Kirkland panko shrimp tops reviewer’s ranking of 12 Costco frozen appetizers

Ted Berg tried 12 frozen appetizers from Costco's freezer section in a family taste test and named Kirkland Signature's breaded panko shrimp his top pick in a review published Feb. 2, 2026. Berg said he ran the test ahead of the Super Bowl and because frozen party food at Costco often comes in large packages he didn’t want to waste freezer space on items guests wouldn’t enjoy.

He and his family of four sampled a range of offerings, then ranked them from worst to best. Some items disappointed: El Monterey chicken-and-cheese taquitos finished last for being unevenly cooked with a mild filling, Foster Farms Buffalo wings failed to get crispy and left Berg underwhelmed, and Ajinomoto gyoza and its included dipping sauce tasted fairly bland, he wrote.

Several staples and crowd-pleasers fared better. Petite Cuisine mozzarella sticks remained a family favorite for their crisp coating and molten cheese, Spring Valley cocktail beef franks in puff pastry produced flaky, golden shells, and Kirkland lightly breaded chicken-breast chunks browned nicely with a peppery kick.

Berg also liked Kirkland’s cauliflower-crust pizzas for their cracker-thin crust. Other highlights included Mila pork soup dumplings, which Berg said came out soft and intact and “won” his family, Laoban Chinese-style barbecue pork bao buns when steamed, and Cuisine Adventures Firecrackers, which he found crisp with a flavorful chicken-and-green-chile filling.

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