Dorot does frozen parsley, cilantro, ginger, garlic — but they’re not available everywhere, and if they are, they’re as much or more than buying the whole. Works if you only need a tiny bit, and think you’ll throw away the rest of the fresh item.
2 Likes
Thank you! I’ve seen and used the garlic and ginger. I think I can see cilantro too. Frozen parsley leaves are hard for me to imagine using, but I do freeze parsley stems for stock.
Have you tried the parsley? Does it add anything?
You are absolutely right. My last job was with a state agency that financed the development of affordable housing (among other things). We wrote our rules to require that a full service grocery store be nearby. We saw some horrible grocery stores. However, in my experience large chain stores offer healthy options, but the quality of those items can range from wonderful to pretty sad, and this seems always to be tied to the income level in the census tract in which the store is located. In Austin very small homes in historically poor parts of town are being dozed to build homes priced at $1,000,000 or more. It is worth noting that the large chain grocer soon follow.
3 Likes
I don’t buy any of it because I use a lot more than that, but I know folks who use the ginger and garlic.
Frozen herbs work / appeal differently than fresh for me, and I also don’t think of parsley as particularly aromatic or flavorful (unless in a large quantity, like in tabbouleh) so I think I would forego the parsley vs using a frozen cube (whereas cilantro is stronger to my palate, so I might use frozen in a pinch… maybe).
2 Likes
Well now I see it’s chopped. I don’t feel left out of the kool kidz club anymore. I only use frozen basil or cilantro, but rarely. I prefer fresh herbs in almost any dish, and I doubt the fresh, green taste of parsley would come through in frozen — just like I would never use dried parsley, which I find absolutely devoid of flavor.
I might as well sprinkle confetti on my food.
1 Like
That practice was once referred to as redlining or product dumping, and it’s intentional. I don’t know what it’s called now since interwebz search doesn’t produce anything. Large supermarket chains place poorer quality good in areas with fewer transportation options (lower income areas) and where people don’t have the option to drive 5 minutes to another store. In other words, they place poor products in places people usually don’t reject….but people know good from bad and often just don’t buy.
People who can drive to different places will, and will notice expiration dates on milk, eggs, etc. Some chains would even move milk from nicer areas to lower income because of this. I remember this was covered in a college class and one guy piped in saying they even did this with house paint…because he bought some in his area and it was of poor quality but since he painted houses before, he knew.
2 Likes
Trickle down effect. Sad but true.
Sickening and predatory.
I think TJs was the first to carry Dorot - I remember looking for them, years ago, after reading about them.
and yet…
As soon as I read the title I wondered how long before Picard would be name checked. Didn’t take long.
I LOVE Picard and wish it would expand to the UK. I have loved it for so many years and I miss it.
And yes, with all the obsession with “back to basics” frozen foods are an essential tool for those overburdened with the demands of meal prep, whether through unfair divisions of labour or sick and disabled people who still need to feed themselves.
I especially loved that I could buy purees and when I was staying with my mum just a few weeks ago was impressed (within the parameters of prepared food) by their ratatouille.
5 Likes
Not sure what “name checked” is. Is that what I call “looking it up”? Then I did that
Here’s an online shopping link
Does this remind anyone else of TJ’s? I’ve only been there a few times, so I don’t really know.
ETA
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
name·check
/ˈnāmˌCHek/
verb
past tense: name-checked; past participle: name-checked
publicly mention or list the name of.
“he namechecks a legion of producers and DJs”
Looks like they sell many brands other than their house brand, so I’d say no, because TJ’s focuses mostly on their store brand, with very few things branded otherwise sold in store.
Maybe Whole Foods?
1 Like
Picard is nothing at all like TJs.
Unless they’ve drastically changed, Picard is literally aisles lined with chest freezers and about 95% of their offering is frozen food. No produce, no fresh bakery…literally all frozen food. (Overwhelmingly TASTY frozen food, but almost nothing other than crackers and such at room temp)
4 Likes
