I’m a culinary judge who shops at Costco for the holidays. Here are 10 things I buy every year.

• As a culinary judge, I think Costco is a great place for holiday staples & specialty winter treats.
• If I spot Kirkland Signature smoked salmon or praline pecans, I’ll put them in my cart.
• I like to get cranberries, crispy onions, pomegranates, and beer variety packs from Costco.

By morning, I might be pushing my cart through a Costco. By evening, you may spot me judging a food competition.

I’ve evaluated hundreds of high-quality goods over the years as a judge for the Specialty Foods Association, a membership-based organization for people involved in the specialty foods industry.

My palate may seem sophisticated, but I still shop at many typical grocery stores and wholesale retailers, such as Costco.

Here are a few of my favorite things to buy there when I’m preparing to host and cook around the holidays.

Fresh cranberries herald the holiday season.

I’m a produce nerd, so I get excited when the new cranberry crop hits store shelves each fall. Toward the end of the year, I can usually find a 2-pound bag of Ocean Spray’s fresh cranberries at Costco for under $5.

I grab two and freeze one since they keep beautifully in the freezer. I can then bake cranberry crumb cake any time of year.

If you have the patience to string them, cranberries also make pretty tree garlands.

I also look for pomegranates, which can add a touch of elegance to dining tables and holiday dishes.

Fresh pomegranates are beautiful both inside and out.

Their blush skin is part of autumn’s palette, and their round shape makes them look like natural ornaments, so they’re great as holiday table decor.

Inside, pomegranates are packed with juicy arils that add a gorgeous ruby-red color and tart flavor to salads, dips, and desserts.

The key to enjoying these gems is learning how to dismantle them. Score the peel with a knife and gently break the fruit up by hand in a big bowl of water. The ready-to-eat arils will sink to the bottom.

The Kirkland Signature frenched lamb rack makes for an elegant holiday meal.

A rack of lamb can offer a wow factor to your holiday spread. Buying it frenched means the fat and meat have been removed from each rib bone to make an elegant presentation.

If I’m feeling extra fancy, I buy two or three of these lamb racks and tie them in a circle around a mound of stuffing to make a crown roast.

Some years, I’ve seen Costco sell this Kirkland Signature Australian lamb rack for $15 a pound. Each pack contains eight ribs, which is about 2 pounds.

The flavor of this cranberry-walnut bread matches many herbaceous, meaty winter dinners.

This large, round loaf from Kirkland’s bakery looks great and is fun to eat with almost any meal.

When hosting, I’ll set it on a wooden cutting board with a ramekin full of room-temperature herbed or salted butter.

The cranberries, walnuts, and whole-rye grains would complement a Thanksgiving spread or the holiday flavors of a winter roast.

Costco sells the 30-ounce seasonal loaf for under $10.

I don’t make classic green-bean casserole without crispy onions.

My family didn’t serve green-bean casserole topped with lots of crispy onions at Thanksgiving when I was a kid, but as an adult, I’ve more than made up for this deficit.

Fresh Gourmet’s crispy onions come with recipes for the classic side dish on the back. I also like this particular brand since it’s made with non-GMO onions and no trans or saturated fat.

These onions are also great for topping burgers, mashed potatoes, rice, and mac and cheese.

Smoked salmon can upgrade brunches and traditional latkes.

I often keep Kirkland Signature smoked salmon in the fridge, but I like to have extra during the winter holidays.

The topping can elevate your holiday brunch. I serve it alongside bagels and scallion cream cheese or under poached eggs and hollandaise sauce as a spin on an eggs Benedict.

During Hanukkah, I use this smoked salmon to top latkes, traditional fried potato pancakes. Its silky texture is a nice contrast to the thin, crispy bites. They pair well with a dab of crème fraiche and caviar, too.

El Almendro’s nougat candy is a European holiday tradition.

The Spanish company El Almendro has been manufacturing treats for over 140 years, and the turrón duro — a firm, almond-packed nougat — is a Christmas staple.

It’s made with honey, sugar, and egg whites, but since it’s mostly almonds, the bite isn’t cloyingly sweet. I like to add this white brittle to platters of cookies.

I sometimes find packs of the festive treat at Costco around the fall and winter seasons.

Praline pecans are a good addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes.

Kirkland Signature praline pecans are a Costco favorite of mine. I buy them during the holidays to add sweetness and crunch to a variety of dishes.

Pecans have a distinct buttery, slightly woody taste that’s enhanced by the sugary praline coating.

I like to crumble these over a Thanksgiving sweet-potato casserole, toss them into salads with goat cheese, and top pancakes with them for a decadent breakfast. They’re also great on a cheese plate.

A 40-ounce canister of praline pecans costs about $17.

When I can find it, I snag this fruit-forward cabernet sauvignon with a surprising flavor profile.

I’m not usually a cab drinker, but the Gnarly Head 1924 limited-edition Double Black cabernet sauvignon piques my palate.

This wine spends some time aging in bourbon barrels, where it picks up notes of brown sugar and a hint of char. It’s bold and jammy, heavy on blackberry, with cherry and fig undertones that make it a rich accompaniment to a winter meal.

I’ve snagged a bottle of this California wine for as little as $13 at Costco. And in some states, Costco’s liquor outlets don’t require a membership to shop, so check your local store if you’re not a member.

Don’t forget about beer drinkers during the holidays.

Around the holidays, I look for beer variety packs at Costco.

Some years, I’ll grab Samuel Adams’ holiday-themed beer variety pack, which features some of the brand’s seasonal brews. In my opinion, this collection is perfect for pleasing several guests at once.

It pairs timeworn favorites, from the sweet, malty Old Fezziwig and new, trendy cold IPA (which is fermented at lower-than-normal temperatures) to the hazy Holiday White Ale and mocha-kissed Black Lager. It even includes two regular Boston lagers for those who prefer beer that simply tastes like beer.

If I can’t find this seasonal offering before a party, I’ll grab a different variety pack at Costco.

Click to keep reading Costco diaries like this one.

This story was originally published on November 21, 2022, and most recently updated on November 11, 2025.

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