The 10 Must-Have Costco Buys for Winter

1. KitchenAid Professional 6-Quart Mixer, $250

The usefulness of a stand mixer grows as the temperature drops, even with the holiday baking season behind us. Use a KitchenAid to knead bread dough without breaking a sweat. (Serve thick-cut slices of chewy loaves with every bowl of soup this season.) And remember, the stand mixer’s usefulness extends beyond baking: The paddle attachment makes quick work of shredding chicken for game-day dips and mixes meatballs in minutes.

2. BibiGo Chicken & Vegetable Potstickers, $12 for 3 pounds

Rescue your winter meal plan from the continuous cycle of casseroles with a bag of frozen potstickers from Costco. Bite-sized pockets of seasoned chicken and veggies need little more than a bowl of hot broth (or coconut milk!) or sliced veggies to make a meal. Reheat only what you need and keep the rest of the bag in the freezer for last-minute dinners.

3. Chefman Electric Glass Kettle, $30

There’s nothing more comforting on a cold winter’s night than settling into a cozy chair with a mug of hot tea. Boil water for a single brewed mug or add tea to the tea infuser and make a whole pot. Don’t stop there, though — you can also use the rapid heating to jump-start your morning oatmeal on frigid mornings when you’ve reached for the snooze button one too many times.

4. Honeycrisp Apples, $11 for 5.5 pounds

Apples get pegged as a fall fruit, but they’re on my Costco list long after the annual orchard visit. A little bit sweet and a little bit tart, Honeycrisp apples are good for eating out of hand and for cooking. When it’s too cold to even think about going out to dinner, serve a show-stopping meal straight from the skillet, like a pork loin roasted over a bed of onions and apples, or cover the apples with crumbles and serve warm for an easy dessert that make even better breakfast leftovers.

5. Dee Amore Egg Bites, $10 for 4

Does your new year’s resolution call for cutting carbs or eating more protein? Or is the goal to save some coin by skipping the Starbucks line and their famous sous vide egg bites? These egg cups are made with a trio of mild cheeses and bacon, and are packed in pairs for easy grab-and-go eating. They make a hot and fast breakfast for rush-hour commuters and school bus riders alike.

6. Del Monte Butternut Squash, $6 for 2 pounds

Dicing a butternut squash isn’t hard per se, but if you could skip all the knife work and head straight for the stove, why wouldn’t you? Serve the squash in the season’s most satisfying (and simple!) soup or use our favorite gnocchi trick and scatter the squash on a sheet pan with mushrooms and sausage.

7. Nina Italian Peeled Tomatoes, $5 for three 28-ounce cans

From January to March my main food groups are noodles, cheese, and pasta sauce. Anyone who has made Marcella Hazan’s famous recipe knows there’s no substitute for homemade sauce — especially when it can be so incredibly uncomplicated. Stock up on the main ingredient (tomatoes!) and simmer the sauce on the back of the stovetop until it is ready for lasagna or ziti.

8. Tasty Bite Indian Madras Lentils, $13 for 8 pouches

My first bite of these lentils came courtesy of Costco’s sample servers — a spoonful of tender lentils in a warmly spiced and creamy tomato-based sauce served in a tiny paper cup. Skip the lunch rush and stash a pouch in your desk drawer for a warming midweek lunch.

9. Beef Short Ribs, $7 per pound

Braising tough cuts of meat until fork tender is the magic we wait for all year long. After you’ve mastered the slow-cooked Boston butt, use the Dutch oven to make comforting and beefy short ribs. It’s practically impossible to make a mistake with this meaty cut. Short ribs are the perfect winter meal to serve over homestyle mashed potatoes or creamy polenta for a quiet night in or a cozy dinner party.

10. La Terra Fina Spinach Artichoke Dip, $9 for 31 ounces

Let’s spend this winter making dip (THIS dip, specifically) an acceptable dinner. Pick up a pair of baguettes from the bakery and sliced veggies from the cooler to serve with the dip. It also works as an app for watching the big game, a spread for sandwiches, or broiled with extra cheese and served hot on movie night.