Kirkland Raw Pine Nuts, 24 oz

I've found these pine nuts to be as good as any, and absolutely wonderful in fresh and frozen pesto. (I also admit to eating quite a few straight out of the bag, also very good!) I don't have Costco membership, but I understand their price for these is also very low, but I price these all the time - $24/pound at a local market! - and of what I've seen, this is the best price I've come across. I was happy to pay Amazon the asking price for such an important ingredient. Pine nuts can take on a slightly off flavor when they get old. I've come across those before,, and these have none of that off flavor. It's a small point, but the zip-lock zipper work well, important for keeping these nuts tasting fresh I believe.

OK, maybe I'm sounding a little carried away here. It's just that my husband and I love these raw pine nuts from beginning to end. They taste great on salads, rice, pasta, zillions of other dishes, or alone. Pine nuts have to be shelled carefully by hand because they are so delicate, which is why they are expensive, so usually I've bought the Kirkland ones at Costco to get the lowest price. But my local Costco is a few miles away, so it's great to be able to get these pine nuts through Amazon--and at the same great price. Yay!

Trying to buy pine nuts at a grocery store is frustrating because the packages are so small. This package is big enough to actually use in cooking. When I was a kid, pine nuts were often used to make a bit of a buttery crunch in rice dishes. That was before they started using the cheaper Orzo in a pilaf - no crunch, although it looked the same. As we know today, nuts are very good for you despite the caloric density. The natural oils in them can go rancid quickly. For this reason, one should keep them an airtight container in the freezer. These nuts are buttery and delicious as pine nuts should be.

I got these in October 2013, and they were totally fine, no bitter taste that some other reviewers have mentioned. To me, they tasted just the way they were supposed to -- but I remember a demo in a high school genetics class about how individuals perceive tastes differently, with a small percentage of people finding a certain substance bitter, while the rest of the population didn't find it bitter at all, based on a specific gene. So I wonder if that could have something to do with the differences in ratings. ? But anyway, they were fresh, mild, slightly sweet -- very nice. The reason I gave them 4 stars instead of 5 is they seem to have more little hulls (?) attached to the base of the nut than other pine nuts I've had -- just a tiny bit of fiber that doesn't taste bad, but that I frequently ended up picking off my tongue. I'm going to try the Candy Express Pine Nuts which are 2 lbs for $34 -- there are a bunch of bad reviews from 2010, but the more recent ones are very positive (other than the nuts being small). I'm always happy to find an even better deal, but If they're not as good, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Kirkland nuts again. I'll try to remember to update after I've tried the Candy Express brand. 2LBS OF PINE NUTS!!! 4/9/14 Update -- Got the Candy Express pine nuts today, sorry to report that at least the batch I got were definitely not nearly as good as the Kirkland's (I'd give them 2 stars)-- some were decidedly bitter (there goes my genetics-based theory!), smelled a bit rancid, and tasted the way crayons smell, sort of waxy. So I'll be sending those back and reordering Kirkland's even though they're a bit pricier.

I use a LOT of pine nuts in my baking, and these are the best I have encountered. For one thing, they are larger than any of the others I have found, which were tiny.

pine nuts were something i saw on Dr Oz and thought id try. i do love nuts so was a no brainer for me. was first encounter with pine nuts and i really did like them and of course suppose to have all kinds of good health benifits. i went through these as a night time snack in about 3 weeks..there good with a different taste..i love a whole lot more if the werent so expensive... guess its hard to collect pine nuts...i probably will buy again some day when i am flush with some extra $$.

I don't know if they are working to curb appetite, but they do taste good. They are not salty and are very smooth. Dr. Oz suggested taking a shot glass of these a day to curb appetite and burn fat. I've been eating them a week or so now, and don't really notice a difference but I'm going to keep trying. They are packaged in a reclosable bag which is very helpful. I was unable to find this at Walmart so glad to find them on Amazon with free shipping being a prime member.

It's nice to purchase a product that's not stale like some of the other brands. THANKS