The Kirkland Signature Comfort Food That Failed To Win Over Shoppers

PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

Costco's Kirkland Signature brand has been hailed as one of the best grocery store private labels out there. It offers everything from affordable frozen dinners to popular snacks at prices that beat the name brands. While the Costco label can often be counted on to offer crowd-pleasing alternatives to those pricier packages, a few Kirkland products have ended up being total fails. One of the biggest letdowns was its boxed macaroni and cheese.

In theory, it should have been satisfying. The combination of buttered noodles, powdered cheese, and a creamy milky base represents prime comfort and nostalgia for many of us. It's something mom used to make when we came home from school. Today, we'd still call it a filling, time-saving treat — just not so much the Kirkland version.

Considered to be one of the worst Costco items based on member reviews, it offered the opposite of a comfort meal. Unlike the Kraft mac and cheese you might have grown up with, its texture and consistency were so off-putting. Think gritty rather than gooey and dense instead of smooth. Let's just say there's a good reason it's no longer on Costco's shelves.

Insan Kamil/Getty Images

So just what about the Kirkland Signature mac and cheese was so terrible? Instead of ending up with moist, silky, creamy noodles, consumers complained about the product being dense, grainy, or starchy. At least one person indicated the cheese powder was too difficult to dissolve, while others complained that the pasta itself just tasted off.

"This was so gross. I ate one box and got rid of the rest of the case immediately after," wrote one Reddit user of the Kirkland buy. Another remarked that when they brought theirs back to the store to return it, "the cashier commented that everyone thought it was horrible." Although one Costco shopper shared their secret to making it taste semi-decent (using "real unsalted butter" and taking the time to ensure that the powder dissolved), the overall reviews were so abysmal. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Costco eventually discontinued the product altogether. Safe to say that when it comes to the boxed stuff, sometimes paying a little more for the name-brand macaroni is worth it.

However, this misstep doesn't mean shoppers will run into the same issues with every other Kirkland Signature mac and cheese option at Costco. If the boxed version is one of the brand's worst offerings, the premade tray is by far one of its best. Made with elbow 'roni, milk, cream, and a three-cheese blend of cheddar, parmesan, and Romano, it's a heat-and-eat delight that hits all the right notes of cheesiness, creaminess, and gooeyness. No gritty powder in sight.