Chinese supermarket - any tips?

Wee_Bargain_Hunter

Planning to get vinegar there later. Are there any other OS things i could get while there?

Ps i've got enough bi-carb at the moment.

sarahlouise210

Their herbs and spices are much cheaper than anywhere else and you can buy them in bags as opposed to jars to save money.

lil_me

Herbs, spices, sauces, marinades, oils, rice, noodles, flours - basically depends what the supermarket is like but the one I have visited in the past was cheaper for almost everything. Worth looking on Tesco website or similar, noting price per kilo for stuff then comparing. If not buying take notes on prices.

danz0l

As everybody else has stated, most of the things you'd use in cooking, soy, etc are far cheaper, so stock up on what you can

shell2001

We found pretty much everything to be cheaper. We usually stock up on the noodles, soy sauce (huge bottle costs less than those diddy little ones at tesco), sweet chilli sauce (yummy as marinate and dipping sauce), veggie pancake rolls, fresh produce such as chilli, garlic, ginger etc much cheaper too. Frozen crispy duck portions and pancakes. Just about everything.

We love chinese in our house

Swan_2

agree with all of the above

but one thing to watch out for is, if you're avoiding MSG, read the labels carefully, even some brands of soy sauce have it in them

otherwise, happy shopping ... I get totally sucked in when visiting my local one & can spend hours browsing & trying not to impulse buy!

phizzimum

when I go I stock up on big jars of sweet chilli sauce (supermarkets do sell it but only in tiny jars) and oyster sauce too.

last time I treated myself to a beautiful teapot set too. (not that I needed another teapot, but ... it was such a bargain!) Chinese bowls, spoons, teapots, woks etc are all cheap and make great presents I think. Although they're cheap they don't seem tacky because they are authentic.

Seakay

Check prices for things like saucepans and baking trays in your usual store and then compare - one I go to has cheaper prices than Lakeland for Mermaid baking sheets etc.

Also, if you ever feel the need to get a catering sized pan (for stock, a party?) then they are worth checking on.

Careful_with_that_Axe

How about Miso soup mix. Use it as a base for chucking anything into to make a soup - chicken, noodles, mushrooms, pumpkin seeds (not V Chinese, but lovely). Makes a virtually fat free soup.

I also get dried mushrooms from Chinese Supermarket - lots of different uses.

frosty

we buy big bags of prawn crackers,the ones you cook yourself.The supermarkets charge a fortune for a small box.

fluffalo

Tofu is a lot cheaper there, if you use it, than in health food shops, etc.

Wonton wrappers - handy little squares of thin pastry that you can freeze - I often use them instead of filo dough.

Tinned fruit - massive tins of mango puree are my favourite for making smoothies.

Ours also has the plastic containers that they use in takeaways - they come in huge plastic bags and are good for storing leftovers - they can be frozen and microwaved.