rss feedBlack Friday turned into Cookbook Saturday at Costco with recipes, recipes, recipes
It might not seem so strange these days, what with how news (see that one about minarets in Switzerland?) and non-news can amaze and baffle, that in the same place where I’ve bought tires for my family’s car as well as organic apples in bulk that I recently received a 232-page, glossy cookbook.
For free.
Yes, Costco is showing that it knows how to get to people when budgets are tight because of The Great Recession - through their stomachs.
It was a nice surprise since going into the long Thanksgiving weekend, I was so used to hearing about deep Black Friday discounts, especially on televisions, computers and video games.
The book, Home Cooking: The Costco Way, features photographs and nearly 300 recipes, as well as tips on how to stretch your food budget and recipes from noted chefs, including Mark Bittman.
Of course, the cookbook encourages people to use items sold at Costco and the recipes have logos from companies that do business with Costco.
Call it what you want – clever marketing tool, helpful recipes, glossy gastronomy. But you can’t call it buzzkill.
My family and I were leaving the big-box retail store Saturday when a clerk, near the exit, checked our receipt and asked whether we wanted a cookbook.
In terms of competing for attention – and we all know that the attention economy is just as important as gross domestic product - it worked.
While some recipes don’t appeal that much to me (Party Cheese Log, Page 36), others do, including the Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Bisque on Page 70 (yes, I know it’s rich with 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 stick of butter).
And some recipes are a bit heavy on meat portions. But I suppose Costco knows its members and customers.
I’ve always liked lettuce wraps, which I’ve typically had at Chinese restaurants. My aunt, Ginger, makes a great one.
So, I was pleased to see that the cookbook editors included a recipe.
The softness and freshness of the lettuce combined with the warmth of the other ingredients really make for a nice meal.
So, as part of this review of the Costco cookbook, here’s an adaptation on how to make it.
Ingredients:
- Olive or vegetable oil (About 2 tablespoons)
- Chicken, ground or diced boneless (1 pound)
- Note: Tofu, especially dry tofu, could be a substitute
- Second note: Turkey is another substitute
- White mushrooms (3 cups, chopped)
- Ginger, chopped (1/2 teaspoon)
- Garlic, smashed (1 1/2 tablespoons)
- Soy sauce (1/3 cup)
- Hoisin sauce (1/3 cup)
- Rice vinegar (1/3 cup)
- Lettuce, either romaine heart or iceberg
Steps:
- In a pan, heat oil.
- Fry chicken, tofu or turkey.
- Add ginger, garlic and mushrooms.
- Cook for about five minutes.
- Add hoisin sauce, soy sauce and vinegar.
- Turn heat down.
- Simmer for about five minutes.
- Spoon into lettuce leaves.
The recipe also suggests adding chopped peanuts, thin carrot strips, peanut sauce, chili oil, fresh mint or cucumber bits.
All of this sounds delicious to me.
Another great addition in the book is a reminder that you can find previous editions online – again for free.
The cookbooks can be read by clicking on the photographs to the right of the company’s magazine.
I don’t know how much the book cost to make. But I’m sure, as The Costco Way has shown us, that scale helped in lowering production costs.
David Fuller, publisher of the Costco book, noted in the front of it that its suppliers helped make the product possible. That explains why the recipes have a company’s name and logo next to them.
I do confess ignorance in being able to spot big names in the cooking world. But here are some of the other guest chefs who contributed recipes: Karine Bakhoum, Myra Goodman, Vefa Alexiadou, Nigella Lawson, Devin Alexander, Rocco DiSpirito and Tony Mantuano.
The tips to save you food dollar are pretty straightforward but include measuring ingredients accurately and preparing ingredients, such as garlic, yourself, as compared to buying it cut and packaged.
Christopher Kimball – that guy in the red apron on public television – is the founder of America’s Test Kitchen. In the book, he suggests storing flour in an airtight container and eggs in their cardboard container so they won’t pick up odors.
I plan to keep the book near the other one that I have that bears a commercial brand, The Whole Foods Market Cookbook.
It’s 450 pages, printed on paper, and has a price tag of $25.95.
I’ve found the book, which has 350 recipes, to be helpful, especially when I want that Whole Foods taste.
Note: The Whole Foods cookbook suggests adding chili powder, oregano and cumin to Mexican dishes.
I also often refer to Mark Bittman’s cookbook. So, I’ve included a photograph of that, too.
Note: On a sidenote, my condolences to the families of the recently-slain police officers from Seattle and Lakewood, Wash. I realize it’s a tough, gut-wrenching time.
