I’m always amazed at how quickly my cart fills up whenever I make a trip to Costco so it pays to have a bit of a strategy when you shop there. There are plenty of items at Costco for foodies and people who do a lot of cooking, however it’s sometimes hard to find items that can be used up before they go bad or don’t pose a storage challenge (50 pound bag of flour- I’m looking at you.)
While shopping at Costco, I tend to focus on stocking up on pantry essentials and paper products (namely paper towels, toilet paper, baby wipes, etc.) In this post, I wanted to highlight some very high-quality Costco pantry essentials that every cook and baker requires. Here is my top 10 list of essential list of pantry items to stock up on at Costco:
Top 10 Costco Pantry Essentials
1. Extra-virgin olive oil- I really like the Kirkland brand and I think it’s very good quality for the price.
2. Balsamic Vinegar- I’ve mentioned the Kirkland brand for the balsamic vinegar before in my Caprese Salad post.
3. Organic Chicken Stock- I love the convenience of having the cardboard quart boxes in my freezer so it’s one less thing to buy in the regular grocery run.
4. Cooking Spray- Pam or the Kirkland Brand. I use cooking spray almost every day and it’s nice to have a back-up can in the pantry when you run out.
5. Tomato Products in normal-sized cans- I would avoid the super large cans of tomato products as I can’t really picture myself using it all before it went bad. Costco does sell diced tomatoes and tomato paste in large quantities of regular-sized cans though.
6. Pine Nuts and Nuts (Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, etc.)- While $18.99 for a bag of pine nuts may seem extravagant, it’s such a great value considering a teeny tiny bag at the grocery store can cost up to $7. I store pine nuts in the fridge for long-term storage so they don’t go rancid. I love to throw them in salad or use them in pestos. We also go through a lot of almonds and walnuts in our house- I usually store them in ziploc bags or large sealable glass containers.
7. Dried Fruits (cranberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.)- Great to throw in salads or baked goods
8. Jarred Vegetables/Fruits- Roasted Red Peppers, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Capers are all great items to have on hand for regular cooking. That jar of capers is huge so I would only recommend buying it if you use a lot of capers in your house.
9. Vanilla- A must have for anyone who bakes regularly.
10. Chocolate Chips- I tried to always have a bag of Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chips on hand for whenever I have the urge to make chocolate chip cookies.
What items do you prefer to stock up on Costco or other warehouse clubs? What do you consider to be must-have items in your pantry?
