The Vlasic kosher dill baby pickles at my local supermarket cost about $6 for a 16-ounce container, making them the most expensive per ounce of the pickles I tried.

They had a nice crunch to them, and although they initially had a mild and pleasant briny flavor, there was an off-putting aftertaste. As a result, my entire family placed these at the bottom of the list.

The taste was so unpleasant that I bought a second jar from a different supermarket to see if the first one was an anomaly. It was not.

I grabbed a 16-ounce jar of 365 organic kosher baby dill pickles from Whole Foods for $5.

When I took a bite, however, I didn't think these pickles were as good as some of the others I tried. They weren't especially crunchy, and I didn't love the flavor. I thought they were heavy on garlic and lacked the crisp, vinegary bite I seek in good pickles.

I'd eat them again if someone served them to me, but I'd opt for other brands if I were shopping for my family.

To be fair, these were my 7-year-old's favorite, but he's by far the most averse to spicy foods in our family.

The Trader Joe's kosher dill pickles were the least expensive of the group, at $3 for a well-stuffed 24-ounce jar.

These pickles had a satisfying snap with each bite but a fairly mild vinegar flavor and some seasoning resembling caraway, which felt unfamiliar. They also didn't have the palate-cleansing zest I sometimes want.

Overall, they tasted like something you'd serve on a cheese board rather than with a cheeseburger.

I'd buy these again — especially considering the price — if I were shopping at Trader Joe's and needed pickles. However, they're not something I'd go out of my way for.

I took home a 24-ounce jar of Mt. Olive dill-pickle spears that was on sale for $4 (about $2 off the supermarket's usual price).

I wasn't sure if I'd ever bought a jar of Mt. Olive pickles before, but when I opened it, I recognized the smell immediately — these were the pickles that came with every sandwich at a popular and delicious deli near where I went to college.

They were a touch mushy and didn't have much crunch, but they won me over with their assertive, classic pickle flavor, which was so tangy it was almost spicy.

I might buy them again if I start feeling nostalgic for that sandwich shop or am looking for a budget-friendly option.

Claussen's kosher dill pickles cost $7 for a 32-ounce jar at my local supermarket. These pickles were the only of the five brands I tried that came from the grocer's refrigerated section.

Having to refrigerate the Claussen pickles made them slightly less convenient to store, but they were so much better than the other pickles we tasted. Vibrant with dill, they were crunchy without being heavy and had a bright vinegary tang.

My wife, our 4-year-old, and I all ranked this as the best pickle by far — so far superior to the others that the extra cost was easily justified.

I will seek out Claussen whenever I'm buying pickles at the supermarket in the future.

I was really excited about Olipop's watermelon-lime flavor — until I took my first sip. Out of the 17 flavors I tried, this was the only one I found to be truly off-putting.

In my opinion, it tasted like watermelon that had been put in the fridge after sitting out in the sun all day. This flavor also overpowered any lime notes that may have been in there.

To be honest, I disliked it so much that I wondered if maybe I had gotten a bad batch. After trying another can from a different store, I found it tasted the same as the first one.

My wife tried both cans and didn't care for it either. Maybe this flavor is more of an acquired taste.

Anyone who chooses green apple when presented with a variety of lollipop flavors will enjoy this soda. I happen to dislike green-apple candy, and that's mostly what Olipop's crisp apple tastes like.

Every can of Olipop has a description of the flavor, and this one claims to blend "sparkling apple juice and gummy apple rings." However, I tasted a lot more of the latter.

Throughout my taste test, I was surprised at how few of the sodas tasted medicinal. However, the cherry cola was an exception.

In my opinion, it had an unpleasant aftertaste and a cherry flavor that seemed more artificial than other Olipop varieties.

I expected to rank banana cream dead last — I love bananas, but I'm not sure I've ever liked anything banana-flavored. In that context, the banana cream was surprisingly drinkable.

The banana flavor was definitely more reminiscent of Runts candy than an actual banana, but it wasn't too strong or sweet. It made for a soda that was at least interesting, if not particularly good.

Olipop's take on root beer definitely had some of the familiar, sweet, herbal taste. However, it didn't pack much of the spicy bite the best varieties offer.

In my opinion, root beer typically translates poorly into diet form — maybe because it's traditionally so sugary — and Olipop's decidedly tasted like a diet root beer. It wasn't unpleasant, but it didn't leave me wanting more.

The can says that Olipop's orange squeeze is "a bright twist on the nostalgic classic" and incorporates clementine, mandarin, and lemon juices. However, in my opinion, it tasted more like traditional orange soda.

I'm not particularly nostalgic for orange soda, and while this had plenty of citrus flavor, it didn't have much of the associated tartness.

Unlike the cherry-cola flavor, the cherry taste that shined through in the cherry-vanilla variety is tart with acidity. I found it to be closer to the flavor of real, fresh cherries than maraschinos.

However, the distinct cherry flavor was a little too assertive for my tastes, and I would've liked more of the familiar warmth of vanilla to balance it out.

At first sip, I thought Olipop's ginger ale might rank first on this list. It had the flavor of real ginger — just enough to give it just a touch of spice. It also had a nice, citrusy tartness, which made for a brighter and more nuanced flavor than you'd find in most mainstream ginger ales.

However, there was something oddly biotic about the aftertaste that brought this one down the list.

Based on the name and packaging, Doctor Goodwin is presumably Olipop's answer to Dr. Pepper. Diet Dr. Pepper is my go-to soda whenever it's available, but Olipop's version tasted nothing like it.

That being said, this soda wasn't bad at all in its own right. It had a more palatable dose of the same cherry flavor from the cherry-vanilla variety. However, it was balanced out by an indistinct sweetness. To me, Doctor Goodwin might viably pass as a cherry cola.

At the first taste, I was impressed by how fizzy the vintage cola was. I was also surprised at how accurately it mimicked the flavor of familiar diet colas like Diet Pepsi.

It was sweet, had a touch of bite, and no noticeable aftertaste. If I lined it up with other diet colas in a blind test, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell which one had 9 grams of fiber.

Lemon-lime seems pretty ho-hum as far as soda flavors go — so much so that this was the last of the 17 sodas I tried. However, I was surprised by how much I liked it.

Unlike with any other lemon-lime soda I can remember, I could taste the distinct flavors of lemon and lime instead of a vague citrusy sweetness. It was pleasantly sour and shockingly refreshing after I'd sampled 16 other flavors.

Strawberry vanilla was another flavor that surprised me. Based on the cherry-vanilla variety, I thought this one would be too heavy on the strawberry flavor.

But while the sweet, tangy taste of strawberry was certainly present and obvious, this one had a much more noticeable hint of vanilla, which served as a warm counter to the strawberry.

I found Olipop's strawberry-vanilla reminiscent of a flavored cream soda from an old-timey soda fountain.

Despite its name, Olipop's classic grape didn't taste much like classic grape soda.

Instead, I found it tasted more like actual grapes. More specifically, it was reminiscent of the fancy sparkling grape juice that comes in glass bottles and is served to kids when the grown-ups are having cocktails. It was tart, not too sweet, and a little winey.

In 2024, Olipop's newest flavor, Ridge Rush, was introduced with an ad campaign that called it "A Can of Do" — positioning it as the brand's answer to Mountain Dew.

However, I liked it a bit more than actual Mountain Dew — it wasn't as sweet, and the citrus flavors were far more distinct.

It's a lighter yellow than its inspiration, and is one of only four Olipop flavors with caffeine.

The biggest shock of the taste test came when I poured some tropical punch into a glass. I expected the liquid inside to be red or pink, but instead, it was yellow.

This made a lot more sense once I discovered the most noticeable flavor in the soda was pineapple. However, it wasn't nearly as thick or cloying as straight pineapple juice, and the pineapple's sweet acidity tasted brighter and lighter from the carbonation.

This felt like it was begging for some rum, though I'm not certain prebiotic rum is the best idea.

The ginger-lemon had even more ginger flavor than the ginger ale.

The flavor was strong enough to make the soda a bit spicy and taste like ginger beer, but it also had just enough sweetness to take the edge off the spice.

And most importantly, it didn't have the same unpleasant aftertaste as the ginger ale. I did find that the ginger flavor overpowered the lemon, but I liked this soda so much that I was OK with it.

In general, I typically find cream sodas to be bland. However, there was nothing bland or boring about Olipop's cream soda. It was rich with vanilla flavor but not too sweet.

It was definitely on the milder side of the flavors I tried, but it absolutely captured the nostalgic soda-shop taste of cream soda — without anything to indicate it's also loaded with fiber.

This story was originally published in May 2024 and most recently updated on January 6, 2025.

The 2-½ pound box of Kirkland Signature panko shrimp, which cost $19, was the most expensive meal I purchased. According to its packaging, each box comes with 40 to 50 shrimp that can be prepared in the oven.

The slightly peppery seasoning on the shrimp was tasty, but I thought there was too much breading, making the shellfish feel like an afterthought.

Next time, I'll make my own version with frozen uncooked shrimp, which is also quick and easy to prepare.

The Sandwich Bros. chicken-melt sandwiches, which I'd wanted to try for a while, looked enormous and delicious on the box. But when I opened the package, they were smaller than I'd expected.

A pack of 15 individually wrapped sandwiches cost $12.70, which seemed reasonable to me.

The pita got a little rubbery in the microwave, but no other cooking methods were listed on the box. I tried heating the sandwiches in the oven and air-fryer, but both methods essentially baked the pita into a cracker.

Taste-wise, the chicken had a mildly peppery seasoning. The strongest flavor was the American cheese, which never came out as beautifully melted as it looked on the packaging. The sandwiches tasted best when I added a condiment like spicy mayo or hot sauce.

My 3-year-old loved these sandwiches, which seemed appropriate for someone whose favorite foods are bread, cheese, and chicken nuggets.

I picked up a four-pack of the Kirkland Signature thin-crust pepperoni pizza for $13.70, which came out to just over $3.40 per pie.

I thought the price was reasonable, but I'd prefer to spend a little more money on Target's single Red Baron pie, which doesn't require nearly as much freezer space. 

Each Kirkland Signature pizza was individually wrapped in plastic. However, during transport, most of the pepperoni shifted to one side of the pizza, so I manually redistributed the slices before baking it for about 12 minutes. 

The finished pizza looked exactly how I expected. The cheese melted, the edges of the crust browned, and the pepperoni glimmered with grease.

In my opinion, this pizza was sort of bland — the thin, cracker-like crust had a nice texture but little flavor, the sauce was slightly sweet but light on seasoning, and the pepperoni didn't have much spice. 

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great, either. I would probably serve one as a convenient appetizer if I needed to cook a more elaborate meal for guests, especially if kids were around.

But since this pizza wasn't better or cheaper than other frozen pies I've had, I don't expect to buy it again.

The Ajinomoto frozen ramen featured big chunks of chicken, noodles, dehydrated carrots, corn, red peppers, and green onions.

This pack came with six individual bowls, which required a decent amount of freezer space.

I added water and microwaved the ramen for four minutes per the instructions. The noodles were tender, the chicken was a bit spongy and sweet, and the salty soy-based broth was tasty without being overpowering.

They were a great size for a small but satisfying lunch, though far less portable than other forms of ramen. And at $18 for six bowls, they didn't seem like a very good value.

I'm somewhat particular about meatballs, but the deal on this Kirkland Signature product was hard to pass up. A 6-pound bag filled with 140 walnut-sized meatballs was only $18.

When I brought them home, the meatballs heated quickly in my air fryer and got a nice crust on the outside.

Unfortunately, the meatballs were a bit too spongy for my taste. Without sauce, they had a fairly strong garlic taste with some mild black-pepper spice. Still, they were neutral enough to take on the flavor of any sauce I paired them with.

I served my kids a few plain meatballs alongside some mac and cheese, and they seemed unimpressed.

When I tried the meatballs on a roll with cheese, barbecue sauce, and pickles, I thought the finished product tasted a bit like a McRib.

However, I liked them best as an appetizer, tossed in a sweet-and-sour sauce I made with ketchup, jelly, Sriracha, and Worcestershire sauce.

Overall, they seemed like a good value, but the 6-pound bag took up so much freezer space that I can't imagine buying these again.

On the day I went shopping, Costco offered samples of these dumplings, so I knew what to expect before I brought them home.

They seemed plain, but I was impressed by the price. The 3-pound bag was on sale for $7.50, though it normally costs $10.

When I opened the bag, I noticed some of the wontons fused in the freezer and didn't easily come apart without ripping. Though it didn't affect the flavor, this might make me less likely to use them as an appetizer while hosting.

I tried pan-frying them, but they took on a lot of the oil flavor. They were better when I steamed them in the microwave, as this cooking method allowed the filling's subtle sweetness and cilantro flavor to shine through.

The Kirkland Signature lasagna requires 65 minutes in the oven, so it's a little less convenient than many other frozen meals from Costco. That is, unless you risk the 24-minute microwave option suggested on the packaging.

But other than the baking time, the lasagna requires very little work. Each two-pack of lasagna was $16.70.

The finished meal looked appealing, covered with brown, bubbly mozzarella cheese. The lasagna was surprisingly spicy, with a black-pepper taste.

The sauce was subtly sweet but more seasoned than I'd like. The noodles came out perfectly tender, and the meaty sausage had a nice fennel flavor.

Each lasagna was enough to feed my family, with plenty left for the next day's lunch.

Red's turkey-sausage egg'wich caught my attention as a quick, protein-forward, low-carb breakfast option at the perfect time — I'm trying to eat lighter meals ahead of three family weddings.

The preparation was fast and simple. I microwaved the egg'wich for 50 seconds on each side, and I had a piping-hot turkey-sausage sandwich with eggs patties for bread. 

This eight-pack of egg'wiches cost $15, which didn't seem especially cost-efficient as far as Costco frozen meals go. 

I was a bit surprised I enjoyed these, as I don't usually like precooked egg patties. However, these were moist without being too greasy (though they were a little greasier than most foods I'd eat with my hands). The flavorful turkey sausage, which had a hint of black pepper, was good, too.

However, the egg'wich, which was only 190 calories and had 17 grams of protein, didn't fill me up. I usually like to spice up my egg breakfasts with some hot sauce, but I was worried it would spill out the sides or off the top of the sandwich.

After some consideration, I took a hamburger bun and put the entire egg'wich between the bread to better protect my hands from grease and condiments. I found the egg'wiches tasted much better and were more satisfying this way, though they were no longer keto-friendly.

I'll probably buy these again — along with more buns.

This was similar to a frozen orange-chicken meal I frequently buy at Trader Joe's. Both the Crazy Cuizine and Trader Joe's versions contain frozen chicken nuggets and pouches of sweet, brown, tangy sauce.

Without the sauce, the meat pieces' crispy, salty, outer breading reminded me of chicken nuggets.

The meal seemed tailor-made for preparation in an air fryer and was ready in about 20 minutes. The chicken pieces came out super crispy and were even tastier than some Chinese takeout meals I've had.

I'd buy this $16.50 box again, especially since the chicken was enough for four meals for my family when I served it with white rice and vegetables.

A box of eight individually wrapped Kirkland Signature breakfast sandwiches, made with bacon, egg, cheese, and a croissant, cost $16 at my Costco.

The sandwiches were extremely easy to prepare — after just six minutes in the air fryer, I had a quick, hot-breakfast option.

We enjoyed these sandwiches. The croissant (though a bit flimsy) had a nice hint of sweetness, the bacon was flavorful with a bit of crunch, and the melted cheese kept the sandwich from becoming too dry.

The sandwich also had enough flavor and moisture that it didn't need ketchup or hot sauce.

They reminded my wife and me of similar options from chain coffee shops. However, at about $2 per sandwich, they cost less than many of the options at my local Starbucks.

I'll likely repurchase the Kirkland Signature sandwiches when I need a break from my typical breakfast routine.

I picked up this 30-count box of the Kirkland Signature tempura shrimp on a week when I needed an easy dinner to make.

I thought I knew what to expect from the $18 box, as I'd previously bought this item for a holiday party. But I didn't try many, and though I remember my kids eating them, I wasn't sure if they'd still like this meal — that was over a year ago, and children can be fickle. 

The box contained a resealable bag of frozen shrimp and pouches of a soy-based dipping sauce.

The shrimp were extremely easy to prepare — I simply heated them in the air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

The shrimp were light on flavor yet hearty, so each piece felt substantial. When I tried them with the soy dipping sauce, they soaked up the sweet-salty taste.

All four of us liked this meal — which is a rarity. My 7-year-old deemed them "shrimp sticks" and delighted in the way the tails acted like little handles.

I was eager to try this staple of the Costco frozen section. The package came with two six-serving pizzas and was on sale for $10, though it normally costs $13.

It may be a deep-dish pizza, but the crust was nice and airy. Each pie had plenty of molten mozzarella and both sliced and diced pepperoni.

The pepperoni got shaken up in the package, but that allowed me to rearrange the pieces to leave a meat-free section for my 6-year-old, who doesn't like it.

The instructions called for baking the pizza directly on the oven rack in the tray it comes in. I tried this method, but I thought the buttery crust had more texture when I set the tray on top of a preheated cast-iron pizza pan.

A box of Kirkland Signature garlic-butter shrimp cost $16, which seemed like a good price for seafood that wasn't breaded.

The box contained two 1-pound bags of shrimp, which I found convenient — a pound of shrimp is usually just enough for a family dinner.

The meal couldn't have been easier to prepare. I opened the bag and dropped the shrimp into a skillet over medium heat. As the meal cooked, the buttery crust on the pieces of shrimp melted into a sauce.

With frequent stirring, the shrimp was ready to eat in about 10 minutes. 

The shrimp was surprisingly tender, considering it was cooked straight from the freezer. The buttery, rich sauce also burst with garlic and Parmesan flavors.

I served the shrimp over white rice, which was a perfect medium for soaking up the excess sauce. I sometimes make a similar shrimp meal from scratch, but it never goes over as well as this one did.

My only issue with the meal was that my kids wanted more shrimp than their usual share. I'll buy this again, but I'll cook both bags for future dinners.

I experimented a lot with preparing Red's turkey-sausage breakfast burritos. The tortillas tended to burst open when I cooked the burritos in the air fryer, and the microwave made them too chewy.

Eventually, I settled on a combination — 30 seconds on each side in the microwave, then 10 minutes in the air fryer at a low temperature.

I don't normally enjoy precooked frozen eggs in dishes like these. However, these burritos and their egg fillings tasted freshly made. The cheese was gooey, the sausage was tasty, and the flavor was spicy enough to be interesting without turning off my kids.

Don't let the name fool you — these do not have to be reserved for breakfast. Since this taste test, the turkey-sausage burritos have become my go-to lunch.

At $15.70 for 10 small burritos, they're a similar price to some convenience-store burritos, but these taste like premium versions.

This story was originally published on June 6, 2024, and most recently updated on December 19, 2024.

Trader Joe's eggplant parmigiana sfogliatelle was the first time I saw sfogliatelle, an Italian pastry, used in a savory dish.

I thought the delicate layered pastry would make for a phenomenal texture.

When I baked the appetizer, the exterior became crispy and flaky, and the interior was moist and chewy.

The eggplant pieces pulled apart easily, though the cheesy, saucy filling was a little messy.

They were simple to make in the air fryer, and I thought they looked more elegant than anything you'd expect to come from the freezer aisle.

I wasn't sure if I'd like Trader Joe's figgy cheddar because I usually prefer unadulterated cheeses. However, I decided to give it a try.

The fig flavor gave the cheese a subtle hint of sweetness, and the rum (in which the figs were marinated) contributed a light, pleasant spiced note.

The cheese paired well with the chili cracker from Trader Joe's scalloped cracker trio, as the sweetness of the fig complemented the spice.

This pack of Trader Joe's mini quiches comes with two flavors: uncured bacon with sweet onion and Swiss cheese with mushroom.

Out of the package, I thought they looked promising and perfectly portioned.

The mini quiches were surprisingly moist.

I especially liked the version with uncured bacon and sweet onion, because they had a nice smoky flavor.

My wife preferred the mushroom-and-Swiss option, but that one was a touch too mushroom-heavy for my taste.

Lasagna is a holiday staple for the Italian-American half of my family, so I had high expectations for Trader Joe's family-style meat lasagna.

At first glance, the components of the baked lasagna were oddly distributed — all the meat sauce was on top of the noodles and the bottom layers were solely pasta and ricotta.

Luckily, there was plenty of sauce to spread around.

I wouldn't be able to pass it off as homemade, but it was good enough to buy for my family of four again.

However, if the Italian side of my family finds out I'm praising a store-bought lasagna, I might not be welcome at the next party.

If there's one thing I could tell from Trader Joe's shrimp pouches of many colors, it's that food in various hues is always better than boring old monochromatic options.

My 3-year-old daughter squealed with delight and insisted on trying each color when she saw these festive dumplings.

I pan-fried my shrimp dumplings so they'd be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The dumplings weren't anything super special, but they were still pretty good and fun to look at.

I'll likely serve these as an appetizer this holiday season.

The label for Trader Joe's Brie en croûte listed all sorts of ways to gussy the thing up — like dolloping raspberry preserves or red peppers and pine nuts on top.

I went for the most basic preparation.

On its own, the pastry-wrapped Brie didn't look like something I'd want to put out for guests.

But when I sliced into it, all the molten Brie came cascading out, and I was reminded that cheese is delicious.

I thought the Brie paired perfectly with the flaky bits of pastry.

Many people eat crackers straight from a box, but I usually prefer them crumbled into soup or used as a vessel for a spread.

Though these crackers come in rosemary, red-chili, and garlic flavors, my family wasn't exactly thrilled to try Trader Joe's scalloped cracker trio.

The crackers were a bit thicker and less crunchy than the kinds we usually like.

That being said, they were heartier, and I could see them holding up on a charcuterie tray, especially if dipped into an antipasto spread.

Trader Joe's fried olive bites looked like a simple variation of jalapeño poppers.

When I air-fried them, a lot of the cheese filling oozed out onto the appliance's tray.

I expected a full olive stuffed with cheese, but these were more like breaded and fried cheese-filled balls of olive tapenade.

If you truly love the flavor of olives, this is the appetizer for you.

The label on Trader Joe's holiday hash suggests using the mix of diced butternut squash, sweet potato, red onion, and celery in soups and stuffings.

I sautéed the hash to use as a side dish.

The holiday hash was tasty, thanks to the sage's assertive flavor and the squash's sweetness.

However, the slightly mushy hash didn't look the most appetizing, and it even turned off my squash-loving son.

Still, I could imagine it being a time-saver if I was making a wintertime stew.

As a porchetta lover, I had high hopes for Trader Joe's uncured bacon-wrapped porchetta pork roast.

Per the instructions, I roasted the pork at 500 degrees Fahrenheit until the bacon was browned and crispy.

This was supposed to take 25 minutes, but the bacon didn't seem that crispy even after 30 minutes in the oven.

I still followed the instructions and lowered the temperature to 325 degrees, as I feared I'd scorch the thing.

I enjoy rosemary, but, in my opinion, too much of the herb was stuffed into the pork.

The meat tasted best in a sandwich alongside the holiday vegetable hash, as the vegetables and bread helped cut the rosemary flavor.

I assumed Trader Joe's cranberry chevre would just be goat cheese rolled in sweetened, dried cranberries. However, it looked like the fruit was also whipped into the cheese.

I didn't find the chevre to have enough of a tangy edge.

It was OK on one of the rosemary crackers from the scalloped cracker trio, but I could also picture it on a sandwich with the porchetta and holiday hash.

I didn't know what to expect from Trader Joe's artichoke bread pudding.

Judging from the label, it seemed like a reconfiguration of stuffed artichokes.

The bread pudding also came in an oven-safe casserole dish.

The oven didn't fix the bread pudding's off-putting appearance, in my opinion.

Taste-wise, it was too heavy and had a strong black-pepper flavor.

It was the type of thing that tasted good on the first bite but was unpleasant by the third.

I wasn't certain if I'd like Trader Joe's Portuguese tarts, which had a filling of bechamel, egg yolks, diced potato, and salted cod.

I tried not to let the "cod custard tarts" label deter me.

We try pretty hard not to waste much food in my household but we didn't even come close to finishing the tarts.

These were a bit like a cream-based seafood chowder embedded in pastry, but they mostly tasted like goopy cod.

I figured the macaroni and cheese would be the safest bet of the meals I took home, and nothing about how it looked changed my mind.

It was bright yellow and seemed amply portioned. My kids usually love mac and cheese.

The prep was straightforward, as I covered the tray in foil and threw it in the oven for 45 minutes.

In my opinion, the mac and cheese was way too rich. There was a lot of cheese and a lot of sauce, and it was unpleasantly gooey and thick.

I ate a few bites before the grease started working on my stomach. Even my kids turned it away, deeming it "too cheesy."

It was the only Kirkland Signature meal we didn't eat to completion, and the sauce was so thick that I practically had to chisel out the refrigerated leftovers to recycle the tray. 

The Tuscan chicken wraps with sauce looked like something I might pack for an on-the-go lunch. The wraps, which came with a sun-dried-tomato spread, seemed like reasonably sized alternatives to similar options at a deli.  

There were a lot of different elements inside the yellow tortillas — Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken, spinach, bell peppers, olives, cream cheese, and red-pepper pesto — but I was disappointed in how little chicken I found in the wraps I brought home.

The most prominent flavors in this wrap were the salty olives and oily red peppers. My first bite contained almost entirely olives, which turned me off slightly.

I thought the cream cheese and red-pepper pesto made the wrap a bit too soggy on the outside and goopy on the inside. The spinach inside the wrap was also wilted, so it didn't offer any crunch.

Though I ate the wraps the day I bought them, I thought they tasted like the flavors had started to meld together — like a meal that had been sitting in the refrigerator for a while. 

Still, I liked that the wrap was pleasantly sweet and didn't fall apart under the weight of its ingredients. The sun-dried-tomato spread also had a nice, almost cheesy tang and worked well when I repurposed it for other sandwiches. But overall, I'd skip this meal the next time I'm at Costco.

I'd seen raw, seasoned wings on previous Costco trips, but this was the first time I'd noticed a precooked version. The Kirkland Signature garlic-seasoned party wings came with a mix of 25 drums and flats and two containers of ranch dressing.

The instructions on the packaging said to heat the wings in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees or in the microwave for 10 to 20 minutes. Still, I found that my air fryer was the best method for heating them.

I experimented with temperatures, but even at the hottest settings, the chicken skin didn't crisp up the way I like it to when I make my own wings at home.

The garlic seasoning, though visible, didn't add much more than a touch of salt and a vague aroma to the wings.

On the bright side, the wings weren't spicy at all, so my kids were able to eat them. But I found myself constantly reaching for hot sauce.

The air-fried chicken was fairly moist, but the wings weren't quite tasty or convenient enough for me to buy them again. With only slightly more effort, I can make better wings myself.

This massive beef-and-pork meatball sandwich with marinara sauce was elegantly displayed in a long, narrow container.

I'm somewhat particular about meatballs, but this meal looked appealingly enormous. However, when I took it out of the container, I didn't think the bread looked thick or wide enough to hold the sandwich together while eating.

It was also difficult to transfer the sandwich to a baking sheet without the bread falling apart under the weight of its contents.

After 30 minutes in the oven, the meatballs were hot, the cheese was melted, and the bread was toasty. I also heated some of the included marinara sauce and poured it over the meatballs to serve. 

Just as I feared, the sandwich was a mess. The bottom half of the bread basically disappeared under the grease that seeped in while it heated in the oven.

Still, a messy sandwich isn't necessarily a bad thing. The provolone cheese gave the sandwich a hint of nuttiness that distinguished it from the meatball subs available at my local pizzerias, which all use mozzarella.

However, I thought the meatballs were bland. They were also so densely packed into the sandwich that they were more likely to fall out of the bread than scrunch inside when I squeezed it. Overall, I wouldn't buy this meal again.

The shepherd's pie was filled with meat and vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes. My family already loves pie, so the novelty of mashed potatoes and pastry immediately appealed to my kids.

I removed the pie from its plastic container, placed it onto a baking sheet, and put it in the oven for about 45 minutes until golden. Individual pieces of pie fell apart as I served them, which wasn't surprising.

I thought the mashed potatoes were mealy and dry, the vegetables were mushy, and the filling was overseasoned and too sweet.

The filling was stew-like, but the ground beef was dry and crumbly. I thought I noticed pieces of steak, but these were just hunks of ground beef resembling burger meat.

Overall, my family wasn't a fan of the meal.

The Kirkland Signature Southwest wraps were the only meal that required no prep whatsoever, making it a good option for on-the-go eating.

They came with a pinkish chipotle sauce. When I unwrapped a wrap to put the sauce inside, I saw that the employee who made the meal sealed the wrap with a tangy, creamy spread.

I thought the wraps were good because they tasted fresh, and the spread that glued them together helped prevent dryness.

There was ample chicken, and the seasoned mix of corn and beans reminded me of a burrito from Chipotle. The pinkish chipotle sauce tasted like a Buffalo sauce to me, but that's not something I'd ever complain about.

Each wrap made for a viable lunch, and at less than $4 each, they're way less expensive than takeout. I could imagine buying them again when I need a lunch that saves time and money.

At nearly 6 pounds, I thought the Kirkland Signature chicken pot pie was huge and surprisingly heavy.

Some of the latticework on top of the pie broke in transit, but it was only cosmetic damage.

The instructions called for at least an hour of baking time, which I thought sort of defeated the purpose of making it as a quick weeknight meal.

Nevertheless, I baked the pie until it was golden brown, which took about an hour and 10 minutes.

The first bite of the pie was great.

The pie crust was sweet, flaky, and crisp, the hunks of rotisserie chicken were huge, and the pea-heavy cream and vegetables were rich and salty without being mushy or overcooked, as they sometimes are in pot pie.

But in subsequent bites, the initial richness became a goopy sort of heaviness that didn't sit well, and the whole pot pie started to taste a little too salty.

At the very least, the crust was good enough to make me want to try one of Costco's dessert pies.

The Kirkland Signature beef bulgogi Korean BBQ is one of the more bare-bones options among the meal selections at my local Costco. The container had a large portion of thinly sliced raw beef and white onions drenched in brown bulgogi sauce.

My kids don't have much experience with Korean-inspired food, but I thought the meal would appeal to them because it's sweet, tender, and gooey.

I figured I'd cook the meal in a skillet over medium-high heat until the beef was browned. However, I quickly realized it was difficult to tell when the beef was cooked through because all sides of the meat were covered in a dark-brown sauce.

I went by instinct, stirring frequently to make sure it cooked evenly. Some slices fell apart due to the constant stirring, but the dish seemed fully cooked after five minutes.

Unfortunately, the small pieces of meat made the bulgogi look more like a stew, and its appearance alone turned off my kids.

We thought the meal was tasty but too sweet, as the sauce's flavor overwhelmed the beef. I'd prefer this dish if the beef came in thicker pieces that I could remove from the sauce before cooking.

This meal, which included rigatoni and six enormous meatballs, cost $20 and was enough to feed my entire family twice.

The meatballs were a little spongy in texture, and something about how the ground-beef-and-pork mixture was seasoned tasted more like sausage than I expected (though that's hardly a bad thing).

The rigatoni held up surprisingly well after 50 minutes in the oven — not quite al dente but not at all mushy. However, the sauce was a bit too sweet and seasoned for me.

My kids liked the pasta but not the meatballs. I also thought the shredded cheese on top seemed like an afterthought, and I could've gone for more.

The Kirkland Signature udon-noodle salad was extremely easy to assemble — it already came with a shredded-vegetable slaw, peanuts, lime wedges, and a miso sauce.

I tossed all the ingredients into a bowl and served the finished salad alongside some chicken wings. 

The dressing was sweet and tangy with a strong miso flavor, but I thought the udon noodles were a bit mushy. I also wished the vegetable mix of shredded bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, and carrots was crisper to balance out the noodles' softness.

Overall, the salad wasn't too heavy or saucy, so it would likely be a nice, no-cook option for a quick meal or picnic.

The Kirkland Signature butter chicken with naan came in a tray filled with a generous portion of meat, sauce, and bread. In total, I got eight pieces of naan with the meal. 

The butter sauce lived up to its name — it was thick, rich, and creamy. Still, it didn't have a ton of flavor, with garlic and tomato paste being its most prominent elements.

It got a lot better when I added jalapeño and Trader Joe's Green Dragon hot sauce to amplify the warm notes of spice.

However, I didn't love the texture of the chicken, which seemed a bit different than the meat I've had in other Kirkland Signature meals. In my opinion, it was moist in a way that almost felt unnatural. I don't see myself buying this meal again.

The Kirkland Signature quesadillas came with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

The instructions on the packaging called for heating them up in a frying pan with some oil, so my first batch got a chimichanga-esque crunchiness I don't always expect from quesadillas.

I thought it was a big portion, as there were eight wedges, and two of them felt like more than enough for an adult-sized meal.

It was sort of the perfect meal to suit my family's quesadilla needs.

The chicken was seasoned but not spicy, and there was tons of cheese without being too greasy.

The salsa, a sweet, fresh, restaurant-style dip with jalapeño, was the surprise star for me. The Kirkland Signature quesadillas were my wife's favorite of all the meals. 

The Kirkland Signature yakisoba stir fry was a fun and easy-to-prepare dinner.

I heated the meal in a Dutch oven because I didn't have a wok or a large enough frying pan. Per the instructions, I heated up oil and first added the vegetables, then chicken, then noodles, and then sauce.

It was ready in less than 10 minutes. And because there were plenty of vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, onions, peppers, and snow peas, I didn't have to prep a side or a salad.

We thought the yakisoba noodles were warm, comforting, and satisfying, with tender hunks of chicken and some nice texture from the fresh vegetables.

It was a bit sweeter than I usually like, but a hit of hot sauce helped balance out the sweetness.

If I bought this again (and I would buy this again) I'd use only one container of sauce. My kids liked the noodles, and we finished most of the portion in a single sitting.

I figured — correctly — that something called ravioli lasagna would appeal to my kids, who love a novelty.

The ravioli were stacked in twos and topped with a meaty Bolognese sauce and mozzarella. It was easy to prepare, as all I needed to do was cover it with foil and bake it for an hour.

At the end of the hour, I deviated from the instructions and gave it five more minutes uncovered in the oven to get the cheese nice and bubbly on top.

The lasagna was good. The Bolognese sauce was hearty and sweet and my kids appreciated that the ravioli were glued together with melted mozzarella.

It was about a dinner and a half's worth of food for my family, though it felt like a smaller portion than a traditional lasagna made in an equivalent pan size.

The Kirkland Signature chipotle-chicken bowl with cilantro-lime rice — nearly 3-½ pounds of food in a casserole tray — came with chicken pieces, cilantro-lime rice, fire-roasted corn, beans, shredded cheese, lime wedges, salsa, and Kirkland Signature guacamole.

The packaging had heating instructions for both the oven and the microwave, but I chose to prepare it in the former because I thought it seemed like the best way to judge the meal's quality. Still, it was nice to know I had Costco's blessing to quickly heat it in the microwave.

I removed the lid, lime wedges, salsa, and guacamole, mixed the rice, beans, cheese, and chicken, and heated the tray in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

When it was ready, the shredded cheese had fully melted, and the chicken, rice, and beans were piping hot. I squeezed the lime wedges over the whole dish and served it with the salsa and guacamole. 

I liked this meal a lot. Not surprisingly, the combination of rice, beans, cheese, and chipotle chicken reminded me of meals from fast-casual Mexican-food chains. The melted cheese gave the whole dish a pleasant creaminess. 

There was plenty of chicken, though some pieces seemed a little dry. The lime's lively citrus flavor amplified the rice and beans' heartiness. The guacamole helped make the dish extra creamy, and the salsa added sweetness and a spicy kick. 

My kids enjoyed the guacamole but thought the rest of the meal was too spicy. This meant my wife and I had plenty of leftovers for satisfying lunches.

This dish came with many components, which made me appreciate Costco's attention to detail and how much goes into prepping a gyro.

Only the gyro meat and the pitas needed to be heated, but the meal also came with a cucumber and tomato salad, red onions, feta cheese, and tzatziki.

Unfortunately, I needed to find my own hot sauce.

I thought the gyros were delicious. If there was a weak link in the sandwich, it was probably the gyro meat itself, which was a little heavy on the onion powder and heated up to a scrapple-like consistency.

That being said, the assertive seasoning on the meat was mellowed by the sweetness and crunch of the veggies and the tangy creaminess of the tzatziki and feta.

It wasn't better than a gyro I might get from a street cart, but the price was right, and there's no street cart inside my apartment.

My first impression of the chicken Alfredo was that it was heavy. The label said it was a little over 4 pounds, and though it might not sound like much, it was a lot of food for my family.

There was an impressive amount of chicken but I expected a higher ratio of noodle-to-meat. Like the macaroni and cheese, the whole tray was covered with foil and baked in the oven.

The chicken Alfredo was better than I expected.

Alfredo sauce is often a bit too indulgent for my tastes, but I thought Kirkland Signature's version of the creamy, cheesy sauce wasn't overwhelmingly heavy. The chicken was also moist and flavorful.

My kids liked it even though they normally prefer their chicken and their pasta separated. Alongside some steamed broccoli, the chicken Alfredo stretched to two full meals for my family with little effort on my part. 

The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken is a popular item at my local store. When staff members display a new batch of birds, customers veer their shopping carts toward the shelves to get the freshest roast chicken.

I'd been meaning to try it for a while, but I wanted to make sure I bought it when my whole family could eat it the same day, and our schedules never lined up until recently. 

The price was hard to believe — $5 for a large chicken — and it came in a microwave-safe bag, which seemed convenient even though I didn't use it. The chicken was still warm when I brought it home, so I reheated it in the oven for only a few minutes.

The skin was lightly seasoned, but it wasn't nearly as tasty as other grocery-store rotisserie chickens I've tried. The chicken itself was less salty than I expected, and despite its size, it was fairly moist, even in white-meat portions.

It had a noticeable poultry flavor but was otherwise neutral-tasting, making it easy to use the leftovers in other meals (like the store does for many of its prepared Kirkland Signature meals).

My family loves chicken, and one bird provided two full meals' worth of meat. Considering its price and versatility, we'll likely continue to buy rotisserie chicken on most Costco trips. 

For whatever reason, the chicken street tacos came in a longer container than the other meals.

I thought it was vaguely festive but difficult to fit into a shopping bag or a refrigerator. Like the gyros, the street tacos came as a kit.

I heated the chicken and tortillas and topped them with cheese, shredded veggies, salsa, cilantro-lime crema, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

The chicken street tacos were excellent. The chicken was smoky with a chipotle flavor but not too spicy for my kids, the veggies were fresh and crunchy, and the sauces were tasty. I think the salsa was the same kind that came with the quesadillas.

If I were at a restaurant and got these tacos, I'd be more than satisfied with my purchase. 

I'm normally not a big fan of meatloaf, and my kids' exposure to it has been limited. It's often grayish and covered in a dark red goo that looks like ketchup.

I'm also not much of a mashed potato guy and, in my experience, they never keep well.

By the time I put the Kirkland Signature meatloaf and mashed potatoes in the oven, they had been sitting in my fridge for a few days so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Like almost every one of these meals, the meatloaf and mashed Yukon potatoes were surprisingly good.

It was heavy (but of course, most meatloaf is), and I don't think I'd usually choose it over tacos. But my family ate the meatloaf on an unseasonably cold day when I was hungry, and the sweet, juicy, and beefy dinner hit the spot.

My son, who's normally hesitant about unfamiliar foods, took to it like he was a paid spokesperson. "I'm very happy with this," he said.

I thought the mashed potatoes were just a touch mealy, but overall, they weren't bad.

I normally cook for my family and, for whatever reason, prepared meals like those from Kirkland Signature have never been part of our dinner rotation.

But aside from the mac and cheese and rigatoni with meatballs, every one of the meals we tried was better than I expected it to be, and my kids enjoyed them more than I would've guessed.

Now, I'll likely regularly buy some of the Kirkland Signature meals when I don't have much time for meal prep.

This story was originally published on October 27, 2023, and most recently updated on December 11, 2024.

The broth looked a bit thicker than I usually expect from a minestrone — it really was "hearty." There were also a lot of flecks of what appeared to be seasoning and some big hunks of stewed tomato.

I could tell right out of the package there was less orzo and more carrots than I'd like.

There was a strong, sweet flavor of tomato, but not much to balance it out. It could've used something tangy or spicy, fragrant seasonings, or some more flavorful vegetables.

As I suspected, it also could've used more orzo.

I've noticed several Trader Joe's soups go heavy on the carrots, but this is the only place where the carrots are the best part of the soup.

I could list some things that this soup looks like, but I don't want to gross anybody out. I'll just say it looked very unappetizing gurgling out of the container.

The label said it's high in fiber — and it looked it.

However, it smelled lightly of nutmeg and cloves, which was a pleasant autumnal aroma. 

Like the minestrone, it had an assertive, tomato-y sweetness. Luckily, it was a bit more palatable here with the warm spices.

Unfortunately, lentils tend to be mealy, and the lumpy-grainy texture wasn't very appealing to me. It paired pretty well with the crusty bread — mostly because the bread masked the texture a bit.

I'm not eager to eat the soup again.

I'm not a fan of mushrooms, so off the bat, I didn't expect to like the organic creamy mushroom soup with carrots and kale. 

The soup was also a greyish-brownish color that wasn't necessarily appetizing.

Trader Joe's mushroom soup was a pleasant surprise, in that I didn't mind it all. It didn't taste much like mushrooms, and it had a nice, thick consistency.

It tasted like the most generic, basic version of soup imaginable — sort of vaguely salty and vegetal. If any flavor stood out, it was probably the hunks of carrot.

I wouldn't buy it again, but I wouldn't push it away if it were served to me.

It looked like chicken soup.

Until I filled up a bowl, I actually didn't realize it wasn't chicken-noodle soup, which seems like a far preferable and more filling meal option. There were also a lot of carrots again.

Before I even tried this, I could tell I'd like it better with noodles. 

It was very mild, even by the standards of chicken soup.

There was a good portion of chicken, which I appreciated, and the meat itself was tender. However, in my opinion, the broth was bland and the vegetables were mushy. With bread, I thought it tasted almost indistinguishable from warm, salty water.

It's good enough that it'd certainly do the trick when you're under the weather, but I can't imagine choosing it for a meal when I'm healthy.

Just from transferring the pumpkin-butternut squash bisque to a bowl, I could tell it was thinner and less creamy looking than similar bisques I've enjoyed. 

Nevertheless, the orangish-brown color was appetizing and appropriate for the fall, and the soup smelled autumnal, like nutmeg.

As I expected, the soup wasn't as thick as I hoped.

It was rich with flavor — sweet, with a mild kick of black pepper and some vinegary tang — but I would've liked something a bit more substantive. It almost overwhelmed my taste buds without doing much to fill my stomach.

Luckily, the bisque was better with a spoonful of sour cream stirred in, but I couldn't imagine buying it again.

It was a bit thinner than I want a broccoli-cheddar soup to be — I'm ideally looking for some cheesy goopiness.

However, I appreciated the reasonably large florets of broccoli. Sometimes, elsewhere, the soup feels like it's just made of broccoli scraps. 

The soup was cheesy, but not overpoweringly so. It was smooth and not too rich, which can be an issue for this style of soup. There was also a good texture to the vegetables, especially the broccoli.

However, I felt like it needed an extra kick of some sort, especially when I tried it with bread. A little bit of black pepper served it well.

Out of the container, the chowder was easily the thickest of the soups I tried. Luckily, it thinned out a bit once I heated it up.

There was a subtle seafood scent to it, but it also looked and smelled a bit like white gravy — something you might serve over biscuits for breakfast. 

The chowder wasn't extremely spicy, just surprisingly so from the cracks of black pepper.

There was some ambient clammy flavor in the soup, and the clams themselves were pleasantly tender and tasty, but I wanted more of them. The cubes of potato provided much of the bulk of the soup. 

I liked the look of the lobster bisque.

I could tell it was thicker than most of the Trader Joe's soups I tried, and the bright pinkish-orange color seemed right for the flavor. The visible bits of thyme and black pepper also boded well.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the $5 price tag, there's not much lobster in the lobster bisque — it's mostly there in tiny little shreds that add some texture to the soup.

Regardless, the bisque is very tasty. It's rich and buttery, with the sweet, delicate acidity of sherry wine and savory hints of thyme.

Sometimes, I find lobster bisques a little too heavy, but this one was hearty without feeling overindulgent. 

It was a little toward the pinkish side of the tomato-soup color spectrum, but not nearly as pink as most cream-heavy versions.

The soup was sort of lumpy in consistency, not blender-smooth, and there were small, dark-green bits of basil floating around. 

The tomato flavor was bright and tangy, and there was just enough cream to smooth out the acidity.

The taste of the feta was subtle, but the cheese came across in moist bursts of crumbly texture mixed in with bits of finely diced onion.

The herbs, though visible, weren't especially pungent, but there was a freshness to the flavor that made it the best of the bunch. Plus, it married perfectly with the toasty, crusty bread.

None of the Trader Joe's soups felt especially indulgent or adventurous, and that's OK. People looking for extravagant lunches probably aren't buying soup at Trader Joe's.

Although the taste of the minestrone and the texture of the lentils turned me off, the other seven ranged from fine to very good. 

The New England clam chowder, lobster bisque, and tomato feta will all probably find a place in my lunch rotation.

This story was originally published in October 2023 and most recently updated on December 5, 2024.