How to Keep Your Costco Bulk Foods Fresh and Organized

We’ve all been there. You leave your favorite wholesale store after scoring some unbelievable deals on a distressingly huge box of olive oil, a sampler pack of delicious cheeses, a case of your favorite canned drink, or perhaps a 2.5-pound bag of medium roast coffee to brew at home. Exciting! Then, you get home and realize your pantry and/or refrigerator are in no way prepared to receive this bounty. Simply put, it’s a huge drag when your Costco run ends with major organizational problems. We’ve gone through some of our favorite things to buy in bulk, along with the best ways to store them so you can enjoy them for as long as possible.

• Aozita 17-Ounce Glass Olive Oil Dispenser, $10, originally $13
• Formaticum Cheese Storage Bags, 15-Pack, $19
• Vtopmart 24-Piece Airtight Food Storage Containers, $31, originally $53
• Simple Houseware Can Organizer for Pantry, $10, originally $18
• Li’l Thing Eco-Friendly Beeswax Bread Bags, $40
• YouCopia StoraLid Adjustable Lid Organizer, $20
• Planetary Design Airscape Coffee Canister, $36
• Yihong Clear Pantry Organizer Bins, $22, originally $26

Aozita 17-Ounce Glass Olive Oil Dispenser

Replenishing good olive oil at the grocery store can get expensive, so buying in bulk is one of the best ways to keep it stocked at home for a reasonable price. An absolute pro move to that end is to grab an olive oil dispenser, so you can refill it with what you got at Costco instead of always buying new bottles at the grocery store. This one has a drip-free spout, dark green glass to block UV rays (sunlight spoils the oil more quickly), and a nonslip, shatter-resistant design. Best of all is that it’s just $10.

Formaticum Cheese Storage Bags, 15-Pack

If you love cheese, it’s probably occurred to you that you can grab copious amounts of it at Costco. But the last thing you want is for your precious cheeses to go bad before you can enjoy them. We’ve talked to a lot of cheesemongers about their best cheese storage methods, and all of them recommend these storage bags. Grab a 15-pack for just $19 — they’ll last you a long time, and also help your cheese go longer.

Vtopmart 24-Piece Airtight Food Storage Containers

There’s no limit to the great pantry items you can stock up on at Costco: rice, pasta, flour, dried beans, spices, and so much more. Over 10,000 Amazon shoppers picked up this 24-piece set of pantry containers and canisters in just the past month. It’s a great way to organize extra items in the pantry without taking up too much space, and the whole set is 41% off.

Simple Houseware Can Organizer for Pantry

Whether it’s beer, sparkling water, Diet Coke, or something else, if you buy a lot of cans, you probably know the feeling of picking up a way-too-big case, then struggling to decide how much you can reasonably fit in the fridge. A can organizer or two can solve that — just put the case in the garage, pantry, or basement, and keep the organizer stocked in the fridge so you always have some cold ones on hand. This is also great to keep in the pantry for beans and other canned goods. A set of two is on sale for $14.

Li’l Thing Eco-Friendly Beeswax Bread Bags

We talked to the owner of a popular Chicago bakery and pizzeria about how to store bread, and he recommended these beeswax bread bags. To make the most of your fresh loaves and help them last beyond the couple of days it may take you to eat them, seal them up in these bags, put them in the freezer, and then you can enjoy them anytime.

YouCopia StoraLid Adjustable Lid Organizer

This might seem meta, but if what you’re buying in bulk are food storage containers, you should have somewhere efficient to store them. (Or, if you just keep a lot of them on hand for when you have too many leftovers after a Costco run.) This adjustable organizer from YouCopia is a genius solution for everything from container lids to reusable storage bags.

Planetary Design Airscape Coffee Canister

Costco’s coffee is delicious, so it makes sense that you’d want to pick up a lot of it. Coffee experts point out that if you’re storing beans for a while, you want something that minimizes airflow, light, and heat. Grab this canister that plunges air out and keeps your beans fresh for far longer than leaving them in the bag would.

Yihong Clear Pantry Organizer Bins

Whether it’s condiments, spices, nuts, or tinned fish, if you cook a lot, you have your favorite things to keep stocked in the pantry. It’s so easy for those shelves and cabinets to get out of control, so line up a few organizer bins and keep things tidy after your next colossal Costco run.