Why You Should Buy Kitchen Utensils From the Grocery Store

With storefronts shrinking, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find specialty items, and sometimes even mid-range products, in person. Rarely do I come across rolling pins for sale. When I need a new kitchen gadget or cookware, the first thing I turn to is the Internet. And I hate it. I end up scrolling through the reviews for “research” and still get something disappointing three days later. Although I will never be completely free from this song and dance, I would like to avoid it. My latest tactic is to buy all the kitchen utensils and crockery from the supermarket.

Find affordable and unexpected gems

The kitchenware section of major stores like Shoprite, Publix, or Fred Meyer has amazingly affordable tools and utensils. While Amazon sells glass jars for $20 or $30, the grocery store sells them for $8. It’s like indulging yourself in a fake sale item because you’re so used to being overpriced. Apart from handheld gadgets like garlic presses, lemon juicers and grill tongs, you can usually find affordable electronic gadgets like rice cookers, instant pots, ice cream machines and blenders. If you have a “club card” in stores, you can sometimes purchase these items at an even greater discount. Grab a set of Pyrex baking pans, detachable non-stick pans, Mason jars, colorful ceramic pie plates, and even cute vulgar items like little green Coke glasses. I started making 6-inch pies for the winter break so I can have more variety with less pie leftovers. Guess where I found my perfect little pie plates.

Save time

Self-delivery of kitchen supplies makes me impatient. This soon escalates into full blown moodiness if things go wrong. If I need a kitchen tool, I probably need it now. This is the biggest benefit of finding it at the grocery store. There’s a good chance I’m going there for the ingredients anyway. This is usually a handy time saver, but in the worst cases, the grocery store finds everything. I’m talking about the 11th hour, Thanksgiving, the 20th, the despair that’s in my control. Nobody gives you anything. The supermarket probably has what you’re looking for, or something tolerable that you can substitute.

Know what you’re getting

This is a general benefit of personal shopping. Using a poor quality product can really ruin your food and it’s important to check your kitchen tools and appliances before making a commitment. You may need a 10-inch pie plate for the recipe, but you’re not sure if you need a “classic” or a “deep plate” and looking at and holding the item in your hands can help you do that. Until I poked around in the store, I didn’t know that disposable aluminum pans come in different thicknesses. Choosing a light material over a heavy one can result in overcooking the cornbread or spilling the fried chicken juice. Ordering online without knowing what to check can doom you to cooking with brittle metals or substandard materials. Before you blindly order those exorbitantly priced ice cube trays or deep fryer skimmer, check out your local supermarket. They may have exactly what you are looking for.