Costco Connection - August 2008

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COSTCO MEMBER Donna Murillo of Morgan Hill, California, is a FoodSaver impresario. She writes, “Being regular Costco shoppers, we purchase ne^arlyeverything in bulk, so our FoodSaver is a true blessing. Here are some of my ‘Saver’ favorites.”

Cheese. “I don’t lose a sliver of cheese to mold. Any leftover cheese is immediately vacuum sealed and goes back into the refrigerator.” Costco cheese buyer

Sarah George adds, “This tip is excellent for hard cheeses, but for soft cheeses I suggest tightly rewrapping after each use in Kirkland Signature Stretch-Tite plastic wrap and refrigerating.”

Meat. “Divide Kirkland Signature ground beef into the amount normally used for a meal, place in FoodSaver bags, flatten for easier storage and faster defrosting and freeze lightly before sealing.”

Nuts. “Combine Kirkland Signature nuts and dried fruits [our son adds chocolate chips] and seal in snack-size packets.”

Thanksgiving. “One of our daughters can’t be here for the holidays, so I p_late up the dinner, sans green salad, seal and freeze for her visit in the spring.” (Pat’s tip: For easy meals on the run, pick up a Service Deli chicken pot pie; bake, cool, slice in wedges and pre-freeze; then seal in individual servings and store in the freezer.)

Non-foods. “This same daughter lives on the muggy southern coast of Mexico and seals precious photos, passport and other important papers with her FoodSaver to keep them from being damaged by humidity.”

Donna ends with one last tip: “FoodSavers make great wedding gifts too!”—PV

Costco buyer Claude Green says, “Costco offers 152 freezer gallon bags per box rather than a skimpy 15 some retailers sell, with savings of up to 53 percent. Freezer quarts [216 count] show an even bigger savings of 61 percent.”

Costco’s 20-piece set (eight more pieces than before) includes divider trays and a new 1.7-cup size currently not available at retail outlets. If purchased individually the 20 pieces would cost consumers more than $80, whereas the customized, exclusive Costco boxed grouping—available in September—is just $29.99.

Snappy sealing options

Next up in the evolutionary order of food preservation: going modular.

Costco housewares buyer Erin Medved lays out a huge 32-piece set ( 16 lids and 16 containers) of Snapware® MODS™ ( modular organized durable storage) containers. These small, clear boxes, made from rugged polypropylene, are designed with easy-to-secure latches and color-coded silicone seals to keep foods fresh and prevent liquids from leaking. They are 100 percent airtight and 100 percent watertight.

MODS are particularly handy for next-day leftovers, soups and crushables such as fresh berries and chips, as well as transporta-bles such as cupcakes for a party. All are refrigerator, freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe (lids on the top rack, bases on the bottom).

Erin notes, “The containers stack modularly to save space in the refrigerator or pantry, nest for efficient cupboard storage when not in use, and they also make fantastic nonfood organizers.” The set comes with a lifetime guarantee.

The crystal-clear, stylishly designed FreshVac Pro™ boxes come complete with one-way valves that force air out to preserve freshness and are still handsome enough to use as serving pieces. Made from durable, reusable, shatter- and stain-resistant polycarbonate,

Food-saving champ

The final word in food-saving has got to be Costco’s FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System, the number-one-selling brand of home vacuum-packaging machines in the U.S. FoodSaver’s locking process has been

proven in studies conducted by the University of California’s Department of Food Science and Technology to extend food freshness up to five times longer than conventional storage methods.

I can attest to the FoodSaver’s remarkable results as I’m a fervent user and believer in this storage workhorse. But I wasn’t always so enamored, wondering before we bought it if this was going to be a gimmicky kitchen tool destined to gather more dust than use.

Foolish me. This has shown us one of the more remarkable returns on an investment. There’s rarely a trip to Costco that doesn’t include using this machine when we return home. We repack all of our fresh meats, poultry, seafood and many Service Deli prepared meals into easy serving sizes. The filled bags are handy, easy to store in the refrigerator or freezer and perfect for rapid reheating in the microwave or in hot water on the stovetop.

A new model, the FoodSaver V3825, recently arrived in Costco warehouses and costco.com. ( costco.com also carries the Futura Magic Vac Vacuum Sealer.)

The V3825 has a premium, high-tech stainless steel finish, stands upright for a smaller countertop footprint and is equipped with a 19 percent faster vacuum pump and new Smart Seal™ technology that automatically senses food types and seals them correctly.

Shannon Axthelm, Costco small electrics buyer, reports, “The new FoodSaver retains all the best features of our previous model, including two vacuum speeds [normal and gentle] and PulseVac® to control air removal.”

Referring to the University of Arizona study, Steve says, “With FoodSaver, members can save about $600 a year in less food waste, not to mention the additional savings associated with Costco’s low price.”