How To Shop For Meat And Eggs At Costco

Presenter

Video appears to be from a cooking/food-health channel. The presenter speaks directly on camera while touring Costco and explaining what to buy/avoid in meat and eggs.

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Cooking-specific content

• The video is primarily a shopping/quality guide.
• It includes only a few brief cooking-use suggestions.
• There are no step-by-step recipes with timings/temperatures.

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Chicken (what to buy / avoid)

Key idea

• Most chicken is grain-fed and farm-raised.
• The main differentiator discussed is water-chilled vs air-chilled.

Types mentioned

Organic chicken (Costco)

• Chickens are fed organic grains.
• The presenter dislikes that the label shows “up to ~4%–6% water retained from the chilling process.”
• They claim water chilling uses a water bath (potentially with chlorine and possibly antibiotics), plus other chemicals from the process.
• Presenter stance: chicken is a “toss-up,” and they generally prefer air-chilled if eating chicken.

Air-chilled chicken (Costco, not the organic line)

• Presented as air-chilled instead of water-bath chilled.
• Presenter claims this results in less chlorine/other water-bath chemicals in the chicken.
• Presenter stance: would lean toward air-chilled over regular water-chilled.

Best-case mentioned

• Organic air-chilled would be the best option if available.

Cooking-use suggestion (brief)

• Chicken paws can be used to make homemade chicken bone broth.
  • Mentioned approach: put paws in broth/water with a little vinegar maybe or salt, then cook in a crock-pot or pressure cooker.
  • Described as a “high collagen” food.
  • (No exact quantities/times provided.)

What to avoid: rotisserie chicken

• Seasoned rotisserie chicken in plastic packaging sitting hot.
• The presenter argues this could involve plasticizers and leaching from black plastic.
  • (They also reference claims about black plastic being linked to electronics.)

Ingredient call-outs on rotisserie chicken

• Sodium phosphate
• Modified food starch / potato dextrin
• Carrageenan (called one of the presenter’s least favorite ingredients)
• Dextrose (described as another sugar)

• Seasoned party wings are referenced in the same context

• Presenter stance: they would not buy this rotisserie chicken.

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Beef / red meat (what to buy)

Ground beef options (lean-to-fat focus)

Grass-fed ground beef

• Example shown: 85% lean
• Price mentioned: $6.44–$6.45 per pound
• Presenter claim: it’s “fed grass its whole life.”

Regular ground beef

• Example shown: 88% lean / 12% fat
• Price mentioned: $5.99 per pound

Price difference mentioned

• About 45 cents per pound

Presenter recommendation

• Grass-fed 85% lean is worth it (they describe the cheaper “run-of-the-mill” option as less desirable quality).

“Sweet spot” fat percentage

• 85/15 is described as the “sweet spot” for ground beef flavor/texture.
• Too lean (examples: 95/5 or 93/7) is described as dry.

Steak grading: Prime vs Choice (USDA)

• Prime: more marbling (presenter says quality is higher primarily because of marbling/appearance).
• Choice: still likely similar nutritionally if grain-finished; grading affects mainly fat/marbled look, and therefore possibly taste.
• Both: cows at end of life are described as fed grains.
• Presenter prefers grass-fed steak when available.

Prices/types mentioned

• Ribeye
  • “Prime ribeye”: about $15 per pound (example shown: $330 for 22 lb)
  • “Choice ribeye”: $13.99 per pound
• Flap steak (preferred by presenter)
  • Described as good texture and “granularity”; “amazing.”
• Skirt steak
  • Presenter calls it another favorite; says Costco doesn’t always have it.

Presenter note on Wagyu ground beef

• Presenter claims Wagyu ground beef may provide less value because more fat cooks out.
• They suggest this affects “how much you get for your dollar.”

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Fish (what to buy / avoid)

Atlantic salmon (avoid farm-raised)

Presenter claims

• Atlantic salmon is farm raised (presenter claims there is no wild Atlantic salmon).
• Farm-raised labeling/claims mentioned:
  • Color added through feed
  • “Raised without antibiotics”
  • “Product of Norway”

Why the presenter avoids it

• Presenter reason given: farm-raised salmon is consistently higher in chemical contaminants such as PCBs.
• They also discuss possible endocrine disruption/cancer links.

Recommended alternative: wild salmon

• Example: wild sockeye — $13.99/lb
• Compared against farm-raised Atlantic salmon — $12.79/lb
• Presenter says the extra $1–$1.20/lb is worth it.

Color explanation (presenter perspective)

• Farm-raised salmon is paler because it isn’t naturally dark unless color is added through feed.
• The presenter compares salmon color to Atlantic cod fillet (described as what the salmon might look like without coloring).

Cod (briefly mentioned)

• Wild Atlantic cod fillet
  • Called super high protein and very lean
  • Presenter isn’t a “huge fan,” but suggests it could be good if you like lean fish.

Ahi tuna (buyer beware)

• Mentioned for poke bowls / sushi
• Price mentioned: $17 per pound

Presenter concerns

• Ahi tuna may have been treated with carbon monoxide to keep it red (so it doesn’t turn brown).
• Mercury concern: described as “sky-high in mercury.”

Presenter stance

• They would be careful and would not buy ahi tuna from Costco based on these concerns.

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Eggs (what to buy)

Options & pricing mentioned

Cage-free eggs

• Example: $8.39 for five dozen
• Presenter calls cage-free a “scam,” describing crowded warehouse conditions and grain-only feeding.

Organic free-range eggs

• Example: 24 organic free-range eggs for $7.69
• Presenter calls this the best available at Costco (organic grains + some outdoor access + vitamin D possibility).

Heirloom “fresh free-range” eggs

• Mentioned as blue-looking eggs
• Presenter suspects the marketing isn’t meaningfully better; may be similar quality to others.

What the presenter says matters most (quality indicators)

• Shell/egg color doesn’t indicate health
  • Brown vs blue vs white is said not to reflect health.
• Visual quality when cracked
  • White should be very viscous/mucosy, not runny.
• Yolk height test
  • When eggs are placed next to each other, healthier eggs have a yolk that stands up tall.

Ideal choice (if available)

• Organic pasture-raised
  • Presented as ideal because pasture-raised legally requires 108 sq ft per chicken (as stated by presenter).

Recommendation summary

• If choosing at Costco: presenter would go with organic free-range.
• They would prefer organic pasture-raised if possible.

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Equipment / prep steps mentioned

• Chicken paws → bone broth

  • Crock-pot or pressure cooker
  • Put in broth/water with a little vinegar maybe or salt
  • (No specific quantities or times provided.)

• No other equipment or timed methods are described (shopping guidance dominates).

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Tips / common mistakes (as expressed)

• Chicken: don’t assume “organic” means “best.”
  • Presenter dislikes water-chilled organic chicken due to retained water and alleged chemical exposure from water baths.
• Rotisserie chicken: avoid hot plastic packaging, especially black plastic.
  • Also flags ingredients like carrageenan and sodium phosphate.
• Beef: choose the right fat level for ground beef; presenter’s preferred 85/15.
• Fish: avoid farm-raised Atlantic salmon (contaminant claims) and be cautious with ahi tuna (carbon monoxide + mercury concerns).
• Eggs: don’t rely on egg color.
  • Check egg white viscosity and yolk height.

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Plating / serving suggestions

• No specific plating guidance.
• Contextual serving references only:
  • Ahi tuna is used for poke bowls.
  • Eggs are discussed in the context of “steak and eggs.”

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Referenced comparisons / channel notes

• Presenter references a separate video about Sam’s Club, claiming:
  • Sam’s Club allegedly had grass-fed steaks
  • and organic pasture-raised eggs with slightly lower prices
• Presenter concludes they think Sam’s Club is better than Costco for those items.