I’ve alluded to my obsession with bulk bin shopping from time to time, so I decided it was high time I provide an explanation as to why this section of Whole Foods and health food stores has stolen my heart.
So bulk bins- it’s where you can buy a vast variety of loose dry goods- everything from grains to nuts, flours, cereals, seeds, dried fruit, and more. Some stores take it a step further and sell spices, teas, coffee, honey, maple syrup, nut butters, olive oil, and more, in loose form. Why shop from these when you can easily buy a bag of rice or jar of honey? A few reasons:
- Control- you can choose exactly how much or how little you want.
- You avoid all the unnecessary packaging- especially when it comes to buying new spices.
- It’s more affordable (yes- even at high end grocery stores).
- You can get organic varieties in things like oats, nuts, and quinoa, which I really like.
Here’s how to shop them:
- Shopping for a Specific Dish: When you’re faced with a dish that calls for 1/4 cup of some nut, dried fruit, or dry ingredient, and you know if you buy a huge bag it’ll just sit in your cupboard forever, get it in the bulk bins and you can buy the exact amount you need.
- Stocking Up Sans Packaging: Beyond recycling and shopping locally, I don’t do too much for the environment. But buying from the bins allows you to avoid a ton of the packing that comes with pre-packaged goods. Buy a variety of storage containers and get those cupboards organized!
- Keeping Spices Fresh: Using fresh spices does really make a difference in flavor when you’re cooking, and most are really only at their best within 1-2 years of purchase (and two is pushing it). Buying spices in bulk allows you to buy fresh ones often, and as much or as little as you like. Again, you avoid all the packaging, and you can usually find varieties that you can’t find in the grocery store- like multiple types of peppercorns, smoked paprika, and onion granules (<– so good!).
All Whole Foods have a bulk bins section, as do the majority of health food stores that I’ve been to. I’m not aware of any other national grocery stores (maybe Wegman’s or Wild Oats?) that have them, but let me know if you do!
Such a good tip! I hate buying a whole jar of a specific spice, just for one recipe. Bulk bins sound like the perfect solution.
Great tips! I try to shop from the bulk bins when I can, although I admit to being a terrible judge with the amounts, and half the time end up getting way too much of a particular item! Oops!
I really like the idea of this post — but how is buying fresh herbs, nuts, grains, and spices constantly actually cheaper than buying one pepper shaker or paprika container?
Hi Kate- that’s a really good question. Happy to clarify! Perhaps I should have clarified things a bit better but essentially for things like spices- it’s cheaper overtime to invest in a pepper grinder and buy loose peppercorns in bulk rather than purchasing the little bottles or disposable grinders from the grocery store. With things like loose spices- you can always buy a bottle of say dried oregano at the grocery store but then it’s less expensive to refill it with loose spices rather than buying another bottle. With nuts and grains, I’ve found in my area/the stores I visit that it’s significantly cheaper per pound to buy things in loose bulk form, and I think that has a lot to do with the lack of packaging- but it could be different in your area. My recommendation is to experiment a bit- if you’re as into grocery shopping as me! Hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.