After 8 years of buying bagged lentils, I finally tried the bulk bin at WinCo and saved $1.20 per pound.

Picked up a pound of green lentils from the bulk aisle last Wednesday for $0.98 instead of the usual $2.18 at the regular grocery, and they cooked up the same as always, so has anyone else noticed their local bulk section is way cheaper for beans and rice?

3 comments

3 Comments

scott.jana20d ago

oh yeah the bulk bins are a game changer for sure. i switched to buying my rice and beans from the big bins at my local mexican grocery and save like 40 cents a pound on black beans alone. the trick is to check the bin rotation though, some places let the older stuff sit forever and it takes longer to cook. i always give the bin a quick shake before scooping to see if the beans feel dusty or clumped. and pro tip, bring your own bags or jars from home, the store ones are flimsy and split open in your pantry.

rubys8020d ago

My buddy Mike bought a ten-pound bag of pinto beans from the bulk bin at Food City last month and saved almost seven bucks compared to the name brand cans. He said they cooked up soft and perfect in the slow cooker, no soaking required.

victorhill13d ago

Man, I gotta push back on that "no soaking required" thing. I've tried dried beans in a slow cooker without soaking and ended up with crunchy beans after 8 hours on low. Maybe Mike got lucky or has a newer cooker that runs hotter, but every time I skip the soak I regret it. And that tip about checking bin rotation is solid, but honestly I've had way better luck just sticking with the canned stuff from the store brand. The price difference isn't that huge to me when I factor in the time and the risk of a batch of beans that never soften right. I'd rather pay a buck more and know they'll be consistent every time. Plus the dried beans take up so much space in my pantry, which is a pain in a small apartment.