6 ms·
this is pretty amazing. i buy a lot of costco canned chicken. it's usually $10 for 6cans, 7oz of chicken each can. that's like $3.80 a pound. i know that cans h
by foolfoolz 7y ago
this is pretty amazing. i buy a lot of costco canned chicken. it's usually $10 for 6cans, 7oz of chicken each can. that's like $3.80 a pound. i know that cans have additional packaging costs but fresh chicken isn't too much more than that, you can usually get it for $6/lb.
i feel like canned chicken should be far below fresh in price. who knows how old these cans are? or how many chickens are actually in each can? the ability to inventory should keep the price pretty constant
- Amezarak 7y agoThose are some crazy prices. Fresh chicken goes for around 2.50/lb in the South US.
- nullwasamistake 7y agoI can get breasts for $1.60/lb here in bulk
- selimthegrim 7y ago$0.50-$1.00 a lb for leg quarters/thighs/drumsticks if you know where to look although good organic fresh whole chicken can be had for $4.75-$5.35 a lb. (Southern US)
- geodel 7y agoI guess you are buying inorganic chicken :-)
- anbop 7y agoWho would buy organic, canned, chicken? Seems like the demographics for "canned meat" and "organic food" are completely opposite.
- chrisseaton 7y agoWhy? Canning isn't at odds with the organic movement is it? I see lots of canned organic vegetables available for sale.
- AngryData 7y agoMaybe for the people who don't understand what 'organic' actually means and thinks it is some kind of code for 'fake chemically stuff'. Canning is old technology, before cheap jars and cans we just made potted meat which was a clay pot sealed with butter or lard. Glass, metal, and wax are just better replacements for lard and butter.
- Amezarak 7y agoNo, it's local organic chicken. And wow, it does make a difference! Buy a bag of say, Tyson chicken breasts and it's like they came from a totally different animal.
- foolfoolz 7y agoi swear like 4-5 years ago it was commonly $4 and organic/free range/memory foam pillow raised chicken was like $7. now the fancy chicken is like $9. its ridiculous. i'm talking only breasts here, thighs/legs you can get cheaper. haven't seen breast meat for less than $2.50 in almost 10 years
- manwe150 7y agoIsn’t that 5% inflation over 5 years? Seems high as that’s about double the US target, but within reason assuming some confirmation bias (increase price gap and reduce duration) and other market lag.
- opportune 7y agoI live in a HCOL part of the west coast and I usually eat drumsticks and thighs which are $1-1.70/lb when buying larger packs (3lb+)
- tracker1 7y agoBest bet with Costco is to get the rotisserie chicken, pull the meat off yourself, vacuum seal and freeze at home. Usually the lowest price you'll find for chicken. NOTE: I also freeze the bones/skin etc separately for making broth/stock.
- dboreham 7y agoThat's because Costco loses money on every rotisserie bird sold.
- tracker1 7y agoWhile it's possible, I'm not sure I believe that, they probably have a lot of purchasing power, and while I don't think they have huge margins, I'm not sure it's at a loss without actually seeing invoices.
- hyperbovine 7y agoOr, buy one of the nineteen different prepared entrees they sell featuring shredded chicken.
- foolfoolz 7y agoi absolutely love cleaning a costco chicken. i take pride in it. i do not wear gloves. some people challenge themselves to do something good in the world every day. i challenge myself to get as much meat off that carcass as i possibly can
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- tracker1 7y agoBecause I make broth/stock with the bones, I don't do too well on cleaning it off, the bits of meat left on help with the broth. Also, I don't bother clearing the wings, putting them in the broth bag or I'll eat the wings right after.
- jessriedel 7y agoMy impression was that modern delivery chains are so efficient that the premium for freshness is very small. I thought the bulk of the cost was just the chicken.
- pixl97 7y agoIf you're cheap, Walmart commonly has breasts for $2/lb. Which seems insanely cheap.
- irishcoffee 7y agoI refuse to spend more than 99 cents/lb on chicken. Buy it when I find it and freeze it, never had any issues.
- sjg007 7y agobut is it... good?
- Johnny555 7y agoThey aren't selling you just chicken, they are selling you the convenience of shelf-stable canned chicken. If you wanted fresh/frozen/cooked chicken, you'd just buy that but instead you buy the canned chicken and you're willing to pay a premium for it for the convenience -- and Costco knows that. A 25 cent can of soda sold at Costco is almost entirely sugar and water, you could buy a 25 pound bag of sugar and mix up some sugar water at home for a few pennies. (ok, so technically most soda uses HFCS, not sugar)
- gowld 7y agoYou forgot the carbonation, canning, flavoring, and preservatives.
- Johnny555 7y agoI only included the main ingredient, just as the canned chicken is just chicken with misc seasonings and preservatives, soda is just sugar water with misc seasonings and preservatives.
- dagw 7y agoWhen you're buying a soda the seasoning is the main ingredient. No one advertises their soda with "now with 30% more sugar!" and no one chooses a soda by looking at how much sugar they get pr $. They do however advertise with "now with new seasonings" all the time.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- maxerickson 7y agoI pay $2 a pound for boneless skinless thighs. I guess there are usually breasts sitting next to it for the same price or a bit cheaper, but they are dry and tasteless.
- brownbat 7y ago> they are dry and tasteless I often prefer thighs too, but if you're stuck, you can avoid dry/tasteless breasts if you use a lower heat for most of the cooking process, then blast briefly at higher heat for a rich malliard. Also, season more aggressively than you expect. A chicken breast is not a steak, you need to work it a bit more for best results. Salt both early and late in the process, consider using a bit of garlic or onion in the oil, or go all the way and add something bold like sriracha before it hits the pan. Dusting with a mixture of flour and a spice blend like old bay is another good approach.
- FrozenTuna 7y agoDidn't expect to see cooking advice on hn today. Thanks!
- chmod775 7y agoI didn't even know canned chicken was a thing. Why...
- EForEndeavour 7y agoDo you mean why does canned chicken exist? I imagine the same reason why other canned meats/foods exist: easy storage for months or years at room temperature while being ready to eat immediately on opening.
- jfengel 7y agoIt's basically the same as canned tuna. In fact, since both are massively overcooked, they're barely distinguishable.