I’m always amazed at how quickly my cart fills up whenever I make a trip to Costco so it pays to have a bit of a strategy when you shop there.  There are plenty of items at Costco for foodies and people who do a lot of cooking, however it’s sometimes hard to find items that can be used up before they go bad or don’t pose a storage challenge (50 pound bag of flour- I’m looking at you.)

While shopping at Costco,  I tend to focus on stocking up on pantry essentials and paper products (namely paper towels, toilet paper, baby wipes, etc.) In this post, I wanted to highlight some very high-quality Costco pantry essentials that every cook and baker requires.  Here is my top 10 list of essential list of pantry items to stock up on at Costco:

Top 10 Costco Pantry Essentials

1.  Extra-virgin olive oil- I really like the Kirkland brand and I think it’s very good quality for the price.

2.  Balsamic Vinegar- I’ve mentioned the Kirkland brand for the balsamic vinegar before in my Caprese Salad post.

3.  Organic Chicken Stock- I love the convenience of having the cardboard quart boxes in my freezer so it’s one less thing to buy in the regular grocery run.

4.  Cooking Spray- Pam or the Kirkland Brand.  I use cooking spray almost every day and it’s nice to have a back-up can in the pantry when you run out.

5.  Tomato Products in normal-sized cans- I would avoid the super large cans of tomato products as I can’t really picture myself using it all before it went bad.  Costco does sell diced tomatoes and tomato paste in large quantities of regular-sized cans though.

6.  Pine Nuts and Nuts (Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, etc.)- While $18.99 for a bag of pine nuts may seem extravagant, it’s such a great value considering a teeny tiny bag at the grocery store can cost up to $7.  I store pine nuts in the fridge for long-term storage so they don’t go rancid.  I love to throw them in salad or use them in pestos.  We also go through a lot of almonds and walnuts in our house- I usually store them in ziploc bags or large sealable glass containers.

7.  Dried Fruits (cranberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.)- Great to throw in salads or baked goods

8.  Jarred Vegetables/Fruits- Roasted Red Peppers, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Capers are all great items to have on hand for regular cooking.  That jar of capers is huge so I would only recommend buying it if you use a lot of capers in your house.

9.  Vanilla- A must have for anyone who bakes regularly.

10.  Chocolate Chips- I tried to always have a bag of Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chips on hand for whenever I have the urge to make chocolate chip cookies.

What items do you prefer to stock up on Costco or other warehouse clubs?  What do you consider to be must-have items in your pantry?