We Asked 3 Chefs to Name the Best Jar of Peanut Butter, and They All Said the Same Thing

While homemade peanut butter is absolutely delicious (and undoubtedly worth making a mess in my kitchen for), it isn’t always realistic to make on a weekly basis — especially considering just how much I go through. That’s where the store-bought stuff comes in handy. A jar of really good store-bought peanut butter is worth its weight in gold — so much so, that even chefs swear by it. 

Yes, it’s true! Most chefs aren’t pulsing their own peanuts on the reg either. Chefs are ingredient experts with excellent taste in grocery staples (namely: frozen dumplings, refried beans, and chicken noodle soup), so I wanted to know which jars they reach for when they shop. I asked a few of my chef friends for their favorite store-bought peanut butter. Their unanimous (and somewhat surprising) pick? Costco’s Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter.

My mission to find the best store-bought peanut butter began after a conversation with Gavin Len, a pastry chef at Third Falcon in Brooklyn, New York. We met at a dinner and immediately bonded over our shared love for Costco, which led to a discussion about peanut butter. Gavin said Costco is his go-to for many pantry staples, including Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter. “It’s creamy, and has simple ingredients. It’s really just such a solid peanut butter,” explained Gavin. “Plus you can get two huge jars of it for like $10 in stores.” The price for quality just can’t be beat.

KC Hysmith, a food writer, recipe developer, and scholar agreed: “It is the biggest irony that my two little kids are pretty picky eaters (we’re working on it). We eat A LOT of peanut butter, so quantity and quality are crucial,” says KC. “The giant two-pack of Kirkland Organic PB (just peanuts and salt!) feels like a small miracle.” She doesn’t personally have a Costco membership, but loves the peanut butter so much that her friend restocks it for her every few weeks.

The real kicker came when I was visiting home this past weekend and noticed a few jars of Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter not only in my chef dad’s cupboard, but also in my chef grandmother’s (who was the executive chef at my family’s restaurant, Peppermint, in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, until early this year). When I brought up Costco’s store-brand peanut butter at family dinner, my dad stood up, dipped a spoon into the jar, and said three words: “Costco never misses.”

Buy: Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter, $9.99 for 2 (28-ounce) jars of peanut butter  at Costco

What’s your favorite peanut butter brand? Tell us about it in the comments below.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: We Asked 3 Chefs to Name the Best Jar of Peanut Butter, and They All Said the Same Thing