If only I had a Freezer

[manning]

I've got the foodsaver.

I was at Costco today.

3 lbs (give or take an ounce or two) is 3.19 a lb 88 percent fat free.

Right next to it are 16 lb tubes same cut for 29.99.

That's 1.87 lb

 

[disykat]

Mystery meat?

 

[scrapquitler]

I've got the foodsaver.

I was at Costco today.

3 lbs (give or take an ounce or two) is 3.19 a lb 88 percent fat free.

Right next to it are 16 lb tubes same cut for 29.99.

That's 1.87 lb

Have you thought about buying a small chest freezer? Do the math...it might be worth spending the cash to buy one, you'd probably save enough to justify the cost in a short amount of time. My local grocery store sells small ones for something like $150 once or twice a year. IT wouldn't take long to make up for the cost in the savings of buying that meat in bulk at Costco.

Now, having said that. The one time I bought hamburger in one of those prepackaged tubes, nobody in my family would eat it. It was definitely a much lower quality than what we buy at the grocery store that is freshly ground on site. That stuff at Costco might be better than the tube stuff I bought that time, but I'd hate to buy 16 lbs of it and find out it was low quality.

 

[manning]

Mystery meat?

Obviously you are not familiar with Costco. They don't deal in mystery meat.

 

[ktate82]

We were at Home Depot today and they had small chest freezers for around $150. We will buy hamburger in tubes when it is on sale. If you buy Regular hamburger which has 30% fat, cook it, then drain and rinse it with hot water, it actually reduces the fat content to be equal to 95% lean meat with only 5% fat and you don't lose flavor. You can have low fat hamburger without paying out the nose for it.

 

[sherry7]

Obviously you are not familiar with Costco. They don't deal in mystery meat.

I believe she said mystery meat because you didn't state the type of meat in your original post. I assume that you're talking about ground beef, since you said tube.

I buy the 10 lb tubes of ground beef (90/10) at Sam's, but recently they're only about 5 or 6 cents a lb cheaper than buying a regular tray of it there. I do have a large upright deep freezer, so I can take advantage of sales. I never FoodSaver my ground beef though. Instead, I measure out 1 lb portions into a quart size ziplock freezer back, and flatten it out with the palm of my hand. I lay them flat in the freezer, so that they'll freeze flat. When totally frozen, I put them in a plastic tray like books. It takes up much less room in the freezer than lumps, plus they thaw out much faster.

 

[MillauFr]

Obviously you are not familiar with Costco. They don't deal in mystery meat.

Exactly. The only grocery store that has meat of equal quality is Whole Foods. And they charge double the price.

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/costco-tests-own-meat-ensure-food-saf

This is my favorite quote from the article.

In fact, Costco officials boast that, until recently, they did more E. coli testing in the company’s lab than the USDA does nationwide at all other beef plants combined.​

 

[Malibustyle23]

Are these the long tubes of meat in a plastic wrap that come in the store preground? If so I assume that is what pp is referring to as mystery meat. While I have never shopped at Costco, none locally, that is what we refer to as the tube mystery meat. DH is a meat cutter at a local grocery store and while once upon a time I would buy the tubes or the walmart prepackaged ground beef I will no longer do that now. I much prefer it to be ground fresh in the store. It makes a tremendous difference.

It's funny that Whole Foods meat is a high quality comparison didn't they just have a huge beef recall for using meat that could come from parts of the cow that could hold mad cow disease?

 

[disykat]

I buy all my meat at Costco because I trust their quality. I assumed the OP was talking about meat based on the post. However, it was never mentioned what was such a good deal - thus it is a mystery. I thought it was funny that what the good deal was wasn't mentioned.


I'm actually very familiar with Costco. I've just either worked there or shopped since shortly after the business began.

 

[Disneytam]

Are these the long tubes of meat in a plastic wrap that come in the store preground? If so I assume that is what pp is referring to as mystery meat. While I have never shopped at Costco, none locally, that is what we refer to as the tube mystery meat. DH is a meat cutter at a local grocery store and while once upon a time I would buy the tubes or the walmart prepackaged ground beef I will no longer do that now. I much prefer it to be ground fresh in the store. It makes a tremendous difference.

It's funny that Whole Foods meat is a high quality comparison didn't they just have a huge beef recall for using meat that could come from parts of the cow that could hold mad cow disease?

Before anyone panics at this you do know that only two cows were ever found positive for mad cow in the United States and they both came from Canada (sorry Canada). This is a disease found overseas not really in the US. Both cows were older dairy cows born in Canada and neither made it into the food chain. I don't trust the USDA on a lot of things but the chance of getting meat from a mad cow in the US is nonexistent.

 

[manning]

OK I see it now. forgot, ground beef. 88/12

 

[HM]

I also don't have a chest freezer and no place to put one.
There are definitely times that I wish I did. Harris Teeter buy two get three free days... (shrimp, etc)

 

[Pooh2]

We got a small chest freezer right before the holidays last year. In addition to being able to stock up, I premade items that are a ton of work like Lasgna, chicken pies, cookie dough, etc ahead of time. It made Christmas and New Years much easier and less hectic to have the main dishes made ahead and just throw together salads and sides. The freezers now are much more energy efficient now too than when I ran one 20 years ago.
Do have a closet or little corner of the basement that you could put the freezer in?

 

[cluvsdisney]

I would love to get a chest freezer for the exact same reason but we have no space for it in our apartment unless we want to remove a lower cabinet, take out a closet or put it in the living room. ha!

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

I used to have a small chest freezer, but it broke after a year. I really really miss it. I used to buy whatever I want from the frozen section in Costco and now I can't. Why not to replace it?? My hubby said it was supposed to be for breast milk storage and so no reason for a replacement.

 

[manning]

I used to have a small chest freezer, but it broke after a year. I really really miss it. I used to buy whatever I want from the frozen section in Costco and now I can't. Why not to replace it?? My hubby said it was supposed to be for breast milk storage and so no reason for a replacement.

Fool him. Label everything breast milk

Frozen green beans breast milk

Frozen peas breast milk

etc

Just say to him "come on honey, who says breast milk has to be white."

 

[usnuzuloose]

If you look on craigslist you can find freezer's really cheap and sometimes even make deals for a little less.

 

[MOpGrad2013]

A few years ago, we bought a really small square shape chest freezer for Mom for less than $100. She was living by herself and didn't think it was needed. It was really to make it easier when we came to visit her on the weekends.

After a few weeks, she told me she had filled it with fresh frozen vegetables, water jugs (hurricane season).

Having a freezer to supplement the fridge one has become a priority to our family. The electricity pull definitely gets paid for by the savings in food.

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

Fool him. Label everything breast milk

Frozen green beans breast milk

Frozen peas breast milk

etc

Just say to him "come on honey, who says breast milk has to be white."

My plan was to switch to the same model and claim it was miracle that the freezer works again.

I like your idea much better.