Chef's Choice - What to Choose When You Have a Choice

It seems as though there are hundreds of choices out there every time I go food shopping for the week. Organic vs. non-organic, generic vs. name brand, fresh vs. frozen, even homemade vs. store-bought just to name a few. I’ve spent a lot of time educating myself on these choices over the years – here’s my take on what to choose when you have a choice!

Shopping for food can be overwhelming at times, especially at large, well-stocked grocery stores and markets that provide endless choices for individual items. These choices can be at the macro-level (like organic vs. non-organic, or prime vs. choice vs. select beef grades) or at the micro-level (like cage free or pasture-raised eggs, or which of the two most popular kosher salt brands to use). A lot of this is simply personal preference based on price, health, ethical, or other considerations. But, if you really don’t have strong personal preferences or concerns with any of the above, how do you choose amongst all of the options?

Having spent thousands of hours shopping for food over the decades in all types of grocery stores, markets, butcher shops, and specialty stores, I have tried many of the options available out there and want to share what I have discovered to help you make some of these choices yourself! Let’s do some comparison shopping together now!

Organic vs. non-organic:  Unless you are really concerned about the use of synthetics during the production process, I haven’t noticed any significant difference is quality between organic and non-organic food products, including produce. Since organic products can be significantly more expensive than their non-organic counterparts, I almost always choose non-organic to get the same quality product at a lower price.

Generic vs. brand name: My experience with generic vs. brand name products is that there is a subset of food products where you simply can’t tell the difference, and another where you definitely can. The category of food products where I really can't tell a difference include things like dried goods (pasta, flour, rice), most canned goods (canned beans, canned vegetables, etc.), frozen vegetables, and other foods that, on their own, are rather bland and that require additional seasoning to make them shine. That said, I have noticed big differences in taste and quality between generic and brand name products that are served fresh, or "as is" on their own (think pasta sauce, ricotta or fresh mozzarella, and fresh guacamole to name a few). Bottom line here: Some brand name items are worth the additional cost (especially those from boutique or smaller producers), but many generic products are just as good as their brand name counterparts. You will have to try them to decide for yourself!

Salted vs. unsalted butter: Read almost any recipe by a famous chef and they will specify unsalted butter in their recipes. I used to fret about this and adhered religiously to their recipes, until I finally realized it simply doesn’t make a difference (with one exception, which is baking which I really don’t do anyway!). So, I only use salted butter, not only because it tastes better, but it also lasts longer and can be kept at room temperature for an extended period of time without spoiling.

Extra virgin olive oil vs. vegetable oil: EVOO is another perineal favorite in magazine and cookbook recipes, and it happens to be one of the most expensive of all of the different kinds of oils out there. I used to use EVOO exclusively, but quickly realized that it has limited use compared to some of the cheaper counterparts, such as safflower and canola oil. The reason is that EVOO has a much lower smoke point, so it’s not good for high heat cooking and actually can make the dish taste bitter and off if the oil is burned during the cooking process. So, now I use both EVOO and safflower or canola oil, reserving EVOO for things like salad dressings or as a finishing drizzle on top of pasta or other dishes and making safflower or canola oil my work horse in the kitchen. In doing so, I have saved a ton of money as well!

85 percent vs. 95 percent lean ground beef: Yes, leaner beef is healthier for you – I get it. But I have little use for really lean ground beef – when cooked it’s dry and mealy, and the lack of fat means it’s largely flavorless as well. I always go for 85 percent lean ground beef, especially for things like hamburgers where you are looking for juicy and messy! The extra fat is worth the delicious flavor and additional moisture in the meat, and it’s generally less expensive as well!

Prime vs. choice vs. select beef: Prime is the highest grade of beef with the most fat marbling – and also by far the most expensive – followed by choice and select beef. Prime is definitely worth the high cost, but only if you are grilling steaks or serving a fillet of beef – in those cases, I always use prime. Otherwise, choice is a great choice (no pun intended) for the “lesser” cuts of beef like flank, skirt, hanger, or tri tip steak (which are pretty hard to find in the prime category anyway).

Frozen vs. fresh seafood: To be honest with you, most of that fresh seafood and fish you see in the grocery store and markets is previously frozen and simply defrosted for the case. But there are some high-end markets that showcase and carry real, no kidding fresh fish – that’s worth seeking out and buying if you can find it. If not, there really isn’t any difference between the fish in the display case and frozen fish or seafood, which is always flash frozen fresh and can keep in the freezer for months. Defrosted fish/seafood should be eaten within a day or two of purchase and shouldn’t be re-frozen. Since I usually cook my fish/seafood the day I buy it, I usually purchase the selections in the case, but we have also started to keep some frozen fillets (like salmon) or frozen shrimp in the freezer for a quick meal if we don’t feel like going to the store.

Jarred vs. homemade roasted red peppers: I can’t believe the number of recipes that call for buying fresh red peppers, grilling them until they are blacked and charred, placing them in a bowl and covering them with wrap, and then scraping the skin off to make your own homemade roasted red peppers. I say I can’t believe it because, why would you do that when you can buy jarred roasted red peppers, all ready to go, that taste just as good as the homemade version without all of the trouble? Jarred roasted red peppers – always!

Store-bought vs. homemade stock: OK, now I’m going to contradict myself, kind of. There’s a lot of good store-bought stock out there, but I actually think there is a significant difference in taste and quality between store-bought and homemade stock. Laurie makes a fantastic homemade chicken stock whenever I roast a whole chicken using the bones and whatever vegetables we have in the crisper, along with water. It’s incredibly cheap to make and again, tastes better than anything out of a can or box. So, give homemade a try – it’s my favorite by far.

Morton or Diamond Crystal kosher salt: Absolutely nobody cares about this except for the most pretentious chefs, but it is a contentious issue because the two brands of salt are different enough (in terms of the size of the salt crystals) to require different measurements in recipes. I like the coarser grind of Morton salt and find it easier to use in recipes than Diamond Crystal, so I use that but try them both and then just stick with one – they taste the same!

Cage-free vs. pasture-raised vs. other eggs. The number of different types of eggs in stores these days is ridiculous. Add organic, hormone-free, brown, processed egg products, and any others to the mix as well. Ethical concerns about how the chickens are housed and treated often drive choices here, but from a taste perspective, I have tried almost all the options and really can’t tell a difference amongst all the choices, although we typically buy brown eggs for a reason I can’t explain! Prices can vary greatly based on the type of eggs, so we usually go for the cheapest brown eggs (and when cage-free or pasture-raised eggs are on sale, I’ll usually buy them as well).

Diet vs. zero sugar sodas: And finally, something that has nothing to do with cooking per se, but still counts as a food comparison! I always hated diet sodas because they all contain saccharin, an artificial sweetener that I can taste in extremely small doses and that, to me, has a bitter and nasty flavor. So, when zero sugar sodas started hitting the shelves, like Coke Zero and Dr. Pepper Zero, I was pessimistic that they would taste any better. But to me, the difference is striking – the zero sugar versions of these sodas taste pretty much like the originals – just a bit less sweet. And even though they still have saccharin in them, it’s included in such small amounts that I can’t taste it. So clear winner here -go with zero sugar sodas!

The list of choices is much longer than this – I’ll add to this list in a future blog post. In the meantime, let me know what choices you often make when shopping for food, and what your preferences are!