Costco Pizza Sauce

TomN · March 30, 2014, 01:19:12 PM

With over 560 Costco locations and growing, they use a lot of pizza sauce at their Food Courts for pizza. Recently, the Costco Business Centers have started selling the Costco Pizza Sauce. While I like their sauce, it is quite a lot to purchase in one unit to make pizza at home. The double box contains six individual packets of concentrated pizza sauce. Each packet requires to add 82 ounces of water to make 190 ounces of pizza sauce. The total cost is $19.99. However, you can always sample the sauce by buying a piece of pizza at Costco.

Another thing to remember is that this sauce will probably taste even better on your favorite dough that you make at home, along with your favorite cheese and toppings.

TXCraig1 · March 30, 2014, 01:35:21 PM

Quote from: TomN on March 30, 2014, 01:19:12 PM
Another thing to remember is that this sauce will probably taste even better on your favorite dough that you make at home, along with your favorite cheese and toppings.

Nothing with the word "concentrate" in the name is going on my dough. I put too much concentration into my dough to put concentrate on it.

I can see why they would use something like that at Costco? but at this forum

TomN · March 30, 2014, 02:08:32 PM

As with all the Stanislaus, Escalon, etc.. sauces available (many only intended to be sold to restaurants and distributors) and since many people on this forum use those products, I just wanted to let people know what is available to purchase. Costco does make a lot of pizza each day and people like it. Thus, I posted my finding.

TomN

Pete-zza · March 30, 2014, 02:32:10 PM

In the past, we have had members who were interested in cloning Costco's food court pizzas. So, for them, having the same pizza sauce as Costco's uses might be a plus, either to just use it as is or to try to reverse engineer and clone it.

Tom is right that Costco's is a big business as far as its sales of pizzas is concerned. See, for example, the discussion in the last paragraph of Reply 24 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=9121.msg83041#msg83041 .

Peter

Pete-zza · March 30, 2014, 02:41:48 PM

Tom,

Are you sure that the pizza sauce that you posted about is the same one that Costco actually uses for its food court pizzas? My recollection, as noted in the thread I referenced in my last post, is that Costco sold a pizza sauce but was it not the same one as it used for its food court pizzas.

Peter

TXCraig1 · March 30, 2014, 02:49:06 PM

I'm just speaking for myself. Of course everyone is free to follow the crowd.

I wonder how many Costco pizza regulars have ever tasted the pizza that draws people to this site...

Pete-zza · March 30, 2014, 03:29:44 PM

Craig,

The entire Costco pizza thread at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=9121.0 has nine members who have posted there, in two pages with a total of 32 posts (15 of them are mine), but with a total page view count of 21350. Under the circumstances, that is a fairly high page view count, even for a thread that is about 4 1/2 years old, but that is fairly common for pizza chain type pizza that many of our members crave.

An even better example of the phenomenon of large page view counts for a lean thread is this one: http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=16224.msg158606#msg158606 (with a total of 15 posts on one page but with nearly 83,000 page views).

Peter

TXCraig1 · March 30, 2014, 04:25:12 PM

Quote from: Pete-zza on March 30, 2014, 03:29:44 PM
The entire Costco pizza thread at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=9121.0 has nine members who have posted there, in two pages with a total of 32 posts (15 of them are mine), but with a total page view count of 21350. Under the circumstances, that is a fairly high page view count, even for a thread that is about 4 1/2 years old, but that is fairly common for pizza chain type pizza that many of our members crave.

Of which it appears that only one member was actually interested cloning Costco pizza, and there is also one highly respected member who describes it as "probably the unhealthiest, greasiest and blandest slice of pie I ever tasted." It would seem that Costco dough has something in common with slow fermented, room temperature dough - 0.004% - in the case of slow dough, the % of IDY you need. In the case of Costco dough, the % of members interested in cloning it.

Good is relative as well as subjective - maybe more so. As I previously suggested, I wonder how many Costco pizza regulars have ever tasted the pizza that draws people to this site? It's not Costco pizza.

Pete-zza · March 30, 2014, 05:49:54 PM

Craig,

I perhaps should have differentiated between members and users. We have many threads on the forum that have enormous page view counts but with few members. You can see many of them in the American style pizza board at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?board=36.0. You will see many of the well known national and regional chains represented, where the emphasis is on their clones. All it takes is one member to ask for a clone of a given pizza. But there can be thousands of guests who will be watching and presumably using many of the recipes in those threads. They do not have to become members to do that. But they are the ones running up the page view numbers.

Since Tom started this thread with a pizza sauce, I went back to the thread where I discussed my efforts to reverse engineer and clone that Papa John's pizza sauce, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=6633.0. Including me, there were 19 members who posted in that thread. But the bulk of the 46,047 page views are by guests. Amazingly, the Shakey's pizza sauce recipe thread at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=518.0 has a total of 135,747 page views. That's a crazy number. I didn't analyze that thread in detail but I am willing to bet that most of the page views are due to guests, not members. I strongly believe that the high page views by guests is why there are two clone threads in the top ten on the forum by page views--Round Table (#3, at 220,983 page views) and Papa John's (#6, at 192,607 page views, excluding the page views for the PJ pizza sauce clone). And, until this past week, the original Buddy's thread was in the #10 spot by page views. You knocked Buddy's off of the list with your Garage thread, which now holds the #10 spot

. Your thread, and also the one that Omid started, with 280,615 page views, are testaments to the popularity of the Neapolitan style. But, even then, a good part of the page views numbers are most likely by guests since they are also interested in that style. And they don't have to join and become members to benefit from what you and Omid have done.

BTW, the thread with the highest page view count is the Lehmann's NY Pizza Style thread, with 453,897 page views. But since that thread is not on the list of the top ten threads by Replies, that can only mean that a good part of the page views for the Lehmann thread are also by guests.

Peter

TomN · March 30, 2014, 07:13:08 PM

i am sorry if I struck a cord?? i was only letting people know that you could buy the sauce that they use at the Costco Food Court. They have made it available for sale. You have to admit, Costco sells a LOT of pizza everyday. So, their pizza sauce has to be doing something right, despite the dough.

TXCraig1 · March 30, 2014, 09:13:24 PM

Quote from: TomN on March 30, 2014, 07:13:08 PM
You have to admit, Costco sells a LOT of pizza everyday. So, their pizza sauce has to be doing something right, despite the dough.

Maybe that something they are doing right is the price? McDonalds sells a lot of hamburgers... Walmart sells a lot of everything... volume does not necessarily equal quality and perceived quality does not necessarily equal actual quality. I'd be willing to bet that they don't sell a lot of pizza to members of this forum.

TXCraig1 · March 30, 2014, 09:18:02 PM

Quote from: TomN on March 30, 2014, 07:13:08 PM
i am sorry if I struck a cord??

Admittedly, canned, jarred, or whatever prepared pizza sauce is an almost irrational pet peeve of mine. $:-\$ Clearly, a business like Costco with 560+ locations must assume that their employees have zero talent and no passion for pizza and such a product makes perfect sense, but for a member here???

scott123 · March 30, 2014, 09:26:16 PM

Craig, this is neutral ground here. You can bash the chains in the Neapolitan area, and I can bash them in NY, but, in general areas such as this, Neapolitan, NY and Chain devotees (of which there are a considerable number) have to co-exist peacefully, and without judgement.

TXCraig1 · March 30, 2014, 10:09:05 PM

Quote from: scott123 on March 30, 2014, 09:26:16 PM
Craig, this is neutral ground here. You can bash the chains in the Neapolitan area, and I can bash them in NY, but, in general areas such as this, Neapolitan, NY and Chain devotees (of which there are a considerable number) have to co-exist peacefully, and without judgement.

I'm not exactly sure what you are saying. Neutral ground? Co-exist peacefully? Just because I have an inflexible belief that NP is the one and only true pizza, why do you assume I judge the other styles.

In all seriousness, my comments here are not about a particular style. I simply don't understand why anyone would go to the trouble of learning and making a good dough and then buy a pizza sauce? Why not buy the dough too then, and if that is the case, why come here?

I may have no use for certain styles personally, but I am happy to co-exist with those who do, the occasional playful jab notwithstanding. Where I have no intention of co-existing is in the no man's land between settling for mediocrity and striving for perfection.

TomN · March 31, 2014, 12:47:07 AM

Quote from: Pete-zza on March 30, 2014, 02:41:48 PM
Tom,

Are you sure that the pizza sauce that you posted about is the same one that Costco actually uses for its food court pizzas? My recollection, as noted in the thread I referenced in my last post, is that Costco sold a pizza sauce but was it not the same one as it used for its food court pizzas.

Peter

Yes Peter,
It is the same sauce and in the same packaging as the Costco Warehouse Food Courts use. They are not worried about anyone duplicating their pizza. Most people eat pizza while shopping there or if they have a special event, they order and pick the pizza up. Either way, it is priced right as well. You can also take pizza home to bake.

Finally, Costco even had a deep dish pizza that you can purchase in the Deli section of the warehouse. Everyone that I have talked to, loves it as well.

Old Red · March 31, 2014, 07:17:50 PM

I have never been to a Costco nor have I ever had a neapolitan pizza. The first Costco in Upstate NY is scheduled to open near here this coming September. I hope they have take home to bake neapolitan pizzas so I can finally try one of them.

dmckean44 · March 31, 2014, 07:29:21 PM

Red,

Costco Pizza is far from Neapolitan. It's American style pizza in the same vein as something like Little Caesars. They make giant pies and they cost about $11 to $13 a pie or $2 for a slice. They are topped with a ridiculous amount of cheese, at least here in San Diego they are. People buy a slice and a hot dog to munch on either before or after shopping. Very few people go to Costco just to get pizza.

Also, take and bake Neapolitan would not work because 99.9% of people would not have a 900 degree oven to cook it in. Neapolitan pizza is great stuff and I just ate two last night locally. I would never bother to make that style at home though because I have nine different Neo places in town and five of them do a really great job.

Pete-zza · March 31, 2014, 07:40:52 PM

Quote from: dmckean44 on March 31, 2014, 07:29:21 PM
Very few people go to Costco just to get pizza.

Dave,

There are no Costco places located conveniently near me but when I was researching the Costco pizzas I called the the unit closest to me and asked if I could go there just to buy a pizza without having to be a member or anything like that. The answer I got was yes.

Peter

Pastaking · April 01, 2014, 02:12:46 PM

I think it's just a cheap way to have a quick bite to eat and stuff the kids pie holes while they are shopping. typical conveyor type pizza made by teenagers who cant wait to punch out. I like trying different pizza when I am out and about, but I do not want to try Costco's. You can get Costco ice cream and pretzels on the same line too.

derricktung · April 02, 2014, 09:29:54 AM

Quote from: Pastaking on April 01, 2014, 02:12:46 PM
I think it's just a cheap way to have a quick bite to eat and stuff the kids pie holes while they are shopping. typical conveyor type pizza made by teenagers who cant wait to punch out. I like trying different pizza when I am out and about, but I do not want to try Costco's. You can get Costco ice cream and pretzels on the same line too.

This. It's an easy meal for families that don't have the (time/energy/interest/passion/your pick) to make their own pizza or meal during that day, and just want a quick fix. A huge slice for $2? A large hot dog (nearly foot long) and drink for $1.50? You can feed a family of four instantly for under $10 on decent food. It's hard to argue with that value proposition sometimes.

The Costco pizza, while isn't by any means great pizza, is okay. Okay enough that my wife will crave it sometimes, but she admits part of the reason is because it's so affordable as well. I occasionally partake in it as well, when we're in a rush and really don't have time to prepare a proper meal. There are legions of fans of it out there, which i have to believe is a fanship built on a mix of affordability and lack of having anything better... But can you blame them when getting half a Neapolitan 10" to 12" pie costs $10+ compared to an equivalently filling Costco slice of pizza that will cost $2?

Not everyone revels and seeks the best in food the way we do... and not all of us can afford to eat only the best all the time.