The $12 Costco Staple I Refuse to Buy Anywhere Else (I Eat It for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)

I wave my Costco membership card in front of the entrance scanner, and it feels like I’ve got the golden ticket. It gives me access to a well-stocked warehouse that I’ve come to rely on for super cheap gas, jumbo packs of toothpaste, and the frozen pizzas I serve every Friday night. 

I add the same grocery staples and Kirkland Signature finds to my cart with rotating regularity as I run out at home. When I notice that I’m purchasing an item with greater frequency at my nearby grocery store, I make a mental note to start buying it in bulk at Costco. The most recent grocery that’s made the swap is honey. 

Now, I exclusively buy 3-pound bottles of Kirkland Signature Florida Raw Unfiltered Honey at Costco instead. 

Kirkland Signature is Costco’s private label or store brand that you can find all over the warehouse. Instead of stocking a name brand of honey, Costco sells a few types of honey, all under the Kirkland Signature sticker. My favorite honey to buy at Costco is the Kirkland Signature Florida Raw Unfiltered Honey, which comes in a 3-pound bottle for $11.59 (or $0.24 per ounce). 

There are more affordable options including 5-pound bottles of wildflower honey from Argentina for $12.99 (or about $0.16 per ounce). If you prefer your honey in bear-shaped bottles, Costco has you covered there, too. A trio of bears, each holding 1.5 pounds of organic, raw, and unfiltered Brazilian honey, sells for $12.59 (or about $0.18 per ounce). 

While the liquid gold I prefer is slightly more expensive, I still buy it for a few reasons. This honey is a product of the USA, specifically Florida, which is where I live. While eating local honey may not cure my allergies, I still like to purchase honey that is produced close to home. 

I got used to the flavor of raw and unfiltered honey when some beekeeping friends gave me a jar of their honey. Once I ran out, buying the more processed syrups simply didn’t cut it. Raw honey, like this one at Costco, is not heated for pasteurization, so it maintains more beneficial antioxidants. It’s also unfiltered, so it has a slightly cloudier appearance than other golden-hued syrups from the pollen and wax particles that remain. 

The flavor of Kirkland Signature’s Florida Raw Unfiltered Honey is sweet and floral. It’s perfect for adding the distinct flavor that honey provides to a variety of recipes from drinks to desserts. In fact, honey is the featured flavor in many of my favorite desserts for spring: I love sharing this Bee Sting Delight with friends because the honey pairs so well with the toasted almonds and vanilla pudding. If I’m serving a simple bowl of fresh fruit salad for dessert, I dress it up with a honey-citrus vinaigrette.

Honey is also the star of sweet and savory glazes that make serving salmon, shrimp, and chicken even more delicious. Honey-garlic salmon is perfect for weeknights because it requires just five ingredients, or swap the salmon for glazed shrimp. The sticky syrup coats carrots in a glossy glaze that is irresistible, especially when it’s paired with something spicy, as you’re sure to enjoy in this recipe for gochujang honey-glazed carrots. 

Brew a gallon of sweetened iced tea, using honey instead of standard sugar to add body and flavor to the drink. Honey is an easy and delicious ingredient to use to sweeten cocktails because it dissolves quickly in cold liquids. If you like sipping on honey-flavored cocktails, be sure to try the Honey Bee or Gold Rush cocktails

Find it in stores: Kirkland Signature Florida Raw Unfiltered Honey, $11.59 for 3 pounds

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: The $12 Costco Staple I Refuse to Buy Anywhere Else (I Eat It for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner)