IS FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT.All borrowed content must be approved before sharing and properly credited. Home by Kirkland Signature February 17, 2016   Subscribe What durable Costco items are worth buying? I've seen many questions on the best items at Costco, but they tend to focus on consumables and especially on food. I'm a new Costco member, and I'm also going to need to acquire a whole bunch of home items in the next few months. I know Costco offers many quality items at a terrific price, and tell me, hive, what should I seek out there? I'm especially looking for things that are a good value and made to last. I'm interested in both generic and often-stocked name brand goods. For instance, I've read that their French-made enameled cast iron rivals Le Creuset and I LOVE my Costco down comforter (the top budget pick from The Sweethome!). Many of their generic items, though, don't have a ton of reviews (unfortunately) so it's hard to pick out the good stuff.

The Ninja Ultima Blender was sent to us for review. No other bribes were exchanged. All opinions are my own and my kids’ 🙂 jaden A few weeks ago we released “First look at the Ninja Ultima Pro Blender” – here’s our full video review! This review has been long overdue! As my parents and brother can attest to, I’m a big fan of Vitamix and Blendtec (I’ve purchased and gifted units to both them) and it’s the ONE appliance that I’m always using in the kitchen. We make smoothies, soup, sauces, chop nuts and even snow. But it’s a pricey investment: Is it worth the money? Are there cheaper alternatives that work just as well? You’re just about to find out! Ninja recently came out with the Ninja Ultima Blender Plus for $259.00. It has a 1500 watt, 2.5 horsepower motor. All these watts and horsepower talk makes my head spin. In the end, I want to see the Ninja perform. Will it hold its own against the Vitamix? Ninja Ultima Blender Plus on Amazon: $259.00 + free shipping

You might want to watch the “First look at the Ninja Ultima Pro Blender” first before the full review below. posted in Featured, Reviews, Video More products that were sold at Costco are being recalled because of Listeria concerns. The affected products, which Atlanta’s 11 Alive reports came from manufacturer Ajinomoto Windsor, are Yakitori Chicken Fried Rice, Petite Cuisine Southwest Chicken Firecrackers, and Petite Cuisine Chicken Poblano Firecrackers. The voluntary recall applies to products with Best By dates ranging from May 1, 2016 and May 7, 2017. They could potentially be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which could be especially dangerous in children and the elderly. The products were sold at Costco locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. There have been no illnesses reported in connection with any of these products so far, though according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency they had been offered to customers as free samples.

This is related to a much larger Listeria recall. CRF Frozen Foods distributed 358 frozen fruit and vegetable under 42 different brands to Costco, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and other major retailers in the U.S. that could be contaminated with Listeria. Aussie Heeler Mix Puppies For SaleThe Ajinomoto products contain some of those frozen vegetables.Warehouse For Sale In Niagara Falls Ontario Neither Costco nor Ajinomoto Windsor could immediately be reached for comment.Teacup Yorkies For Sale Oklahoma CityAs Kmart, Target, and Walmart made news last week for announcing they'd kick off the holiday shopping frenzy on Gray Thursday, a.k.a. Thanksgiving Day, Costco stood apart as one of the few companies (along with BJ's and Nordstrom) committed to putting their employees first and staying closed on Thanksgiving.

This got us thinking about all of the other things we love about the Seattle-based members-only warehouse club, one of the largest--and most admired--retailers in the United States. Here are 14 reasons we think Costco is fabulous: 1. Costco really does care about its employees. In addition to paying them very decent wages compared with their competitors, Costco also offers health insurance for both full-time and part-time employees. Plus, CEO Craig Jelinek has spoken out in favor of raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. (HuffPo has compiled a great list of other ways the company is good to its workers.) 2. We love Costco's rack. Epicurious' Kemp Minifie, longtime Gourmet kitchen editor and our resident food eminence, loves Costco's $15* Australian rack of lamb. "It makes serving a rack as a special-occasion meal feasible for the middle class!" 3. Cheese heads, take note. If you are a goat cheese fiend, Costco's two-log pack of chevre is a total steal, according to Epicurious' Tanya Steel and Kendra Vizcaino.

The two enormous logs will cost you roughly the same amount you'd pay for a single miniature grocery-store-bought log. Other smart buys: the Reggiano (which many of us at Epicurious use constantly), and big bags of cheese sticks and BabyBels (which my dairy-obsessed toddler is, well, obsessed with). (More Costco love after the jump.) 4. Costco's Kirkland Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is actually extra-virgin oil. Unlike so many imposters out there, Costco's extra-virgin oil is legit, passing UC Davis' rigorous olive oil tests with flying colors. 5. Costco's got the best bang-for-your-buck organic good-quality maple syrup around. (Ours costs just under $16 for 1 liter.) And if you're like us and want waffles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you will use every last sticky little drop. 6. Costco's vanilla may be the deal of the century. Not baking enough to warrant purchasing the 16-ounce bottle of pure vanilla extract, or the Rodelle 10-pack of long beautiful Bourbon Madagascar beans? You should probably still buy them, and share them with friends.

Or have a baking party! 7. Choosing Costco's affordable organic frozen produce just makes good sense. Frozen fruits and vegetables can be as nutritious as--or more nutritious than--their frozen counterparts, and, of course, the frozen stuff lasts a while. We buy bags and bags of their frozen organic berries and broccoli. 8. Live longer: Buy Costco's nuts. Recent studies make a superstrong case for eating nuts to reduce your risk of death from heart disease and cancer. Kemp and her family are huge fans of the walnuts and pecans."They're delicious," says Kemp, "and I've never had a rancid nut!" That said, Kemp notes that "the best deal is the pine nuts." "They are hugely expensive elsewhere, and they are beautiful, sweet, and not a rancid one among them--and pine nuts are really prone to rancidity." Buy Kirkland pine nuts! 9. Costco's bags of big, beautiful Haas avocados are a dream. Costing around $5 for a bag of 4 or 5 avocados, they are a lot cheaper than their $2 to $2.50/apiece counterparts at more upscale grocery stores.

Keep this in mind when you're planning your Super Bowl or Cinco de Mayo party. 10. Speaking of the Super Bowl, let's talk about Costco's Signature Handcrafted Beer variety pack. Come to think of it, let's not talk about it. Let's just sit back and enjoy their selection of easy, highly drinkable, and highly affordable brews. A few 24-bottle cases priced at around $20 per case might serve you just fine for that Super Bowl party of yours. 11. Costco's huge bags of Stacy's pita chips will actually get eaten. If your family scarfs down these healthy snacks the way Tanya's does (her two teenage boys are famous around the office for their enormous appetites), the 28-ounce bags are a no-brainer. 12. If you use certain spices again and again and again--black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, oregano, chili powder--Costco's cheap, ginormous containers of them are a great deal. Lots of free samples! 14. Sometimes a $1.50 Hot Dog/Soda combo is exactly what you need. *Please note that selection and pricing of products vary depending on location.

What are your favorite items to buy at Costco? (Photos: Courtesy of Costco.) Tagged with: Kerry Acker, Shopping Love these seasonings I've ONLY found at Costco (Illinois): Swagger Garlic-Ginger Stir Fry (that I use for everything like seasoning steaks, veggies, fish, etc), Swagger Bulgogi Seasoning and Swagger Kimchi Seasoning (the last 2 are amazing Korean flavors that even my vegetarian friends love in my tofu recipe)! Honey Smoked Salmon (although not a Costco branded product but the only place I have ever found it in my area). Frozen strawberries, pineapple, and blueberries. Meat of any kind. Tuna steaks we bought for the first time this weekend were awesome (and $10 cheaper than what I paid elsewhere last month). Fresh shrimp and scallops from the fish guy who is there on weekends. I can go on but I think I have said enough. We also buy our gas there! Get your vanilla beans online at ebay or amazon. The prices are astonishing! Sy Ginsberg corned beef is the best! stay away from their frozen shrimp from Thailand though.

Trader Joe's has even better prices on avocados and you don't have to pay to shop there. I do like Costco and grew up in Tacoma with the founders but the closest one to me is almost 40 miles. Great to know about the olive oil...it's so hard to find out what your really getting...so thanks for the info We love Costco and have been members for year. The vanilla beans near the top my list of things we buy there! Sadly they only carry it during November December holidays as it is considered "seasonal". I would love to see it carried year round! And yes I have mentioned it to Costco just need for lots more folks to mention it ;) The peccorino romano cheese is to die for... and the price is fantastic. I swear by it! I swear by their vanilla extract, nuts (they're prices are WAY cheaper than elsewhere), and spices (especially ground cinnamon and ginger). And honestly, their prices for a case of 20 oz bottles of diet coke are the best ANYWHERE! (And they have good make up, too!) The fact that they sell VitaMix blenders cheeper than anyone else AND stand behind their products for life!

Not to mention Kirkland tuna is the only solid piece albacore on the market. And the giant bags of baby kale. I also love a lot of these deals. But the Pine Nuts are from China and I don't really trust any food imported from China. Other than that, you gotta love saving money and only having to go to the store every few months :) The Costco shrimp cocktail, including their cocktail sauce, is always fresh and great! Costco is always our first stop during our bi-monthly shopping trips. What we get there almost always determines our menu. Just be careful of the Kirkland dog food. My neighbor raves about it so I read some reviews. You should too, before buying it! Costco meat is the only meat we purchase, especially love the beef tenderloin. Also they have the best return policy of any other retailer in the marketplace. Pure Vanilla Extract also one of the best deals around. I'm happy to hear that Epicurious pros love some of the same Costco products I love. I must admit that I am never without a box of the 5 packs of Ghirardelli triple chocolate brownie mix.

Super delish, super easy, never fail to please. We also stock up on the unsalted fancy mixed nuts and the Marcona Almonds. We were a Costco family for years, now my husband works there. They really do treat their employees well, healthcare for part-timers and best of all a FREE membership! Costco is a wonderland! I've started buying most of our meat there. The prices and quality are unmatched anywhere else, including our local commissary. Their premade pizzas, while not as good or as fun as homemade, are perfect for a lazy day or a pack of hungry teenagers. Kitchen toys, flatware, utensils... And their margarita mixer is free of HFCS and quite good. Sadly, I found out the hard way last month that it's a seasonal item. Unfortunately, they can't sell alcohol here, so no wine deals for me. We also are HUGE Costco fans in this house. We adore their bone-in pork chops- just the pork in general is wonderful. Have a list together to head there next week to gather things for the holiday baking and cooking coming up- can NOT beat their prices.

Once read something that our beloved Julia had said about shopping Costco- apparently she was a fan as well. And KUDOS for being closed on T'giving. There are things, like family, more important than the almighty dollar. I love Cotsco's lobster tail bags. They are great for a delicious quick pasta meal. Also great organic chicken and beef at affordable prices. Costco is the BOMB! I've used all of the items recounted many times because the quality is superior. Unsalted butter is a deal; I don't know anywhere else you can buy 10# of sugar for approx. $6(my hummingbirds appreciate the deal!) And, of course, there are always screaming prices on some very drinkable wines. Costco's smoked salmon is very delicious. I always thought their 2-bite brownies were better than any other place. And, they let their employees enjoy Thanksgiving Day at home with their families. I love COSTCO, I never buy meat any where else and all of the items you listed are favorites. The Kirkland brand gives all else a run for their money.