Wagyu Ground Beef is a top find at Aldi.
When Aldi first opened in the town down the road from me, it was a hard no. 25 cent deposit to use a shopping cart? Turnstiles to get out if you’re not making a purchase? If you don’t trust me as a customer, then why should I trust you as a source of my food? But a closer store has opened since without the turnstiles, and I’ve become a fan with a list of Aldi top finds.
Aldi Seedtastic Organic Bread.
High on my list would be Seedtastic and Graintastic organic breads, for a couple bucks less than equivalent at natural food stores. We like to make healthy breads available to Airbnb guests and these are delicious plus have a long shelf life.
I am also a big fan of Southern Grove Mixed Nuts with Sea Salt, which unlike many alternatives (including at Aldi’s sister store, Trader Joe’s), have just the right amount of salt. It sets the stage for the nuts without dominating which is just what I want.
Sotherns Grove Mixed Nuts
Speaking of salt, Clancy’s Original Kettle Chips are perfectly salted and not overpowering like their sister jalapeno and bbq chips. If I’d included them in last year’s taste test they might have been the winner!
Aldi Original Kettle Chips.
Ground waygu beef is close to an oxymoron, but it’s good for smash-type burgers and it’s just a buck more than generic ground beef. Be prepared to deal with the copious fat it will give off in the fry pan.
We’ve been making our blender gazpacho on repeat and Aldi’s tomato juice is a key component for less than half the price of Campbells.
These last two items are not currently on Aldi shelves for their website; like sibling Trader Joe’s Aldi removes out-of-stock or seasonal products as if they never existed.
Aldi Red Cabbage with Apples.
Red cabbage with apple. At 2.39 for 24 oz, this is a bargain since raw red cabbage would be the same price in a supermarket. A perfect accompaniment for our pork sauerbraten.
Potato salad with mustard. As a Texan I know good potato salad has mustard in it, and when it went on sale for $1.69 for a 1 pound tub I grabbed several, They were just as good as I expected but the next week they were gone and have not returned.
And about those 25 cent shopping carts, turns out they present an opportunity for pay-it-forward generosity. About 1 time in 4 another shopper will offer me their cart rather than turning it in for the reward, and of course I do the same when I am done with it. If no free carts are available and I don’t have a quarter, my turnstile-free Aldi’s doesn’t seem to have a problem if I bring my own reusable tote bag, load it up while shopping, then dump it at the register when I check out.
Locally there aren’t any turnstiles, no problems with your own bag and self checkouts in some stores. I like the German stuff particularly the Deutsche Kuche canned smoked herring. Wernesgrüner beer is legit. The blonde hair (dried ‘kraut) on the outside of the bottled sauerkraut put me off recently. Red hair on the Red Cabbage?
Meats are hit or miss. They are always the low priced option for Hofmann hot dogs, the Syracuse favorite. Never had the Wagyu ground beef. I dont think they have Kobe, But I’d try it. He’s an excellent player and I’m sure he wouldn’t endorse a bad product;-)
I will look for the pickled herring, thank you! Re Hoffman hot dogs, my local BJ’s has recently carried Sabrette natural casing, the gold standard as far as I am concerned. I stocked up just in case it was a temporary thing.
Smoked herring, canned, like sardines. Natural casing is good start for any sausage.