I’m a Costco Superfan: Here Are 6 Kirkland Food Items I Stay Away From
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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In general, Kirkland Signature products from Costco tend to offer high quality and significant savings compared to national brands. But not everything you find in the wholesale club’s massive aisles is a great value.
Kirkland Signature Organic Milk
Kirkland Signature Organic milk tastes as good as any you’ll find anywhere. The problem is that you can find organic milk much cheaper at other stores. You have to buy three half-gallon containers at Costco, which is $8.50 per gallon, Redditors explained. Instead, you can get a gallon container of Great Value organic milk at Walmart for $6.98. Plus, your family may not drink one-and-a-half gallons of milk before it spoils.
Likewise, Kirkland Signature regular milk only comes in two-gallon packs, which may spoil before your family can drink it.
Kirkland Signature Protein Bars
Dietician Trista Best warned Allrecipes.com readers to steer clear of Kirkland Signature protein bars. “Some individuals find them too dense or artificially sweet, for example,” she told the website.
Redditor Beef_Tamale backed up that opinion, writing, “Kirkland protein bars are inedible. I don’t understand who could possibly choke those down.”
One of the drawbacks of buying protein bars in bulk is that there is usually at least one flavor in the package you won’t like, which means you aren’t saving money.
Plus, if you’re looking for a healthy snack alternative, as Redditor TerminalSarcasm pointed out, protein bars are typically not your best choice. “These bars contain sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners to get the numbers in, along with thickeners, etc.”
Kirkland Signature Sweet Heat Snack Mix
As a Costco superfan, I had high hopes surrounding Kirkland Signature’s Sweet Heat Snack Mix with almonds, cashews, sesame sticks, pecans and corn nuggets. This is truly an indulgent snack, with both sweet and spicy flavoring at 160 calories a serving.
The problem is that it’s so delicious, it’s easy to eat way more than the recommended serving size of a quarter cup. The bag holds 24 servings and once it’s opened and re-sealed, it just doesn’t taste as fresh and crunchy anymore. This would be a much better buy if Costco offered individually wrapped serving sizes.
Kirkland Signature Chunk Chicken Breast
Chicken breast in a can should be an easy way to make chicken salad, chicken soup, or even a quick buffalo chicken dip. But the Kirkland Signature brand just doesn’t have a lot of flavor. You’re better off buying a rotisserie chicken from Costco and shredding it yourself. It takes minutes and you’ll enjoy a fresher tasting product.
Kirkland Signature Sliced Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
I’m not a fan of pre-packaged cold cuts, as they never taste as good as fresh deli meats. However, they offer a convenient and affordable option if you don’t want to wait at the deli counter.
Costco sells three 14 ounce packages of Sliced Oven Roasted Turkey Breast. I thought it tasted okay, although Redditor MariahMCE described it as “slimey” in the r/Costo subthread, adding that she thought it “tastes gross.”
The biggest problem in my house was that we couldn’t make it through more than two-and-a-half pounds of sliced turkey before it spoiled.
Kirkland Signature Bacon Crumbles
The Costco website boasts that Kirkland Signature Bacon Crumbles, are made in the U.S. with 100% real bacon. But Redditor Reeyowunsixsix called them “bacon flavored gristle.” They noted that they have tried the product in everything from salads to Queso and even sauteed vegetables and they just taste horrible.
What keeps me away from the product is the size of the bag. I don’t imagine most families would use bacon bits often enough to use 20 ounces in a timely manner. Like the Kirklands Snack Mix, the bag may not seal properly to keep the bacon bits fresh.
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