brand names & selection

[shootingstar]

I was struck by how many different brands some people use/know in making their food selections. I noticed the TE topic thread on best/worst gluten-free foods. http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=39312

Maybe that's because of the gluten-free diet requirements-- knowledge of so many food labels.

I must admit though I read food labels, our overall grocery /produce buying selection is very limited on label ranges. I have to think about:

noodles- fresh Chinese fine steamed noodles. Yes, there is a specific brand which I've forgotten temporarily but I can remember the packaging.

dried fine noodles...I dunno. I just look below on the Chinese and Japanese supermarkets that I go occasionally. I can't remember which brands I buy since I can't claim to remember transliterated Chinese/Japanese names in English. And just forget about reading the non-English language scripts. I just look at where it's manufactured and ingredients. I no longer buy Italian-dry noodles. My body doesn't respond the best.

tofu- yea, I guess there's 3 different brands I choose. Whichever is on sale. I look for its freshness and pricing, core criteria.

canned tuna, salmon- yea, I guess maybe there's a few brands I gravitate. I can't remember their names. Just remember vaguely label designs.

Soy sauce- low sodium Kikkomann. I've given up on trusting alot of other brands. Light soy sauce doesn't mean it's less salty.

oils- certain brands for sunflower. Olive oil..whatever looks ok. Pretty uneducated.

cheese- well yea, certain local brands are great. (there are 3 different ones) But some others, especially from France or Quebec are great.

Occasionally, meaning 1-2 times annually, we'll buy sauerkraut, dill pickles, garlic-soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili sauce. Regular size bottles. Not bulk.

Bread- yes, certain artisan bakeries we prefer.

But beyond that, really our pantry doesn't have much processed foods. In fact, I seem to buy the lion's share of "processed" foods that i listed above whereas he's getting flour, sauerkraut, bread, olive oil.. Neither he or I eat granola/energy bars often. So we don't buy the stuff.

Maybe the most expensive processed food we have in our pantry....is wine that we've acquired from bike trips in past few months.

Over the years in visiting other people, I'm just stunned by the sheer variety of processed, food labelled products some people stuff their cupboards and fridge.

[malkin]

Ok. Just looked through the kitchen.


Perrier or Gerolsteiner (if I can find it)
Coleman's dry mustard
Purchased mayo must be Best Foods (currently in fridge is a small jar of some other brand of "lite" mayo, which is unlikely to be eaten, ever)
SleepyTime Tea
Several specific prepared mustards, because each has its niche
Winder Dairy milk (local)
Oakdell Farms eggs (local, but not quite as close as the dairy)
Barilla pasta is the best, but we're only about half loyal to it
Beer-if it isn't homebrew, of course it is branded and there are ones we like and don't like, but it isn't really a question of brand loyalty
Cheese-again, of course it depends what you want-a variety is more than a brand
King Arthur Flour


Beyond the kitchen:
Gasoline- Costco
Bike tires- Conti Gatorskins
Bike Saddles- Brooks
Tubes: never buying the cheapy ones again!
Sewing machine needles: Schmetz
Sunscreen: Aveeno
Stuff that smells good for the bath: Kneipp

[shootingstar]

If that's all the "brand names", then your pantry is like ours.

Yea, we have a version of Dijon mustard ..megajar to last for at least 8 months. And curry paste which lasts several months, when we keep it in refrigerator. I doubt I can pound out a decent tasting green curry paste from scratch.

And oh, frozen phyllo dough. I can't imagine honing my skills to make phyllo dough from scratch.

Some pkgs. of Japanese-labelled seaweed (no not nori. Seaweed for soups and stews.)

Egg whites

Really that's all. And everything else is whole food --fruit, veggies and some meat. When I go to a large Chinese supermarket, I get the shock of so many processed food choices.. like other types of supermarkets.

[malkin]

Still-I'm not observing any particular reinheitsgebot.

I'll try (almost) anything and if I like it, I'll chow it down or slurp it up! I've been sick from food more times than anyone I know and about died from a hot dog at Candlestick Park.

It's good for people to know what they like and can tolerate. At home, I do alright, but out in the world I'm certainly not very good at it.

[Owlie]

I just went through my kitchen. Probably more here than in most of yours, but...
-Jif peanut butter (both extra crunchy and creamy).
-Newman's Own oil&vinegar salad dressing.
-Grey Poupon mustard
-Heinz ketchup
-three different brands of pasta
-Classico pasta sauce, though no particular loyalty.
-Kikkoman's low-sodium soy sauce.
-store brand milk
-Lea&Perrin's Worcestershire sauce
-spices are a mixture of McCormick's, Whole Foods, and the Indian bulk spices out of my parents' pantry.
-Quaker oatmeal
-Morton's table salt
-Beer, wine and cheese: Of course I have preferences, but that's less an issue of brand loyalty.
-Lunch meat for BF: Boar's Head.
-Hershey's cocoa powder (for baking).
-two or three types of canned fish or tomato products.
-breakfast cereals. I have mine; BF bounces around between oatmeal and two or three brands of cold cereal.
Flour and sugar are usually store brands. For Mexican, Chinese, or Thai ingredients, I'm really limited by what I can buy here, since my local grocery store is pretty small. And of course, what I buy here is different from what I'd buy if I'm living at home.

[malkin]

-Lea&Perrin's Worcestershire sauce

We have that too.
Is there any other brand?