daspyknows
Master of the Pit
Costco Business Center, Grocery Outlet and Berkeley Bowl which is a local grocery store that has quality like Whole Foods and prices like Safeway or Kroger.
Where I hail, it's a rarity for the whole bird to be less per pound than the parts. Thighs and drumsticks are frequently at the 1$/# price point. The packaged parts pack well (which might explain my urban pricing experience) and a month or two in the freezer doesn't seem to affect final cook so I stock up. Occasionally see half breasts at that price. As long as it has bone in it (not processed) I'm all for it. Wings excite me least, but they seldom go on sale. (Wings seem to be a "thing" now.)...Parting a chicken takes no time at all, as like a couple of minutes...A whole fryer usually costs around a buck a pound...
Went on a quick grocery run today (Winco). Picked up a 2-pak of whole birds for 98 cents/lb. Cheap protein!Where I hail, it's a rarity for the whole bird to be less per pound than the parts. Thighs and drumsticks are frequently at the 1$/# price point.
Unscientific data recording (using aging memory) from local Walmart last night.......2-pak of whole birds for 98 cents/lb...Bone-in/skin-on thighs were $1.28/lb. Boneless/skinless breasts $1.99/lb. Boneless/skinless thighs $2.99/lb...
I agree 100% with you, Bill. I've always been a price conscious shopper, but when I worked I grabbed whatever I needed for a dish. Now that I'm retired, I don't mind putting a few more minutes of work in the prep.I think what's happening in my urban market is the thigh price functions as a loss-leader...gets you in the door and if you're struggling (or a cheapskate) you grab that good price. But well2do shoppers after a day at work are easily swayed to the "upscale" product, involving minimal work for them, and that's where the stores pad their profit margins.
And it's fun, or at the very least rewarding. I'm still working, but I'm slowing down, and the Covid season did "wonders" in terms of bringing me into the kitchen to enjoy the simpler pleasures of cooking for oneself. In fact, the last little squabble with the wife was over who was going to cook!I agree 100% with you... I'm not that fast, but it really takes no longer than prepping veggies.
Same here and I don't mind putting the extra time in to save a couple of dollars.... Now that I'm retired, I don't mind putting a few more minutes of work in the prep....