Cook’s Illustrated magazine is the “Consumer Reports” of cooking magazines. In addition to publishing tried and true recipes, their dedicated test kitchen puts together objective & unbiased reviews of ingredients and cooking equipment in each issue. Some of their recommended products can be purchased at Costco.
In the August 2013 issue of Cook’s Illustrated they conducted a blind taste test and compared different brands of chicken broth. Not only did they recommend Better Than Bouillon chicken base but they also listed it as a best buy and praised it for producing savory broth. Better Than Bouillon chicken base retails for $5.99 for an 8oz jar. It also has a shelf life of 2 years when stored in the fridge after opening while similar chicken broths only have a shelf life of about two weeks after opening. Costco sells a 16oz jar of Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base (item #287780) for $6.89 making their price 42% cheaper per ounce than the retail price! I have purchased and used this product myself and while I initially had some hesitations (because it does look kind of weird in the jar) it really made absolutely delicious chicken broth and now I’m completely hooked on Better Than Bouillon. Note: item #287780 is not available on Costco.com.
In the November/December 2013 issue of Cook’s Illustrated they tested stand mixers and the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer was listed as one of their top recommended stand mixers. The tested mixers were rated based on their whipping ability, creaming ability, kneading ability and overall design. Fitted with a 575 watt motor the 600 series 6-Quart bowl-lift mixer comes with a 6-Quart stainless steel bowl, a flat beater, a wire whip and a “powerknead” spiral dough hook and retails for $449.99 on KitchenAid.comand $419.99 on Amazon.com. However, Costco sells a KitchenAid 6-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer (item #593241) that has a 1 HP motor (745 watts) and an extra-deep 6-quart stainless steel bowl in addition to the flat beater, wire whip and “powerknead” spiral dough hook. Costco sells this mixer for $349.99, which is 28% less than the KitchenAid.com retail price and 16% less than the Amazon.com retail price. But between 10 April – 4 May 2014 Costco is offering an additional $60 off their selling price so for a limited time you can get this mixer at Costco for only $289.99! With the additional $60 off, that makes the Costco price 35% off the KitchenAid.com retail price and 30% off the Amazon.com retail price. Costco also sells the same KitchenAid Pro 6-Quart Mixer online under the item #647681 on Costco.com for $289.99
(+ an additional $16.99 for shipping and handling). In the warehouse you can choose from three colors: red, black, & silver and on Costco.com you can also choose white.
(+ an additional $16.99 for shipping and handling). In the warehouse you can choose from three colors: red, black, & silver and on Costco.com you can also choose white.
For perfected recipes and impartial reviews of kitchen appliances and cooks tools check out CooksIllustrated.com and Cook’s Illustrated magazines. (BONUS: Cook’s Illustrated magazine can be purchased in Costco warehouses for 30% off the cover price!) And for great deals on highly rated ingredients and appliances head to your local Costco.
Until next time,
the Costco Connoisseur
#GoingToAllTheCostcos
P.S. – Selections and prices listed above will vary from different Costco locations.
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