The Costco Connection

BY SHERRIE NEWMAN

MY HUSBAND is a real pro at grilling up tasty meals, from chicken and steak to seafood and vegetables. His cedar-plank-grilled Alaskan salmon is the hit of every party we have (see his recipe in sidebar).

Through the years he has tried a number of grill styles, from infrared to gas and propane. In this regard, he’s a traditional outdoor grilling enthusiast: Industry studies show that quality, key features and competitive pricing are most important to consumers when buying a grill. Fortunately, Costco offers several options to meet various needs and budgets.

P EO PLE : © WAVE BR E AKM E DI A / S H U T TER S TO CK

SPECIAL SEC TION

HOME&GARDEN

BUYING SMAR T

Freelance writer Sherrie Newman ;lls this month’s consumer reporter slot with this behind-the-scenes look at a Costco program.

Email questions about this article to buyingsmart@ costco.com.

To find out more about what goes into a great grill, I asked Kevin Gleason, a Costco lawn and garden buyer, to describe the types and quality of the grills offered at Costco and on Costco.com.

A special Costco grill

Costco carries a number of grill brands and styles. But this year, Gleason and his team worked with one of Costco’s suppliers to develop a unique product: the Signateur outdoor grill (yes, it’s spelled that way). Costco is the only retailer that currently carries this specific brand.

“We wanted to ensure that we could
have input throughout the entire design of
a high-quality grill that would meet
Costco’s standards of excellence,” Gleason
explains. “We worked with a well-regarded
international manufacturer to develop a
product that would meet our high expecta-
tions. We designed an outdoor grill that is
made of top-quality stainless steel and
devoted lots of attention to details in terms
of fit and finish. This allows us to provide
our members with an excellent product
and a great overall value.”

Designed for quality

So what makes the Signateur special? Gleason explains that any discussion about great gas grills starts with steel. Stainless steel is the most popular material used in outdoor gas grills as it provides greater resistance to corrosion.

Higher-quality reinforced stainless steel is expensive, but it helps maintain the integrity of the grill longer, so Costco insisted on using the best quality, Gleason says. The highest-quality grade generally used on grills is called Type ;;;. This stainless steel has about ;; percent chromium and ; percent nickel, providing a high resistance to corrosion and making the grill more durable.