This week I went to two of my most visited stores to compare prices on pantry items that I deem necessary. I visited Target, then Walmart to find some items I could use for this week's cooking assignment. I wanted to make some smashburgers, using this recipe (https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/the-ba-smash-burger), so I went into both stores looking for both the ingredients for the burgers and some items that we needed at home. This is what I found out:
Toast the buns while cooking, finish cooking in total four patties, put on bun and top with some lettuce. I didn't use any condiments.
Reflection:
1. I chose those pantry items because they are the items that get used the most by me and my roommates, and I chose the meat because I needed it for this week's assignment. I did not save money this week because I shopped at Target instead of Walmart.
2. I think I used $3.40 of ground beef, $0.70 of 8 ct hamburger buns, $0.15 of lettuce, $0.50 of cheddar cheese in total for the making of this recipe. The purchasing of my chosen pantry item (ground beef), will lower the cost of my future meal because I plan to use my remaining ground beef to make some spaghetti dish.
3. Pantry staples are things you always have in your pantry because they are versatile, adaptable, dependable, and/or you just like them a lot. Maintaining a personal home food pantry can be beneficial because you can have easier access to food you like and are familiar with.
4. I was caught off guard when I compared the price of cumin at both places. Walmart's deal blew Target's out of the water. That was the thing that shocked me the most. I always knew Walmart had cheaper stuff than Target. but seeing the cumin prices made me think I was getting scammed by Target. I think I will definitely start shopping a little more toward the Walmart side than Target.
5. I do think building and expanding a personal food pantry is a worthwhile goal. I think first you would need to stockpile some of everything that you need in a staple diet. Fruits, veggies, protein, fats. Snacks should definitely be included. I think the minimum standard is having enough items to be able to make 6 different meals for 6 days of the week, and ideally, you would stock on the 5th or 6th day.
- Oil
- Target - $5.99 extra virgin olive oil (Pompeian Smooth 16 fl oz)
- Walmart - $3.94 extra virgin olive oil (Great Value 17 fl oz)
- Seasonal Vegetables
- Target - $3.99 for bag of potatoes (Market Pantry Red Potatoes 3 lb bag)
- Walmart - $2.77 for bag of potatoes (Simply Perfect Idaho Potatoes 5 lb bag)
- Animal Protein
- Target - $5.49 for 1 lb ground beef (All Natural 85/15)
- Walmart - $3.94 for 1 lb ground beef (All Natural Chuck 80/20)
- Dried Herbs and Spices
- Target - $1.29 cumin (Market Pantry .9 oz)
- Walmart - $0.98 cumin (Great Value 2.5 oz) ???????
- Dairy
- Target - $3.12 gallon milk (Good and Gather)
- Walmart - $2.40 gallon milk (Great Value)
In the end, I did not save money because I went to Walmart first, then Target and ended up making my last minute purchases there. I bought the ground beef as well as a gallon of milk at Target, then later realized I should've went to Walmart instead.
Back home, I started making the burgers. I used buns and cheese from my roommate, and I had some lettuce laying around. I rolled out four balls of ground beef and seasoned it with pink salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder. After that you smash the balls flat on a medium high heat pan with a light coating of oil, flip when cooked then put a slice of cheese on two patties.
Toast the buns while cooking, finish cooking in total four patties, put on bun and top with some lettuce. I didn't use any condiments.
Reflection:
1. I chose those pantry items because they are the items that get used the most by me and my roommates, and I chose the meat because I needed it for this week's assignment. I did not save money this week because I shopped at Target instead of Walmart.
2. I think I used $3.40 of ground beef, $0.70 of 8 ct hamburger buns, $0.15 of lettuce, $0.50 of cheddar cheese in total for the making of this recipe. The purchasing of my chosen pantry item (ground beef), will lower the cost of my future meal because I plan to use my remaining ground beef to make some spaghetti dish.
3. Pantry staples are things you always have in your pantry because they are versatile, adaptable, dependable, and/or you just like them a lot. Maintaining a personal home food pantry can be beneficial because you can have easier access to food you like and are familiar with.
4. I was caught off guard when I compared the price of cumin at both places. Walmart's deal blew Target's out of the water. That was the thing that shocked me the most. I always knew Walmart had cheaper stuff than Target. but seeing the cumin prices made me think I was getting scammed by Target. I think I will definitely start shopping a little more toward the Walmart side than Target.
5. I do think building and expanding a personal food pantry is a worthwhile goal. I think first you would need to stockpile some of everything that you need in a staple diet. Fruits, veggies, protein, fats. Snacks should definitely be included. I think the minimum standard is having enough items to be able to make 6 different meals for 6 days of the week, and ideally, you would stock on the 5th or 6th day.
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