I’m a former TV chef who spends about $150 a week at Costco. Here are 11 things I always get.

• I’m a former TV chef who spends $150 on tasty ingredients and cooking shortcuts at Costco each week.
• The Minsley cooked rice and Bachan’s Japanese barbecue sauce can effortlessly upgrade meals.
• I also grab ingredients like Kerrygold butter and Kirkland Signature Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Before the first season of my aspireTV series, “Butter + Brown,” I trained with a chef whose husband was a corporate executive at Costco.

In my mind, Costco was for folks who loved pre-seasoned meat, Kirkland Signature-branded alcohol, and birthday cakes. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

This chef gave me the inside scoop on the best items from the store, and since then, I’ve joined the nearly 35 million customers who have an executive Costco membership. I use my membership to stock up on ingredients for family dinners and quick meals.