The Baked Good You Can Avoid Buying Next Time You're At Costco

Costco loyalists sometimes wield their membership cards like a golden ticket, knowing they have access to some of the most exclusive, delicious creations — including baked goods that go viral for their popularity. Yet there are also some underwhelming bakery items at Costco, and detractors cite everything from inconsistency to textural issues. The humble Kirkland bagel is one of the items shoppers have the largest gripe with, meaning you can skip them the next time you're at Costco. However, the reason might surprise you. The argument against the warehouse store's bagels centers around one of Costco's defining qualities: quantity.

At around $10 for a dozen bagels, it's easy to say this is a great deal. Especially when you consider that a similar bagel in a New York City bakery may set you back as much as $5 each (or more). But that return on investment is all relative to what you can actually consume before your carbs go bad. Considering a fresh bagel can degrade quickly, some customers are reportedly frustrated by the rapid mold growth to which these bagels are susceptible, and many take issue with the fact that 12 bagels is simply too much to get through in a timely fashion. Some customers are also turned off by the fact that bagels are among the Costco bakery items that aren't actually made from scratch.

Those in favor of Costco bagels

With all that being said, these bready rings do have their share of fans — especially those that don't live close enough to a bakery that might produce superior options. An argument in favor of Costco's offering in this category is that you can mix and match your flavors, which is a rare option when it comes to commercially available bagels. Given that the store offers flavors from savory everything bagels to sweet and spicy cinnamon raisin, nutty toasted sesame, or fruity and seasonal selections like blueberry, this is a major bonus — and a very good reason to attempt to eat them more quickly.

Of course, you can also try to preserve these bagels by pre-slicing, wrapping them up, and stashing them in the freezer, or you can even transform them into a brand new snack using your air fryer. No matter where you fall on this debate, it's almost universally agreed upon that the quest for the best carbs is always worth a conversation.

Recommended