Tuesday, June 18, 2013

How 1% can make a big difference at Costco

A quick omelet made with Kirkland Signature Real Egg Product, above, and with Egg Whites, a new product that replaced it at the Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, below.

After a few minutes in a hot pan, the new product looks like this, but it pours out of the container as a thin, clear liquid, below.
100% Egg Whites pour clear and turn white as they cook.



Editor's note: Costco Wholesale has a new egg-white product, and a new mango nectar. Also today, I discuss a problem with Kirkland Signature spice bottles, an easy preparation for shrimp and how to prevent separation in Costco's Natural Peanut Butter.


By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Costco Wholesale's Kirkland Signature Real Egg Product contained 99% egg whites, plus color, spices, salt, onion powder and other ingredients.

Now, a new product contains nothing but 100%, cholesterol-free egg whites.

I used the new Kirkland Signature Egg Whites to make a simple cheese omelet on Monday morning, but blinked twice when I saw a clear, watery liquid pouring out of the container.

The old product had beta carotene and looked yellow, but the new one cooks up white.




The new product and carton, left.



When I ate the omelet made with 100% egg whites, I didn't miss the spices, salt and onion powder in the old one.

Other ingredients in the Real Egg Product were xanthan gum, guar gum and maltodextrin.

It's hard to compare sodium and protein in the new and old products, because different  serving sizes are listed.

Six 16-ounce cartons of Kirkland Signature Egg Whites were $9.49 at my warehouse store in Hackensack.

2% reward

I got a Costco Wholesale rebate check for $174.75 today -- a 2% reward for being an Executive Member.

The check more than covers the $110 annual fee for my Executive Membership.

That check was in addition to several hundred dollars in rebates I received earlier this year from the American Express card I use at Costco.

The American Express card gives me a 1% rebate at Costco, as well as 1% to 4% back on restaurant, gasoline, travel and other purchases.



The loosely fitting white cover with holes, left, came off and too much black pepper ended up in the ackee and salt fish my wife was preparing on Sunday morning, below.



Kitchen accident

We continue to have problems with the poorly designed or poorly manufactured perforated tops used on Kirkland Signature spice bottles.

The spices are terrific, but once in a while, the tops come off and you end up dumping too much pepper or too much granulated garlic on the food you're preparing.

Sometimes, the perforated top comes off with the screw top. At other times, it's too loose and falls off when you upend the bottle.

Mango drink

Last week, I received a comment that Brazil Gourmet mango nectar was no longer available at the Huntsville, Ala., Costco, and I haven't seen it at my Hackensack store, either.

We've been buying Langers Mango Nectar, which is 20% juice and contains filtered water, mango puree and sugar.

Two 3-liter, BPA-free plastic bottles of Langers Mango Nectar were $8.89 at the Hackensack Costco.

I've been using it to make smoothies with fresh bananas, frozen strawberries and non-fat Greek yogurt, all from Costco.




When bottled green Mexican salsa and fresh lime juice are boiling, remove the cover and place thawed and shelled Black Tiger shrimp from Costco Wholesale into the sauce. Cover and cook for a few minutes or until the shrimp curl up and turn white, below.

We had them over Della-brand Organic Brown Rice made in an electric cooker with Kirkland Signature Organic Diced Tomatoes, both from Costco Wholesale.


Easiest shrimp dish

Bottled Mexican green salsa, fresh limes and Costco's Black Tiger shrimp are all you need for a quick, tasty dinner that is ready in minutes.

Empty the bottle into a pan, squeeze in the juice from a lime, bring to a boil and add the thawed and shelled shrimp, which are already deveined.

Cover and cook until the shrimp curl up and turn white. 

You can eat shrimp and sauce over rice, pasta, quinoa or bulgur wheat.

I used a 16.7-ounce bottle of La Costena-brand salsa verde I found on sale last week for $1.50 at Hackensack Market.

The green salsa also can be used to cook any fish fillet.

The U-15 shrimp are farm raised in Vietnam, and cost $10.50 a pound when you buy the 4-pound package at Costco.

They are previously frozen and contain salt.



To prevent separation of the oil in the ground peanuts, you should refrigerate Kirkland Signature Natural Peanut Butter right after you purchase it. The thick, flavorful Costco product contains Valencia peanuts and salt, but none of the rapeseed, cottonseed and other hydrogenated vegetable oils added to prevent separation in national brands like Skippy, which Costco also sells.

22 comments:

  1. Are Real Eggs really gone forever? Do you know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know, but I'm not aware of Costco selling two versions of a product. Can you think of any instance of that?

      Delete
  2. I really miss the Real Egg. Egg Whites are tasteless in comparison.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've become accustomed to the new product, and a little grated cheese improves the taste. I also mix it with whole eggs in a frittata or omelet.

      Delete
    2. I agree, I do not like the clear, tasteless substitute-please bring back the "Real Egg"!

      Delete
    3. I don't like how the egg whites cook or taste. I hope they bring back the Real Egg soon - it tastes, looks & cooks better - never had to add the grated cheese to make them palatable.

      Delete
    4. I warmed up to the new product, which doesn't have any artificial color, and still make great omelets and frittatas with it.

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    5. There is a HUGE difference between the old Kirkland Signature Real Egg product and the new Kirkland Signation Egg Whites! I've stopped buying the new 100% egg white product, and have resorted to buying a grocery store's egg white substitute and happily pay significantly more! Let's face it, there are challenges with using 100% egg white in recipes that were not apparent with Costco's 99% egg white product. One percent does make a big difference!

      Delete
    6. The new Kirkland Signature Egg Whites are quite versatile, according to the package, and can be used in French toast, smoothies, frosting, cakes, cookies and pancakes, but will not whip because they are pasteurized. I still enjoy combining them with whole eggs for omelets and frittatas, or just making an egg-white omelet with some grated cheese and Aleppo pepper.

      Delete
  3. I just bought a box of the egg whites, but haven't tried them yet. The Real Egg product was disgusting in my opinion. Now I can stop separating the whites and wasting the yolks! In HI we have the organic eggs, and I'd buy the cheaper eggs for the whites only. I'd spend a lot of time over the sink separating 18 egg whites...I'd pre-cook a lot of eggs for the work week and warm up for lunch. I'm sooo happy now!

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  4. Glad to hear it. I'm using the Egg Whites almost every day.

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  5. I loved the real egg better the new whites give me a stomach ache, anyone else experience this

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  6. I haven't. I'm lactose intolerant, but egg whites contain no dairy. Maybe it is something else you eat with them.

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  7. I was shocked just now to open a new carton of Kirkland egg whites and discover they are no longer yellow. They will go back to Costco tomorrow. I didn't like the look or the texture or the taste. So disappointed. Hopefully can get yellow egg whites at Trader Joe's or another grocery store. I have a home in Canada too and never bought the Costco egg whites because they weren't yellow. Yuck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your loss. That's what 100% means -- no coloring. They make a fine omelet or frittata, and if you want yellow, eat whole eggs.

      Delete
  8. The problem for me is they 100% egg whites are not egg substitutes. You can't use them in baking or cooking to substitute an egg. I used to do that with the real egg and the whites don't work. Also the taste is different if you want scrambled eggs or omelet.
    I don't see why they can't carry both. They carry 45 different detergents, soaps etc. 2 egg products are not that crazy of an idea.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't bake so that's not an issue. The 100% Egg Whites have nothing else in them; they have to be seasoned. A little salt and black pepper doesn't hurt, but I usually add shredded, reduced-fat cheese that has salt or a slice of reduced-fat Swiss, both from Costco.

    Be creative. You could add Costco's prepared pesto, smoked wild salmon and lots of other stuff to an open-face omelet of egg whites. I use Aleppo pepper on egg and fish dishes, but if you can't get that, use paprika.

    If Costco sold another version, it should be one with egg whites and chopped sweet pepper, garlic, onion and so forth. There are numerous egg-white products in the supermarket with Mexican, Italian and other flavors.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Look at my Dec. 21, 2013, comment:

    The new Kirkland Signature Egg Whites are quite versatile, according to the package, and can be used in French toast, smoothies, frosting, cakes, cookies and pancakes, but will not whip because they are pasteurized. I still enjoy combining them with whole eggs for omelets and frittatas, or just making an egg-white omelet with some grated cheese and Aleppo pepper.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The new egg whites are great in smoothies. They help make the smoothie smooth, and they add protein.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haven't tried that. Use Greek yogurt from Costco in my smoothies. How much do you use?

      Thanks.

      Delete
  12. I just made some egg muffins with this product, and I ended up with a weird shiny film on top of the muffin. Its shiny, clear, rubbery, and strechy. I'm not entirely sure what it is and it doesn't look appetizing at all, so I'm also a little concerned. I've been cruising google for answers but i haven't found anything... Has anyone had a similar experience?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The carton says:

      "Due to pasteurization these liquid egg whites will not whip and are not recommended for meringues and angel food cakes."

      I don't bake, but does that explain it?

      Delete

Please try to stay on topic.