Ray - Express lane meals: what to keep on hand, what to buy fresh for the easiest-ever 30-minute meals

Rachaels Top 5 Tips for Grocery Shopping Like a Pro

Unit Price

Always look at the unit price (generally noted as price per ounce, either fluid or weight) rather than the sticker price when you are selecting an item. Youll find the unit price on the shelf label to the left of the items sticker price. It gives you the value of the grocery item and it is the only true way to compare costs between different brands and package sizes. This way youll know the actual price of your EVOO, stock, tomatoes, et cetera.

Stocking Up

When you see a sale on a pricey item like chicken breasts or filet mignon, buy more than you need for your meal and freeze the extras in small portions. Place the chicken breasts in small freezer bags with a splash of water and pound them out into cutlets, then place them in the freezer. When frozen solid you can stack them to save space. Cut a large piece of filet into small tournedos (1-inch-thick steaks), and wrap them in parchment paper, and then place them in freezer bags in single-serve portions. Salmon is on sale? Buy a whole side and cut it into 6-ounce fillets, then individually sack em and stack em! This way you always have go-to versatile, high-quality entre choices in single or multiple servings. The small portions also defrost quickly.

Time Is Money. Whats Your Time Worth?

If you need to get the food on the table fast, take a little help on the prep work. In the fresh produce department I will often pick up raw trimmed green beans or shredded carrots or cabbage. I even pick up whole boiled eggs from the salad bar when I want to use them for a salad garnish.

Many Trips Make Small Work

Once youve built up your on-hand goods, keep it up with biweekly big shops. Every other week hit the market hard with your master list of staples. Use the list in this book or download a list you can customize from www.clarksonpotter.com to reflect the staples you use most often in your kitchen. During the workweek, all youll need are fresh meats and fill-in ingredients, which you can pick up every couple of nights, helping you become a frequent traveler through the Express Lane!

Put It Away Clean!

When you bring home your groceries, wash all the greens, herbs, and veggies, dry them, and put them away in plastic food storage bags. The herbs especially will keep up to 2 weeks once trimmed, plus you will save time every night because your ingredients will be ready and waiting for you to useno stopping to spin lettuce or rinse parsley.

Swap Meet

Burgers and sammies of all descriptions have to be at the very top of my list for dinner on those nights when Im almost too tired to cook. Nine times out of ten I just add a handful of chipsgood quality, well-seasoned, thick-sliced chips like Terras Yukon Goldsto the plate and Im done. Chips not your bag? Substitute one of the following based on what you have on hand and how much extra energy you have:

• Raw veggies. Buy them right off the salad bar or use whatever youve got in the fridge, and think sugar-snap peas, trimmed green beans, sliced bell peppers and fennel, or cherry tomatoes in addition to the same old carrots and celery sticks;