Staple Items : Name Brands or Store Brands

Posted by Dexie

There are grocery items which my family sticks to tried and tested brands and there are some that we could live with as store brands. Picking out the latter benefits our bi-weekly budget. With the exception of few, name brands or store brands, are pretty much the same.

For name brands :
Mayonnaise -- Hellman's (are there any other kind? hah! )
Ketchup -- Del Monte
Mustard -- Heinz, preferrably the spicy brown kind
Butter/Margarine -- Blue blue Bonnett
Spreadable butter -- Country Crock
Soups -- Campbell's
Peanut Butter -- Peter Pan but eversince the recall, I've bought Jif :(
Soda -- PEPSI(diet)
Tuna Fish -- Chicken of the Sea
Couscous -- Near East
Apples -- Golden Delicious (when making apple pie, I also buy red delicious kind
Olive Oil -- Pompeian
Shortening -- Crisco
Vegetable Oil -- Crisco
Ramen Noodles -- Top Ramen
Hot Sauce -- Texas Pete
Coffee -- Folgers
Pasta Side Items -- Knorr Lipton

For the following items, store brands or whichever is the cheapest usually wins:
Milk, Eggs, Pasta, Cream of Mushroom soup, Cream of Chicken soup, Chicken Broth, Salsa, Jelly, Bread, Sugar, Flour, Barbecue Sauce(sometimes I make my own), Meat Marinades, Ice Cream, Canned Vegetables(sometimes Del Monte is cheaper than the store brand so watch out for that), Rice, Sour Cream, Cheese(block or shredded), Cream Cheese, Salad Dressing(these days I experiment with my own vinaigrette), Mac and Cheese, etc.....

How do you feel about name brands and store brands? Which ones do you stick with?

TAGS: Name Brands, Products, Store Brands
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[ READER COMMENTS ]

1

D. said:

My ice cream can never be store brand. Turkey Hill or Brigham's -- both regional to New England -- are the only ways to go in my house. Unless it's a trip to Carvel or Dairy Queen :)

Posted at 02:24 PM, on March 26 2007

2

purplegirl said:

Mayo -- if I can't make from scratch then Hellman's wins

Ketchup -- Heinz (my parents grew up on it and so are we!)

Butter -- Lurpak (tastes heavenly on toasted Frech bread or baguette)

Butter for baking/cooking -- Land o Lakes

Soda -- Coke / Diet Coke (been drinking it since I was 2; my dad since he was 6!)

Apples -- Gala or Fuji (sweet and crispy)

Hot Sauce -- Grace (Jamaican brand and super hot)

Bread -- Iron Kids crustless (I don't like crusts); I actually get the best bread from the French bakery in town

Milk -- Horizon Organic (only because of it's extended expiration date which means I don't have to buy all the time or throw old ones)

Eggs -- I buy the Pasteurized ones mainly because I'm afraid of my 5-year old getting sick from Salmonella especially since he likes very soft-boiled eggs

Olive Oil -- Kirkland (Costco Brand) for cooking/frying

Olive Oil -- StoneHouse (Napa Valley) or any Italian brand which I use for dipping or as finishing

Oil for baking -- Wesson vegetable or canola

Cream Cheese -- Trader Joe's brand or Philadelphia brand

Flour -- am not much of a baker but the very few times that I do, I use King Arthur

... haven't gotten into buying canned or frozen vegetables but I heard they're a lot better than the fresh kind if you don't overcook them; ditto for canned soups

Posted at 03:35 PM, on March 26 2007

3

dexie said:

D, with ice cream as long as it's peach flavored I can pretty my eat any brand :). I'm with you on Carvel or DQ though, hehe. Oh and Coldstone. Gotta try that one :).

Purplegirl, i never tried making my own mayonnaise. my husband knows how though, but Hellman's is definitely the best brand :).

Posted at 04:00 PM, on March 26 2007

4

margalit said:

I shop a lot at Trader Joes, which makes its own brand name products. I find them much healthier and better than regular store brands, but I'll never give up my Hellmans mayo and my Heinz ketchup.

And because I'm a horrible coffee snob, I only buy Peets. I know... ridiculous, but it tastes soooo good.

Posted at 08:14 PM, on March 26 2007

Staple Items : Name Brands or Store Brands

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