Bargain guide, week beginning November 2nd

With Halloween over, the TURKEY PROMOTIONS have started along with equally ardent promotions for baking supplies and ingredients.

At Fooducate there's a great entry about exactly what's in fat-free salad dressings, why they're not worth the money, and why they actually negatively impact the nutritional value of the salad. (Vitamins A, D, E, and K – all significantly present in salad makings – are fat-soluble, not water-soluble, so using a fat-free dressing makes them less available for your system.)

At Chow.com, Harold McGee debunks the idea of searing meat to “seal in the juices”. (It doesn't. But, as he points out, it makes it taste much better.) Their advice columnist treats the question of $6/lb free-range “heritage” turkeys vs. brine-injected 69¢/lb mass-market turkeys. (The first category definitely have more flavor, but may have to be soaked in brine in your refrigerator for two days before cooking. Some people, especially older people, don't even like them: one woman who raises heritage turkeys herself says the taste reminds her mother-in-law of “the horrible old mutton they were forced to eat” during World War II. Also there's the whole $6/lb thing.)

Welcome to November: National Pepper Month (I can't tell whether that's black pepper or capsicum peppers), National Georgia Pecan Month, National Pomegranate Month (sadly those in my back yard are not quite ripe yet), National Peanut Butter Lovers' Month (Y HALO THAR DEBI), and the third and final consecutive National Apple Month. This Friday is National Doughnut Day. For some reason National Doughnut Day is also in July. I am not responsible for this. The 8th is both National Cappuccino Day and National Harvey Wallbanger Day. Do not attempt to use the one to counter the effects of the other. The day after is both Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day and National Scrapple Day. I suppose the two could be combined by a creative and inventive and sufficiently determined cook.

November 2nd: National Deviled Egg Day
November 3rd: National Sandwich Day
November 4th: National Candy Day
November 5th: National Doughnut Day
November 6th: National Nachos Day
November 7th: Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
November 8th: National Harvey Wallbanger Day, National Cappuccino Day
November 9th: National Scrapple Day, Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day



Albertson's:

Beef petite sirloin steaks, boneless, $7.99/lb, buy 1 get 2 free
Beef top sirloin steaks, boneless, $5.99/lb
Beef crossrib roast or family-pack steaks, $5.99/lb, buy 1 get 1 free
93/7 ground beef, $2.99/lb
Pork loin chops, assorted bone in, $2.99/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.67/lb
Atlantic salmon fillets, farm raised, $4.88/lb
Albertson's milk, gallons, $1.57
Albertson's cream cheese including reduced-fat, 8 oz pkg, 4/$5
Weight Watchers yogurt, 2/$1
Deli: Jennie/O smoked turkey breast, $2.99/lb (2 lb limit)
Jennie-O honey-smoked OR oven brown turkey breast, $5.99/lb
Margherita hard/Genoa salami OR pepperoni, $5.99/lb
USA Gold honey or baked ham, $5.99/lb
Shannon's Deli roast beef/corned beef/pastrami, $5.99/lb
Quaker Instant Oatmeal, 8-12 ct, OR 42 oz round box, $2.49
Libby's canned veggies, 14-15 oz cans, 69¢
Albertson's frozen veggies, 14-16 oz bags, $1
Apples: Gala, Red/Golden Delicious, 67¢/lb
Texas grapefruit, 99¢/lb
Red seedless grapes, $1.99/lb
Bartlett pears, 88¢/lb
Cut up pineapple, 20 oz thing, $3.99
Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, 99¢ ea
Roma tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Zucchini or yellow squash, 99¢/lb


Bashas':

Beef t-bone steaks, value pack, $7.99/lb
Beef crossrib roast or value-pack steaks, $4.49/lb
Pork shoulder steak, $3.49/lb
Assorted pork chops, bone in, value pack, $1.67/lb
Sanderson Farms boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.57/lb
Steelhead fillets, farm raised, $6.99/lb
Basa fillets, farm raised, $2.99/lb
Food Club cheeses, 2 lb chunk or shreds, $6.99
Food Club cream cheese, 8 oz pkg, 2/$3
Hunt's tomatoes, 14 oz cans, 4/$5
Ro*Tel tomatoes, 4/$5
Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bars, $2.99j
PictSweet frozen veggies, 10-12 oz bags, 3/$5
Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 2/$5
PopChips, 3 oz bag, $1.99
HoneyCrisp apples, $1.99/lb
Gala/Red Delicious/Fuji/Granny Smith apples, 99¢/lb
Strawberries, 1 lb box, 2/$3
Pomegranates, $1.99 ea
Roma tomatoes, $1.19/lb
Brown onions, 2 lbs/$1
Winter squashes, 99¢/lb

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Food City:

Beef chuck steaks or roast, bone in, value pack, $1.99/lb
Pork sirloin roast, bone in, whole in bag, $1.29/lb
Pork shoulder roast, bone in, $1.79/lb (steaks 20¢ higher)
Chicken breast, bone in, $1.29/lb
Bartlett pears, 2 lbs/98¢
Red Delicious apples, 69¢/lb
Roma tomatoes, 3 lbs/99¢
Avocados, 3/99¢
Fry's:

Beef New York strip steak, bone in, family pack, $4.88/lb
Beef chuck steak or roast, boneless, $3.79/lb
80/20 ground beef, 3 lb chub, $9.59 (3.20/lb)
Pork loin chops, boneless, family pack, $3.49/lb
Kroger Value boneless-skinless chicken breast or tenderloins, $1.77/lb
Kroger Value chicken leg quarters, 88¢/lb
Jennie-O frozen turkeys, 10-20 lb, 59¢/lb
Kroger Cheeses, 1 lb chunk or shreds, $2.99
StarKist chunk light tuna, 69¢/lb
Green Giant (7-10) OR Kroger (9-12 oz) frozen veg, 10/$10
Seedless grapes, green/red/black, $1.98/lb (organic, $2.49/lb)
Apples, Gala/Fuji/Cameo/Rome/Granny Smith/Delicious, 99¢/lb
Dole bag salads, $1
Hass avocados, 2/$1
Roma tomatoes, 88¢/lb
Asparagus, $1.99/lb
Organic romaine hearts, 3 pk, 2/$5


Safeway:

Beef New York strip steaks, boneless, $4.99/lb
Beef bottom round roast, boneless, $2.49/lb
Beef ribeye steaks, bone in, $6.99/lb
Beef top round London broil, $4.49/lb
Pork loin, boneless, whole in bag, $2.29/lb
Safeway spiral-sliced half ham, bone in, $2.99/lb
Eating Right boneless skinless chicken breast, $2.29/lb
Safeway chicken thighs/drumsticks, value pack, 99¢/lb
Safeway frozen turkeys, 8-24 lb, 59¢/lb (with $25 purchase)
Honeysuckle frozen turkeys, 8-24 lb, 99¢/lb (with $25/lb)
Butterball frozen turkeys, 10-24 lb, $1.49/lb
Pantry Essentials or Dairy Glen milk, gallons, $1.57
Pantry Essentials butter, $3.49
Safeway Select pasta sauce, 15-24 oz jars, 2/$4
Safeway Select olive oil, 1 liter bottle, $6.99
Safeway Select pasta, 16 oz boxes, 2/$3
Healthy Choice frozen entrees, 5/$10
Apples: Red Delicious/Gala/Braeburn/Fuji/Granny Smith, 77¢/lb
Pomegranates, 2/$4
O Organics “baby peeled” carrots, 1 lb bag, 2/$3
Grape tomatoes, 10 oz box, 2/$5
Hass avocados, 10/$10
Large tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Green bell peppers, 2/$3


Smart & Final:

Beef London broil, $2.99/lb
Pork loin roast, boneless, $2.99/lb
First Street chicken thighs OR drumsticks, 87¢/lb
First Street cheeses, 1 lb chunk, $2.49
Challenge butter, $3.49
Salad tomatoes, 69¢/lb


Sprouts:

Beef top sirloin steak, $3.97/lb
Beef sirloin tip roast or steaks, boneless, $3.99/lb
Pork loin chops OR rack of pork, $2.99/lb
Ground chicken OR pork OR chicken breast, $2.99/lb
Boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack, #2.99/lb
Boneless skinless chicken thighs, value pack, $1.97/lb
Fresh "free-range" turkey breast, $2.99/lb
Sprouts frozen veggies, 1 lb bag, 2/$3
Red seedless grapes, 77¢/lb
Bartlett or Bosc pears, 99¢/lb
Braeburn/Fuji/Jonagold apples, 99¢/lb
Organic HoneyCrisp apples, $1.99/lb
Organic D'Anjou pears, $1.29/lb
Organic Bosc pears, 3 lb bag, $2.99
Organic Bartlett pears, $1.49/lb
Pomegranates, 2/$4
Tomatoes, 99¢/lb
Asparagus, 2 lbs/$5
Eggplant, 99¢ ea
Summer squashes, 99¢/lb
Organic grape tomatoes, dry pint, $2.99
Organic Romaine hearts, 3 pk, $2.99
Organic Italian squash, $1.29/lb
Organic butternut squash, 77¢/lb