I’ve always used champion or Edmonds flour but how do other cooks on here feel about Pam’s or the cheaper ones.
Do you think it would make a difference to your baking?

cottagerose - 2019-04-25 15:18:00

I don't know about quality between brands but Pam's would certainly be fresher because of faster turnover being cheaper.

wasgonna - 2019-04-25 15:47:00

I always use Pams flours (high grade, plain, SR and wholemeal) and they are OK. I also have used Countdown's own brand flours too, they are all OK, no difference to using any of the dearer brands in baking.

nauru - 2019-04-25 16:13:00

I tried all of them and never noticed a difference, so now its the cheapest

lilyfield - 2019-04-25 16:14:00

Yep, Pams brand for me as well, nothing wrong with it. Probably the same as one of the better known brands anyway.

dibble35 - 2019-04-25 17:37:00

dibble35 wrote:

Yep, Pams brand for me as well, nothing wrong with it. Probably the same as one of the better known brands anyway.

I agree, there are only so many growers, wheat types & flour mills in NZ, so it figures that the quality is the same ...the only difference would be the 'buying power' of the large supermarket chains, imo.

samanya - 2019-04-25 17:44:00

This message was deleted.

cleggyboy - 2019-04-25 18:34:00

I use either Pam's or CD's brand both have been fine. I don't like and never buy self raising so can't give an opinion on that.

cgvl - 2019-04-25 18:37:00

samanya wrote:

I agree, there are only so many growers, wheat types & flour mills in NZ, so it figures that the quality is the same ...the only difference would be the 'buying power' of the large supermarket chains, imo.

Is all flour that is retailed in NZ grown in NZ? I recall recently seeing packs of flour from some country ending in avia at one of those 'discount food' shops.

brouser3 - 2019-04-25 19:36:00

Thank you everyone for your comments.
As my brands have gone up in price by quite a bit, I will now buy the cheaper ones

cottagerose - 2019-04-25 19:56:00

I used to only buy organic but now just buy the homebrands and haven't noticed any difference in my bread or baking. I pay $6 for a 5kg bag from NW as opposed to more than double that.

village.green - 2019-04-25 20:25:00

brouser3 wrote:

Is all flour that is retailed in NZ grown in NZ? I recall recently seeing packs of flour from some country ending in avia at one of those 'discount food' shops.

Possibly not all flour is grown in NZ ...I recall seeing some Australian brand.

samanya - 2019-04-26 12:46:00

Many years ago, they all had the gluten content listed.
So you could select depending on what you were baking.
Now, they no longer do - I suspect they're all the same.

oopie - 2019-04-27 16:19:00

Most of our flour is Australian.

village.green - 2019-04-27 18:18:00

village.green wrote:

Most of our flour is Australian.

Really?
That surprises me.
http://www.flourinfo.co.nz/index.php/about/flour-mills-in-nz

samanya - 2019-04-27 18:47:00

I buy Pam's flour (regular and high grade) and they both work fine. I also buy Pam's sugar products as I find no difference between that and more expensive brands. It is things like chocolate that I find there is a difference in products so spend the pennies there instead.

gennie - 2019-04-28 09:31:00

Have used only Pams flours for many years.

kaddiew - 2019-04-28 11:11:00

Champion self raising used to be the best self raising flour. I tried some recently but it did not appear as "light" as it used to be. Maybe they do all come from the same place now.

magenta - 2019-04-28 12:43:00

village.green wrote:

Most of our flour is Australian.

Correct:

"In New Zealand, all grain used north of Wellington was imported and Christchurch was also importing ''quite a bit'', Mr Talbot said.

New Zealand growers supplied 30% of what was needed in the country and the remainder came from Australia."

"Mr Talbot said the milling wheat tonnage had dropped in South Canterbury since many arable farmers had opted to grow feed wheat."

I looked on my packets of flour and could not find any country of origin information. However: "Mr Talbot ...welcomed proposed country-of-origin food-labelling legislation now being considered by Parliament."

Things may be changing though with the new Countdown initiative.

https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/horticulture/local-wheat-de
al-tipped-succeed

This article was publish in Sept 2018 so still relevant. It appears the country of origin labelling has not yet gone through.

buzzy110 - 2019-04-28 12:55:00

So all NI flour is imported & a lucky dip for the SI people who may or may not get NZ grown.
I'm wondering if the huge increase in dairying has anything to do with it.

samanya - 2019-04-29 11:39:00

samanya wrote:

So all NI flour is imported & a lucky dip for the SI people who may or may not get NZ grown.
I'm wondering if the huge increase in dairying has anything to do with it.

Yes it has, most of the wheat grown in NZ used to be grown on the Canterbury Plains, as you commented a lot of that arable country has now been turned into dairying. Hence most of our wheat and flour is imported mainly I hope from Aussie.

cgvl - 2019-04-29 11:55:00

I have used Pams and Essentials. Good value for money and have excellent results from it. You don't need to pay heaps for flour.
I make bread too....

lythande1 - 2019-04-29 12:57:00