BMS Paper Company - Jamaica Plain - Part 2

Update (Nov. 1, 2011): I just went to BMS and they have 72 oz bags of Toll House chocolate chips for $12.99. This is a pretty amazing deal, in case you're planning on doing some serious holiday baking. Frozen pie shells are 5 for $7.99 and they have frozen cherries and blueberries too. Check it out!

This is the second post on BMS Paper Company, located in Jamaica Plain near Green St. station (orange line). If you were wondering what about the kinds of things that are available there, here are a few pictures of some items I've purchased in the past year there.

1. A gallon of Frank's hot sauce for only $13.99. While a gallon might seem a little excessive, this gallon of sauce actually meets my needs because I go through a 12 oz bottle in only 2 to 3 weeks. I've kept the 12 oz bottle to use as a dispenser and just fill it up whenever it's empty. If you have a funnel, that makes the refilling process much easier. At CVS, a 12 oz bottle is usually $2.37. A gallon is about 10 of those bottles. Since $13.99/$2.37 = 5.9 (approximately), I'm getting 4 free 12 oz bottles of sauce by getting the gallon.

In case you don't know what to do with all that sauce, here are some suggestions:

• Marinate any kind of meat or fish with it
• Buffalo wing sauce is basically Frank's hot sauce and butter
• Use it as a dipping sauce for vegetables or meat
• Use it to create your own "special sauce" for burgers and other dishes (mine is Frank's hot sauce + soy sauce + cumin --- I guess it's not much of a secret any more...)

Make chili in a frying pan (see my post on that)

2. A gallon of Kosher dill pickle chips for $5.99

Again, this might seem a little excessive. However, if you look at the price of a smaller jar of pickles, this might not seem like a bad idea. With all the liquid in this gallon jar, you could probably reuse it to make some fresh pickles with some dill and spices. I like to store a small portion in the fridge in a glass jar because I like cold pickles on my sandwiches.

There are other uses for pickles (besides putting them in sandwiches):

• Make homemade Big Mac special sauce with minced dill pickles.
• Use the pickles and some juice to make a tasty meatloaf
• Make fried pickles

3. Silicon mat (larger than the ones you get at department stores) for $7.99

Smaller Silpat silicon mat
(11.75 by 8.25 inches)

They actually have two sizes and they are both larger than my baking trays/pans. I have the smaller one and the width of it is the length of my lasagna pan. If you need a smaller size, Macy's has the Silpat mats but you'll be paying about $13 to $20 for those because they're Martha Stewart's brand. Amazon.com also has them for a bit less but you need to add shipping costs. BMS carries the Winware brand in large sizes. I've used it for sponge toffee and French macaron. It works very well for both.

Large silicon mat from BMS Paper Company (less than $10!)

In addition to these items, I have also bought several frozen items that have been great deals and pretty good quality too. The Italian meatballs are very tasty and save a lot of time because all you have to do is pop them in your toaster oven or throw them into a tomato sauce (to serve with pasta) for a quick snack or meal. At $8.99 for 3 lbs, that's enough for several spaghetti and meatball meals. The frozen veggies are good to keep around in case you can't make it to haymarket one week. They have a good selection of corn, mixed veggies, and other varieties for less than $4 a bag.

The only flour that seems to work for me when making bread is from here too. The Hecker's brand is an unbleached flour and makes my bread rise better than other brands do. Five-pound bags are $3.89, which doesn't seem like a great value but it's the only flour that works with my bread machine. Other flours seem to create bread bricks. They also have 2 lb bags of yeast, in case you want to make a lot of bread. The yeast freezes quite well too. I've had the same package for several years and it still works. Store it in a airtight container in the freezer and then take a little out at a time to store in the fridge.

BMS Paper Company - Jamaica Plain

While the name of the place might not sound like they sell food, they do! BMS Paper Company is actually a large warehouse-type store that serves catering companies. Recently, they were featured in a clip on NECN. However, anyone can go in there and buy whatever they want. Unlike Costco or BJ's, there is no membership fee or anything like that. So, what can you get there?

Today, I got a pound of butter ($2.99) (equal to 4 sticks but in one big block), 3 Litre bottles of ginger ale (on sale, 3 for $1), a 5 lb bag of 1/2 - oz frozen meatballs ($14.99), 100 chicken bouillon cubes ($5.99), a 40 oz bag of frozen corn ($2.79), and a double shot glass ($0.99). If you buy bouillon cubes from the supermarket, they're about $4 for only 25 cubes. The meatballs are not only a great bargain, they're also fully cooked and very tasty. If you'd like bigger meatballs (twice the size of the ones in the larger bag), they have 1lb bags for $4.69.

So, now that I have all this stuff, perhaps it would be helpful to suggest ways to use up those bouillon cubes, the bag of corn, and the meatballs.

1. If you have noodles or pasta, make a chicken broth with a bouillon cube and make a noodle soup. Add 5 to 10 meatballs (depending on how hungry you are) and some frozen corn to the broth while it's simmering. When the broth comes to a boil again, add your cooked noodles and let it heat up again. When it's bubbling, take it off the stove and serve. The bouillon cubes are also a good way to create a chicken broth base for soups and casseroles.

2. The meatballs are good for spaghetti and meatballs. Just get your favorite jar of tomato sauce and some pasta from the store and you're all set. To be extra fancy, add some Italian herbs (e.g. oregano, basil, etc.) and grated parmesan cheese. By the way, BMS also has very large containers of herbs, in case you want those. You'll save quite a bit if use a lot of herbs and spices at home.

3. Adding corn to whatever you are cooking (e.g. the noodle soup) is an easy way to get some fibre and vegetables in your diet. For breakfast, if you are making hash browns, throw in a handful of frozen corn. If you like broccoli and cauliflower, BMS also has bags of mixed veggies, green beans only, and broccoli only. The advantage of using frozen veggies is that they won't rot in your fridge and you won't feel like you have to use it right away.

One of the more recent new products at BMS is the feta cheese. They have a slab and a box of crumbed feta chunks. The other cheeses in the refrigerator case are American, provolone, and mozzarella. Those come in cubes, slices, and shredded forms. The feta might be a good amount for a regular household of 3 or more people but the other packages of cheese are quite large. However, if you are planning on making a large lasagna or having a party, the packages would be perfect. Cheese also freezes well so you don't have to waste any leftovers.

BMS Paper Company is on Washington Street between Green street and Williams street in Jamaica Plain. They have a small parking lot and it's within walking distance to Green Street station (orange line).
Here's the yelp review with a map: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bms-paper-supply-jamaica-plain