How to Grocery Shop, Part 3: The Store

And never fear the butcher counter

Welcome to the third and final installment of my Grocery Shopping Series. Catch up with Part 1: The Plan and Part 2: The List.

You’ve made your list and checked it twice and now it’s time to get in the car (lace up your sneakers) and head to the store. As a professional recipe developer, I think a lot about the effort it takes for people to 1) Choose a recipe 2) figure out what they need 3) travel to the store 4) buy the food with their hard-earned money 5) cook the dang thing and 6) find the energy to clean up?!?!

If you’ve ever made a recipe that just didn’t work, you know the frustration. All kidding aside, today we’re keeping it simple with tips and tricks from my experience as a longtime grocery shopper.

For anyone new here, I am a professionally-trained chef with 14+ years of experience in the food world. In my previous work as a culinary instructor, food stylist, food TV producer, food trend forecaster and private chef, whatever hat I’m wearing, it’s always been in service of the home cook. I was even a grocery shopper for NYT Cooking! Grocery shopping, and sourcing food, has always been a cornerstone of my career.