to want to take a sharp knife into Sainsbury's and...

[MardyBra]

... trim down the extremely long stalks on their broccoli before buying it. They're bloody heavy those stalks. Probably double the cost of the broccoli.

Peel the stalk, cut into batons and cook with the heads. MIL used to reckon it was better than the head and nicer than asparagus - not sure I'd go that far but its certainly edible.

I totally agree Mardy, go do the snap em off method as mentioned above.

However, for those of you who are stalk virgins. Raw stalks are lovely. I slice them thinly into crisps and munch while I'm cooking.

I got told off, in Tesco's, when I did just that, last month. I broke off the broccoli stalk. Put the florets in a bag. Got to the till. The woman behind the till told me that what I had done was illegal, and that tesco's had to sell the florets and the stalk becuase they paid the farmers per weight. I was told that i would be accused of stealing, if i did it again.

All tomatoes are grown on the vine, no matter how you buy them!!

Yes, they're all grown on the vine. But if they're sold (by weight) with the vine still attached, then you're paying for the vine.

I snap the stalks off

I slit banana bunches to get the best ones

I even been known to pull the leaves off a cauliflower!

I bet you lot even peel oranges :o

Whoever said stalks are getting longer is right though

I always split banana bunches so I have just what I want.

Now as for cherry stalks...

I snap bits off that I don't want before putting it in the trolley, as long as the whatever it is isn't in cling-film - that'd be a bit obvious.

Just buy frozen broccoli; it's fresher than the "fresh" veg and consequently is more nutritious. Has less stalkage too

The stalk is reflected in price you pay. If they cut off stalk for you, then you would be charged more (per kg) for the rest. You're cheating supermarket of profits if you cut it off. Quite cheeky.

Wine, don't mention frozen broccoli - there was a whole thread on the evils of frozen broccoli once. It was vair funny (apart from the op, who got a bit cross ).

I don't want my oxo's to be in an x shape, I want them to be square again.

just think how much they've saved by doing this

I also want a packet of crisps with more than a handful in, they've even got the audcity to put "fuller" same size packets out that cost more.

And breathe.

I always snap off the florets and just buy them. I also ask butchers and fishmongers to trim off the bits of bone and fat on meat too. They charge by weight, so why should I pay for the bits that I dont want to eat.

I use broccoli stalks in soups and pull tomatoes off their vines pick the toms that have fallen off the vine.

I have seen people in our Sainbo's with penknives cutting the stalks off broccoli. Then I see the same people by the eggs searching through the boxes of Basics eggs (all mixed sizes) putting the biggest ones in their boxes!!!

Frozen broccoli is mushy and disgusting. Besides I only have a small freezer and prefer to use it for ice cream, oven chips and ice for my gin and tonic

"The stalk is reflected in price you pay. If they cut off stalk for you, then you would be charged more (per kg) for the rest. You're cheating supermarket of profits if you cut it off. Quite cheeky."

Well first of all, I'm convinced the stalks are stealthily getting longer. It's a bit like when they reduce the size of choc bars and still charge the same.

Secondly, it's not like the supermarkets are that hard-done by. They are an oligopoly squeezing margins like crazy on suppliers. look what they did to the farmers over milk margins. Now they're doing it to me on stalks.

My friend's oh snaps the stalks off.

I like broccolli stalks but I used to bend asparagus so I only paid for the good bit when I bought them from the supermarket.

But now they sell them per elastic banded bunch spoil sports

I also ask butchers and fishmongers to trim off the bits of bone and fat on meat too. They charge by weight, so why should I pay for the bits that I dont want to eat.

Fishmongers usually weigh the whole fish and then do whatever filleting you require. Not reasonable to expect them to get paid less for doing the knife-work for you.

"The stalk is reflected in price you pay. If they cut off stalk for you, then you would be charged more (per kg) for the rest. You're cheating supermarket of profits if you cut it off. Quite cheeky."

Yup. By extension with the broccoli question, presumably some of you reject the trimmed leeks, then pick up the (much cheaper per kg) untrimmed ones and take a knife to them? That's clearly wrong (surely) but its the same thing.

This is why I buy the pre-cut broccoli in packets (usually the broccoli and cauliflower packets, so no extra cauliflower leaves or stalk either) There's only so much stalk my pet mice and I can eat...

YA(probably)BU though, but then again, so are Sainsbury's. It's quite comfy on this fence here...

The lengthening stalks are nothing on those sneaky buggers at cadbury's who've changed the shape of their caramel bars. It's just means you get less, and the filling to chocolate ratio is not quite right. Bastards.

I just buy the plastic wrapped broccoli because I know how much it'll cost. The main issue is that sainsbury's often have no broccoli left, no matter what time/day you go shopping.

Chop broc stalk into matchsticks and put in a stiry-fry, yum.

those sneaky buggers at cadbury's who've changed the shape of their caramel bars. It's just means you get less, and the filling to chocolate ratio is not quite right. Bastards.

Or even worse the Whole Nut bars. The slogan used to be 'A hazelnut in every bite' - I bought one recently and it had a grand total of 4 nuts in it, unevenly distributed so that half the pieces had no nut at all.