# The Price of a bageutte



## kb0000 (Apr 17, 2022)

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]In an earlier post, I pointed out that there are no good USA baguettes  compared to the French originals.  Here,  I look at the price of USA’s third rate  bread. The price of a baguette in UT's Heber City and Park City grocery stores ranges form  $2.49 to $8.   The price at the largest supermarket in Paris is 67 cents. 
[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
[/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Wasting your money on a third rate USA baguette is monumental rip off.  Don’t do it. [/FONT]​


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## larry_stewart (Apr 17, 2022)

I've never been to France, so I can't compare what I get here to what I can get there.
I like the baguettes I can get here in New York. Sure , there are some that aren't that great ( or fresh), but in general, I have nothing to complain about and have never been disappointed.

Im not doubting that the French baguette abroad is better, or even cheaper, but the way I look at it, the average roundtrip flight from NY to Paris is in the $700 (and higher)  range.  So that  bumps up the price of a French baguette for me from 67 cents, to $700.67.    

Maybe one day Ill get to France and experience a top notch baguette, but until then , Ill suffer with the ones I get in NY.


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## kb0000 (Apr 17, 2022)

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]This is a reasonable attitude, with one exception-- that the French produce  superior bread for a much lower price  means  you should be really mad at USA’s capitalist corporate rip off economy.   What’s killing your pocket book [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]corporate manipulation of the [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] price of the  basics, like bread and gas, and its all caused by corporate [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]corruption. [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]. [/FONT]​ 
​


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## Just Cooking (Apr 17, 2022)

From Travis Tritt..

*"Here's a quarter, call someone who cares"   *

Ross


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## Andy M. (Apr 17, 2022)

However important it seems to you, I'm not sure it makes sense to compare the economies and cultures of two countries. Too many variables.


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## larry_stewart (Apr 17, 2022)

As  much as I love bread, my world nor my actions revolve around it.
I know where I can get good bread locally.
I know I can make decent bread.
I have no plans or intentions on traveling abroad in the near future.
Paying a few extra bucks for bread isn't going to make or break me,
Im more content that My New York Bagels are most likely superior to those abroad, and much more important to me than a French Baguette .

And the icing on the cake, I have to watch my carbs so I rarely eat any of that crap anyway


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## pepperhead212 (Apr 17, 2022)

Just Cooking said:


> From Travis Tritt..
> 
> *"Here's a quarter, call someone who cares"   *
> 
> Ross


  

I haven't bought a loaf of bread since 1976 - I only remember the year because of an injury, and I couldn't knead bread dough, so I got a KA mixer for Christmas!  I had started making bread to save money - back then, a pound of white bread cost 3¢ to make, whole grain breads 15-17¢ a pound.  Now, it is still one of the biggest savers, compared to store bought, and once you've mastered the art of baking it, it is much better.  Even using artisan flour, since very little other ingredients are used - just flour, yeast, water, and salt - a pound loaf is under a dollar, and if using a starter, even less.  Of course I can't duplicate the wood fired ovens of some bakeries, but those are the exception to the rule.  I don't make many white breads anymore, just for occasional dinners; the rye breads are my favorites, though I still don't make them frequently.  But it saves a lot of money, when I do, and I couldn't find bread like that anywhere, around here.


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## Just Cooking (Apr 17, 2022)

pepperhead212 said:


> I haven't bought a loaf of bread since 1976 - I only remember the year because of an injury, and I couldn't knead bread dough, so I got a KA mixer for Christmas!  I had started making bread to save money - back then, a pound of white bread cost 3¢ to make, whole grain breads 15-17¢ a pound.  Now, it is still one of the biggest savers, compared to store bought, and once you've mastered the art of baking it, it is much better.  Even using artisan flour, since very little other ingredients are used - just flour, yeast, water, and salt - a pound loaf is under a dollar, and if using a starter, even less.  Of course I can't duplicate the wood fired ovens of some bakeries, but those are the exception to the rule.  I don't make many white breads anymore, just for occasional dinners; the rye breads are my favorites, though I still don't make them frequently.  But it saves a lot of money, when I do, and I couldn't find bread like that anywhere, around here.



I totally agree that homemade bread is less expensive and has a wonderful taste, if one hones his/her baking skills. 

My comment had nothing to do with that really.  

Ross


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Apr 17, 2022)

kb0000 said:


> [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Wasting your money on a third rate USA baguette is monumental rip off.  Don’t do it. [/FONT]​


So where do you buy your baguettes? Do you hop on a flight every morning, fly to Marseille and pick up a baguette?

I haven't been in an Albertson's in quite a while, but I remember that they would have a very personable old lady pushing a shopping cart around offering fresh baked baguettes, still warm from the oven. I think, at that time, they were 99¢


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## Cooking Goddess (Apr 17, 2022)

Honest question, *kb*: when was the last time you had a French-baked baguette in France?


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## jennyema (Apr 17, 2022)

I’ve been to Paris a bunch of times and love the bread. 

I’m lucky that I can get excellent baguettes where I live.


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## dcSaute (Apr 17, 2022)

and here I thought HungryOnion had inherited all the axxholes....


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## kb0000 (Apr 17, 2022)

2019  in Colmar


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## kb0000 (Apr 17, 2022)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Honest question, *kb*: when was the last time you had a French-baked baguette in France?






2019


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## taxlady (Apr 17, 2022)

KB, now I am curious, how many different places and stores / bakeries in the US have you visited and tried the baguette?


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## Cooking Goddess (Apr 17, 2022)

kb0000 said:


> 2019


Hmm, with all of the waxing poetic you have done about a French baguette, I would have thought it had been much longer.

Short story - we moved from OH to MA in 2000. I longed for the foods I enjoyed at home that just weren't made or sold in MA. Each time we went back, we would go to old haunts, buy familiar foods, and reminisce. Because our kids are still back in OH, we visit OH on a regular basis. As the years have gone by, and we've revisited old restaurants and foods, we've found that our memory of food had lost the ability to separate nostalgia (yup, that word again) from actual flavor. Nearing the 22 year mark, the only memory that hasn't deviated from the actual food is Country Maid ice cream - a homemade ice cream stand I've visited for more calories than I could count since the late 1990's. Well, that and our favorite stands at the iconic West Side Market because - Market!


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## karadekoolaid (Apr 18, 2022)

kb0000 said:


> [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]In an earlier post, I pointed out that there are no good USA baguettes  compared to the French originals.  Here,  I look at the price of USA’s third rate  bread. The price of a baguette in UT's Heber City and Park City grocery stores ranges form  $2.49 to $8.   The price at the largest supermarket in Paris is 67 cents.
> [/FONT]
> [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]
> [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Wasting your money on a third rate USA baguette is monumental rip off.  Don’t do it. [/FONT]​


Firstly, you´re making a wild generalisation by comparing "French" baguettes to "USA" baguettes. I don´t doubt that Parisian baguettes are excellent; but have you ever tried one from Dieppe, or Marseille, or Ramatuelle? 
Then you talk about Heber City and Park City. You can hardly compare bread from two small villages in Utah, with a combined population of less than 25,000, to that produced in a huge city like Paris. Nor can you compare prices: a pint of beer in Australia is not the same price as a pint in London, Bonn, Prague or Milan. Different economies.Statistically speaking, a non-comparison. Like comparing bananas with potatoes.
Evidently you prefer French baguettes, but to say US baguettes are 3rd rate is an extreme, utterly subjective comment. I´ve eaten excellent baguettes in Ohio, New York and Miami.
Disdainful generalisations about one country or another country´s food are not a good starting point for discussion.


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## Just Cooking (Apr 18, 2022)

*karadekoolaid*.. Well stated..

Ross


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## dragnlaw (Apr 18, 2022)

Just Cooking said:


> *karadekoolaid*.. Well stated..
> 
> Ross



ditto


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Apr 18, 2022)

kb0000 said:


> 2019  in Colmar



Isn't Colmar where San Franciscans bury their dead?


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## kb0000 (Apr 20, 2022)

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Q[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]uote:  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Firstly, you´re making a wild generalization by comparing "French" baguettes to "USA" baguettes. [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]No I’m not. A baguette is specific French style bread.  If its called a baguette in the USA,  its supposed to be a baguette, and they are not.[/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Quote: [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]have you ever tried one from Dieppe, or Marseille, or Ramatuelle [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]200+ [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]days of traveling in France,  30,000 road miles + 1 Fr river cruises and 3 ocean cruise  with stops in France.  In addition to possibly 400 baguettes at lunch and diner, we often bought a baguette for a mid afternoon snack. [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Quote:  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]You can hardly compare bread from two small villages in Utah, [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Yes I can.  There is Panerra,  Associated Foods, and Kroger.   Moreover “small villages”  have lower costs than great cities.  Example:  where we usually shopped when we lived in Washington DC:  two baguettes,  $2.29 & $3.29.   More expensive than village prices  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]($1.99)[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif], and way more expensive than Paris  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif](67 cents)[/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Quote:  I´ve eaten excellent baguettes in Ohio, New York and Miami. [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]No you haven’t.  It might have been good bread, but it was not a baguette.  Lying labels do not  turn a sow’s [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]ear into a silk purse. [/FONT]​ 
​


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## kb0000 (Apr 20, 2022)

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]C[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]olmar is the second city of Alsace, one of the culinary capitals of France.  The best original definition of a bistro is an Al[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]s[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]a[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]c[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]ian restaurant.  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Until new owner Best Westeren ruined it, our favorite restaurant in France was Le Rendezvous de la Chasse at the Grand Hotel Terminus Bristol in Colmar,  two stars in the Michelin Guide.  At one of  our  several meals there, we decided to order their famed dessert.  There were two of us, so I ordered two.  The waiter said, “No.”[/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Then he explained,   “One is enough for 2-3 people.  I will put you down for one.”[/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]This thing cost  $63.  How many US restaurants would refuse a $63 order? [/FONT]​


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## dragnlaw (Apr 20, 2022)

To the best of my knowledge, admitedly limited, unlike Champaigne or Pastie, the name baguette is not legally protected. 

So my tastes, palette may well appreciate and like far better, a baguette from Boise than a baguette from Paris.  It is still a baguette and I think it is better.

and yes, there are plenty of good restaurants, all around the world, not just in France, with excellent waiters and waitresses who will help guide an eater in their choices.  Restaurants want their customers to come back.


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## karadekoolaid (Apr 20, 2022)

> I´ve eaten excellent baguettes in Ohio, New York and Miami.
> No you haven’t. It might have been good bread, but it was not a baguette.



Well I bow to your evidently superior knowledge and experience.
Not only do you understand my own tastes better than I do, but you evidently comprehend that one village in Utah and a small town in Alsace are the ultimate arbiters of classic French patisserie.
Congratulations!


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## Just Cooking (Apr 20, 2022)

Occasionally our forum is blessed  with food snobs of varying degree.

I usually try to pinpoint their degree of elitism by reading through articles, such as,

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/19-types-food-snobs-ranked-obnoxiousness-cics-americas-inc

I kinda think we hit the jackpot here. #10 seems to stand out. 

Ross


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## dragnlaw (Apr 20, 2022)

Good and funny read Ross, thank you!


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## taxlady (Apr 20, 2022)

dragnlaw said:


> Good and funny read Ross, thank you!



Ditto


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## taxlady (Apr 20, 2022)

kb0000 said:


> [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Q[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]uote:  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Firstly, you´re making a wild generalization by comparing "French" baguettes to "USA" baguettes. [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]No I’m not. A baguette is specific French style bread.  If its called a baguette in the USA,  its supposed to be a baguette, and they are not.[/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Quote: [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]have you ever tried one from Dieppe, or Marseille, or Ramatuelle [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]200+ [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]days of traveling in France,  30,000 road miles + 1 Fr river cruises and 3 ocean cruise  with stops in France.  In addition to possibly 400 baguettes at lunch and diner, we often bought a baguette for a mid afternoon snack. [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Quote:  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]You can hardly compare bread from two small villages in Utah, [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Yes I can.  *There is Panerra,  Associated Foods, and Kroger.*   Moreover “small villages”  have lower costs than great cities.  Example:  where we usually shopped when we lived in Washington DC:  two baguettes,  $2.29 & $3.29.   More expensive than village prices  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]($1.99)[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif], and way more expensive than Paris  [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif](67 cents)[/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Quote:  I´ve eaten excellent baguettes in Ohio, New York and Miami. [/FONT]​ [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]No you haven’t.  It might have been good bread, but it was not a baguette. * Lying labels do not  turn a sow’s **[/FONT]**[FONT=Times New Roman, serif] [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]ear into a silk purse.* [/FONT]​
> ​



Are you comparing factory made baguette, bought in a supermarket to the baguettes in France? That could explain the problem. Baguette should come from a bakery. Admittedly, I don't live in the US. I live in Québec, Canada. I have never bought baguette in a supermarket unless it was made in the bakery at the store. I don't think I have ever bought a baguette that had a label calling it a baguette or anything else.


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## karadekoolaid (Apr 20, 2022)

> Good and funny read Ross, thank you!



I´ll second that. Brilliant! (and I´m pretty sure I´ve met every one of them at some stage)


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## dragnlaw (Apr 20, 2022)

Actually, I saw a little bit of me in some of those...


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## Just Cooking (Apr 20, 2022)

dragnlaw said:


> Actually, I saw a little bit of me in some of those...



In reading through it, I've seen a bit of myself and other forum members, too.   

At times, we just have too much fun. 

Ross


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## obillo (Dec 12, 2022)

kb0000 said:


> [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]This is a reasonable attitude, with one exception-- that the French produce  superior bread for a much lower price  means  you should be really mad at USA’s capitalist corporate rip off economy.   What’s killing your pocket book corporate manipulation of the  price of the  basics, like bread and gas, and its all caused by corporate corruption. . [/FONT]
> 
> ​


French baguettes are cheap by law--a hangover from the revolution--not because France is free of rip-off capitalists. I don't know about other US cities, but good baguettes are available in New York for anywhere from $1.99 (Trader Joe's) to $5 (fancy bakeries). A problem is that many people think a baguette is merely a long cylindrical loaf of bread. Not so. It is a very long, very skinny cylindrical loaf made solely of flower, yeast, water and salt, given a long rising time, contains no preservatives, and is baked in a steam oven. It starts going stale on the way home from the market and must be eaten the same day; ideally the same morning, and preferably with French salt-flaked butter. When in Paris, always go to a bakery that doesn't provide a bag--just a slim wrap of paper for a hand grip--because bags are the enemy of crispness. Anyone who wants a good baguette in the US can probably find one if he'll take the trouble to look.


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## obillo (Dec 12, 2022)

kb0000 said:


> [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]In an earlier post, I pointed out that there are no good USA baguettes  compared to the French originals.  Here,  I look at the price of USA’s third rate  bread. The price of a baguette in UT's Heber City and Park City grocery stores ranges form  $2.49 to $8.   The price at the largest supermarket in Paris is 67 cents.
> 
> 
> 
> Wasting your money on a third rate USA baguette is monumental rip off.  Don’t do it. [/FONT]​


Actually, French supermarket baguettes are usually second-rate. When in Paris, I buy at the boulanger--at the reallty small. neighborhood ones, I can even meet the baker.


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## obillo (Dec 12, 2022)

karadekoolaid said:


> Firstly, you´re making a wild generalisation by comparing "French" baguettes to "USA" baguettes. I don´t doubt that Parisian baguettes are excellent; but have you ever tried one from Dieppe, or Marseille, or Ramatuelle?
> Then you talk about Heber City and Park City. You can hardly compare bread from two small villages in Utah, with a combined population of less than 25,000, to that produced in a huge city like Paris. Nor can you compare prices: a pint of beer in Australia is not the same price as a pint in London, Bonn, Prague or Milan. Different economies.Statistically speaking, a non-comparison. Like comparing bananas with potatoes.
> Evidently you prefer French baguettes, but to say US baguettes are 3rd rate is an extreme, utterly subjective comment. I´ve eaten excellent baguettes in Ohio, New York and Miami.
> Disdainful generalisations about one country or another country´s food are not a good starting point for discussion.


Hear, hear! Also please note that the law of supply and demand applies. Are Heber City and Park awash in baguette-lovers? If not, the demand has to go to the supply--not necessarily to Paris. Possibly Salt Lake City, a mere 40-odd miles off, will suffice. It's also worth noting that the baguette as we know it today is a creature of the 1990s, when it began to recover from decades of decline with the help of annual and fiercely competitive Best Baguette contests. (S.L. Kaplan's 'Good Bread Is Back' has all the details.)


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## obillo (Dec 12, 2022)

pepperhead212 said:


> I haven't bought a loaf of bread since 1976 - I only remember the year because of an injury, and I couldn't knead bread dough, so I got a KA mixer for Christmas!  I had started making bread to save money - back then, a pound of white bread cost 3¢ to make, whole grain breads 15-17¢ a pound.  Now, it is still one of the biggest savers, compared to store bought, and once you've mastered the art of baking it, it is much better.  Even using artisan flour, since very little other ingredients are used - just flour, yeast, water, and salt - a pound loaf is under a dollar, and if using a starter, even less.  Of course I can't duplicate the wood fired ovens of some bakeries, but those are the exception to the rule.  I don't make many white breads anymore, just for occasional dinners; the rye breads are my favorites, though I still don't make them frequently.  But it saves a lot of money, when I do, and I couldn't find bread like that anywhere, around here.


Not only are wood-fired ovens rare, they're unnecessary: no commercial baker in the US or France is baking with wood, and commercial bakers supply all but a decimal percentage of great baguettes. Even a home gas or electric oven will suffice. And with so many baguette tutorials available on YouTube, I'm ready to try my hand. And as you say, the savings are terrific.


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## Marlingardener (Dec 12, 2022)

I find arguing about bread to be counterproductive--hard to talk or type when your mouth is full of good homemade bread.
Sorry for the short post, but I need to check the rise on my French bread dough now.


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