The First Thing You Should Do With A New Haul Of Costco Baked Goods
Enjoying a fresh-baked treat can be a great way to start your morning off the right way. Whether you toast up a bagel to make a breakfast sandwich, or want to indulge in a sweet muffin, you can often find breakfast items in the bakery section of your local grocery store.
When you're buying baked goods for a crowd, or just want to have a stock of food on-hand at home, Costco has a variety of items in its bakery section for its members to purchase. From brownies to muffins, you can find a number of options at the bulk food store. If your go-to breakfast in the morning is a bagel, you can buy a dozen for only around $8, though prices may vary depending on your location (via Shopping with Dave). Butter croissants and danishes are other delicious options, per Salon.
However, when you buy your baked goods in bulk, you run the risk of food going stale before you can enjoy all of it. Fortunately, there is one thing you can do to save your baked goods from going bad too quickly.
Keep your food fresh and frozen
If you aren't planning on eating your baked goods all at once, you may want to store them for later to prevent them from going stale too quickly. Insider actually suggests wrapping each item individually in plastic wrap as soon as you get home from the store. You can leave a few items out if you plan on eating them relatively soon, but the rest can be stored in the freezer. This trick works especially well for bagels, muffins, and croissants.
Freezing your food allows for preservation of its freshness, states Food Network. This will extend the amount of time you have to enjoy the foods you buy. Plus, it will cut down on food waste, preventing extra food from winding up in landfills. Once you're ready to eat your baked goods, you can easily take them out of the freezer and thaw them to enjoy.
Reheat your food easily
According to The Greater Knead, frozen bagels can be safely stored for up to four months when wrapped up — though the site does recommend slicing your bagels in half before freezing them so they will be easier to split apart before thawing. When you're ready to heat up a bagel, you can thaw it in the microwave for about a minute, adding time in 15-second intervals as necessary. Then, you can toast to your desired crispiness, and add your favorite toppings to enjoy!
Insider also suggests utilizing your air fryer. The site states that you can microwave your baked good for about 20 seconds, then toast it in the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit to crisp it up, or let it sit in the air fryer for five minutes at the same temperature. Or, if you know you'll have a craving in the morning, you can always take an item out of the freezer before you go to bed, allowing it to thaw naturally overnight.