Do you shop at Costco?

[grammafreddy]

The family has had roasts from Costco with no ill effect other than to get AAA beef at better price than elsewhere.

Lower price is an ill effect? Who knew ... LOL

[Steve-O]

Costco BLADE TENDERIZES AAA beef? Are yOu SURE?

No I am not. They do blade tenderize. But I do not know exactly what cuts get this treatment. I am convinced of the safety of this practice as far as Costco is concerned. Why am I convinced? Took the time to ask the mgr there about how the process works and why there is a perception it is unsafe. I bought what he was selling. I take it there are a few that disagree.

[my5cents]

if the meat has not been temperature abused and proper cleaning procedures are followed in the cutting room, blade tenderizing is safe. This is why Costco has been doing it for almost 30 years -proper procedures. The family has had roasts from Costco with no ill effect other than to get AAA beef at better price than elsewhere.

That's a BIG IF.

You say : "Costco has been doing it for almost 30 years - proper procedures"

Costco buys its' beef from XL Foods. That was the source of the tainted beef last year.

From flamingfingers post : "Last September, 18 people got sick after eating beef contaminated with e-coli that came from Alberta’s Xl Foods—five of them after eating mechanically tenderized beef."

Nothing wrong at all with buying and consuming Costco's blade tenderized beef, as long as you cook it WELL DONE. But if you're like a lot of us and like good cuts of roast a bit on the rare side, you're putting yourself and your family in danger.

It doesn't matter how well Costco follows whatever procedures they need to follow, the correct procedures have to be followed from the initial steps and those steps are at XL Foods.

Would you undercook ground beef, even from Costco ?

The beef Costco grinds up that Costco warns you to cook well, is from the same steer that Costco cuts into roasts and blade tenderizes.

The procedure of mixing the outside of a cut of meat with the inside (grinding) is why ground beef has to be cooked thoroughly. The procedure of blade tenderizing, piercing the outside of a cut of meat and penetrating to the inside of that cut of meat, creates the same risk.

If I cook a roast and I get sick, that's my fault, but if I got a member of my family sick, especially someone elderly, I would feel horrible. I won't take that risk.

[Steve-O]

Fair enough.

[alfred2]

*removed*

[Bsuds]

Buy the whole top sirloin and cut into steaks and roasts yourself. No blade tenderizing involved.
Cheaper too.

[Bsuds]

*removed*

[my5cents]

Buy the whole top sirloin and cut into steaks and roasts yourself. No blade tenderizing involved.
Cheaper too.

Yes, the only beef I'll buy is the ground beef (we all know to be careful of that) and the whole tenderloin. You're correct they don't tenderize the whole pieces.

[Bubalouie]

Holy sheet, it was busy there after work yesterday, prescription pick up was fast as was checking out at the tills, but it was crazy, crazy busy......guess everyone was stocking up for Easter.

[forum]

I buy almost everything I can at Costco. Their prices are always fair or better. I don't really have to put much thought into whether or not I'm paying a fair price. Their workers are paid well for their job descriptions, and I support that. Many local Kelowna businesses don't pay or treat their employees as well as Costco does.

[my5cents]

Was at Costco today, not a good day, had to go back outside and get a second cart :)

I learned something (or perhaps re-learned something I knew and forgot) Costco does NOT take manufacturer's coupons at all. They sometimes issue their own store coupons, they take those (obviously) but they do not take any others. I'm not a coupon person, but my wife got a few and had them with her. "No, we only take our own coupons".

Just pointing it out.

[forum]

Costco always seems to "know" what I desire.

I think to myself "I should build a bean bag tossing game"...then I see one on sale at Costco.

[Lady tehMa]

Got a good quality hose for much less than I've seen at the garden stores - and I needed one badly. The old one was leaking like a sieve. $20 for 80 ft or so.