNW farmer. In the package section they some grains from Bluebird (IIRC), a farm near Winthrop. I don't recall the one the bulk section. They also had a few beans and lentils from Washington growers - SE Washington (the Palouse) is a major lentil growing region.

[sueatmo]

And, if I may ask, how did you cook your farro and emmer?

[paulj]

The farro, being semi-pearled just needs simmering in water, starting with a 2:1 ratio, for about 40 minutes, or until tender. Salt to taste. Maybe a bit of oil to cut the foaming.

My experience with grains like this, once cooked, it can be the base for lots of dishes.

The instructions for emmer (with bran) call for 8hrs soak, 3hr cook.

[LNG212]

I just wanted to chime back in on this thread since at least several people have said how good the bulk pricing is. The past week or so I have checked on the bulk grains at WF compared to my usual bulk grains shopping (Fairway). The bulk grains at WF were unbelievably higher priced! The organic farro at Fairway was $3.99/ lb and the organic farro at WF was $6.99/ lb. That is a huge difference. So just a warning to others that all of their bulk items are not necessarily well-priced. It helps to know your regular store's pricing when checking out WF.

[paulj]

I was pleased to see the pearled Italian farro at WF because I haven't seen it elsewhere. $7 seems higher than what I saw, but that was a month ago. I bought it because I was curious, but probably won't buy it again. I can get middle eastern 'peeled wheat' for less, which to my taste is nearly the same.

[LNG212]

I think the important thing is to be aware of the "going rate" for something. I was so surprised at the price differential on the farro. (And as I said elsewhere in the thread, I'm in Manhattan so that might account for the generally higher over all prices anyway.)

But I am going to look for the emmer you wrote about in this thread as well. Thanks for that tip.

[goodhealthgourmet]

a couple of issues to consider:
- Fairway's "bulk" goods only come as a prepackaged option so there's not much flexibility in terms of the amount you can buy, whereas many WFM locations allow you to get exactly as much as you want/need
- the selection at WFM is typically far more varied than what you'll find at other markets unless you're fortunate enough to live near someplace like a Fairway, or Sprouts/Henry's.

[LNG212]

No. Fairway's bulk selection are indeed "serve yourself" in whatever quantity you like. Perhaps you've not seen the bulk selection? So yes, I do buy exactly the amount I want. It's the same set up as at WF.

I totally agree that WF selection is probably far better than what most people have available. That said, however, I still think it's important for someone to be aware that WF *may not* have the best pricing, depending on what is available in your area (as my example shows).

[goodhealthgourmet]

i've never seen self-serve bulk at 125th, and they absolutely don't have it in Paramus. guess i never noticed it at the UWS location.

[LNG212]

UWS has a very large bulk self serve section on the 2nd floor, near the vitamin room. If you shop that location, do check it out.

[goodhealthgourmet]

[smacks head] i completely forgot about the 2nd floor! thanks for the reminder :)

[souvenir]

The 365 store brand dried pastas are generally really good and an excellent value (99 cents to 2 dollar range).

I've found some nice wines there I haven't found elsewhere in the ~$10-15 range (usually as part of some holiday sale).

I look at their ads and stop by accordingly. WF for me is a periodic rather than regular stop because closer markets are pretty great (including non-chain stores, farmers markets, coops and produce stands).

[coney with everything]

Raw milk Parmesan is my WF gotta-have. Also they have a nice harissa in a glass jar that I've not found elsewhere

They have the most extensive selection of (Sedro Woolley's own!) Muir Glen tomatoes

Here they carry Zingerman's bread which is awesome and WF is no more expensive than everyone else

Other than that, when I do make the WF trip, I cherry pick the sales and the 365 brand stuff.

[IndyGirl]

It really annoyed me when our local WF stopped carrying Zingerman's bread. Now I have to go to Busch's (a local chain), where I really don't prefer the produce.

[shaebones]

Organic milk in QUARTS. Can't find that size anywhere else. How come??

[LNG212]

The one thing that we buy regularly at Whole Foods is half-n-half. We drink a lot of coffee and buy several quarts of 1/2n1/2 at a time. Their non-hormone 1/2n1/2 (but not organic) is the cheapest of any of the groceries in our area (Manhattan).

Other interesting things that I will get there if I'm short on time (it's only a block away) or if they are having a sale: their 365 brand of some chips like Stacy's pita chips or tortilla chips; their brand of hummus; their fresh bread.

The other two things we like to buy there but don't do very often are their soups (they always have a good selection) and the beers on tap (bring your own growler).

[goodhealthgourmet]

do you know the price of the half & half off hand? i happen to love TJ's organic, but it only comes in pints - may not be convenient for you if you have to buy a bunch of them to keep up with your consumption.

[LNG212]

The 365 1/2n1/2 is $2.39 for a quart (as I said it's non-hormone but not organic). That's even cheaper than Fairway; and cheaper than all the other generic type groceries around here (D'Ags, Gristedes, Associated, etc.). I haven't priced it at Trader Joe's since they aren't quite as convenient for me but if the price differential were substantial then I might go there.

ETA: it used to be $1.99 per quart last summer and then the price jumped substantially. But the price of quarts jumped everywhere else too. it was a real bummer.

[paulj]

I saw cup containers of heavy cream for $1.69, the same ones that I get at TJs for $.99

[acgold7]

And just for reference -- and not meaning as a slam to anybody -- at Costco Half & Half from our local supplier is $2.79 for a half gallon and about $1.75 by the quart. 40% Heavy Cream is about $6.95/half gallon for the UP and about $5.99 for the non-UP at the Costco Business Center, which works out to about 87 and 75 cents per cup, repsectively.

[paulj]

I rarely need more than a cup of cream in a week or two.

[acgold7]

Yeah, it takes me about a month to go through a half-gallon, which is about how long the UP stuff keeps. The non-UP stuff won't keep quite as long. Darigold claims 60 days shelf life for the UP, 20 days for the non-UP.

[LNG212]

The next time I'm at Trader Joe's I will check the price of 1/2n1/2. Maybe it'll be worth it to make that part of my regular shopping trips. (My experience has also been that prices seem to vary widely regionally at many markets and so what we consider a "good deal" here isn't so much for another area of the country.)

As for Costco, I won't shop there. They finally opened in Manhattan but refuse to offer delivery. Don't know what's up with that and I'm not going so far out of my way to go there w/0 the option of delivery home.

[CrazyOne]

Dunno about you guys, but for me the increasing problem with heavy cream and now half and half too is that it's hard to find without carrageenan and possibly gums in it. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods at least both carry this. I can still find organic half and half (or sometimes another non-organic brand) without it at other stores, but WF and TJ have heavy cream without it anymore that I've been able to find here. If the cream has carrageenan, it defeats one of the reasons that I use to justify making homemade ice cream. :-)

[IndyGirl]

They are the only place by me that has some vegetarian stuff htat I eat regularly, like tempeh (I also have a TJ's very close to me). They also have a much wider selection of other vegetarian products, of which I can find a much narrower selection at TJs and other grocery stores. Also things like vegan mayo, etc. But I agree they can be expensive.

[virtualguthrie]

I shop at Whole Foods mostly for gourmet or specialty items. They usually have a great cheese section, the fresh olive bar is nice, house-made sausages are good (and they're a pretty good value). Like another poster mentioned I think the house brand (365) is usually high quality and a good value. You have to be selective, I get my staples elsewhere (Trader Joe's) and go to Whole Foods for the high end products.

[letsindulge]

The teriyaki-esque sausage with bits of pineapple is delicious. Bought 2 of them @ approx. $3.25.

[poptart]

Keep an eye on their sales flyers and coupons (both on websites). You can get some very good deals because they often have sales + coupons.
Bulk items are good quality and inexpensive. You can buy spices by the ounce and save $ by just getting what you need and not paying a lot for a whole bottle.
Their prices at my local store are very comparable with the Trader Joes across the street and in my experience their produce, meats, deli items, dairy and nuts etc are fresher and better quality than TJs.

[gordeaux]

Browse the bulk section. We get organic oats, and brown rice. Other starches on occasion as well like quinoa.
Bulk granola.
Breakfast sausages at the meat counter. Sometimes they have some interesting ones like chicken/blueberry.
Hopefully yours will have a bbq section where you can get smoked ribs / brisket.
Their prices are pretty ridiculous, imo, but these are a few of the few things that I like to get there.

[JillyLeigh]

I get their store brand of tofu often. It is the cheapest in my area (I don't have a Trader Joe's anywhere near me though....). That's about it...

[bitchincook]

I get Parmesan cheese rinds to add to homemade soup.
365 Brand mayonnaise and cereals.
Smoked salmon trimmings.
Deli meats, such as turkey sliced directly from the roast.
Baked goods such as cakes and tarts for special occasions; it's nice to know they are not loaded with transfats.

[Val]

I like their 365 house brand of :

--canned red salmon with skin and bones...8 ounce can $2.59 even cheaper than Wal Mart;

--canned white tuna in water -- 5 ounce can $1.49 with real solid white tuna, not mush; and

--frozen wild organic blueberries.--10 ounce bag is $3.99. (yes, you can get frozen blueberries at TJ's BUT not wild organic, at least not at the store by us which just opened). I eat blueberries about 4 times a week so that's why I choose organic on that particular food.

-- from the bulk bins their whole organic golden flaxseeds, I forget the price, but I grind it myself and eat it every single day.

--at the seafood counter, their fresh crabcakes IF they are on sale are just phenomenal.

[sweethooch]

If they carry them up there (I'm in the SF bay area), Vicolo cornmeal pizza crusts, unfilled. They really turn pizza into a different animal, especially if they're put on the grill. They keep for a long time in the fridge (way past the date on the pack); handy to have on hand for a quick meal or to whip up casual appetizers for guests.

http://www.vicolopizza.com/nf_crust.htm

[DuchessNukem]

Graber (green) olives (canned). ($6+/can but so worth it. Not like canned black olives.)

Some interesting beer varieties at times, not cheap.

Fresh-baked breads are tasty.

[lynnlato]

I wonder if WF's carries the Graber olives in their east coast stores. I had them when I was in L.A. a year ago and they were delicious. We have a WF's opening up here in a few weeks. Man, I will be one happy chick if they carry them.

Paulj, we travel around the SE and often go to WF's for their prepared foods instead of going to a restaurant.

We usually pick up fruits and veggies while we're there but they are terribly expensive. They have a great selection of bulk granola. Specialty items, cheese, hard-to-find yogurts, etc.

[acgold7]

If you're frugal -- as I try to be -- you won't find much at WF. IMO everything is ridiculously overpriced and underwhelming, quality-wise. It's fun to browse but not to buy.

The only thing I'd buy from WF is their stock. The Wall Street kind, not the soup kind.

Stick with TJs and Costco for quality food at low prices. If you must jump on the organic bandwagon, try PCC. PCC is ridiculously overpriced as well, but at least they're local.

I buy almost everything at the Lynnwood branches of Costco (Business center), TJs, GO and 99 Ranch. You could also consider Central Market in either Shoreline or Mill Creek.

[paulj]

PCC (Edmonds Westgate area) is another one that I've browsed but not bought much (except a Kuri squash).

I'm familiar with Central, both locations. The best deals there are the bulk grains and beans.

I first shopped at Whole Foods years ago in San Francisco, when I was a student attending an academic conference. Take out from the deli counter was a good alternative to eating at a restaurant.

It'll be interesting to see how this new Whole Foods fits with the regional mix (which you neatly sumarized). Only thing you left off was HMart.

[acgold7]

Yeah, I like both HMart and KSMart.

So just for fun today, based on your post, I went up to the new WF in Lynnwood today. As you might suspect, it was jammed and there was almost no parking.

They had a lot of sale specials, which almost brought some of the prices down to a reasonable level. Overall, most items were anywhere from twice to four times as much as the identical items at other markets.

Fresh food was heart-stoppingly expensive. Meats and cheeses were stratospherically priced, especially the non-organic stuff you can get at Costco. One idiosyncratic item that caught my eye: Smoked Black Cod at $33/lb, compared to $21/lb at Uwajimaya Bellevue (I was there today too).

This isn't a scientific random study or anything, but for the same packaged grocery shelf items, the Uwajimaya prices were anywhere from 33% to 50% lower. I know there's more to life (and shopping) than just getting the lowest price, but if I'm going to pay quadruple for something, it had better be four times better.

I continue to be Not A Fan.