Sometimes you just have to buy the store brand. The cost savings are just
too tempting. But here's a secret that the big brands don't want you to know:
The generic stuff isn't always the lesser option, at least not at Costco.
According to the Mayo Clinic, olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids,
which can help lower your cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease when
used in place of other fats. A good extra virgin olive oil also tastes pretty great.
Extra virgin olive oil is full of rich flavors that go great with cold dishes,
though its low smoke point means it's not the best choice for hot applications like frying.
Olive oil can also get pretty expensive, so if you're trying to incorporate a decent
extra virgin olive oil into your pantry without breaking the bank, consider the Kirkland brand.
According to the Huffington Post, beloved chef and cookbook author Samin Nosrat has revealed
that one of her favorite varieties comes straight from Costco. Even New York Magazine has included
it in their roundup of best olive oils, noting that their USDA organic stuff is pretty tasty.
According to Business Insider, the Kirkland Signature brand of animal crackers compares
pretty favorably to its competitors. Sure, it doesn't look quite like other brands,
with animal shapes that look to have been stamped rather than cut out of the cookie
dough. But when it comes to taste, the Kirkland version actually comes out on top
more often than not, with a good vanilla flavor and a pleasingly smooth texture.
Of course, depending on what other brands you compare them to, Costco's animal crackers may
have a higher calorie count, but consider it a reminder to snack responsibly in the first
place. Between the taste and the affordable price, the Kirkland version of these snacks
are often the better buy. For the price, you could even afford to throw a few around.
"Animal crackers, flyin' in! Oh!"
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, oats, which make up the bulk of most granolas,
are a good source of fiber and are associated with improved heart health.
They may also help control blood sugar and are a healthy food for people looking
to lose a little weight. It's definitely a better choice than a sweet, buttery pastry,
though we're not going to judge anyone for the occasional indulgence here and there.
In terms of both taste and cost, granola is yet another product where Kirkland
Signature arguably has a leg up on the big brands. Business Insider had tasters
compare the Ancient Grain Kirkland granola to a similar product from
Nature Valley. Their conclusion? Nature Valley's offering was a bit too sweet,
while the Costco granola was surprisingly rich and complex. It also had a greater
and more interesting variety of ingredients, including whole grains that deepened the taste.
Business Insider also compared the Kirkland Signature peanut butter pretzel bites to the
Good Health name brand. And guess who came out on top? That's right:
They said the Kirkland Signature pretzel bites are a superior alternative. While Costco's offering
had a higher calorie count they're also full of creamy, smooth peanut butter with plenty of
flavor. Meanwhile, the competitor can be a bit dry and, according to some tasters, too salty.
And like so many products at Costco, the Kirkland peanut butter pretzels are simply
a better deal. It's a smart choice for your wallet as well as your taste buds.
Vodka, that chameleon of liquor that plays so well with many other flavors,
is often at the center of a beloved mixed drink. A well-made martini or cosmopolitan can be a
little delight at the end of the day. But with liquor, you usually get what you pay for. Could
Kirkland's brand actually be a cost-effective option that doesn't taste like paint thinner?
In a word, yes. Rumor has long had it that Grey Goose and Kirkland Signature vodka are the same,
though that's probably not true. But that goes to show just how much Costco is punching above its
weight here. Tasters have routinely preferred Kirkland vodka over more expensive brands.
It's essentially an open secret that quite a few of Costco's store-brand
products are made by the same companies that manufacture the name brand stuff.
The only real differences are packaging and, of course, price. And that isn't
just true of food. It's also true of some household necessities, including batteries.
So if you steer clear of store-brand batteries under the assumption that they won't be as
reliable as the name brands, don't worry about that when you're at Costco. Kirkland Signature
batteries are, in fact, made by Duracell. In an interview with Atlanta's WSBTV,
Costco CEO Craig Jelinek said Kirkland batteries are just the same as the name brand.
"Duracell makes our Kirkland Signature battery."
"So they're playing both sides of the street here?"
"You could say that."
And, of course, Costco's are cheaper.
There's a pretty wide spread of what's considered parmesan cheese.
The powdery stuff that you sprinkle on your spaghetti or pizza is one thing,
but it's distinct from the real deal: parmigiano reggiano, which is regulated
by law. According to Today, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consorzio regulates just what can
be called "parmigiano reggiano." Any cheese bearing that name must be produced in Italy,
and anyone who stamps inauthentic cheese with the consortium logo can face a serious lawsuit.
Kirkland Signature's stuff is the real deal, logo and all. That means you can get some
pretty choice cheese for a decent price. You can buy the entire 72-pound wheel of cheese,
or there's the option to buy smaller, more sensible portions.
Some veteran shoppers have argued that, over the years, the tuna on sale in cans and packs
throughout grocery stores has declined in quality. That group includes Costco's Executive Vice
President Tim Rose, who heads up Costco's foods division. In an interview with Money magazine,
he decried the sad state of canned tuna, which sometimes seems to be more water
than fish. So Rose went to Bumble Bee Tuna and struck a deal for a better product.
Yes, the water-packed albacore tuna with the Kirkland Signature label is actually the same
as Bumble Bee. When it hit shelves in 2002, the "superior quality" brand sold by Costco was more
expensive than its name-brand competitor, which is a rare thing. However, tasters argue that it's
pretty great tuna for the price, which only worked out to a nine-cent difference anyway.
Balsamic vinegar is a dark, intensely flavored vinegar made out of grape must, which is a
concoction of unfermented grape juice that gets slowly cooked into a syrup. To make balsamic, the
mixture is fermented until it becomes a delicious sour and sweet vinegar prized by chefs worldwide.
Thanks to Costco, you can get darn good balsamic vinegar without traveling all the way to Italy or
an imported goods store. Tasters like those at The Orange County Register routinely place the
Kirkland Signature Balsamic Vinegar of Modena at the tops of their lists, noting that it's a
respectably complex balsamic that even outshines its more expensive grocery-store brethren.
"Oooh! I didn't know we carried aged balsamic! Nice!"
Anyone can make a bland, gummy chocolate bar or carelessly cover fruit and nuts with
something resembling a chocolate coating. But the Kirkland Signature chocolate-covered almonds are
actually pretty good, as it turns out. The whole almonds at the center of each treat
are crunchy and savory. The coating itself has a smooth consistency and a rich taste.
According to Inside Costco, the Kirkland Signature chocolate products get their
key ingredient through Costco's cocoa program, which focuses on fair pricing,
a traceable production chain, and high-quality products.
There's a group of old-school beer drinkers who don't really care about things like the specific
type of hops in the brew or how the mash was cooked and fermented. They just want their
beer to taste good and be relatively inexpensive. But there's a growing tide of craft beer drinkers
who love to debate the particulars of every single detail of their lagers and ales. Is
there any beer that can serve as the middle ground between these two types of beer fans?
The Kirkland Signature line of beers might just be it. Yes, they're from Costco,
but they're actually made by larger breweries like Gordon Biersch. These drinks have been
getting surprisingly good reviews. They won't be jaw-dropping if you get nerdy about IPAs,
sure, but reviewers at The Takeout were pleased with the taste of both Kirkland's IPA and its
American Pale Ale. Is it an ultra-expensive one-off from your local microbrewery? No,
not really. But it's a step above the watery stuff you've been swilling at parties.
Fruit snacks have been a mainstay for the busy parent lifestyle for a long time now. They're
handy to have on hand for hangry toddlers and school-age kids in need of a backpack snack.
If you're one such busy parent who wants to give their kids something organic and a
little healthier than other snack options, you might have noticed that foods with the organic
label can get really pricey. According to the USDA, organic food is subject to
federal regulation that dictates factors like soil conditions and fertilizer use,
with specific prohibitions on genetically modified organisms and artificial preservatives.
Kirkland Signature products might present a solution. The Krazy Coupon Lady compared
Kirkland's organic fruit snacks to the popular Annie's brand and found that shoppers can save
ten cents per ounce if they buy the Costco snacks. And unlike Annie's, the Kirkland Signature snacks
list an actual fruit product, apple juice concentrate, as their first ingredient.
If you're not already in the know, this revelation can be rather staggering:
According to MoneyWise, Kirkland Signature coffee is roasted by none other than Starbucks.
Whether it's a staple of your morning or an occasional, slightly guilty pleasure, Starbucks
has become ubiquitous in most Americans' lives, and you can buy bags of their whole bean or ground
coffee. When you're in Costco, that same coffee just happens to come with two different labels.
It's pretty easy to pick out just which coffees on the shelf were roasted by Starbucks. Look
closely at the front of the bag, and you should see a label clearly stating that Starbucks has
had a hand in the preparation of the beans. Currently, Costco's medium roast House Blend
and dark roast Espresso Blend are practically Starbucks roasts with a Kirkland Signature cost.