Costco

[curls]

Haven’t been in Costco for over a year and they offered me a $10 gift card to renew my membership. Went shopping at Costco yesterday and discovered all sorts of new products! Happily it was not too crowded and 99% of the people were properly masked and distant.
 

I tried two of their sous vide refrigerated meals: Kevin’s natural foods paleo Korean bbq-style steak tips and Cuisine Solutions turkey sausage & cheese egg bites.
 

The Korean steak was fine as a quick low-fuss meal but one could easily do much better with their own recipe and a bit of prep.

 

I’ll get the egg bites again. They are better than the ones that I have made and now I won’t have to scrub glass jars to remove egg bite residue (and yes I greased those jars before pouring in the egg mixture). The Cuisine Solutions egg bites are so similar to the egg bites at Starbucks (I heated them in the CSO at 400 F for 11 minutes) that I suspect that Cuisine Solutions makes these for Starbucks.

 

Update: Cuisine Solutions makes the egg bites for Starbucks and Costco — https://www.sousvideeggbite.com

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by curls (log)

[sododgy]

I haven't tested it myself because I've been a member for a few years now, but I've been told that anyone can get a single day membership for free once a year if you go to the membership counter and ask for it.

Between the quality of their avocado oil (as tested by UC Davis) and the money I save on butter, I can't imagine leaving Costco anytime soon. My partner and I are/were cooks by trade, so we tend to go through an obscene amount of butter, and though the price fluctuates, I'm pretty sure I was paying under $2/lb for standard unsalted butter this last trip. Everything else ends up being a bonus in my eyes.

[weinoo]

I know people love Costco, and Costco is one of the top American companies to work for.

 

The chickens, however, aren't thrilled...

 

The Ugly Secrets Behind the Costco Chicken

 

Quote

They are so popular they have their own Facebook page, and the company sells almost 100 million of them a year. T

 

[chromedome]

It's always interesting to see how people use Costco.

In my neck of the woods they're not competitive on butter except as a promotional item, and I don't buy meats there. Dairy sometimes, if I'm there for other things. I buy food there for the larger of our two dogs, and that's also where I buy their DentaStix treats. The price of their house-brand ibuprofen, ranitidine and loratidine is untouchable, as is their house-brand version of Robax (a muscle relaxant/ibuprofen combo which, I'm told, isn't sold in the US). My GF loves their bouquets, so I'll typically buy one of those while I'm in the store as well. A Costco-sized pack of TP or dishwasher tablets lasts us 6 months, so I'll get one twice a year.

 

As for food, I'll buy one of their rotisserie chickens 6 or 8 times a year. I find them desperately over-salted, but you can't beat the price...chicken prices up here aren't subsidized the way they are in the US, so you generally can't buy a raw chicken for what Costco sells 'em for ($7.99, here). After that first meal, I use up the rest in dishes where I can compensate for the over-seasoning. Carcasses, of course, go into the IP for stock.

 

I buy big jars of peanut butter and mayo there, and their price on white flour is excellent so that's where I buy my one bag/year (sadly, they no longer sell whole wheat flour here). I buy walnuts, pecans, almonds and almond flour for baking and salads, and I buy my olive oil there in a twin-pack. Also the big jug of natural apple cider vinegar, which I use a lot of, and the big bottle of honey (my daily sandwich bread is a honey-whole wheat).

 

Aside from promotional items and the odd impulse purchase, that's pretty much it.

[TdeV]

On 10/14/2019 at 2:23 PM, Kim Shook said:

We eat so much Costco chicken that I have a dedicated freezer bag for Costco chicken carcasses.  When it gets full, I make stock.

 

Kim, could you tell me about your freezer bags please? What material are they? What size? Do you have many such dedicated bags in the freezer, and what do you keep in them?

 

I have been thinking that I wanted one for stale bread, so that I wouldn't keep running into ends I had stuck in the freezer at some date in the past. Of course, I don't have room for dedicated bags of anything right now, but I am planning to add a standup freezer shortly.

 

I have a terrible time organizing stuff in the freezer. (I know, I know -- adding another freezer is not a good way to solve the problem!)

[heidih]

4 hours ago, weinoo said:

I know people love Costco, and Costco is one of the top American companies to work for.

 

The chickens, however, aren't thrilled...

 

The Ugly Secrets Behind the Costco Chicken

 

 

Neither are the folks getting all the waste in their water and water table. I've tried to explain this and subsidies to the old people and have given up. My refusal to eat it is just one more thing for my dad to add to his list of why I am mentally unstable... My ecology professor took us to a cattle feedlot in around 1975. Sobering and that was just the feedlot.

https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/hidden-costs-behind-costco-chicken

Edited February 9, 2021 by heidih (log)

[Toliver]

4 hours ago, chromedome said:

It's always interesting to see how people use Costco...

 

Aside from promotional items and the odd impulse purchase, that's pretty much it.

Good enough reasons for going there.

It's the "splurges" that keep me going there. You never know what they'll have and you have to get used to thinking ahead. For example, they tend to sell fans a couple months before the hot weather shows up.

And you also have to hone your "Should I or shouldn't I?..." feelings. If they have a display of something unusual and you're debating whether you should get it or not, I favor getting it because the next time you go the item could be sold out.

I used to buy the Costco Rotisserie chickens, but now they sell the meat by itself, I get that and split it up when I get home into smaller portions for the freezer. It's so handy to have on hand.

[Kim Shook]

5 hours ago, TdeV said:

 

Kim, could you tell me about your freezer bags please? What material are they? What size? Do you have many such dedicated bags in the freezer, and what do you keep in them?

 

I have been thinking that I wanted one for stale bread, so that I wouldn't keep running into ends I had stuck in the freezer at some date in the past. Of course, I don't have room for dedicated bags of anything right now, but I am planning to add a standup freezer shortly.

 

I have a terrible time organizing stuff in the freezer. (I know, I know -- adding another freezer is not a good way to solve the problem!)

Honestly, I just buy the store brand plastic freezer zip bags and double them.  If the bag is for something that I'll be adding to (chicken scraps, cheeses, or your bread idea), I use the giant - 2 1/2 gallon - ones.  When I feel like taking the time, I wrap in foil first before putting in the bag.  As far as organizing, this may not be the place and I may have posted these before but this is what we do:  we have 3 freezers - one in the house in the refrigerator and 2 in the shed.  I have a Word document that we print out and try to keep up to date - add to when we shop and scratch through when we take something out.  This doesn't always work in practice, so we end up doing an inventory every few months.  Here are the latest sheets:

[AlaMoi]

I've found the most convenient/quickest/dirtiest way to organize the (chest) freezer is mid-sized topless/flapless corrugated boxes.

on for beef, one for chicken, one for fish, one for pork. oh, and one for homespun stewed tomato pizza topping qt bags....

now...

I keep large unopened "stocked" frozen veggies in the chest freezer, but they move from chest freezer to refrigerator freezer when opened and 'in use'

 

curiously our Costco runs focus on stocking up on prime grade meats - typically rib-eye and tenderloin - plus steelhead trout - which nobody carries locally.

I'm moving to Berkshire pork from a independent supplier, but previously we've found Costco pork chops (frozen, thawed, brined) quite delicious.

 

one can make the argument that freezing prime is a mortal sin.  however comma frankly the prime tends to a degree of tender than freezing has really minimal impact on texture or taste.  ymmv.  local supermarkets rarely have prime on the shelf - and if...it's super super super expensive.  Costco prime is priced in line with Giant Choice.

 

some other things - frozen shrimp, scallops.  but note:  Aldi often has dry pack frozen scallop mega-size at fantastic prices.

do you have a store you shop at for one single item?....

 

and mineral water.  Costco has half liter Pellegrino 24 count for +/- the Giant 12 count price, so a single 24 count block pays for the 60 miles round trip.  I buy three at a clip....

[MokaPot]

Costco strikes again. They no longer sell the feta cheese that I like. What they do have now is Kirkland brand (of course) goat cheese, which I've never tasted. Also got some of these Boursin cheese spreads, which I haven't had since I was little.

 

 

[ElsieD]

Also new to them in these parts is a dessert made by Laura Secord.  I am not a fan of Laura's chocolates as they have that waxy consistency and I have never found them particularly chocolatety.  But I sure do like these little desserts.  Chocolate cake, mouse on top, ganache on top of that  and a Laura Secord chocolate on top of that.  Two flavours - all chocolate and a dulce de leche one.  It comes in a box of 10 and can be found in the frozen section.

Edited March 3, 2021 by ElsieD
fixed typo (log)

[haresfur]

Haven't been a member for over 5 years because the one in Melbourne is 2 1/2 hours away and not as good as N American Costco. But I'm almost out of their trash bags so maybe I'll see if they do the annual guest membership thing.

[gfweb]

I used to use Costco a lot.

But then their steaks weren't as tasty. And pandemic checkout lines stretched the length of the store.

Its been a while since I've been in.

But I need a few big chunks of their parm reg which is good cheese at a decent price.  Their aged gouda is nice too.  And Henry likes their bully sticks.

[scamhi]

our local Costco is a 40 minute drive away in Sarasota. it is never super crowded if we avoid weekend shopping.

we buy paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies.

I have bought the prime beef many times. I prefer to get the primal strip loin piece and cut it into steaks on my own.

some new items

Healthy Noodles- taste like rice noodles- low carb. 

Pure Elizabeth Granola- less sugar and tastes good.

 

 

[rotuts]

@MokaPot 

 

I don't wish to be a busy-body

 

mostly

 

but if you like Boursin

 

and have a cuisinart

 

you can make your own

 

Cream cheese ( full fat )  add in etc

 

 

add a little of that goat too

 

keeps and ages nicely in the refrigerator.

Edited March 3, 2021 by rotuts (log)

[Toliver]

16 hours ago, MokaPot said:

Costco strikes again. They no longer sell the feta cheese that I like. What they do have now is Kirkland brand (of course) goat cheese, which I've never tasted. Also got some of these Boursin cheese spreads, which I haven't had since I was little.

 

 

Love that Boursin Trio (which is actually just a Duo since one flavor is repeated). Great for parties or just for home noshing.

[jimb0]

4 hours ago, scamhi said:

our local Costco is a 40 minute drive away in Sarasota. it is never super crowded if we avoid weekend shopping.

we buy paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies.

I have bought the prime beef many times. I prefer to get the primal strip loin piece and cut it into steaks on my own.

some new items

Healthy Noodles- taste like rice noodles- low carb. 

Pure Elizabeth Granola- less sugar and tastes good.

 

 

 

i like konjac noodles; i find they work best where you'd use rice noodles vs wheat pastas. i like to use them for a low carb pad thai. i don't tend to go for the keto granolas because they're usually just nuts and seeds and i like to buy fresh ones.

[Kim Shook]

17 hours ago, MokaPot said:

Costco strikes again. They no longer sell the feta cheese that I like. What they do have now is Kirkland brand (of course) goat cheese, which I've never tasted. Also got some of these Boursin cheese spreads, which I haven't had since I was little.

 

 

I got a recipe years ago from a friend on Marlene's food site that uses Boursin and is fantastic: Dana's Boursin Potatoes.

[ElsieD]

49 minutes ago, jimb0 said:

 

i like konjac noodles; i find they work best where you'd use rice noodles vs wheat pastas. i like to use them for a low carb pad thai. i don't tend to go for the keto granolas because they're usually just nuts and seeds and i like to buy fresh ones.

 

Costco has konjac noodles?

[heidih]

5 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

Costco has konjac noodles?

The Healthy noodle brand shown utilizes konjac powder among other ingredients. I prefer the straight stuff but ok with the House Brand that includes soy that every mainstream grocery tends to stock. https://www.instacart.com/products/29403-house-foods-tofu-shirataki-8-oz

[ElsieD]

19 minutes ago, heidih said:

The Healthy noodle brand shown utilizes konjac powder among other ingredients. I prefer the straight stuff but ok with the House Brand that includes soy that every mainstream grocery tends to stock. https://www.instacart.com/products/29403-house-foods-tofu-shirataki-8-oz

I'm not sure but I don't think @jimb0 is talking about Healthy Noodles.

Edited March 3, 2021 by ElsieD
fixed typo (log)

[heidih]

9 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I'm not sure but I don't think @jimb0 is ranking about Healthy Noodles.

"rankiing"?  - it is what he quoted.

[ElsieD]

Perhaps we could let @jimb0answer the question as i was asking him the question.  

[heidih]

wow - sure

[jimb0]

the healthy noodles shown are made of konjac/glucomannan. it's down on the list of ingredients but only because it's an intense thickening agent in alkaline conditions and you just don't need a bunch. that brand adds a couple of other things to help with the texture but at their core they're still just konjac noodles.

 

i like these and use them pretty often:

 

https://www.amazon.ca/ZEROODLE-Shirataki-Spaghetti-Pasta-Fiber/dp/B07CPZTPPX/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-rsf1_0?cv_ct_cx=konjac&dchild=1&keywords=konjac&pd_rd_i=B07CPZTPPX&pd_rd_r=c6b36e2d-35a3-4ac3-926f-3bc3e770f9c3&pd_rd_w=TXszv&pd_rd_wg=2wcQT&pf_rd_p=110044ae-711a-46cd-88ce-91b9591d369f&pf_rd_r=C1T6SV5T7RQXWVHPXQQ0&psc=1&qid=1614808243&sr=1-1-7bf78e84-8ef2-4f13-9926-bee5153e81cb

 

they just add a bit of oat fibre to help with the chew

Edited March 3, 2021 by jimb0 (log)