The $10 Costco Grocery I Buy Every Two Months and Eat Every Single Morning (I Wish I Tried It Sooner!)

A new year is upon us, but I’m staying true to the habits that have served me well. One of those is shopping at Costco to keep my home stocked with the foods and household supplies we use every single day. I’ve had a warehouse membership for more than a decade and it has been well worth the cost through every stage and season of life. 

Over the years, I’ve curated my own list of favorite Costco buys, many of which I share here at The Kitchn every month. If you want a sneak peek into what’s in my cart, all you have to do is check out my list of the best Costco groceries. This month, I’m sharing a long-overlooked grocery item that’s become essential to the way I started to cook in the last year. That item is Kirkland Signature Cage-Free Egg Whites. 

I always have whole eggs in my refrigerator, so for a long time I resisted buying the bulk-sized box of egg whites. Then I started paying attention to how often I would crack open an egg and discard the yolks when looking for a protein boost. I didn’t like the waste, so I found these cartons of egg whites to be the perfect compromise. 

Costco sells the liquid egg whites in a box of six 16-ounce cartons. Each carton contains the equivalent of 10 eggs. To buy just one 16-ounce carton of cage-free liquid egg whites at my local Tampa-area grocery store, I’d spend $7, while at Costco, six cartons cost just $10. That’s like getting 8 1/2 cartons for free. 

Costco’s Kirkland Signature egg whites have just one ingredient — liquid egg whites — and no additives or preservatives. When shopping for this item, check the different pallets for the latest expiration date available to give yourself the most time to use the egg whites. Unopened cartons of egg whites can be frozen for 30 days; just remember to thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before using. 

If using such a large quantity of egg whites feels overwhelming, here are some ideas to get you started. I add a few tablespoons of egg whites to whole eggs when making scrambled eggs to add extra protein. You can also use them to make egg-white omelets or copycat Starbuck’s egg bites. A bowl of yogurt topped with big clusters of homemade granola is one of my favorite ways to start the day. The secret to getting those big chunks of oats, nuts, and seeds is to add an egg white. 

Kirkland Signature’s egg whites are pasteurized, or heated at a temperature for a long enough time to kill pathogens, like Salmonella, without cooking the eggs. That means you can also eat these eggs uncooked. When would an uncooked egg be appropriate for a recipe? Many classic cocktails, including whiskey sours and Pisco sours, use egg whites to smooth the edges of the drink and add a frothy layer to the top. Pasteurized egg whites don’t whip as easily as the whites from whole eggs, so they aren’t a good candidate for meringue cookies or angel food cake, but you can absolutely use them for a snowy-white cake. 

Buy: Kirkland Signature Cage-Free Egg Whites, $10.69 for 6 (16-ounce) cartons

What Costco staples are you buying this January? Tell us about them in the comments below.