Many people suggest bulk buying as the price is always cheaper than when it’s bought individually. However, that’s not always the case, particularly if you live alone.
This post shows what food to buy in bulk if you live alone.
When buying in bulk, there are four rules to remember:
1 . Ensure the food you buy lasts for months or even years.
Canned food is the best option when it comes to emergency food.
2. Look at how often you use the food.
For example, it’s OK to buy perishable foods in bulk as long as you know you’re going to consume them quickly. For example, if you’re a regular milk drinker who drinks two glasses of milk per day, it’s better to buy 3-litre milk than a 1-litre one.
3. Ensure you know how to store the food.
This means buying perishable food in bulk is OK as long as you know you can store them so they last at least three months or longer. Freezing and canning are two of the most popular methods to store perishable food.
4. Ensure that buying in bulk suits the quality you want.
For example, if you like fresh bread, no matter how cheap the bulk buying is. The bread will no longer be fresh and will stale within 2-3 days. Unless you’re going to them all within 2-3 days, or freeze them and have no problem eating them after they’re frozen, or know how to process stale bread to your liking, don’t buy this type of product in bulk, no matter how cheap it is.
Fresh Food You Can Buy Bulk to Freeze
Bread
This includes fresh bread or typical supermarket bread. You just need to store them in a ziplock to ensure that the moisture of the bread doesn’t escape so that when you reheat the bread, the moisture is there, making the bread as soft as it originally is. Frozen bread lasts for two months. In my experience, the taste will deteriorate after two months.
Fruits
Bananas, mangoes, kiwis, pineapples, peaches, nectarines, cherries, and all kinds of berries – if stored properly in the freezer, i.e. with airtight plastic can last up to a year in the freezer. I usually chop them all into smaller, bite-size pieces and put them in a blender with a couple of dollops of yogurt to make a delicious, healthy smoothie.
Vegetables
Any vegetables that don’t have high water content can be frozen. This means lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, watercress, celery, etc should NOT be frozen as they become soggy when thawed.
Raw Meat and Fish
These products can last up to 6 months if stored properly. It is important to wrap them carefully for protection against exposure to air.
To cook them, thaw them for one or two days in the fridge because thawing them at room temperature can harbour harmful bacterias.
Food You Can Buy Bulk to Can
Most foods like fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, and seafood can be canned. For further details regarding canning, including safety procedure and unsafe canning practices, go to this website: food.unl.edu/canning.
Food You Can Buy Bulk to Store in Your Kitchen Pantry
The following dry foods usually last around 6 months to 1 year if stored in airtight containers:
- Cereals
- Grains
- Pasta
- Beans
- Peas
- Lentils
- Nuts
- Dried fruits
