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Over the last decade I’ve become something of a professional shopper. As a food writer and recipe developer, I’m constantly looking for perfect ingredients. Yet as a dad who literally manages our family budget with spreadsheets, I also look for great deals. That is why I love shopping at Costco.
To be fair, I actually have a love-hate relationship with the mega warehouse. For my personality and temperament, the shopping experience at Costco is about as pleasant as a trip to the dentist—I know it’s important and good for me, but I’m always relieved when it’s done. Costco may be known for its big cuts of prime beef, good-quality discount wine, bulk paper products and delicious rotisserie chickens, but if you dig a bit deeper through those extra-wide aisles, you’ll find plenty of hidden gems. Here are 10 of my favorites.
1. Nuts
2. Pumpkin Seeds
Just like nuts, pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are one of thosenutritious-yet-expensive foods that are great for buying in bulk since they store well in the freezer. I love to use them in aPepita & Cilantro Pestoor on aWarm Butternut Squash & Kale Salad. You can often find a 22-ounce bag ofsprouted pumpkin seedsfor $9.99. Like the nuts, I pop them in a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for several months.
3. Peanut Butter
4. Frozen Berries
Fresh fruit is great in season, but you can’t go wrong with frozen berries year round. Seriously, Costco’s 3-pound bag ofKirkland Organic Blueberriesfor $7.99 is a great deal. We use them forbreakfast, especially inprotein-packed lemon blueberry muffins(perfect for meal-prepping those busy weekday mornings). But I love adding them to adinner salador using them in asweet and tangy saucefor salmon. The 4-pound bag ofKirkland Signature Organic Strawberriesfor $10,99 is a great deal too, as is the 3-pound bag ofTownsend Farms Organic Berry Supremefor $10.79. They store in the freezer for six months or more. I recommend keeping opened packages in a freezer-safe zip-top bag to limit freezer burn.
5. Maple Syrup
I am always trying to limit myadded sugarintake, but with little kids at home, it’s hard to avoid it. And as a (relatively) new Vermonter, I’ve grown to have something of an obsession with maple syrup. But it’s quite expensive. A 1.05-liter jug of syrup at Costco is $12.49, which is one of the best deals on this list. Here in Vermont we can buy Combs Family Farm Maple Syrup (elsewhere in the country you may haveKirkland Signature Organic Pure Maple Syrup). Weput it on everything, including oatmeal, pancakes, marinades andsalad dressings. I store it in our refrigerator for several months.
6. Wild-Caught Sardines
While tuna is often my family’s first choice for tinned fish, I happen to love sardines. Costco sells a 6-pack ofWild Planet Wild Pacific Sardinesfor $9.99, which gets me several meals ofpasta with sardines,saladsor even juston crackers. Of coursecanned sardines are healthy, but they are also highly underappreciated. They are lightly smoked for a toasty flavor, and the oil they are packed in is delicious stirred into tomato sauce and even dressings. I will never stop singing the praises of canned sardines, and you can’t go wrong buying them in bulk at Costco.
7. Vanilla Extract
One of the most expensive ingredients (per volume) in baking is vanilla extract. Just a couple of ounces can sell for $7 or more. That is why I like to buy a (16-fluid ounce) bottle ofPure Vanilla Extractfrom Costco for just $11.99. I know there are some bakers that would turn up their noses at any bottle of vanilla extract that’s so inexpensive (one popular vanilla extract brand, for example, would cost $100 or more for the same amount of vanilla), but for my purposes of baking at home, this one is perfect. I keep it in my pantry forcakesandcookiesand a bottle lasts six months or longer.
8. String Cheese
You are never too old to enjoy a cheese stick. My daughters love them in their lunch boxes, and my wife and I snack on them between meals. They are convenient and have a good amount of protein. A 48-count bag ofPolly-O Mozzarella String Cheesesells for $11.49 and it typically lasts a month or two in our household. I don’t only enjoy them as snacks, however. I chop them up and add to salads or even peel them and use as a pizza topping. (Hey, sometimes you have to throw together dinner with what you have!)
9. Olives
A staple of theMediterranean diet, olives arehealthy, delicious and one of my all-time favorite foods. Seriously, I keep a big jar in my fridge for snacking and for toppinggrain bowls, chopping intotapenadeor mixing into a sauce forchicken. Olives in brine can last for a year or more stored in the refrigerator. That is why I go big when it comes to buying olives. At Costco you can buy a 27-ounce jar of Parthenon Pitted Kalamata Olives for $9.99 or a 19-ounce jar of Asaro Organic Castelvetrano Olives for $7.79.
10. Fresh Tomatoes
I always like to pick up a 2-pound container of greenhouse-grownGourmet Tomato Medleybecause they are affordable, delicious and versatile. You can typically find them for about $7.99, which is a good deal considering that where I live a single pound of similar tomatoes is $6. Depending on the season, you can also find a 1.5-pound container of cherry tomatoes for $8.99 and a 2-pound container of grape tomatoes for $5.69. There are so many ways to use fresh tomatoes, but I happen to love themgrilledandroasted. They keep well on the counter for a week or more, so long as they are out of direct light.
The Bottom Line
It’s hard to pass these high-quality great deals from Costco. The hardest part, aside from the crowds, is finding storage for all those bulk products at home. That is why I didn’t recommend big bags of different flours, sugars and other baking staples—I just don’t have anywhere to put them. However, all the products recommended fit comfortably in my small pantry and freezer, so I can grab them whenever a recipe–or snacking–calls for them.
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