Saturday May 17th, 2008
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Costco and the Art of Vacuum Packing
Posted by Jessica Harlan on June 21, 2007 - 10:00am.
"Quick! Give me something to vacuum pack!" said Chip with an urgency that didn't exactly befit the situation.We'd just come home from Costco, and we'd decided that now was as good at time as ever to break out the vacuum sealer that we'd gotten for our wedding more than a year ago and had yet to use.
I was actually quite pleased with how our trip to Costco went. We get easily overwhelmed there, with the cavernous setting and the enormous quantities that you have to buy. We usually spend much of our time laughing and marveling at the jumbo-sized tins and jars, and then leave with ideas in our head for what we can get next time, but with nothing in our cart.
But after many trips looking longingly at the fresh meats, this time we took the plunge and actually bought some. Flank steak, which is fast becoming my favorite cut of meat because it's tender but extremely lean, cost us only $20.97 for three pounds. After we were done with the vacuum sealer, we had 4 nicely portioned meals for two.
What I was really in search of, though, was organic and otherwise wholesome food. I feel like I spend a fortune on fair-trade or organic coffee, yogurt, and free-range chicken. I wasn't expecting to find much, but I was pleasantly surprised.
We found our beloved Stonyfield Farms yogurts, a pack containing a dozen were $8.99 (that's $0.75 apiece). The drawback-the packages only have Blueberry and Strawberry flavors. Chip's not a fan of Strawberry, so we opted not to buy the case. As we found out, they weren't such a bargain anyway... our local Publix sells Stonyfield Farms for only 4 cents more... and we don't have to limit ourselves to only two flavors.
In the coffee aisle, there were several organic options, though none were brands I'd ever heard of. Still, I ended up buying a 3-pound bag of certified organic, shade-grown Arabica coffee beans for $11.99-the same price I pay for one pound of equally eco-conscious coffee at Whole Foods.
A one-pound pack of organic baby spinach seemed a bargain at $3.59. I love to have this on hand for salads, sandwich fillings or a quick sautéed side dish.
Our biggest score, however, was on organic milk. A package of three half-gallons was $8.49 (that's $2.83 apiece), far less than what I pay at Whole Foods or even Publix. We were concerned at first about being able to drink a gallon and a half of milk before it goes bad (after all, you can't vacuum-pack milk, much to Chip's chagrin), but the milk is ultra-pasteurized, so I have until late May to finish it.
By the way, we still made time to mock the industrial-sized packages with our best Nicolas Cage as "Tiny Elvis" impressions-"Look at that thing, man... that thing is hu-u-uge!" After all, who needs a five-pound tub of Toll-House cookie dough?
In My Kitchen
Every week, I tally my grocery bill, and give you a peek at what's on the dinner table at our house.
Groceries: $92.94
Plus, $132 spent at Costco on "stock-up" items
(Again, higher than normal, considering the huge amount we just spent at Costco, plus the fact that the meals I've planned all make use of stuff I have in the freezer from Costco. It could be because I bought nearly all of my produce--including lots of veggies and fruits to puree for Sadie--at Whole Foods.)
Meals Prepared:
- Leftover Fish & Rice with cucumber-rice vinegar salad
- Sesame Chicken Edamame Bowl
- Buffalo Burgers with sauteed mushrooms and grilled summer squash
- Flank Steak fajitas on the grill
Keep the Costco recaps coming... FYI...the 8-pack of 60w equivalent CFL bulbs for $11 can't be beat!
I freeze milk and take it out when needed...is this a no-no?
I've never really though to freeze my milk, but since we don't make it to Costco all that often, it might be a good idea. I did come across this link with tips for freezing milk and other things.
Truth be told, the last time we bought milk at Costco (the three half-gallon cartons of Kirkland Organic Milk), we used it all up within a little more than a week. It makes the cookies made from the gallon-sized pail we bought of Tollhouse Cookie Dough go down a little easier.
Costco also carries some products from Newmans Own. I've bought his cereal (two regular sized cearal boxes in one) and have seen some of his other products scattered throughout their dried goods section.
They also seem to be getting into some alternative powersources on their website (wind and solar) so I'm just waiting for them to carry systems large enough to power a house
We don't shop at Costco because there are just two of us and we are fortunate enough to be able to shop at the Navy base. Glad to hear that Costco has more organic items available though. Might be good for us just to check it out to see what we are missing by just shopping on base.
You might try putting the cereal in Tupperware made just for cereal. I know my mother-in-law keeps hers in Tupperware containers that are about the size and shape of a regular box of cereal.
The recipe's from Cooking Light, and that is the exact name of it so you shouldn't have trouble finding it. If you do, please send me a lime-mail and I'll hook you up.
It says it serves six (or, for us, four generous portions) and I think it'll freeze well if you only eat 2 portions at dinner and want to save the other two for another lunch or dinner. I made brown rice to go with it, because I prefer it and it's more nutritious than white. Enjoy!
We have limited cabinet space as well, which is one of the reasons I've shied away from buying a lot from Costco in the past. I liked StatuesqueOne's idea of the cereal-sized plastic containers. We ended up storing larger boxes on top of our cabinets, which isn't necessarily the cleanest space for them.
The vacuum sealer has proven to be great for perishable stuff like meats, fish and even fruit (now that it's berry season, you could buy one of those big flats of berries and freeze most of them, spread out on a parchment-covered sheet pan, then transferring the individually frozen berries to a zip-top bag to use as needed in smoothies and baked goods).
But I stay away from those huge tubs, like the peanut butter (I was just kidding about the Tollhouse cookie dough pail I mentioned in another post--we resisted the temptation of buying that!).
And I've checked out some of the clothing. It's an especially good source for stuff for my daughter Sadie--I scored lots of Carter's sleepers for like $5 apiece!
I'll check for organic wines next time I'm there. I actually might do an upcoming blog on organic wines, so stay tuned!
I haven't bought Cascadian Farms products at Costco, but I do buy that brand quite a bit at Whole Foods and other places. Sadie has just started eating their Purely O's, and I use their frozen veggies in stir fries and other dishes. They're a pretty reputable company-- check out their Web site.
I know other Lime posters have questioned the integrity of large-scale organic brands, and that might be a topic I'll explore in the future. But the organic standards and certification from the USDA are pretty strict, so if a product is labeled organic, you can be assured that it is.
The words you have to watch for are terms like "natural"-- they're more marketing phrases and probably don't have much credence.
my mother used to freeze milk all the time, this was maybe 20 years ago but because she lived in the mountains, it made alot more sense than driving 50 miles to the very closest grocery store.
Costco is a surprising choice for those of us who want organic products but I have been so very impressed that I keep going back. I always seem to find great things at great prices. Use the vacuum sealer for the berries in the canisters too. That works. I also have the tupperware canisters for my cereal that always are used
Looking forward to the blog on organic wines. Wonder if they are any good and if are they affordable?