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Category: Costco Product Review

Raffle: Win A Gourmia Air Fryer
Posted by: | August 5, 2024
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| Appliances, Raffle
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Win a Gourmia 8-Quart Digital Air Fryer. Enter below.

Gourmia air fryer has a new model. This one has a window. It’s available at Costco, and the price didn’t change ($49.99). Below is a quick review of what’s changed.

GAF858 (This one, new model)GAF798 (Older model)
8-quart (larger capacity)7-quart
Size: Smaller (shorter, more square-ish)Size: bigger, taller, taking similar foot-print.
Has a window (You can look at the food without opening the container)No window
Internal light (see pictures below)No light
Gourmia 8-Quart Digital Air Fryer
Gourmia 8-Quart Digital Air Fryer

Now I can look at the food without opening the container. To me, that’s a significant update.

I shall document myself frying and baking with the new model. I will post the video here. I have used the older model and I know what it can do. I expect the newer model will give me almost the same results. The window and the internal light will be a game changer.

Raffle: Gourmia 8-Quart Digital Air Fryer

I will draw 1 winner on October 1, 2024.

I am not a professional raffle person. I reserve the right to make mistakes. Gourmia will ship the prize directly to you. You will give your address to Gourmia. I will not know who you are and where you live.

Good luck~!!!

    Ajinomoto Gyoza, Japanese style dumplings, at Costco
    Posted by: | March 21, 2024
    | 3 Comments
    | Costco Product Review, Food, Household, Pet
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    Available at Costco locations in the Pacific NW.

    Ajinomoto Gyozas are available at select Costco locations. Cooking is simple. The instruction may seem tricky with the “flip” at the end. But watch the video. It’s simple. Of course, you don’t have to flip. Oh, you don’t know flip? then watch this short video below. I don’t get paid for this video. I don’t blog for money.

    Gourmia FoodStation – Smokeless Grill
    Posted by: | January 19, 2024
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    | Appliances, Costco Product Review
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    Gourmia FoodStation (GGA2180) is available at Costco and everywhere else.

    The FoodStation is a Smokeless grill, griddle, and air fryer – that you can also bake, roast, and dehydrate. What intrigued me the most was the Smoke Extractor. It’s supposed to extract smoke. So, I can cook indoors and there will be no smoke. So, I grilled some meat on the kitchen table, multiple times. I think the Smoke Extractor works, or I will not cook on the kitchen table multiple times. The first 40 seconds of the video should be definitive. The first 40 seconds may be all you need to watch.

    Everything else about FoodStation is predictable (in a good way). With its unique design, I can cook all kinds of food. If your living situation doesn’t allow a full-size kitchen, FoodStation is a must. Perhaps there are other products like this available. But Costco only sells Gourmia products so… here it is. 🙂

    Small electronic kitchen appliances are tricky to review because some people are mechanically challenged. Some people are naturally bad at cooking. For those reasons, I hesitate to say things like “It’s easy to use.” or “Cook. until it’s done.” I stood neutral and cooked some food, using FoodStation. I recorded my experience for you to see.

    *Wash the unit before the first use.

    Official Costco Logo Shirts, Hoodies, and More
    Posted by: | May 14, 2022
    | 4 Comments
    | Clothing, Luggage, Handbag, Costco Product Review
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    Check this out! These are the real-deal Costco T-shirts and hoodies with official Kirkland Signature logos. They also have jogging pants for men and women. They are available now, while supplies last.

    I ordered one white t-shirt with the Kirkland Signature logo. I shall inspect it first and purchase 1 – 2 more. If they fit perfectly, I may purchase a lot more, but that’s a long shot. The logo shirt is absolutely adorable. I shall wear it every time I go to Costco. In the past, I was tempted to purchase unofficial Costco apparel. I am glad they are now available at Costco.

    Ideally, I should own 20 of these logo t-shirts so I can wear them every day as I work from home. But I cannot wear these shirts at home because they are a relaxed fit. The relaxed fit means a lot of access fabric and wicked huge armholes. Supima cotton is soft and nice. But, they can be too soft (stretchy) for me, especially when they are a relaxed fit.

    I have purchased a number of Supima cotton t-shirts at Costco. I cannot wear them at home because they are too loose, stretchy, and have big armholes.

    *Update: I tried the logo t-shirt and I like it. The logo t-shirt fits me just OK. It’s a slightly relaxed fit, but not by a lot. With that, the undershirts fit me better (perfectly) and they feel better for my body shape. Look at the below picture for my body shape.

    I have a problem with short sleeves shirts with big sleeves. Crucially, your t-shirt should absorb your armpit sweat by wedging into your armpits. Large armholes cannot do that job. So, your pits will stay sweaty all day, leaving you prone to body odor. Personally, though, the loose fabric around my arms and the pits feels unbearable. Also, large sleeves are not very attractive.

    T-Shirt with proper sleeves. How t shirt sleeves should fit.
    T-shirt from Costco – sleeves that compliment

    I like Costco’s white undershirt. They have perfect sleeves to wear at home. I always fold the sleeves at the seams to make them 1 inch shorter. I currently own 11 of them, and I just ordered a 6 pack along with the logo shirt. I work from home, so if I put on a white shirt in the morning it will stay on me for 24 hours. For the past 14 years or longer, I’ve been wearing these white shirts at home and in bed. Fitting t-shirts stay better while I sleep. Loose-fit t-shirts move too much. They ride up more easily, and they just feel too loose, which affects my sleep.

    If you are young, you can wear a white t-shirt when you go out, like James Dean. It’s a freakin’ awesome look. But they are not a good look for grown men like me; unless you work construction, hospice, or if your last name is Clean.

    Absolutely adorable – Maybe it’s the model
    English Laundry Men’s Twill 5 Pocket Pant
    Posted by: | April 5, 2022
    | 4 Comments
    | Clothing, Luggage, Handbag, Costco Product Review
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    Quick. I have to tell you this before the sale ends on May 2, 2022. ($5 off)

    https://www.costco.com/english-laundry-men’s-twill-5-pocket-pant.product.100773733.html

    These pants may be one of the best pants I have seen. They fit modern style in slim straight. They are a little stretchy (I like). They come in gray, brown, and green. I bought 3 pairs of each color.

    Important: Costco may bring back these pants in the future. The next batch may have the same product number, same name, and the same description. BUT.. the pants may be different. They may use different materials, or they may use a different manufacturer. That’s why you often hear people saying “They are not what they used to be”

    So, I can only review these pants for April 2022. And they are fantastic.

    Gourmia Air Fryer – GAF798
    Posted by: | March 30, 2022
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    | Appliances, Costco Product Review
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    Air fry, bake, & dehydrate

    I spent 2 weeks with a Gourmia Air Fryer, GAF798 (Costco item #5232432). I focused on frying fish and chips. But it does more than frying. It can bake and dehydrate as well. 2 weeks was not enough time to learn about a new kitchen appliance. I shall spend more time with it. So far, this opened a door to a new world. I didn’t know there were so many frozen fish, fries, and such… that I can fry on my own.

    I will definitely use this air fryer often for onion rings, fish, and fries. My only problem is that I need to reframe myself from using it too often.

    Gourmia’s air fryers are available at Costco. They are currently on sale for $39.95 in-store until April 10, 2022. The online price is $49.99 (shipping & handling included), also through April 10. Costco’s regular price is still the best you can find.

    Below is a quick video – from unboxing to trying out some recipes. I ate a lot.

    Key features of Gourmia’s 7-quart digital air fryer are:

    • Pre-set 10 One-Touch Cooking Functions
    • Guided Cooking Prompts with optional Preheat and Turn Food reminders
    • FryForce 360° Technology
    • 90°F to 400°F temperature range, up to 24 hours with auto shut-off
    • Air frying uses up to 80% less fat than deep frying – so enjoy those French fries!
    • Includes dishwasher safe basket, crisper tray, and multi-purpose rack, for easy clean up
    • Digital Dual Time/Temperature Control
    • Cord Management System
    Costco Bratwurst – Kirkland Signature Brats (sausages)
    Posted by: | September 29, 2021
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    | Costco Blog, Costco Product Review, Food, Household, Pet
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    Vacuum, Freeze, Enjoy (#vacuumfreezeenjoy)

    I bought Kirkland Signature Brats (Bratwurst) on June 9, 2021. I paid the regular price of $8.49 for 14 links (2 packages of 7 each). I vacuum-packed and froze them for long-term storage. It took me 3 months to finish all 14 links by myself. And I can tell you that these sausages are a delight. I like them, and I will buy them again.

    Kirkland Signature Bratwurst, brats, Costco

    I made gumbo with these brats. In that gumbo, I also put in an equal amount of Costco chicken breast meat. I don’t live in the South, so I don’t know how the homemade gumbo should look and taste like. I blindly followed the generic recipe, and I enjoyed my gumbo a lot. It was very good. But people from the South may look at the picture of my Gumbo and say, “What the heck is this?”. What can I say… that would be my imaginary gumbo that came to life. 🙂 I also made the collard greens from scratch (picture).

    I also fried some brats in a frying pan. For these, I put olive oil and several basic seasonings (no salt). I put it on low heat with the cover on. I purposely didn’t follow the cooking instruction on the package. While cooking, I turned over the brats only once, so my pictures would come out pretty. Don’t worry, I cooked them all the way through. I am not that clueless.

    Costco Brats, Kirkland Signature Bratwurst
    Costco Brats cooking instruction, Nutrition Facts
    Sausage and chicken Gumbo, Collard Greens
    210920c

    Below are the official care and cooking instructions from the bottom of the package. The instruction is there for people who never cooked before. You may ignore it if you know what you’re doing.

    Care Instruction for Costco Bratwurst

    • Once opened, use within 5 days
    • Freeze up to 30 days
    • Keep refrigerated

    Cooking Instructions for Kirkland Signature Brats

    • Grill – Heat gas grill to medium-low (if charcoal, allow it to burn until white ash has formed on the embers). Place links on grill. Use tongs to turn often. Grill bratwurst for 20 to 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F
    • Stovetop – Spray skillet with cooking spray. Add brats. Cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes, turning links with tongs often. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup of water to skillet. Cover skillet and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
    • Broil – Place links on broiler rack or foil-lined baking pan 7 to 9 inches below heat. Turn links with tongs every 3 minutes. Broil for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown or until internal temperature reaches 165°F