Text 108, 91 rader
Skriven 2006-04-08 09:09:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DALE SHIPP
Ärende: Tobacco Chicken 487
===========================
 DS> You picked the low end of one scale and the high end of another to
 DS> emphasize your point of view.  We do not often get breasts with
 DS> bone in for as low as $0.99 -- more typical is $1.39 on sale.   We
 DS> never pay $3.99 for boneless skinless breasts -- often less than
 DS> $2.00 and never more than $2.49.  

As I generally don't buy white meat chicken, I note the prices
in passing only, so there was the possibility that my data might
have been outdated or skewed, so I made a field trip, see below.

I'm guessing that there's a regional thing going on here, after
reviewing the data. Perhaps knives have been outlawed out in
eastern Massachusetts, and nobody bothered to tell me.

 DS> And our time is worth something to us.

Oh, of course, but with practice one can bone one out
in a matter of seconds. Even I can do so, and as you
can guess I don't practice that frequently.

=

Report:
Suitably chastened regarding my economic facts, I decided
to go do the appropriate research, without relying on my
apparently faulty memory. Anyhow, it's Friday, the day of
the miracle of the green meat bin, and that's when I generally
try to shop anyhow.

It's as bad as I thought - I wasn't exaggerating. Perhaps the
unsavvy shoppers at my store are more unsavvy than the ones
farther south and west. 

Here's the rundown at the chicken counter. All these are
White Gem brand, the cheapest available. Perdue brand run
50c to 1.00 higher, which is extortionate (4.99 for b/s
breasts, that's b.s. indeed).

Split chicken breasts, regular pack, $1.49 - there were no
whole ones to be found, but in my experience, when these
are available, they price at about 20% less than the split
ones - plus are easier to bone out. No family packs available.

Boneless breasts, 2.99, family pack. No regular pack available.
There were some skinless ones available at this price, perhaps
mismarked.

Boneless skinless breasts, 3.99, family pack. No regular pack
available.

Tenders, 4.59 to 5.49, family pack. No regular pack available.
These appear to have been packaged in at least two different
areas or facilities with different labeling machines, different
size/shape trays, and so on.

Thighs were closer to the price differential suggested by
other posts - 99c regular to 1.69 boneless, both family pack.
At this level of difference, I would consider buying boneless
if time were an issue: but the disparity in ordinary vs.
prepared breasts was unconscionable; and they wouldn't do it
unless they could get away with it.

I of course went for the markdown beef. The beef area was a
mess - most of the stuff had been loaded into carts for
apparent disposal, and the rest of the place was studded with
$1 and $2 stickers.  They had 3/4 lb packs of various grades,
so I picked up one each of 80% and 85% - at 3.69/lb and 3.79
respectively, no bargain, but with a $2 off sticker on each,
this brought them down below $2/lb and gave me hope for chili
or spag sauce to console me while I'm away from Carol. Fried
up 3-oz burgers of each just torn off the chub, formed without
squeezing into burger shape, cooked side by side.

80% lean - good chuck flavor. This was most likely cut from
the underblade area and had no gristle - one bite had a touch
of old fat taste (hence the markdown), and I got one small
bone fragment stuck between my teeth. Other than that, it was
pretty good with a nice meaty texture.

85% lean - much less flavor, not a surprise as it was marked
"from the round." The raw part in the middle of the burger
was pleasantly buttery, but the cooked part had less meat
taste than the chuck. Texture went from buttery flabby in
the raw part to crumbly on the outside almost immediately.
Might have been a function of a finer grind than the above,
but they had looked pretty similar.


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