23 F here and sunny, so not that bad.
It got warmer here as well. Only -2ĖC, and we may even hit positive degrees this week 
1 Like
Today in SF, Sunny all day, upper 50ās, some of my daffodils have opened!
1 Like
Meanwhile, over in the East Bay, Iāve had to scrap ice off my car for the past several mornings (~7 AM).
I got some frozen XLB from Costco today, Synear brand. I cooked some up today for a snack - you steam them for 10-12 minutes. They were pretty good and soupy, I think a little better than the Mila ones I tried from Costco a few months ago though my memory is hazy of those.
12 Likes
Yay for the $10 Garden Bouquet flowers. Iād not noticed this area of my Costcoās flower displays before. In usual winter freezing temperatures I would not carry fresh flowers across the huge parking area to a cold car. Yesterdayās milder (for MN) weather and the reasonable cost of the beautiful multi-color small roses bouquet tempted me. I am very happy with these on our dining table for a few days.
1 Like
Iāve always bypassed this brand at my local Asian market. Iāll have to try a smaller bag to see if I like them. [quote=āMr_Happy, post:285, topic:37316, full:trueā]
I got some frozen XLB from Costco today, Synear brand. I cooked some up today for a snack - you steam them for 10-12 minutes. They were pretty good and soupy, I think a little better than the Mila ones I tried from Costco a few months ago though my memory is hazy of those.
[/quote]
Iāve always steered away from this brand at my local Asian markets, for no particular reason. Iāll have to try these the next time I make a run. I like the discount of big Costco sized items, but in this case my freezer space is too precious.
2 Likes
On a whim, I picked up some almond croissant pastries at Costco yesterday. Man, I sure hope theyāre a new regular item and not one of those seasonal things! Even Mrs. ricepad, who is generally not a fan of pastries, loves them!
3 Likes
As Iāve commented elsewhere, the Costco plain croissants are a great starting point for homemade almond croissants.
We do love their regular croissants, but with only two of us at the ricepad pad, a dozen croissants either takes us a long time to eat OR weāre stuffing our faces with them multiple times a day, and if we went so far as to doctor them, weād pack on pounds we definitely donāt need!
1 Like
I hear you about the freezer space. This bag isnāt super big.
Sounds like something Iād download and then dream about. Too many just for me, because Iād eat all of them.
2 Likes
They are very good for large scale production, and unmatchable for price. I share your concern about choosing between gluttony or stalenessā¦
ā¦which raises an interesting question about Costco packaging choices. Many have been the times when I would have gladly paid $30/pound for 1 or 2 of X (e.g., prime ribeye steaks), but theyāre only packaged 4:tray. I donāt like freezing them, and Wahine and I canāt use 4 without pushing freshness. So oftentimes, I pass on by.
I would think that, for certain items that are store-packaged, sales might increase if half-sized trays were also offered. I might even be willing to pay a bit more per unit.
1 Like
Invite two friends over. Maybe even create a Costco buddy system. (The pies and cheesecake are impossible for only two people!)
I agree on the bulk thing though. And even though it was traditional long before Costco to have two braided challahs for Shabbos, itās too much for two people, and if you freeze one, itās never quite as good as fresh. OTOH, freezing 12-ounce portions of their 5-pound bag of cranberries to use for cranberry relish later in the year worked out okay.
This periodically sounds promising to me, I try it from time to time, and it never has worked. My circles of family and friends just arenāt interested in buddying upāat least for the same items. I tried it one Christmas with a whole $$$ Iberico ham from Costco, and I couldnāt give it away before it spoiled.
Iām with you on that. I see their 3- and 4-packs of steaks and sigh. Same for some of their fresh fish, which often is more than just 3 or 4. Iāve never asked if theyād package two steaks at a time, though. I did ask for a complete cryovac of plate ribs (uncut) which my local Costco cuts in-house into individual ribs before wrapping for sale, and the meat guys were more than happy to sell it to me that way.
Challah does make great French toast and bread pudding, though, and once youāre introducing custard, frozen works as well as fresh.
Iāve asked, when I could Shanghai one of the butchers. Although Iāve succeeded several times in convincing one, most times they wonāt.
A vacuum sealer is a friend when buying bulk. Use to get prime steaks (3-4 at a time) from Costco, then season, vacuum seal and freeze them. The drop in quality isnāt much and I sous vide and sear. Donāt eat much steak now so havenāt been buying. The butchers at Costco are friendly and helpful. Croissants do freeze well and revive if toastedā¦.but way too many at Costco but excellent deal.
Iām late to this thread but making a new thread each year would be handy as they get unwieldy.
2 Likes
I donāt understand the question, given that the concept of Costco is bulk buying ā the name of the store is āCostco Wholesaleā.
People who donāt find it effective to buy in bulk shop elsewhere ā ie everywhere else that is a retail store with small packaging.
1 Like
