Anyone who does much cooking knows that spices are often the most expensive part of any dish. It’s not hard to find cinnamon at a reasonable price, but start looking for ginger or saffron, and you could end up paying $10 or more for a small bottle of an ingredient you don’t use that often.
This week’s recipe for Doro Wat, an Ethiopian chicken dish, calls for cardamom. I had it on my shopping list, but when I got to the grocery store I found it cost $14 for a small bottle.
Fortunately, the Whole Foods market is right around the corner. One area where that store outshines its competitors is in the ability to buy in bulk. Most bottles of “specialty” spices say they contain about an ounce to an ounce and a half. But at Whole Foods, many of their spices come in big jugs and you can purchase as much as you want at a fraction of the price. I took three scoops of cardamom and paid only $2.34. I later realized I’d scooped out about an ounce, so I’d essentially paid $2.34 for about the same amount as I would have paid $14 for at the grocery store!
Not everyone has similar stores nearby, but if you do, they’re worth the extra trip for your spices!
