Product Review: Kirkland 100% Pure Maple Syrup

I used to prefer fake pancake topping (I won’t even insult the real variety by calling this gloppy, high fructose corn syrup laden concoction “maple syrup”) to the natural variety. On occasion, we had the “real stuff” in the house, often as a holiday gift from one of my mother’s students. However, despite knowing that I “should” like the natural variety better, I liked the taste of the fake stuff better. Actually, to be honest, I liked it so much that, although not a huge fan of waffles, pancakes or French toast, I often chose the breakfasts as a way to eat syrup. When we went to restaurants for breakfast, I was not impressed when the boasted that they served pure Vermont maple syrup. Similarly, when other restaurants charged extra for the real stuff, I couldn’t believe that people would pay extra for an “inferior” syrup. Although my preference was clearly a sign of poor taste, I am sure my patents didn’t mind, as it saved a lot of money on syrup.

How times have changed. A few years ago, I saw a sale on pure maple syrup and decided that, given that my tastes had changed a lot (I now prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, find most candy too sweet, and prefer plain to flavored yogurt), I might now prefer a higher quality syrup. I will never turn back…a good thing for my palette, a bad thing for my wallet. Real syrup is sweet but not cloying, with a strong, pure maple flavor. It is much lighter and thinner than the viscous fake topping.

Because real syrup is quite expensive, I decided to look for it at Costco, knowing that it would be a better deal there than anywher else. I am glad I tried their version. The Kirkland 100% Grade A maple syrup is as good a syrup as I have ever had. It is a dark brown color, and has a smooth and thin consistency, without any hint of cornstarch or fake additives. The taste is sweet but a pure maple sweetness rather than a fake sugary taste that leaves me with a sticky film in my mouth and a headache from sugar overload.

True, even at Costco, this syrup is more expensive than the fake varieties. Nevertheless, at about $12 for a liter of syrup, this is a good buy, especially because, due to the intense maple flavor, a little goes a long way. I find that the recommended serving of 1/4 of a cup is quite a bit more than I need for a meal. The syrup lasts for months once opened in the refrigerator. It is especially good warmed in the microwave for a few seconds, as it produces a sweet warm topping that will not chill the product on which it is served. In addition, heating it thins it out even more, creating an even smoother coating on the food. Just don’t heat it for too long, as it will bubble up and start to form a film on top.

Of course this syrup is delicious on top of waffles, pancakes, and French toast. However, my favorite way to eat it is by stirring a small about into a bowl of wheatena or oatmeal. It adds a very light sweetness to what can be a healthy, but somewhat bland hot cereal. It is especially tasty when I come across a pocket of syrup that was not completely stirred in. I have also used it as a glaze for bananas. I cook the banana slices in the syrup and serve the mixture on top of pancakes.

Other options that I have not yet tried but that sound good are to use it as a coating for roasted brussel sprouts, as a glaze for salmon, and as a mix-in for plain Greek yogurt.

Have you tried this maple syrup? Suggestions for its use?