# Groceries you buy often that others don't **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125 "2025-07-20T20:20:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/61 "2025-07-22T01:49:46Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Roughage, here I come. 🙂 I think you mean Roughage, here I go. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/62 "2025-07-22T01:54:33Z")
Injera bread. Mrs. Charming and Rested or I make Ethiopian food a several times per year and one must have injera with it. Other times, we just stuff whatever tasty stir fry or what-have-you in injera just because we have a hankering for it. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/63 "2025-07-22T01:59:34Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > Some of our regular purchases are: > > mint > cilantro > coconut milk > sticky rice Have you been looking at MY grocery list perchance?! I buy all of those at least monthly, often biweekly for cooking, though I’ll echo @pulykamell and say where I grew up in southern NM, cilantro sold far more than traditional parsley! As for rice, we make a trip to the local Asian market every three months or so to get 25lb bags of jasmine rice (super dry climate, so it lasts nearly forever), as well as (smaller bags, granted) “Forbidden” rice, and sushi rice. Markut (sometimes listed as Kaffir) Lime leaves for me (can only get at same Asian Market. Essential for a several of my favorite Thai dishes, which ties into your/my list from the OP. I also buy (but are available at my local Kroger) fresh jalapenos, serrano, and habanero peppers for adding to many dishes or for making my own fresh hot sauces. I’m also the only person I see buying sliced beef marrow bones from the “mercado” section of my local kroger, because roasted marrow on good bread is a minor gift of the heavens, but obviously they sell enough to keep it in stock. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Although I have heard of fatback. Not sure exactly what it is. [Fatback](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatback) (porcine back fat, with little to no lean, from right beneath the skin) isn’t something I buy often, because most of the time I’d rather use thick cut bacon in any of my (several) recipes that call for it. Ditto for salt pork. But it’s REALLY useful if you’re making from scratch sausage (cased or loose) at home to adjust the fat content. If you’re starting with leaner pork, adding a lot of herbs/fruit/spices, you really do need some extra fat content to prevent the sausage or ground meat from completely coming apart or being too darn dry. I will say that I’ve never had a more perfect sausage than the ones I made myself (duh, it was a flavor mix precisely tailored to my personal tastes) but the effort of grinding, stuffing, and storing meant I only did it three or four times. I still do a grind for patty sausage from time to time (stuffing is a lot of extra time to keep cold, deal with the collagen wrappers, and other fiddly issues) but even then, I’m more likely to get ground pork and mix by hand, even if it’s not quite as good. ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/64 "2025-07-22T02:01:42Z")
You’re not missing much…no bueno ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/65 "2025-07-22T02:05:28Z")
Baba ghanoush and hummus. Orzo. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/66 "2025-07-22T02:07:38Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > Injera bread. Mrs. Charming and Rested or I make Ethiopian food a several times per year and one must have injera with it. Other times, we just stuff whatever tasty stir fry or what-have-you in injera When I had a lot of leftover injera after takeout Ethiopian last year, I discovered it’s perfect with those shelf-stable packets of Indian food you see at the store. They’re perfect together and a simple meal. > **[Amazon.com: Tasty Bite Variety, Pack of 8, Madras Lentils, Bombay Potatoes,...](https://www.amazon.com/Variety-Potatoes-Vegetable-Turmeric-Chickpea/dp/B0CQD5MNQ5)** > > Recipes for Indian foods have evolved over thousands of years. You don't have that kind of time, so we’ve taken this wisdom and sealed it in a convenient package. Let our fresh vegetable and lentil Entrées deliver you centuries of taste in less than... > **[Amazon.com : Maya Kaimal Foods - Organic Indian Everyday Dal - 6 pack variety of...](https://www.amazon.com/Maya-Kaimal-Foods-Everyday-Microwavable/dp/B07WLRJJKS)** > > Amazon.com : Maya Kaimal Foods - Organic Indian Everyday Dal - 6 pack variety of 10oz Ready to Eat Meals - Fully Cooked - Vegan - Kosher - Microwavable - made from Lentils, Beans, Squash, Coconut, Peas : Grocery & Gourmet Food ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/67 "2025-07-22T02:13:19Z")
It’s something like 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. I’ve also heard of people using similar amounts of cocoa in chili; the one time I tried something like that, with baking chocolate, the whole batch tasted like the chocolate. I regularly buy Gerber’s baby food, specifically chicken. I mix a fish oil capsule in a jar, and then crush a potassium tablet and mix that with a spoonful of the baby food and give it to my cat. She has no idea she’s taking medicine! ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/68 "2025-07-22T03:06:13Z")
We’ve done exactly that with the same Tasty Bite packets! It is an easy tasty meal. You can also toast the leftover injera and make something like a crunchy pita chip for dipping. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/69 "2025-07-22T04:24:17Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > You can also toast the leftover injera and make something like a crunchy pita chip for dipping. Mind blown! Thanks!!! ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/70 "2025-07-22T10:44:04Z")
Kabanos - my husband and daughter love this as a snack Polish pickles - Sałatka ukraińska is my favourite, but it’s harder to find. We get through a lot of Peppadew peppers and pickled gherkins, too. I like all of these with my lunch. Mozzarella balls for Caprese salad There are other things that I don’t necessarily buy _often_, but more than the average person: Coconut oil Tamarind paste (used in a couple of Thai dishes we make semi-regularly) Tahini Corn tortillas (flour ones are far more popular in the UK) Various spices - I use sumac regularly and that is fairly uncommon Not sure whether artichoke hearts or sun-dried tomatoes count as uncommon. Most unusual thing has got to be the tomatillos in my freezer. I grew them myself, since you absolutely cannot buy them where I live. Must remember to use them up. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/71 "2025-07-22T11:10:12Z")
Also on my weekly grocery list: one medium avocado (often on sale at Kroger for under a buck). Because let’s be honest—who doesn’t like a little avocado toast to start the day? And guacamole? That green goddess turns everything from burrito filling to burger topping into a fiesta. I skip the large avocados, though—because even with avocados, too much of a good thing can slide into “meh” real fast. Moderation, is the key to avo-bliss. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/72 "2025-07-22T11:22:53Z")
Honey It became popular as a sugar substitute in the late 1970’s. I still have my 1970’s cookbooks. Anytime I bake it’s usually with honey. A slice of hot toast with honey is a simple dessert that I enjoy. In general, to substitute honey for sugar in recipes, use about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of honey for every cup of sugar, and reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup. It takes time to get used to the changes. Cookies aren’t as sweet compared to using brown sugar. But consuming less sugar is desirable and my goal. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/73 "2025-07-22T11:35:00Z")
I use an ungodly amount of Worcestershire sauce. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/74 "2025-07-22T16:28:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Popcorn is my weak spot. Damn, me, too. I really have to ration my eating of it. Last time I ate it, I made too much and was borderline sick. I waited too long to eat. Always a BIG mistake. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/75 "2025-07-22T16:33:09Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I’m also the only person I see buying sliced beef marrow bones from the “mercado” section of my local kroger, because roasted marrow on good bread is a minor gift of the heavens, but obviously they sell enough to keep it in stock. I ate at a Michael Voltaggio restaurant shortly after he won Top Chef. It was a seven or so course tasting menu. There were two dishes on the menu that I was a little iffy about – the foie gras course and the bone marrow course. OMG, they were both _divine._ The dessert course was forgettable, and I wished I could have just had more foie gras and bone marrow for dessert instead. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/76 "2025-07-22T16:48:42Z")
The right amount always looks like a teeny dribble in the popper. So little in fact that it often doesn’t pop well. So I make too much and then get in a salt-gobbling frenzy. Next time I really ought to measure instead of guesstimate how much I make and afterwards decide if that was too much or too little. I can exercise discipline, but only if I have a firm target to hold too. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/77 "2025-07-22T16:50:29Z")
Way back in the days before time, I worked at a small restaurant where we used curly endive as a plate garnish. Sometimes we’d run out and have to go to the adjacent grocery store and get enough to last until our next produce delivery. Years later, I ran into the grocery store’s produce guy, who’d been a friend from high school. He told me we were pretty much the only ones who bought the curly endive there. IIRC, after the restaurant closed, he said the grocery store stopped stocking it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/78 "2025-07-22T17:07:19Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > Baba ghanoush and hummus. A couple years back, I was looking for a new hummus recipe, and came across this one: > **[Easy Hummus (Better than Store-Bought)](https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/)** > > How to make homemade hummus with chickpeas, garlic, tahini and olive oil. This is the best hummus recipe, just read all the happy reviews. With helpful video! Here’s the cooked.wiki format of that recipe (removing all the fluff): > **[Cooked - Loading](https://cooked.wiki/loading/new?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inspiredtaste.net%2F15938%2Feasy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe%2F)** It takes about 10-15 minutes to make in a food processor. And it’s ruined my family for storebought hummus: not only don’t we buy it anymore, but my kids refuse to eat storebought hummus anymore. It’s really, really good, but you should only make it if you’re gonna commit to keep making it. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/79 "2025-07-22T17:10:56Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > [@Ellecram](#): > > > > Baba ghanoush and hummus. > > A couple years back, I was looking for a new hummus recipe, and came across this one: > [Easy Hummus Recipe (Better than Store-Bought)](https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/) > > Here’s the cooked.wiki format of that recipe (removing all the fluff): > [https://cooked.wiki/https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/](https://cooked.wiki/https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/) > > It takes about 10-15 minutes to make in a food processor. And it’s ruined my family for storebought hummus: not only don’t we buy it anymore, but my kids refuse to eat storebought hummus anymore. > > It’s really, really good, but you should only make it if you’re gonna commit to keep making it. Thank you! I adore hummus. Its something I buy several times a month and it is gone within a few days unless I put a limit on my consumption lol. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groceries-you-buy-often-that-others-dont/1021125/80 "2025-07-22T17:23:25Z")
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