7 Things I DON’T Buy From Costco

Thank-you for your warnings on blade tenderizing. As a retired FDA Investigator, who spent a career following up on ford borne illnesses, I appreciate anyone who warns people in easy-to-understand language about the dangers of this type of tenderizing. Needle tenderizing is just as dangerous.

So I’ve worked at Costco for 30+ years. When I seen your channel and the caption, I immediately got defensive. 😂 I said to myself, self~ let’s see what this man has to say so I can put him in his place. I was pleasantly surprised Sir. Very much on it! Although the bit about us tenderizing the steaks…..if you only knew the amount of testing Costco does on top of the USDA’s guidelines. And….the cleaning the fresh foods dept”s have to do…..it’s insane!! I work up front and very happy 😊 thank you for all the lov you show our company! I’m hitting that subscribe button! All my best to you.

Sorry a ton, but I used to work for Costco. I can tell you exactly why people buy the things you're warning against buying ... Because they are EASY. They are DONE. There's no work involved. You just get the thing, and dinner's ready. Yes, the shrimp tip is good (and yes, I buy it that way, myself, when I buy shrimp), and yes, your recipe for pulled pork looks tasty, but in general, Costco members want the thing, and they want it fast, and they want it NOW. They're not going to take the time to slice a turkey for themselves just because it's cheaper.

I've been cooking for VBS at my church for almost a decade. I run the kitchen and do all the meal planning. I'm always looking for the best deal on meat, so I've gone thru a lot of generic hot dogs thru the years mostly free from our local food bank. I couldn't get hot dogs this year from the food bank, so I bought the Kirkland beef hot dog. Absolutely raving reviews from both the kids and volunteers. I'm never going back to any other hot dog other than Kirkland's beef hot dog.

The most important point made in this video is how blade tenderizing can drive bacteria that were on the outside of the steak, into the steak. Just about all bacteria on beef is on the surface, where it's easily dealt with. The more I learn about antibiotic-resistant bacteria -- and yes, your steer may have been given veterinary antibiotics, sorry -- the more I become concerned. EXCELLENT POINT. Thank you. On food safety: I will not buy, cook or serve farmed salmon. Ever. Be very careful where it's from, and avoid shallow-water farms. Many fish are raised in their own waste. And just don't ask what chemicals were used to control lice which infest a lot of salmon farms. You may not like the answer.

I am a fisherman living in the Pacific Northwest. I only eat salmon and steelhead (Sea-run rainbow trout) that I personally catch. You are correct, the farmed-raised Atlantic salmon are poor quality and not a healthy food to eat--look that part up! The steelhead sold at Costco comes from rainbow trout raised in the Columbia River below Grand Coulee Dam. They live in free flowing pens and are fed a very natural diet. They have plenty of body fat--hence the much better flavor and no need to artificially color the meat. I have caught these trout right next to the pens (escapees). Absolutely delicious! Good job on your reviews with valuable information! Thank you.

Thank you for talking about blade tenderizing. It is such a shame that Costco does this, especially to prime cuts of meat that are tender already.

I get the executive membership as well. Even if you don't spend enough to cover the $120 membership cost, you'll still benefit as long as you get at least $60 in the rebate check because that's the same cost as the regular membership that doesn't earn you any cash back. Most of the time, I get around a $80 rebate check. So my membership comes out to $40 a year. It's worth it. Also, if I by a big ticket item, I get my membership completely covered.

I have the executive membership and my daughter as my significant other. I get 2% cash back on what we both spend a year, or about $150. I also have the Costco citi card and use it as my main charge card getting an additional $400-$500 back a year. I use that rebate check at Costco Business Center and buy bulk meat. My husband is a butcher by trade and we go home cut up and package the meat

Your videos are informative and humorous. I like how you break everything down to the penny. I am a numbers person too. Thank you for the video!

Excellent video. Information is so important, especially on bladed steaks. Nicely done once again.

Thank you for these great tips! We all need help with todays tighter budgets. 🙂👏

I got the basic membership and the gas alone pays for it every year. Average 20 cents cheaper than any other gas station

Case in point on the hot dogs, if you were a fan of the Polish Sausage. They do still carry it in the cooler section for the same price as the hotdogs.

I am a devote of Costco so you are speaking my language. I love cutting my own cuts from large cuts of meat, thanks to people like you on the internet.

I don't even remember when it was the last time I bought cut meat. I have a grinder, a slicer and I do the larger cuts myself. Through the years, those machines paid for themselves ten times over and I saved thousand of dollars on food. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I'm sure many people learned a lot from your video.

First of all , I love your channel! I’ve done a lot of Costco butts and what I’ve found is that the yield is about 50%, so $5 per pound. The executive membership rocks, it has always paid for us.

For the carnitas, fry the meat on a griddle a little bit after pulling from the slow cooker. You don't need to add any extra oil. Also, buy the polish dogs from the Business Center.

You need to add about 40% to the price of the raw pork shoulder to make a true price comparison with the carnitas and pulled pork due to cooked weight vs raw meat and remember to consider bone weight for bone-in. I'm almost always a from scratch person but, for certain occasions, saving the time and adding that 40% tips the scale toward precooked.

I worked for a company called Price Club that was eventually merged with Costco. The food court is directed to do its best to break even. As a manager of the food court I got their early in the morning and actually had to shop for all my groceries for the day. All the "departments" were normally the same way. They were there to help bring customers in. Not sure what happened with the meat department. At Price Club, I would have sworn they were suppose to be the same way. The pricing was supposed to be a "just get buy" on cost to help bring people in. Love your video by the way! We buy the pork loin and now I'm encouraged to slice it up rather than buy the precut. I will say this... I know that some of the package deals aren't too great of a deal but we have a few just to use as simple time savers when are week gets a bit out of hand and they make an easy fix for dinner. Your ship cocktail save $3, and there are some nights that $3 is worth it.