Smart cooking, inspired by Costco

My old perception: Costco is for families with kids.

I had Costco membership for a short while when I was single. I would buy food like cooking oil or nuts there, but seldom fresh or frozen grocery items. How could I finish them by myself before loosing the freshness?! And I don't consider frozen food gourmet. One jar of oil or nuts would last me for a very very long time. Soon it occurred to me that the membership fee was not worthy it with the few purchases I made there. I canceled the membership.

My new discovery: family of one or two can benefit from Costco too
I was dragged into Costco again after I met K. He loves Costco. Gradually my perception of Costco and the grocery items it carries have changed.

Its big volume packaging brings unit cost saving. For some stuff, even if you could not finish and have to waste the leftover, the total price you paid cost you less for the same stuff in smaller qty at some other stores! :-) But it's the quality and convenience that retained my interest.

I am quite picky with food. Although we buy grocery 1 to 3 times a week only, the stores involved are wide in type and distance, ranging from Farmers' market, gourmet grocers, generic chain store, to small ethnic stores, from Manhattan to NJ and upstate NY. In comparison, I felt that even for Farmer's market and gourmet grocers, you don't always find the freshest for things you desire. I don't get myself stuck in any one store, I shop around and buy only the freshest. Costco's produce has limited varieties, and quality can vary too like any other store. But in general, I am happy with its "frequency" of quality.

The convenience of cooking with Costco produce comes in two aspects:

First, because of its big volume/qty, I can cook a big batch, rest, variate that batch into different meals for the following days.

Secondly, freezing technology in the market and freezing tips of "leftovers" I developed contributes. I used to resist frozen food. Isn't fresh better than frozen? Later I learned about freezing and packaging technology development and understood why some frozen food can be enjoyed without discount on taste and why some frozen food even beats the fresh version in freshness. Ever since, some frozen food from Costco found room in our freezer.

Not every food from Costco can be cooked or consumed at one shot and requires freezing. In test and trial, I've found some tips to maximize freshness in freezing.

In this series, I will share how Costco has inspired me to cook and enjoy healthy gourmet at good price. Hope you'll find inspiration through my cooking too.

(Of course, many of the cooking ideas and tips can be used with produce from other stores too.)