The $10 Costco Staple I Buy Once a Year Every November (It’s So Much Cheaper!)
I realize that I say this about every season, but late fall truly is the best time to shop at Costco. I’ve been a loyal Costco member for well over a decade, so bulk buying is baked into how I shop and cook all year long. (Here’s a look at my favorite tried-and-true Costco finds.) My reliance on the warehouse peaks this time of year as the holidays approach.
A trip to Costco can be the one-stop shop for all of your holiday and comfort-food cooking needs. It’s where I buy the spices for my Thanksgiving apple pie (you can also pick up a pie from Costco’s bakery), baby bella mushrooms and crispy onions for green bean casserole, and all the fixings for the ultimate appetizer spread. Costco is also the best place for stocking up on not-so glamorous kitchen staples like parchment paper and trash bags. Another Costco staple that I buy every November is a pack of aluminum foil pans, and I think you should, too.
What’s So Great About Eco-Foil Half-Size Steam Pans?
There’s a lot of chatter about how to prepare for the holidays and a push to get ready for the busy days ahead with freezer-friendly meals. Yet with all of that advice, how to store the inevitable leftovers and make-ahead meals is rarely mentioned. That’s where the Eco-Foil Half Size Steam Pans come in. These pans are designed for the steam trays that caterers use to serve a crowd, but you don’t have to don a white coat and hat to make the most of their equipment.
The Eco-Foil aluminum foil pans are 11 3/4 inches by 9 3/8 inches by 2 5/16 inches, so they are close enough to accommodate most recipes calling for a 9×13-inch baking pan. A pack of 30 pans costs just $9.69 (or 32 cents per pan). At a chain grocery store close to my home near Tampa, Florida, a similar-size pan costs $2.76 cents for a single pan. That’s a savings of $2.44 per pan.
If you aren’t a Costco member or don’t see these foil pans at your local warehouse, you can find a similar product online for a few dollars more. The most important thing is to stock up now so you’re ready to freeze double batches of cheesy lasagna and aren’t searching desperately for to-go containers (and their matching lids) at the end of the holiday feast.
Eco-Foil Half Size Deep Steam Table Pan, 30-count
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$12.18
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What’s the Best Way to Use Eco-Foil Half-Size Steam Pans?
The last thing I want to do at the end of a festive holiday meal is dig around the back of the cabinet hoping to find enough matching containers and lids to send the family home with an edible reminder of the meal. Similarly, when I’m intentionally preparing a double batch of dinner (one for now and one for the freezer), one essential component is missing — something to store it in! Eco-Foil’s Half Size Steam Pans are wide and sturdy enough to hold leftovers from the entire Thanksgiving meal and look so much more appetizing than zip-top bags of stuffing. Plus, they are oven-safe, so you can reheat your leftovers all at once.
Even if you don’t need a 30-pack of pans for Turkey Day leftovers, you’ll be grateful to have a stash of disposable, oven-safe pans on hand for make-ahead meals. You can fill one with baked ziti, another with chile relleno casserole, or any of these other comforting casseroles. And because you’re using a disposable aluminum foil pan, your baking dishes will still be available for use.
Find it in stores: Eco-Foil Half-Size Steam Pans, $9.69 for 30 pans at Costco
What Thanksgiving staples are you stocking up on at Costco? Tell us in the comments below.
Further Reading
We Asked 3 Chefs to Name the Best Ice Cream, and They All Said the Same Thing
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
Ball Just Dropped the Most Beautiful Mason Jars for Its 140th Anniversary ("So Iconic!")
