3 Ingredients You Should Buy in Bulk at Costco

Asian cuisine is deeply connected to and has profoundly shaped American food culture. This is the thesis that producer, creator, and host Danielle Chang establishes at the beginning of her show, Lucky Chow.

From exploring the Koreatowns of New York City and Los Angeles in season one to highlighting how Vietnamese and Cajun flavors merge in Houston in season six, Chang analyzes American food through the lens of Asian cuisines one episode, and dish, at a time. But in the latest season of Lucky Chow, which premiered in May, Chang takes viewers overseas for each episode as she delves into the food culture of her birthplace, Taiwan.

Although the television host and producer often eats food prepared by someone else while on camera, she’s also an avid home cook. We’re always on the lookout for actionable tips from food experts. So, when Chang told us she’s a fan of Costco, we jumped at the chance to find out what she likes to buy in bulk from this affordable warehouse retailer.

After a season of exploring food history, flavorful ingredients, and culinary traditions from around the globe, here’s what Chang will be stocking up on to cook at home.

Fruit

Costco is frequently praised for its rotisserie chickens, affordable pizza slices, and products from its private-label brand, Kirkland. However, there’s one area of this major retailer that you might be underestimating: the fruit selection.

“I love their fresh fruit aisles. I use a lot of their products. I eat a lot of fruit, and I like to buy it in bulk. And for dessert, I usually just serve a big platter of cut fruit,” Chang tells Food & Wine. “Costco has amazing variety and good value, and they have Korean pears, often they have pomelos… They always have mandarin oranges, and I mean, I’ve seen a lot of Asian tropical fruits actually at Costco, so I think it’s a good source for fruit.”

If you have children who go through fruit on a daily basis, then the wide selection of quality fruits at Costco may make your grocery shopping easier and more affordable. But as Chang points out, an array of tropical fruit is also a great way to end a dinner party — that’s exactly why you’ll always find a fruit platter on the dessert menu at chef Calvin Eng’s (who happens to be in Lucky Chow season 5) Brooklyn restaurant, Bonnie’s.

Meat

Proteins are often the most expensive part of any grocery bill, especially if you’re buying meat. However, purchasing bulk amounts of meat is one way to achieve lower prices per pound — and at Costco, you can even buy whole roasts for additional discounts, which you can then slice into individual steaks. In addition to affordability, the host of Lucky Chow also appreciates the quality and variety of meat cuts you’ll find at this superstore.

For cooking Taiwanese dishes at home, Chang notes that she often turns to Costco for proteins, explaining that “I do love their meat section. I love their oxtail, and I often make an oxtail stew or oxtail beef noodle type of stew. And they also have beef shank, which is very cartilaginous, and it has a lot of that joint meat in there. The texture is really good for long stewing and braising, which is essential for beef noodle soup.”

Meat is also a great ingredient to freeze and use later, so you don’t need to worry about buying a large amount. Besides, having the ingredients on hand to make beef noodle soup whenever you want sounds like an excellent idea.

Rice

One of the best ways to leverage Costco’s bulk format is to purchase large quantities of shelf-stable ingredients. You’ll enjoy a lower price per unit, make fewer trips to the grocery store for pantry essentials, and these items don’t need to be used quickly.

“I definitely buy my rice in bulk. I like short-grained Japanese style rice… But I buy my rice by the 32-pound bag size. Well, no, it’s a 20-pound bag, but yeah,” Chang says.

Even if short-grained rice isn’t your favorite, any type of raw rice (except for brown rice) will last for years as long as it’s stored in an airtight container in a cool place. So feel free to roam the aisles of rice at Costco and grab whatever your heart desires — this staple ingredient will definitely come in handy.