Don't Buy Pre-Made Meals From These Grocery Stores (& Where To Buy Them)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- Target’s great for clothes, but not for egg salad. And Kroger’s? Forget the pre-made shrimp cocktail. Skip the food poisoning and get the know-how behind who’s the best and worst when it comes to pre-made meals!
#Meals #Grocery #Store
Worst: Safeway | 0:00
Worst: Target | 0:59
Worst: Walmart | 2:00
Worst: Aldi | 2:59
Worst: Kroger | 3:50
Best: H-E-B | 4:37
Best: Whole Foods | 5:47
Best: Wegmans | 6:42
Best: Costco | 7:26
Best: Sam's Club | 8:27
Best: Publix | 9:25
Best: Sprouts | 10:22
Voiceover By: Krystle Futrell
Read Full Article: www.mashed.com/1251534/7-best... - Розваги
I worked at wholefoods and if I had to give any advice it would be to never eat at any of the self serve food bars unless you physically see the employee bring it out fresh. Especially the olive bar. They barely clean the olive bar until they put fresh olives out and I've seen customers do disgusting things like spitting pits back into the olives. And the hot bar is usually food that is going to expire which doesn't bother me but they charge $8 a pound. Ive seen plates come out to $30 and it's either left overs or food that was going to expire within the next day or two.
I shopped at whole foods once and nevr again. Prices were outrageous, and for my plain groceries unnecessary. Canada now offers Farmboy and it is only elite type brands. They positioned it by a university. It costs too much for us working people, not sure how it serves students.
I had Wholefoods hot bar for lunch once. It did not make me want to go back.
@@joywebster2678 My dad purchased catfish from whole foods. He watched the butcher clean and filet the catfish for him. Brought it home, washed it and fried it and it didn't taste fresh. My dad never went back.
$11.99 a lb. It’s egregious.
🥴 thanks for letting us know
Whole Foods? More like Whole Paycheck!
😆 🤣
🤭
That's why I don't shop there. I can't afford it!
Yeah u should be more important then money
Whole foods quality went down after amazon took it over. Publix is best in many areas.
The quality of anything Amazon involves itself in plummets.
The best way to get what you want is to make it yourself.🍲
I agree. I make the best egg rolls and steamed bread according to my families and friends. Lol!
Absolutely!!!
Agreed but I can’t cook no matter how hard I try!
@@MotherofDragons937 There are some good, simple UA-cam recipes people can follow.
I learned to cook at a young age and that skill has served me well not to mention all the cash I've saved, one tip I can give is make large amounts and eat them as leftovers later, but really people , social media has all kinds of cooking tips
As a Publix employee, I'm proud of the quality standards the company enforces however, I wouldn't call any of their products cheap; they do a great job, but there are definitely better grocery stores if you're on a budget.
Publix sandwich station line be around the store out the door. I've seen a few celebrities in the line as well.
Publix prepared foods are so tasty, but their produce is notoriously bad. It’s always rotting/rotten, just poor quality.
Publix Subs are GOATed. Always fresh, always taste fantastic. For 10 bucks or a little less you can't go wrong for a full, whole sub. If I'm feeling cheeky I'll get Jersey Mikes for a philly or something, but for a regular sando? Publix is amazing. Their chicken tendy sandwiches are awesome too. Get it tossed in extra BBQ sauce with some swiss or provolone.
@@kirstiemccullough1786the one by me has food that rivals the farmers market. It’s so freaking tasty. It also lasts longer than any other grocery store. The mojo sub they make is so good! They took it off the menu, but I still ordered it. Those bread less hot wings they make are so good too!
Indeed, Subs and Deli are great ,but I hate sushi because they're way off too obsessive with cheese cream and avocado ,so I had to make special order for my sushi.
Publix is great, and has fantastic pre-made meals, but they are expensive compared to other stores.
Yes they are.
I agree!
But they serve twice as many people!
Their sub sandwiches are the Best!
@@Jace28142 I agree!
Interesting how much this survey depends on social media comments for its ratings. While "word of mouth" information has always been an important part of the social fabric, it can be not reliable. I used to have an acquaintance who regularly posted extremely negative reviews about stores and restaurants who displeased her, usually exaggerating her claims; once, I witnessed her post a review, claiming that a server, at a restaurant, cursed her and threw food at her, when in reality, the server did not ask her if she would like dessert. So, while many "reviews" on social media may be balanced and fair, the only true way to determine how good, or bad, something is to see for yourself.
I had an uncle who owned a plant nursery. I worked for him. He told me if people like your service, they will tell a friend. If they don't like your service, they will tell 20 friends. He didn't mention exaggerating the negative service, but it's par for the course.
Agree 💯
😎..Thx for mentioning This..wasnt TicTok 'getting canned'?..Twitter..wow. Plus, 'Corporate Espionage' is Real too..🤷
That’s true. Same with teachers. One of our neighbors was a a grade further up from me. She used to get me so worried with certain teachers but one or two of them actually turned out to be pretty event. So i do believe there’s truth to that.
I live in Texas, and H-E-B is the best hands down. From their homemade guacamole to their fried chicken it is really good 👍 😋.
YES TO WEGMANS. Their ready-made meals and hot bars are the best, if I had one within walking distance and could afford to I'd eat there every day. (And buy their other amazing products.)
I would love to even see a Wegman’s as I’ve heard so much good things!
@@sandybruce9092 Huge presence in Central NY...❤
Totally agree!
Wegmans in Syracuse, NY. Westwood area. I buried my mother-in-law this past February after the got salmonella poisoning from their egg salad. She was very sick for a week, elderly, and suffered heart complications while in the hospital. A healthy person may have suffered and survived, but she was not lucky.
@@favforsue Oh jeez, I'm so sorry to hear that. :(
I love to cook,I consider myself fortunate, you save so much money and, it is so important to use homemade ingredients , and so much better for your health!!!!!!
Wegmans is the best thing to happen to the east coast.
The prices can be a little high, but the quality of the food is amazing. The wegmans I go to is actually in this video!
H-E-B is kickass, I live in North Texas, and we're finally getting the first H-E-B in this area next year, super stoked.
I think I’ll stick with the air fryer! Frozen and packaged food is hardly the same as from scratch, but is less expensive than grocery deli and fast food! Instapot and slow cookers are also worth purchasing.
I use my air fryer everyday. One of very best small appliances I ever bought.
YES! HEB (Herbert E Butt) great story behind the humble beginnings. I truly miss HEB, best grocery store!!💕💕💕💕💕💕
The name is Howard, not Herbert.
I appreciate this information
With immune compromising illness
We’re to tired to cook
So be careful what you eat
As a true Texan, HEB is my store! ❤️
We always get Publix fried chicken the first night we arrive in Florida ;)
Wegmans hot bar in our local store disappeared during COVID. Only chicken wings and Asian food has returned (Asian on an irregular basis and many of the items are not restocked once they run out), the quality is lower, there are no longer shrimp dishes, and the cost went from $9.99 a pound to $15.99, a huge increase for inferior food. Wegmans paid community groups to oppose the building of a Whole Foods store in the area, but Whole Foods did open, with a much more extensive food bar and at a price of $11.99 a pound. I used to love Wegmans, but now rarely shop there and never buy the prepared foods.
Whole foods is expensive compared to other groceries but the plates are restaraunt quality.
I got food poisoning from a fish at Kroger. Scrombroid poisoning specifically. With in half an hour, my heart rate was doubled. The doctors thought I was over dosing on cocaine, at least that what my husband told me, asking if I had any history of drug use over and over. I was too delirious. It's a poisoning that happens earlier in the supply chain, so likely the culprit is who Kroger was working with to get the fish and not Kroger themselves, still, they were not helpful and actively obstructive with getting anyone to help me pay the $10,000 ER bill. Luckily, I had insurance bringing it down to $2,000, but still, that was some expensive tuna.
Kind of odd that Walmart's premade food is kinda shite, while Sam's Club's premade food is good...they're the same company?
I love Hello Kitty too!
They both taste the same to me.
Thank you for informative information like pre- meals and the quality. This informative and folk appreciate important info. Will be in the look out.
Thank you for breaking the video into chapters, truly appreciate the ability to just read the best & worst!😉
Costco pre-made stuff is Delicious
I used to shop at Safeway. I stopped maybe 15 years ago as they relabel the meat 2-4 times. Just look at the labels on the fresh cuts and you may see 3-4 labels on top of each other. I bought a roast and it was green the next day with 4 labels stacked on top of each other. Yuck! The sell by date kept getting updated. I never went back.
Surprisingly, the Safeway in my neck of the woods has a full service meat department. At first I didn't like them, then I found out they only precut what's on special during that week each day. So now weather on sale or not I asked at the counter for what I want, usually wait 5 mins, see them pull out the meat and cut it right in front of me. Kroger's stores only pull out frozen meats.
Totally agree with this Video. I bought salad and hot breakfast from Whole Foods and thought it was quite expensive. When I ordered brunch from one of national chain restaurants, the price and quality of food were not as good as the Whole Foods. HEB also has a great Asian section known for serving dumplings, sushi, and seaweed salads.
Saddly wal mart was a lot better 10 yrs ago. Depends on locations. The heb we lived near in south Texas in the 80s was mehh.
I’ve had a few from Costco and they have been good.
I agree with this video 100% Kroger's Deli hot food (and most of their store brands) are the pits! HEB's pre made meals, their deli hot foods are awesome!! Their store brands are also top of the list! Their store brand ice cream taste just like Blue Bell (big here in Texas). I could almost swear it is Blue Bell in an HEB container. But what really impresses me the most about HEB is their prices. To be such a clean, well stocked, big variety, and IMO kind of an elite grocery store, their prices are rock bottom compared to other supermarkets.
Store brands are made by name brand places. That ice cream may be Bluebell after all.
I snowbird in Florida, and Publix is so good. I wish they were also in the St. Louis area where I live. I must say I really like the Walmart chicken salad, and their ready made lettuce salads are good. Schnucks is the regional grocery chain in the Midwest, and the larger stores have great premade dinner options.
Another regional store in the Midwest is HyVee; they’re also quite good.
Would love to see you review Price Chopper, Stop and Shop, Big Y and Geissler's, too.
I travel around the US a lot volunteering for FIRST Robotics and have seen many of the places in your video (I haven't been in a H.E.B yet). One place that really impressed me that isn't in your video is Giant Eagle Market District. The one I went into by the Airport in Pittsburgh really impressed me with it's selection and cleanliness.
Boycott Target.
i really love this video. what a great insight on how to grab a great deal!
at whole foods i buy the prepackaged things in the fridge if i'm feeling like a "splurge" or lazy and don't wanna cook. and tbh buying all the ingredients would cost more. i do like the avocado rolls. and no i do not do normal grocery shopping at whole foods, i only buy specific things i can't get anywhere else. like the vegan donuts, a specific planted based greek style greek yogurt. or clearance items. i do get extra percent off with the chase card (for both amazon and wf) the cashback is worth it
It's called get up off your lazy rear end and go in the kitchen and prepare and cook for yourself like our ancestors did and they didn't have modern appliances mostly made it from scratch and raised a big family worked in the garden and fields. People now a days don't know nor do they want to know about the good ole days back when times were tougher but simpler and people were happy and healthy.
Spot on. Shameful products that don't cost much more to be delicious. Like the deli offer at my local Safeway the bakery and meat department disappoint.
a Sams club alternative BJ's wholesale club has premade meals. The chicken alfredo is great and they have a salmon dish my neighbor tells me is fantastic. Their hot wings are very good but the rest of their premade is Ok. They sell a lot of it as the case gets refilled several times a day
Wegmans is a food treasure in the North East. From prepared meals to fresh produce and meats, it is my go to place.
Target is great if your looking for rainbows
I have Wegman's close, but I feel that the premade meals are very pricey. I buy their brand in the store and find it very good. I tried their roasted chicken once but find Sam's club better and cheaper.
I moved to Texas from the mid west. First time I walked into a HEB, I went crazy. Lol. Love HEB. I live 60 miles away from the closest store, but to me its worth the trip once a month!
Fresh Market and Harris Teeter are decent in my area. Publix opened up a couple years ago but is out of my way to shop at.
Most of these stores are regional only. So what's the point?
Safeway makes a great Italian sub (but you'll need to add your own olive oil). Great price for several meals worth. The rest of their pre-made meal section though? I think you're spot on.
Shout out to H‑E‑B! But like there is a few prepped meals that aren’t too good …. Specifically the chicken
Sprouts has some really good ready meals like their salads and rotisserie chicken. But other items like sandwiches I find too bready. The bread is too much for the small amount of whatever’s inside, like tuna or turkey meat. I’ve ended up throwing half the bread away. But man they know how to put together a salad.
They contract out their premade meals according to the meat department.
I regularly buy sushi from my local Kroger subsidiary (Dillons). It tastes the same...to me anyway...as asian-centric sushi restaurants. I do get my shrimp cocktail from Walmart, mostly because I buy my groceries exclusively from Walmart because I can get it delivered.
Never had an issue with the sushi at our Kroger either, it’s actually really good!
My local Sullivans has a Deli and is pretty good. All Targets need to close. Their management is corrupt.
Only "gas station" sandwiches I buy are from 711, as they get new sandwiches each night. My locally branded Kroger store, and Safeway stores have decent sushi made fresh daily.
How about Hannaford supermarket.
Where I live in NC, Ingles is the only grocety store I have. All it has is a hot bar and a sandwich shop. Being Southern, the veggies tend to be salty and sometimes greasy, but the food is always good. They make the sandwiches with Boars
Head and one can't go wrong there.
I shop at my local ShopRite on Long Island NY and I buy their premade meals and salads! The meals freeze well and the salads are fresh! Very satisfied! God Bless!
I've shopped at Whole Foods and Publix, and although their quality tends to be good, they are expensive stores.
right on with WEGMANS, my fave for home cooked meals to go.
I worked at kroger and will say it's the worst tbh. If you get a fried chicken meal, most of the chicken sits on the the tray for HOURS with hardly any heat on them giving you cold chicken. With the sides it's much like the chicken, left without heat for hours, but the differences is, they go bad really quickly, like you can tell that the mac and cheese has been sitting there. And with the chicken strips, DO NOT get these. I've seen these guys be on the cold with other products they didn't use that day and being sold the next day. Yeah that sounds good, 24 hour old chicken.
With the wings, get them as soon as they hit the tray. It seems like with heaters, they still go bad pretty quickly and within the hour the sauce on the wings start hardening.
And with the sushi, please DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT at ANY circumstance get Sushi. They all sit all day and all night in a tray that's kinda cool, but it's really not enough to keep things that should be cold, cool. I wouldn't trust it with my life
Oh nooo😥
IN MY VIEW
I stopped buying packaged single serving pies & cakes and packaged half-pies & half-cakes when I found out they were from cakes and pies that were getting-ready-to-expire and have to be sold or end up being tossed. I also stopped buying all fresh meat or seafood that is breaded because these getting-ready-to expire products are covered up with fancy pretty breading so we can't SEE what they actually look like underneath.
The deli made Kroger shrimp cocktails are pretty damn good. Idk about the premade ones.
Where I live Safeway's deli sucks but Fred Meyer's (Kroger) is pretty decent (their fried chicken beats everyone's but they don't seem to know the difference between a dinner roll and a biscuit) though they are decreasing their offerings. The egg salad everywhere sucks. Best deli are those of small independents....Elephant's being pretty good.
Safeway on Fridays is not a bad option for freshly made sushi or deli chicken if it’s on special, not just because of the price but because it’s freshly made
I stopped buying meats from Safeway after being burnt twice! The meats were spoiled because temps weren't maintained and when I returned them they just gave me my money back. No apology and didn't care 👎🏼
When you use Twitter and TicToc as sources 😅
I can agree, Wegmans is one of the best in prepared foods, but it is EXPENSIVE. If you're looking for decent tasting meal at an affordable price, Costco is probably a winner.
You missed Central Market. While owned by HEB it is on a completely different level and surpasses most on your list.
Publix’ Aprons pre-made meals are delish, easy to cook, and affordable - plus although they’re called meals for one, they’re large enough for two.
Love Publix
I have brought rotisserie chicken from Kroger, they was cooking it while I was in the store. It's best eaten the same day. After the 2nd day they tend to be dry and the skin is not good. But if I want to make chicken salad, it's ok. People have to remember they don't add a lot of seasoning, because a lot people might be diabetic, on a no salt diet. Yes at times I've had to add some flavor. But like I said sometimes even they overcook a rotisserie chicken. I try to avoid the fried chicken, as it get cold it can dry out, the skin not crispy when it gets cold. I avoid the cocktail shrimp, sushi. And many times the premade salads and cut up fruit. The dates can fool you. The salads don't always be fresh. Who knows if they wash the lettuce, I've had a few that felt dirty. So I'd rather buy my own lettuce, I wash mines. Make my own salad.well you can't go wrong if you make it.yourself.👍. Love,respect and positivity always. Neita.🙂👋👣.
They used to season the rotisserie chicken and, so, that’s surprising to hear, I rarely get them because, for me the biggest factor is they tend to be loaded with sodium, I used to buy frozen stir fry and, rather than help me lose weight they done the opposite! So, now, mostly when, I crave stir fry, I just go to a Chinese restaurant or make my own.
Sam's has great rotisserie chicken, try them.
I like the Aldi salsa, and their dips. They are pretty good. Not bougie, but so what
I only tolerate regular family restaurants because on occasion, I do need a break from cooking. As a home chef doing international cooking (Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Hungarian, and a little bit more), I actually like my own food better. So, I purposefully make enough to have leftovers so I can have those for future dinners or lunches.
I’ve tried many of Kroger’s Home Chef meals, and found them to be quite delicious. Their sides are as good as homemade, and I didn’t have to do a thing except heat it up. Don’t know why this video rated Kroger so poorly. I’m assuming it’s merely consumer bias.
Because they charge as much as restaurant take out and it's nowhere near as good.
I’ve had some good experiences with the Home Chef meals, my favorite is the tomato bisque soup! It’s my go to in the winter!
In Arkansas, Sam's has great, cheap and plentiful pre-made Fresh meals...every one was great 👍
Kroger...items made in deli are good and there is a decent selection of fresh items. They also have some Refrigerated items we buy weekly. They have some pre-made stuff that's hit or miss and are Not made in store. The meals are kinda expensive and haven't tried them but they look good...
Sam’s and Costco have very good pre-made meals - biggest problem for us/me is that they are too large for both of us or aren’t something my husband would eat!
Sam’s, Wegmans and H.E.B
I buy premade stuff from Costco and Sams. Sams is priced right, and the two of us can get two meals out of it.
Whole Foods hot bar can't be beat. Almost every day, they have one or two freshly made exotic dishes that you can't find in local restaurants. Most of this store's stuff is overpriced, but you can get some deals if you're an experienced shopper, and I don't mind paying a little more for the items I can't find elsewhere.
obviously you don't live in Gainesville, Fl. 🦎
@@lizleer1921 How's Whole Foods in Gainesville different?
@@deanronson6331 The groceries are expensive. The $12/LB Hot Bar had only 3 or 4 selections that looked edible. Most of the pans were empty or had little in them. This was around lunchtime. Nothing looked fresh.
Only one of those stores is in my small town and it's Walmart. Sam's and Costco require a membership it's at least a 90 mile round trip to the closest one to me. None of the other stores mentioned in this video are either near me or in my state! I try to cook fresh meals at home, but being disabled and unable to cook like I used to I'm sometimes stuck with cheap pre-made meals from Wally World.🤷
Can you make a video about the best places to buy premade meals? If you do can you consider the gas station Kwik Trip in your findings?
Kroger bought Marianos here in Chicagoland. Their premade chicken tenders are only good if you get them on clearance.
I usually don't eat ribs, not a huge fan, but Costco sells these "St. Louis" ribs with sauce and man was it good.
I buy Walmart's big container salads and submarine sandwiches when they are sale. You can get better, but they seem fine for the sale prices.
How can Wal-Mart be among the worst while supposedly it subsidiary Sam's Club is among the best?
Again - different foods!
Thank you guys so much for listing the good versus the bad. ❤
Meal Simple by H‑E‑B Tex-Mex Brisket Queso Dip. It's so good!
Jimbo's has really good hot and deli food as well. Great bakery section.
Whoa! I just realized why people throw out 60% of the produce they buy. People don't know how to cook anymore. There are tons of these premade meals at my local Costco store. Encased in blister packs ready to be warmed up in the microwave. If you eat these meals, it's more likely the fresh veg you buy just sits in their plastic bags, ready to throw out, the next time you return home from the grocery stores. Stiring up processed foods in a crock pot or Insta Pot is NOT cooking. A can of cream of mushroom soup, mixed with macaroni and seasoned minced pork is no culinary delight, let alone heart healthy.
Was in nyc Manhattan ima say like midtown area. Like 1am we left the house for i guess a drink and maybe food it was like a deli but a decent one they had premade meals of all sorts not frozen food the one I got was good
Wal-mart actually has a decent loaded potato salad. I just add a little celery and sour cream!
We hardly go out to eat or buy prep food. I always cook our own food. Not daily but every other day. Good my husband is not picky. He eats anything I cook. 🤭
I miss Wegmans …haven’t seen one since I moved to Dallas
Love Wegmans
Walmart is the worst!! I was feeding families that were displaced and could use a meal just after the pandemic, and the sandwiches and chicken salad I received during pick up expired six months prior…Totally unacceptable. I was told they were stored in the freezer and should have been rotated out. I thought they were made fresh.
Goddess Love, I have eaten some of the subs & they are good. I have also eaten the chicken fried rice. Not much chicken in it but that was fine I gave it to my cat. A lot of the things come in frozen. I got some that were still frozen.
Really bad rotation? 6 month's? Save the label's or take pic's of it? Would have the HEALTH DEPARTMENT close the WAL-MART that shipped the products? Oh....the sales & property tax come 1st under all WAL-MART'S?
They also do not not enough worker's? Make them work off the clock? No breaks? Mention the word UNION and your out of a job?
Walmart will refund you with no problem. I bought a piece of Alaskan cod, and it went bad before the expiration date. I took my receipt in and was given a refund. I have also taken back a few watermelons and gotten a full refund.
Our local Walmart insists on self checkout. I requested a cashier or a manager, not happening. November 2019 I left a full cart of groceries, etc. at the door and never returned. I did take 3 pictures of my cart and Corporate supported their self checkout policy.
9:35 the smoked whitefish dip is pretty damn good
If you live in the Midwest Hy-Vee is a great option too.
I get quite a few subs from the Walmart deli. I like to toast me. So good! I’ve not had a problem. I like the wraps too. I like Wegmans too but they’re not in a location we travel in much. I kinda wish someday they would come closer.
High prices...high prices...I notice that most of the "preferred" choices are either places where you have to buy a membership or "upscale" grocery stores. If I was looking for a pre-made meal, I would go to Aldi in a heartbeat over Whole Foods. Sure finding the ready mades at Aldi will be more of a hustle than crusing the ready meal and lounge areas at Whole Foods and Wegmans. And yes the choices are more limited at Aldi. But for those of us who don't have the time to be distracted by the large floor plans or taken to the cleaners by the high upscale grocery store prices, I think Aldi and Target are worth the hustle.
If you have to ‘choke down’ a meal, that means it’s bad and stop eating it. As my mom Rita said, “When in doubt spit it out”.
Everyone knows the best "Prepared meals" and sushi come from the local convenience stores at 3AM
They will open a Sprouts store near me in Pittsburg, Ca. just a walking distance from my house 👍😋
Love the salad wraps from Sam’s
I moved to South Texas in 2017. I had shopped at HEB before while on vacation and really liked the store but they never moved to North Texas where I lived. Now that I have HEB‘s locally, I found that I never shop anywhere else! Their food is good, they have a selection of products called “Select” which don’t have any of the bad things in them like high fructose corn syrup,artificial colors or flavors, or lots of chemicals, and they’re just regular price! Their take home and cook meals are a godsend. It does feel like you’ve actually just cooked a homemade dinner at home. They do not taste artificial or nasty like a frozen dinner. They’re fresh food that you cook in your oven and they’re ready in about 25 minutes. You can’t beat it!
Safeway lasagne made me so ill, I should’ve gone to the ER (but didn’t). I discovered later that based on rather gruesome details, I likely had liver failure, and could’ve died. Was violently ill for 3 days.
My mother always buys those rotisserie chickens and it bothers me. I don't know how long they've been under the heat lamp 🥺
5:02 wow. I am in houston, and I hate H‑E‑B. Many of their ready-made meals are not very good. It really depends upon the store. 5:58 Whole Foods used to have delicious prepared foods, but they have all gone way, way downhill, since bezos took over. I used to work for Whole Foods, and I ate their prepared foods every single day. I know what I am talking about. 11:10 Sprouts rocks!
Safeway does have a good packaged mac and cheese.