A TikToker is getting mixed reactions from viewers after sharing her Costco food-freezing hack in a viral video.
In the clip, second-grade teacher Kristy Wagenleitner (@kriswags3) shares how she keeps her Costco muffins and bagels from going bad.
Wagenleitner explains in the caption that she freezes everything so she’s able to pull things out when she needs them instead of having to go through the bulk items quickly before they go bad.
In the TikTok, Wagenleitner is seen peeling the wrapper off of her muffins, cutting them in half (because she never finishes a full one), Saran wrapping each piece, and then putting them back in the muffin container for freezing.
@kriswags3 I keep everything in the freezer and just pull them out when needed. Bagels can go directly into the toaster, and muffins can be popped in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds. This helps to keep them fresh and from going bad 🫶🏼✨
♬ What Dreams Are Made Of – Hilary Duff
She proceeds to do the same thing with the bagels, except she Saran wraps both bagel pieces together and puts them in a Ziploc bag instead of back in their original packaging.
In the caption, she explained that when she does grab one of the items from the freezer, the reheating process is simple. With the bagels, she pops them directly into the toaster, and the muffins go in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds.
“This helps to keep them fresh and from going bad,” Wagenleitner said.
The TikTok has more than 3.2 million views and more than 1,300 comments.
“so smart last time I got bagels from costco they were moldy by like day 4,” one commenter shared.
Several commenters called Wagenleitner out for the amount of extra plastic she used in the food storage process.
“Me when I wanna be extra wasteful and unnecessary for no reason lmao,” the top comment read.
“All the plastic wrap literally makes me sickkkkkk lol,” another person said.
A few helpful commenters wrote that to cut down on the additional plastic, Wagenleitner could put the bagels in the Ziploc bag without wrapping them in the saran wrap, or she could forego the Ziploc bag completely and put the bagels back in their original bag and save freezer space. Another suggested beeswax wraps which are reusable.
“This is the right way. It may seem wasteful but it prevents food waste. No Saran wrap=freezer burn. I’d end up throwing food away!” a viewer pointed out.
Fortune reported that consumers in the United States waste about a third of all the food they purchase. That ends up being about $1,500 a year in groceries for a family of four, without taking inflation into account.
Other commenters told Wagenleitner to ignore the rude comments she got and keep posting her hacks because they found the video helpful.
“You should make this a series! Aside from the comments, us Costco moms could use these ideas for sure,” a person wrote.
“Lmao nah this is smart cuz those bagels start to rot as soon as you walk out the damn store,” another said.
Costco has recently made headlines due to its infamous cracking down on membership cards and popularity among bulk shoppers. The Daily Dot previously reported on a customer who shared all of the items he no longer buys at Costco due to inflation and a person who was banned from the store for using a family member’s membership card.
The Daily Dot reached out to Wagenleitner and Costco via email.
