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Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Roasted Red Peppers for Half Price

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter was asking if we could buy roasted red peppers. I checked our local Fred Meyer and they wanted $4.69 for a 16 oz. jar (about 29 cents per ounce), while Walmart wanted $2.29 for a 10 oz jar (about 23 cents per ounce). I told my daughter that we'd make roasted red peppers when we find a good deal on the peppers in the produce section. Then, last week, I found a $1 bag of 2 green peppers and 1 red pepper on the markdown rack at FM. We used the green peppers on homemade pizza and in burritos. As promised to my daughter, I saved the red pepper for roasting. The pepper was getting a little wrinkly, but it was still okay for roasting.


I used my oven for the roasting, baking at 400 F degrees for 20 minutes, turning, then baking another 20 minutes. (Fortunately, I had other items in the oven baking along with the pepper.)


Immediately after removing the baking sheet from the oven I put a glass bowl over the pepper to steam it for 15 minutes.


When done with the steaming, the pepper's skin slipped off easily.


I sliced the skinned pepper into strips, put in a canning jar, and covered with a 50/50 blend of olive oil and vegetable oil. The jar of roasted red peppers will keep for 5 days or so in the fridge.


As a bag of peppers was $1 on markdown, the red pepper cost 34 cents. I used about 1/3 of a cup of oil to cover the peppers, for a cost of about 50 cents. I would estimate the my half-pint jar was about 5/6 full or about 6  3/4 ounces. My cost per ounce, then, is about 12 cents, about 1/2 price from the jarred red peppers. If I had wanted to use the peppers immediately, then I would not have needed the oil to cover, and my cost per ounce would have been around 5 or 6 cents. By the way, the oil will not be wasted but will be used in salad dressings and to saute meat and vegetables.

12 comments:

  1. Did you daughter have something in mind for the peppers or did she just want to eat them? They are pretty tasty just by themselves.

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    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      She had seen a recipe for a roasted red pepper coulis on a fried chicken patty sandwich. When I told her that I had made her some roasted red peppers, she also suggested making a spread with cream cheese. But I think I will surprise her with a coulis over chicken in sandwiches for Friday's dinner. I think she would really like that.

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  2. Thank you so much! I have wanted to roast my own but always heard you did them on the top of a gas stove. This makes sense. I cook with electric and had never thought to do this. When Ifind red peppers on sale, I will sure try this...yum!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      you can roast them over a flame (stove or grill), but oven-roasting also works. I think oven-roasting is simpler. With a gas stove, there's a bit of a mess to clean up afterward, and the pepper has to be turned every few minutes. If I had a gas grill outdoors, I would probably do these on the grill in good weather, as Alice has done. But the oven will work just fine. I hope you enjoy these when you get a chance!

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  3. That's wonderful! We love roasted red peppers also. One time, several years ago, after working in the local food pantry, there were lots of cases left and they wouldn't last until the next food pantry day. I was given several cases and we spent the next day roasting them on our outside grill. We freeze them for use later in the year. Those are long since gone but I always look for reduced peppers-red, yellow and orange--and we roast and freeze them. Delicious!
    Alice

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    Replies
    1. Hi Alice,
      is the texture changed after freezing the peppers? I had wanted to try freezing them, but was unsure of the texture. That is good to know that you have had success with keeping them that way. Thank you so much!. When I find them on the markdown rack again, I'll do a batch for the freezer.

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    2. The peppers are a bit soft with no crunch but I don't know what they are like any other way. We freeze them in the juice that was left when they sit in the bowl while steaming. No oil. We drain them for use on a pizza or just use them right out of the thawed container for stir fry's or egg scramble in the morning. We'll drain them and pat dry if we use them for a sandwich.Textures don't really bother us so we just use them any way for a wonderful taste to so many dishes.

      Alice

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    3. Alice...this is great to know! We grow very large garden and have more red peppers than we can use. I Wii sure be employing this method this coming gardening season....and anticipating all the great taste. Texture isn't an issue for us either.

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  4. Sounds delicious! The nearest Kroger (QFC) raised the price of their bagged discount produce from 99 cents to $1.49. That's about the only thing I'd shop for there as it's next to the pharmacy I use. This year I may change pharmacy since I have to ride a special bus for seniors/disabled I need to maximize my trips. Shirley

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    Replies
    1. Hi Shirley,
      Oh, that's such a shame about QFC raising the markdown rack price. I hope they put more in the bags with the higher price, because I think a dollar is about the right price for some of the produce that I find in the markdown bags at Fred Meyer. A few years ago, I noticed that QFC increased their price per pound for red band bananas, and stopped buying those there, as I could get fresher ones at Fred Meyer for the same price. I hope that you find a pharmacy/grocery near you that is more economical. I understand the need to maximize those excursions. Can you get any of your regular prescriptions through the mail, so you could choose a grocery shopping venue based on grocery prices? Insurance companies vary on prescription mail order benefits. One company that we were with wanted us to use the mail order rx system, so they offered that at a discount from retail pharmacies. But that hasn't always been the case, in our experience. Wishing you well with this!

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    2. I just had to add that most stores around me no longer have a discount produce section. Meijer used to have a four shelved cart full of discounts and we always would buy our produce from the cart. About 5 years ago they stopped having a discount on any produce other than bagged items. So no loose items can be bagged for discounted prices. Our local Save A Lot does have some reduced items but it's a hit or miss on that.

      Alice

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  5. Thanks for the suggestions, Lili. One place I'm going to check out is Fred Meyer's Pharmacy. One-stop shopping would be great for me. Shirley

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