If you want to save some grocery money and aren't especially concerned with brand names, Aldi is a great place to shop. But not everything there is worth your dollar. Steer clear of these items.
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00:00If you want to save some grocery money and aren't especially concerned with brand names,
00:05Aldi is a great place to shop. But not everything there is worth your dollar.
00:09Steer clear of these items.
00:12Since they're sealed in cans, it's not always easy to tell which canned foods hit the mark
00:17and which ones miss. So we identified these. The canned foods at Aldi you should skip.
00:23Do all you can to avoid Brookdale Pork Luncheon Meat. This gross stuff is a knockoff of spam
00:28that will make you shudder from the moment you smell it. It smells so bad that you might not
00:32even want to taste it. If you do taste it, you'll be perplexed that this spam imitation
00:37somehow tastes even worse than it smells. And then there's the texture. It's rubbery
00:42and breaks apart if you try to heat it up in a frying pan like spam.
00:46Real spam has a lot of flavors a lot of people love. But there's nothing that you'll enjoy about
00:51the Brookdale Pork Luncheon Meat. Unless you plan on buying it to feed your worst enemy,
00:55there's no reason for this canned junk to end up in your cart.
00:59Simply Nature Organic Lentil Soup is organic and free of artificial flavors.
01:03It's also free of natural flavors. There's just no flavor at all. On your first spoonful,
01:09you'll realize it's…
01:11"...ultimately a flavorless lump of sadness."
01:13If you look at the picture on the can, you might be tempted by all the lentils that are in this
01:17soup. And while there are certainly a lot of lentils, they're soggy and somehow get even
01:21soggier when you heat it up. If you do for some reason buy a can of Simply Nature Organic Lentil
01:26Soup, be ready to add flavoring to it for any hope of making it edible. Adding meat or at least some
01:31spices will help with swallowing this stuff, but the mushy texture will remain a turn-off no matter
01:36what you do to it.
01:38There's simply nothing to like about Casa Mamita Traditional Refried Beans.
01:42This Aldi exclusive manages to ruin refried beans, which, truthfully, isn't easy to do.
01:48Firstly, it's oddly fibrous and annoyingly chewy. Refried beans shouldn't be difficult to eat,
01:54but these get stuck in your teeth and then your throat.
02:04Second, the flavor is all wrong. These refried beans have an oily taste that
02:09overpowers anything you mix it with. Even salsa is no match for the overpoweringly bad taste.
02:14Though the refried beans are high in fiber, high in protein, and low in fat,
02:18it just doesn't matter. Aldi could give cans of it away for free,
02:21and it still wouldn't be worth bringing home.
02:24Mandarin oranges sound like a safe bet, but something went horribly wrong with
02:28Sweet Harvest Mandarin Oranges in Light Syrup. These somehow have almost no flavor. The
02:34light syrup is a watery substance that is only slightly sweet,
02:38and the actual oranges are smaller than you would expect.
02:41Even without the sweetness or flavor, this can of disappointment still manages to pack in 8.5
02:46grams of added sugar. If you are going to consume added sugar, make sure you can actually taste it.
02:52For some yummy canned fruit from Aldi, go with Sweet Harvest Peach Slices in Heavy Syrup. The
02:57peaches are amazingly delicious, and the syrup is so good that you could drink it by the glass.
03:02Brookdale chili with beans is a failure when it comes to flavor, even though it's loaded with
03:06salt. It's possible to get a can of this chili for less than a dollar at times, but it's not
03:11even worth that. Don't even try to eat it straight out of the can. The meat is rubbery and the beans
03:16are hard, and while the chili is slightly spicy, neither the meat nor the beans are flavorful
03:21enough to make it enjoyable. You could consider using Aldi's Brookdale chili with beans as a base
03:26for a chili and cheese dip, or add some ground beef to it along with some hot sauce in order
03:30to make a chili worth eating. But a better idea is to buy a quality canned chili to begin with,
03:34or just go to Wendy's.
03:36If you eat a can of this soup, the fact that it is organic won't be able to mask
03:40your disappointment, unfortunately. The biggest issue is the chicken,
03:44pieces of which are few and far between. Even when you are able to find the chicken pieces,
03:49they are so stringy that they're really insubstantial. And the noodles aren't much
03:53better. They dissolve instantly in your mouth and are forgettable at best.
03:56The slices of organic celery and organic carrots have the opposite problem.
04:00Instead of being too soft and too easy to miss, they are too crunchy and distracting.
04:05To put it bluntly, Northern Catch Pink Salmon smells like cat food. While whiskers and mittens
04:11may get excited when you open a can of this stuff, you surely won't. The cat food aroma
04:15is the first sign that you made a bad selection at Aldi, but it won't be the last.
04:20Canned salmon can be really good, and it has an impressive array of health benefits.
04:24It can actually be almost as good as fresh salmon, but Northern Catch Pink Salmon is a
04:28thorough disappointment. Beyond the smell, you will find that the can has too much salmon skin
04:32and bones in it. To add to the misery, the skin is tough and the bones are too rigid.
04:37Usually, you can ignore the bones that you find in canned salmon, but these bones are
04:41so noticeable that you will need to pick them out one by one before you think about eating it.
04:45Do yourself a favor and just throw it away, or give it to your cat,
04:49if you think they won't choke on the bones.
04:51Aldi is amazing. That's one thing we can agree on. For one thing, it's just such a fun place
04:57to shop. You never know just what you're going to find, but you can always count on getting
05:00high-quality chocolate, excellent cheeses, craveable snack items, and wines that range
05:05from just okay to pretty awesome. In fact, if you just stroll through the aisle grabbing things
05:11at random, you're still likely to wind up with a few new favorites. You also know that you're
05:15not going to be spending a fortune, since Aldi is known for its low, low prices, particularly
05:20on such staple items as milk and meat. Another great reason to shop at Aldi is that you'll run
05:26a lot less risk of being crowded out by ravening hordes of hipsters than you will at any given
05:30Trader Joe's. Even Aldi, however, has just a few blind spots, or rather, soft and mushy spots,
05:37since the one area in which they tend to be not quite on the same level as other grocers
05:42is with their produce selection.
05:44Um, none of those vegetables are fresh."
05:47While most Aldi products get rave reviews, the produce? Well, not so much. Wise Bread
05:52singles out Aldi's garlic, calling its cloves both tiny and difficult to peel and saying that
05:57the potatoes and other produce, including peppers, onions, and bananas, may not be all that fresh
06:03and could be well on its way towards turning into a moldy mess as soon as you bring it home.
06:08Cheat Sheet also lists produce as one of its top Aldi don't-buys, calling it hit-or-miss and also
06:14remarking on the fact that it tends to spoil more quickly than does produce from other stores.
06:19In a comparison of Trader Joe's produce versus Aldi's, the penny hoarder didn't have too many
06:24good things to say about the German grocer's selection, either. For one thing, they found
06:28the selection to be limited, and several trips were needed to procure the wanted goods.
06:32Secondly, the site reveals, the offerings were, quote,
06:35"...a tad scary-looking."
06:37Okay, really scary-looking. All the tomatoes were either bruised or smooshed, the bananas
06:43were already turning brown, and fruit flies were buzzing around the produce section. Aside from
06:48those two rather significant strikes, the penny hoarder also noted that because only
06:52bulk-sized bags of certain produce are offered, it's not a good buy for singles.
06:57At this point, you might be wondering what's really up with all of the bad press on Aldi
07:02produce. Most of the bad reviews regarding Aldi's fresh fruit and veggies tend to revolve around its
07:07inability to stay fresh for any length of time, so it seems that the problem might possibly have
07:12something to do with how the produce is stored. One review on Consumer Affairs from a shopper
07:17who states that they are a huge fan of everything Aldi, aside from its produce department, suggests
07:22that one potential reason for the accelerated spoilage could be the fact that Aldi's produce
07:27tends to be placed right at the entrance to the store, and is therefore subject to
07:31temperature fluctuations as the doors open and shut. Fluctuating temperatures are never
07:36good for product freshness, which is also the reasoning behind why you should not be
07:40storing your milk or eggs in the refrigerator door.
07:44Milk was a bad choice."
07:48A 2017 Business Insider article reveals that Aldi has been taking steps to address the produce
07:54problem in some of its newer stores. They will be greatly expanding the produce section and
07:59also moving it to a more central location within the store, which ought to help keep temperatures
08:04more stable. There will also be a large refrigerated section that will be used to hold
08:09salad greens and certain fruits that need cooler temperatures, such as grapes and berries.
08:14These refrigerated sections will also feature certain types of pre-made soups and dips.
08:19Business Insider compared the look, the layout, and the selection of these newer Aldi stores
08:23to the now-closed 365 stores that Whole Foods introduced in 2016. All of these changes bode
08:30well for the future of buying produce at Aldi. At present, though, unless you're absolutely
08:35sure that your local Aldi boasts one of these new and improved produce departments,
08:39you might be better off shopping for fruits and veggies at a different grocer.
08:43Next time you're looking for eggs, you might want to skip sourcing them from everyone's
08:47favorite standby bargain grocer, Aldi. Now, keep in mind that we're not talking about
08:51Aldi's Griseco-infused chocolate eggs that came out around Easter 2020. Those are heavenly,
08:57and you should definitely get those. Seriously, you'll feel like they make your life a little
09:01more complete. We're talking about the hen-laid carton eggs that you buy on a weekly basis for
09:07your Sunday morning breakfast. Basically, even though Aldi is great for almost everything else,
09:11it's not a great idea to buy your eggs from Aldi these days, at least until 2025. Why?
09:18By then, Aldi has committed to only selling eggs laid by hens in cage-free facilities.
09:23Good on them. That's no small thing, especially considering that, as of 2015,
09:28around 97 percent of all egg-laying hens in the U.S. are raised in battery cages,
09:33with less space to move than a piece of standard notebook paper. By 2025,
09:37Aldi will be leading the way in the United States towards more humane food sourcing policies.
09:42But until 2025? If you're going to buy Aldi, buy organic. Aldi's cheaper eggs are branded
09:48Gold Hen, which are sourced from Roseacre Farms, one of the country's largest egg suppliers.
09:53But unfortunately, Roseacre Farms does not have the best rap sheet.
09:57As Aldi Reviewer will tell you, even the cheaper eggs you'll find at Aldi are certified as, quote,
10:02"...raised humanely."
10:04But what does that label really mean when it comes to the lives of the hens who lay them?
10:08In 2019, the company went on public record trying to push back on California state
10:13regulations safeguarding animal rights. Among other things, they lobbied to include
10:17ramps in the calculation of the amount of floor space necessary to ensure that hens
10:21are not cruelly confined, and to limit the definition of an egg-laying hen to mature
10:26chickens, and not just any female domesticated chicken. That's… odd.
10:32Well, it wasn't in a tree, it was in a hole.
10:35Yeah, I mean, it's like a rat's egg or something.
10:38In 2018, the FDA investigated Roseacre Farms and found dirty chicken houses,
10:43rodent infestations, and their investigation uncovered hauntingly similar conditions to
10:48what undercover investigators from the Humane Society found eight years prior.
10:52Hens in filthy conditions unable to reach food, suffering from broken bones,
10:57prolapsed uteruses, and nestled in among rotting corpses,
11:02which we're not going to show you for obvious reasons.
11:05That particular undercover investigation led to a lawsuit in which plaintiffs also
11:09called the company out for misleading imagery on its packaging and marketing
11:13free-roaming eggs, a label that doesn't even really apply to eggs.
11:18More troubling still is that the unsanitary conditions that Roseacre Farms has come under
11:23constant scrutiny for in the last decade are not solely an animal rights issue.
11:27They could also directly affect your health, because that 2018 FDA investigation? It wasn't
11:33random. The FDA inspected Roseacre Farms due to a salmonella outbreak linked to the company's
11:40shell eggs. Before we go any further, if you bought all the eggs in 2018, you can breathe.
11:45The salmonella outbreak did not apparently infect eggs distributed to Aldi,
11:49which has probably as much to do with luck as anything else.
11:53Briefly, the 2018 outbreak infected 45 people who experienced diarrhea,
11:58fever, and abdominal cramps and led to 11 hospitalizations in 10 states.
12:03In hindsight, the outbreak is hardly surprising. In 2012, ABC News reported that eggs from cage-
12:09confined hens were almost eight times more likely to harbor salmonella bacteria than
12:14non-caged hens. While the FDA investigation into Roseacre Farms led the company to voluntarily
12:20recall over 206 million eggs it had distributed domestically, the same salmonella-infected eggs
12:27were shipped to the Bahamas, Haiti, Aruba, the Cayman Islands, St. Martin, and St. Bart's,
12:32where the FDA has no authority to intervene. What's the moral of the story? Stay away from
12:38Aldi's gold hen eggs just to be on the safe side, and until 2025, maybe opt for their
12:43simply nature-cage-free organic eggs. These are certified humane according to Humane Farm
12:49Animal Care and are inspected annually by the organization.
12:53Want milk? Aldi's got milk. Cow's milk, almond milk, heck, the popular chain has even got coconut
12:59milk, if that's how you roll. But here's the question, is Aldi really the place you should
13:03be buying your milk? Let's investigate. Sure, there's a lot to love about Aldi. After all,
13:08the bargain supermarket chain embraces a no-frills model that offers efficiency,
13:12low prices, and some great products. You can buy fridge staples like butter and milk right
13:16alongside pantry staples like pasta and canned goods. What's more, Aldi is known for special
13:20finds that only pop up on shelves for a limited time, and that only adds to the immense appeal
13:24of shopping there. Honestly, you never know what you'll find at Aldi, unless you happen to keep
13:29track of the weekly ads and plan all your trips in advance. But let's get real here, Aldi doesn't hit
13:34the mark with every product, every time. For example, the next time you're at Aldi, you may
13:38want to steer clear of the milk. As you may have noticed, Aldi's milk is quite inexpensive when
13:43compared to the milk you'll find at other grocery stores. After all, Aldi is committed to keeping
13:47operating costs as low as possible. That's why all their stores are on the small side, follow the
13:51same format, and offer a limited product selection. It's also why items like shopping carts and
13:56shopping bags are considered added luxuries at Aldi. Aldi's milk is sold under the name Friendly
14:00Farms, which might help the chain keep its milk prices so low. After all, it's not a big brand
14:05name. Or is it? In 2011, the author of James Ordinary Guy Reviews looked up the code on a
14:10bottle of Friendly Farms milk and discovered that it actually comes from major milk distributor
14:14Kemp's. It turns out, Aldi milk is cheap not because it's inferior, but because it doesn't
14:18carry a more prominent brand name, like, say, Kemp's.
14:21"'Kemp's. It's milk. On a mission."
14:23Here's another word to the wise. You may want to check the prices on milk in several markets in
14:28your area, because Aldi might not be your cheapest option. According to a post on the frugal-minded
14:32mom website, prices for milk can vary greatly in states where there are no set minimums on the
14:36price. She found that her local Aldi in Florida sells milk for as much as $3.49, whereas another
14:41Aldi store about 25 minutes away from her sells it for $2.44. Aldi reportedly compares its prices
14:47to competitors in the area, which means the cost of milk can change drastically depending on the
14:51prices at other nearby stores. Confused? Not to worry. Frugal-minded mom is here to break it all
14:56down for you. As the author writes,
14:58Since my local Aldi only has a Publix or Winn-Dixie nearby to compare to,
15:02prices are much higher than the store 25 minutes away that has a BJ's Wholesale and Walmart nearby.
15:07Okay, but what about buying almond milk at Aldi? Once again, you may want to think twice,
15:11or at least check the ingredient list before buying it.
15:14"'Who you pouring that for, man?"
15:16"'Order for you?'
15:19"'Fine, but not out here.'"
15:20According to the Wise Bread website, Aldi's almond milk, cottage cheese,
15:23and a few other dairy products might contain carrageenan. It's a thickener and stabilizer
15:28that might be associated with various stomach issues. Joanne K. Tabachman, MD,
15:32has extensively researched the biological effects of carrageenan and believes the
15:36additive is harmful and can potentially cause inflammation in the body.
15:39This is a concerning discovery because chronic inflammation can lead to many
15:42serious diseases like cancer, Parkinson's, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. Dr. Tabachman
15:47claims that lab mice who were exposed to small amounts of carrageenan for 18 days
15:51developed a profound level of glucose intolerance and impaired insulin action,
15:55both of which can lead to diabetes. In conclusion, you may want to avoid buying cow's
15:59milk and almond milk the next time you're at Aldi, at least until you price-check regular
16:03milk and look at the label of non-dairy milks. Hey, you can't be too careful nowadays, right?
16:09Is Aldi's raspberry danish worth your time? Are their fresh garlic knots a heavenly tastebud
16:14twist? Or did they leave us bent out of shape? Here's how Aldi's bakery offerings stack up,
16:20ranked from worst to best.
16:22It's impossible to mistake packaged grocery store bagels for the real thing,
16:26but they're convenient and cheap, so almost everyone has settled for the lesser bagel at
16:31some point. Although few Aldi locations carry them all, there are plenty of bagels to choose from.
16:39Whether you like plain or everything, cinnamon raisin or blueberry, seasonal flavors like pumpkin
16:45spice, diet-friendly skinnies, or keto bagels, we decided that everything bagels might best
16:50resemble our favorite New York bagel shop. Spoiler alert, they did not. The toppings are fine,
16:56the fault is in the dough. They lack the oomph and chewiness of authentic bagels.
17:01They're heartier than toast, but barely. But if you're looking for convenience,
17:05this bagel-shaped product is fine. Vanilla cake donuts dipped in chocolate are a time-honored
17:12favorite. With no messy fillings or powdered sugar, they're easy to eat on the go. So when
17:17we saw chocolate-frosted mini donuts at Aldi, we knew we were taking them home. Not only did
17:22they appeal to our appetites, but they're so cute and tiny, what could go wrong? While the cake was
17:28light and tasty, the chocolate was disappointing. It had a greasy mouthfeel, not the creamy richness
17:34we expect from chocolate. Are these donuts the worst thing you could ever eat? Hardly. Kids
17:39would probably love them, and the price is so low that we wouldn't take them off the table
17:43completely. But if this kind of donut is your favorite treat, you might want to hold out for
17:48another brand. Chocolate chip cookies are one of life's simple pleasures, and using chunks of
17:53chocolate instead of chips only makes them better. So we had to try these Big Shop Chocolate Chunk
17:58Cookies. Unfortunately, while these cookies contain hearty chunks of chocolate, they aren't
18:03well-distributed throughout the cookie. If you love soft, chewy cookies, these are terrific.
18:09We found them almost underbaked, but different strokes and all that. And unlike many bakery
18:15cookies, they weren't sickeningly sweet. Redditors point out that some people perceive a fishy smell
18:20from the canola oil in the cookies, so if you're sensitive to that, steer clear.
18:25That's weird.
18:26While we probably won't repurchase these cookies, preferences differ. They may be the cookie of
18:31your dreams. Aldi sells several small cakes. Depending on your store, you can try Lemon
18:37Lime 7-Up or the one we sampled, Triple Chocolate Creme Cake. These cakes aren't
18:42meant for a crowd. According to the Nutrition Label, the cake serves seven. And yes, we were
18:47stumped at the thought of cutting a Bundt cake into seven equal pieces, too. Since the entire
18:52cake weighs just 20 ounces, that means tiny slices.
18:56"...why not just a little sliver or, okay, just a slice or two?"
19:00Regardless, we enjoyed the soft, delicate crumb of this cake. Unlike many store-made cakes,
19:05it wasn't overly sweet. It had just the right amount of chocolate glaze
19:09studded with mini chocolate chips. If you're looking for a decadent dark chocolate cake,
19:14you'll be disappointed. But if you're in the throes of a cake craving, this is a solid choice.
19:20We were so excited to grab these kitchen sink cookies. Peanut butter with chunks of chocolate,
19:25white chocolate, peanut butter chips, pretzels, and coconut. Sounds like this marriage of sweet
19:30and salty everyone needs in their life. Redditors sing their praises. But we were
19:35pretty disappointed. We had trouble distinguishing the flavors, and completely missed the promised
19:41sweet-and-salty bite we were anticipating. Don't misunderstand, these cookies taste good.
19:45The peanut butter and white and dark chocolate flavors come through. But the coconut flavor was
19:50nowhere, and we mistook the pretzels for nuts. Until we re-read the label. Plus, the salty
19:56afterbite never materialized, which was surprising considering the number of pretzels in the cookie.
20:02Croissants are the ultimate French pastry. A yeasted dough laminated with tons of butter
20:08that produces a sublimely flaky, rich pastry. These specially selected all-butter croissants
20:14are petite, a boon for anyone watching their diet. While they can't be considered good for you at
20:19210 calories and 9 grams of fat, they have a third of the calories of traditional croissants.
20:25If you sample these croissants right from the package, you're likely to be disappointed by
20:29their bland breadiness. However, our opinion changed dramatically once we warmed them up
20:34in the toaster. Heating them changed their texture and made them taste authentically French.
20:39Redditors declare these croissants a winner, whether you heat them in the toaster oven,
20:44microwave, or air fryer. And we're sold. We love oatmeal cookies, but often find
20:50store-bought oatmeal cookies lacking. So before we tried these Bake Shop oatmeal cranberry cookies,
20:55we weren't expecting much. But these could be the best oatmeal cookies we've ever found
21:00at a grocery store. They're soft and chewy, so if you like a snappy oatmeal cookie,
21:05this isn't the one for you. But fans of meltingly soft cookies will be in heaven.
21:10There are lots of tart, dried cranberries in these, but the texture of the oatmeal is
21:15unmistakable. And the cinnamon makes these cookies taste like grandma's.
21:20These are definitely a keeper.
21:22Garlic knots are always yummy, whether you like them for mopping up extra pasta sauce,
21:27as a side with soup, or as late-night snacks. As New Yorkers with easy access to authentic
21:33pizzeria knots, we were skeptical of Love & Fresh. The ingredient label is long and complex,
21:39listing margarine made from soybean oil, soylethicin, palm oil, and a blend of canola
21:44and cottonseed oil. We steeled ourselves for the school cafeteria version of garlic knots.
21:49They were slimy coming out of the bag, and all those oils left them with an
21:53unattractive white coating. But, much to our delight, these knots were actually fabulous.
22:00They came out of the oven crisp and browned, while the inside stayed meltingly soft.
22:05In this case, food chemistry comes through for the win. The combination of oils tastes
22:10rich and buttery, and the blend of salt, dehydrated garlic, and parsley imparts all
22:15the flavors of the neighborhood pizza joint. These are a terrific, convenient option with
22:20any meal. Pro tip, buy two bags. You'll eat them.
22:24We first tried the Bakeshop Raspberry Danish right from the package. It tasted a bit dry,
22:29with the sweetness overpowering the raspberry. But a few minutes in the toaster oven transformed
22:34this pastry into a showstopper. The pastry seemed flakier and more delicate, like something you'd
22:39buy at a chic city bakery, rather than a grocery store. Once warmed, the raspberry flavor cut the
22:45sweetness, and the fruit harmonized with the pastry's slight crunch. This Danish would elevate
22:50any breakfast or brunch table, and is a bargain at under $4. We'll pick this treat up again and again.
22:57Aldi's Lemon Loaf Cake has a bright citrus flavor with a spectacularly delicate crumb.
23:03Fans of Starbucks Lemon Loaf will love this, especially since the entire package of eight
23:07slices costs less than one slice at the coffee giant. This cake is so delicious and light that
23:13we were tempted to eat several portions. While its light, spongy texture is divine,
23:20the pieces are small, and you're looking at an empty plate in no time. Try topping it with ice
23:25cream, berries, and whipped cream, or use it to make a showstopping trifle. Unfortunately,
23:30as with many Aldi products, this tiny cake is in too big of a package. A wrapped tin loaf pan would
23:37save space and assure customers they were getting an entire loaf cake, rather than leaving them
23:42wondering if they're getting less cake than advertised. Naan is a mouth-watering flatbread
23:47from India that's beloved worldwide for its savory versatility. Whether you use it to scoop up
23:53curries, as a pizza base, for sandwich wraps, or to dip in hummus, naan makes everything better.
23:59For this review, we tried the large size and made a Mexican pizza with salsa,
24:04chunks of chicken breast, spinach, peppers, and cheddar. It was soft and pillowy inside,
24:10but hearty enough to hold all the toppings and eat with our hands.
24:13"...is a naan and a half each."
24:15While this naan tastes amazing, we missed the extra flavor from the slightly charred spots
24:20you'll see on authentic naan, whether fried in a skillet or baked in a tandoor. This is a minor
24:25complaint, though, and it won't stop us from making this naan a regular item on our Aldi
24:31shopping list. While making your own cinnamon bread isn't complicated, Aldi's house brand,
24:36Love & Fresh, makes cinnamon swirl bread with or without raisins that brings your favorite toast
24:42to your plate faster and easier. We love this bread. It's excellent toasted with butter and
24:47makes delectable French toast. If you're a sweet and savory connoisseur, try it as a bacon and egg
24:53sandwich. Depending on our mood, it needs more cinnamon flavor, but a sprinkle of cinnamon
24:58sugar does the job without a fuss. The slices are on the small side, so use caution to avoid
25:03blackened toast. But you can't go wrong with this cinnamon raisin treat, whether you eat it with
25:08your morning coffee, as a snowy day snack with hot chocolate, or when late-night munchies hit.
25:14Brioche is a classic bread from France, enriched with butter and eggs. Its shiny, domed crust makes
25:21it instantly recognizable. Although almost everyone loves it, many bakers avoid this
25:26complicated baking project. That's where Aldi's bakery aisle comes in handy. The sliced brioche
25:32loaf is an outstanding all-purpose bread. The slices are thick with a buttery softness that's
25:37a pleasure to eat. It lends itself to toast, sandwiches, or homemade stuffing and croutons.
25:43Reddit users love it for French toast, and it holds up well to hearty preserves. Of course,
25:49since a healthy diet requires plenty of whole grains, this loaf probably shouldn't be your
25:53everyday bread. But if you're planning a celebratory meal or want to impress your family,
25:58the sliced brioche loaf will make any meal memorable.
26:02Aldi's house brand bake shop comes through with their cinnamon rolls. These treats look less than
26:07impressive in the package. They lack the gorgeous round shape we expect and are completely coated
26:13in white frosting. We were prepared to be underwhelmed, but after a few minutes in the
26:18toaster oven, we couldn't have cared less about the shape. They're soft with an exquisite cinnamon
26:23sweetness, and the frosting makes them delightfully gooey. Plus, they're reasonable for those watching
26:28their diets, with only 240 calories and 6 fat grams per roll. We'd keep those on our shopping
26:35list because they taste homemade, without ours in the kitchen. Aldi offers brioche rolls, bread,
26:41and sliced loaves, but the chocolate chip brioche feels special. We were prepared for it to be
26:46excellent, but the softness and light, airy texture went above and beyond expectations.
26:52This bread is studded with chocolate chips for a decadent chocolate experience.
26:56While making French toast with this brioche was our first thought, after devouring it straight
27:01from the package, one Reddit user shared that it makes the perfect substitute for a warm chocolate
27:06chip cookie when toasted and topped with butter and cinnamon sugar. It tastes as good as one you'd
27:12make in your own kitchen, but without all the work. We'll be trolling the bakery every single shopping
27:17trip for this bread. You don't need to count macros to know that certain carbs can wreak havoc
27:23on your blood sugar and your waistline, but sometimes it can be tough to find swaps for
27:28products we love that are packed with white flour. Love & Fresh low-carb tortillas taste
27:33exactly like flour tortillas with only 60 calories, 15 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.
27:40They're perfect for wraps, quesadillas, burritos, and even pizzas. And the Love & Fresh whole wheat
27:45tortillas are just as tasty as the original variety, though oddly, they contain one less
27:51gram of fiber. We recommend warming these tortillas no matter how you use them. It makes
27:56them pliable and gives them an authentic flavor. They heat up beautifully in the oven, microwave,
28:02or char directly over the flame if you have a gas stove.
28:06Reading the fine print on your food can be time consuming, so to give your to-do list a break,
28:11we vetted some of Aldi's specialty selections so you don't have to,
28:15starting with a few you'll definitely want to avoid.
28:19Millville Cinnamon Crunch Squares are exactly the sort of item that gives factory food production
28:23its dubious reputation.
28:25The industry has engineered what they call the bliss point for the perfect amount of
28:31sugar in products. Not too little, not too much."
28:34Anything that leaves syrup in the bottom of the bowl after you pour milk over it is bound to be
28:39worth a side-eye on your shopping trip. This one? It's a sugar bomb in a bag, in a box,
28:44and on a shelf, where it should absolutely remain. Like other low-quality boxed cereals,
28:50these squares are fortified with vitamins and minerals to compensate for the rest of
28:54the ingredients in the mix. It feels like the only reason for the whole-grain wheat
28:58and rice flour is to give the three different forms of sweetness — sugar, dextrose, and fructose — a
29:04vehicle for delivery, along with a pinch of unnamed natural flavor. Oh yeah, there's cinnamon in there,
29:11but its natural benefits are sure to be outweighed by the three-sugar pile-up.
29:15In fact, a one-cup serving of this crunchy catastrophe
29:19serves you 14 grams of sugar, more than a quarter of what you should have in a day.
29:23This is one of the worst foods you can buy at Aldi if you value your physiology.
29:28Has canned spaghetti and meatballs ever been associated with high-quality eating?
29:33Heat-and-eat meals like Bonitalia Canned Spaghetti and Meatballs are almost
29:37always a low-quality pantry addition, thanks to the shelf-stabilizing additives and unhealthy dyes
29:43used to maintain a palatable color. Chef Boyardee becomes Chef Boy Hardly,
29:48and nobody wins by spending their grocery cash on this unsavory stuff.
29:52A meal of spaghetti and meatballs generally conjures up images of wholesome home fare
29:57cooked by someone's grandmother and served on a red checkered tablecloth. Such is the
30:02power of well-prepared cuisine. What you'll find in this can among the pasta and beef
30:07are non-meat soy protein in two forms to fortify the meatballs — thickeners like
30:12glycerol monosterate in the spaghetti, high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten the sauce,
30:17and enough sodium to fill a single serving with 33 percent of what you should be eating daily.
30:22Maybe having this meal in a can on hand for evenings when cooking isn't in the cards
30:27sounds like a good idea, but you'd be better off with a box of real spaghetti in the pantry
30:31and a bag of frozen meatballs in your freezer instead.
30:35Resist the tempting name and check out the ingredients list on Bitton's Caramel
30:39Coconut Fudge Cookies to discover the low-quality nature of these sweet treats.
30:43A glimpse of the wrapper easily reveals that these cookies are a knockoff of Girl Scout
30:48Caramel Delights, a gooey favorite come springtime. Having them within reach all year round at Aldi
30:54makes it easy to overindulge in a food that's best enjoyed infrequently. The Girl Scouts are
31:00onto something with that springtime schedule. It's enough to know that two bite-sized cookies
31:05deliver 130 calories and six grams of fat, five grams of which are saturated,
31:10representing a whopping 25 percent of the recommended daily intake.
31:15The ingredient rundown shows off the use of hydrogenated coconut and soybean oils,
31:19as well as palm and palm kernel oil, along with sweetened condensed milk.
31:24All of that comes between sugar — the first ingredient on the list — and high-fructose
31:28corn syrup, with the controversial plant-based sweetener sorbitol also making an appearance.
31:33How many questionable components can you include to add sweetness and creaminess to a single cookie?
31:38In this Aldi offering, the answer is way too many.
31:42Jarred queso is always a questionable purchase, given the low-quality profile of the ingredients
31:48required to make cheese sauce creamy and pourable. Casa Mamita Salsa Con Queso may be Aldi's in-house
31:55branded attempt at shouldering out the competition, but it also ranks as one of the more low-quality
32:00products you can purchase here. It's a real temptation to grab a jar for your office food
32:05day or tailgate party, but is it the best you can do for your colleagues and weekend warriors?
32:10Hardly. Surprisingly, this jar's label lists water as its number one ingredient.
32:15Shouldn't a cheese sauce feature cheese as the primary element?
32:19There are also thickeners like sodium alginate, datum, and xanthan gum on the list.
32:25All of which are food-safe, but not exactly top-quality components by any stretch of the
32:30discerning shopper's imagination. And you've already paid for water as part of the purchase.
32:35Add to that salsa flavorings that come in the contains less than 2% section of the culinary
32:40credits, and you start to wonder how much better you could fare with a block of cheese and a jar
32:45of real salsa instead. Yes, you can find a Pop-Tart analog for a lower price at Aldi,
32:52in the form of Millville Toaster Tarts. And yes, they're likely to soothe your sweet tooth as a
32:57morning staple, or an after-meal treat. They're also one of the lower-quality items you can toss
33:02in your costs-a-quarter rent-a-cart, made from a mishmash of things you know as food,
33:07things you know as additives, and things you can't even begin to identify.
33:12Are we supposed to eat that?
33:14The volume of ingredients on the back of the box would be enough to put avid readers to sleep.
33:19If it wasn't for trying to determine why so many ingredients are necessary for a packaged pastry,
33:24there are recognizable low-quality items like corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and palm oil.
33:29There are also some unfamiliar and unpleasant-sounding pieces to the puzzle,
33:34things like pre-gelatinized yellow cornmeal, whey permeate, and enzyme-modified soy protein.
33:40Isn't a tart in its most simplified form supposed to be crust and jam? That feels
33:46miles away from this concoction. And it doesn't take a nutrition expert to recognize food that is
33:51this processed is an unfavorable choice. But don't despair. There are still good,
33:55healthy buys to be found in the Aldi aisles. And since you'll be needing replacement items
34:00for your store list, we've got some suggestions.
34:03Aldi's is renowned for its great prices and delicious food, but not everything is as good
34:09as it's cracked up to be. Here are some of the internet's least favorite foods from the grocery
34:14chain. In a perfect world, we would only eat pasta with homemade sauce. But jars of pre-made
34:21sauce exist for our convenience. No aisle of that pasta sauce is complete without a creamy Alfredo.
34:27But unfortunately, Aldi gets the recipe of its version all wrong. Aldi's in-house brand,
34:34Priano, may proudly display the Italian flag on its label, but this inspired-by-Italy Alfredo sauce
34:41tastes far from authentic. Alfredo sauce dates back to early 20th century Rome and is known for
34:48its creamy, decadent, and cheesy flavor. Aldi's take on this classic pasta topper has been
34:53described by customers as bland and oddly sweet. Many of those who have picked up a jar of Priano's
35:00Four Cheese Alfredo sauce noted that it wasn't very cheesy at all and were disappointed by its
35:05watery consistency. While it's not unusual for a jarred sauce to be a bit of a letdown compared to
35:11homemade stuff, the most concerning complaints here came from Aldi shoppers who pointed out that
35:16Priano Alfredo sauce has an unpleasant smell and can even reportedly taste like spoiled dairy.
35:24In addition to the Four Cheese and Creamy Alfredo varieties, Priano Alfredo sauce also
35:29comes in a roasted garlic flavor. But next time you want to make it a fettuccine Alfredo night,
35:34consider following an easy homemade recipe for the sauce instead.
35:39When you're craving a hearty, comforting meal in a pinch, canned corned beef hash can really do the
35:45trick, unless the can happens to be from Aldi. For years, Aldi has carried canned corned beef
35:51hash from the Brookdale brand, but customers have more recently voiced dissatisfaction with the
35:56product. In 2023, several Aldi aficionados reported that they used to really like the Brookdale brand,
36:03but the quality has taken a nosedive. To start, there seems to be a major issue with the product's
36:09consistency, with buyers describing it as overly soft and too oily. Brookdale's version of corned
36:16beef hash has some rather unappealing nutrition facts on the label. The 640-calorie can packs in
36:2340 grams of fat, including 17 grams of saturated fat, 39 grams of carbs, and 100 milligrams of
36:31cholesterol. The sodium content might be the most alarming, at 1,630 milligrams per can.
36:38That's 71 percent of an average adult's daily recommended intake. Everyone's entitled to an
36:45indulgent meal from time to time, and a can of Brookdale corned beef hash could certainly be
36:50classified as such. Yet indulgent foods are supposed to taste good, and this one doesn't.
36:56Bacon is easily one of those grocery store staples that has a special place in many people's hearts,
37:04stomachs, and refrigerators. This is why it's hard to believe that Aldi hasn't done better in this
37:14area. Numerous shoppers who have bought Aldi's Appleton Farms Premium Sliced Bacon have taken
37:20to the internet to warn others of its subpar quality. The most common gripe is that it's
37:25sliced way too thin and is extremely fatty. One Reddit thread described Aldi's bacon as
37:31a little more than raw pork fat with a disappointing amount of meat. Some even
37:36accused Appleton Farms of placing the acceptable-looking slices at the front of the clear
37:41package to camouflage the pale, shabby-sliced remains that lay beneath. When Aldi reviewer
37:47gave the bacon a favorable review in 2019, the comments section was flooded with so many
37:53counter-arguments about this stringy, hard-to-peel, low-on-flavor bacon that the site added an
37:59editor's note acknowledging that the negative reviews were valid. Similar to jars of pre-made
38:06sauce and canned corned beef and hash, we have to admit that instant mashed potatoes will never
38:13measure up to the real deal. However, busy people and kitchen novices may still be inclined to grab
38:20a box of instant mashed potato flakes off the grocery store shelf. Normally, we'd say there's
38:25nothing wrong with that. But Aldi's chef's cupboard instant mashed potatoes are subpar to begin with.
38:32Despite their humble nature, we still expect that instant mashed potatoes should be buttery,
38:37smooth, and at least palatable. Aldi's version fails in every regard.
38:44When customers review food items, there's always the matter of personal preference to take into
38:49consideration. But when more than one consumer says a food item is not meant for human consumption,
38:56it's hard to ignore. One commenter on an Aldi reviewer post likened them to wallpaper paste,
39:02while another stated that they wouldn't even serve them to their dog. Not every review of
39:08Aldi's instant mashed potatoes was quite so intensely negative, but you might want to play
39:13it safe and purchase another brand. We love a culinary fusion moment, but Aldi's attempt at
39:21chicken fried rice simply misses the mark. Aldi sells a whole line of Asian-inspired frozen foods
39:28under its Fusia brand. Although the brand name is pretty on the nose, not all of Fusia's products
39:34bring out the best in Asian fusion cuisine. The biggest offender is the chicken fried rice,
39:40where the problem is the rice itself. Even Aldi reviewer, who has been kind to many lacking Aldi
39:47foods, admitted that the Fusia frozen chicken fried rice fails in comparison to better Fusia
39:54products like spring rolls and potstickers. Don't let your love of Chinese takeout convince you
40:00that Aldi's frozen chicken fried rice will compare to the real deal. To make matters even more
40:05suspicious, it was also the subject of an Aldi storewide recall due to its packaging that
40:11falsely declared it to be dairy-free. Whether it's a Hot Pocket knockoff or a pot pie that doesn't
40:17take the cake, there are some frozen foods from Aldi that you don't want anywhere near your freezer
40:22or your tongue. Starting the morning off with a breakfast sandwich seems like a great idea,
40:27right? You get all your favorite breakfast foods, eggs, cheese, sausage, and bacon nicely nestled
40:32between two pieces of bread for a handheld vessel with a mission to get you stoked for the day
40:37ahead. This all sounds great to me. But if you're thinking about investing in the breakfast best
40:43sausage, egg, and cheese croissant at Aldi, you'd better think again. Let's start with taste. First,
40:49you expect a croissant to have a delicate texture thanks to the butter and lamination,
40:53but these are frozen. When they cook, the bread becomes tough and crumbly. The cheese has a
40:58plastic-like quality to it, and both the egg patty and sausage disc are beyond rubbery. It
41:04also warms up unevenly, so you have these off-putting cold spots peppered throughout.
41:08Yeah, we think we'll pass. Mornings can prove very stressful for many, so a quick and convenient way
41:14to get energy into your body is essential. This is what might draw your eye to the whole and simple
41:18breakfast bites in Aldi's frozen breakfast aisle. However, don't be fooled by the photo on the box
41:23and the promise of 13 grams of protein per serving. These are breakfast bites that are much
41:28better left on the shelf. Starting your day off filling your body with poor nutrition is a recipe
41:33for disaster, plain and simple. Your body always wants to operate at peak performance, but these
41:38breakfast bites will deter you from that. If you opt for the ham, pepper, and cheddar bites,
41:42you're tossing back small bites packed with 240 calories, 9 grams of saturated fat, and 350
41:48milligrams of sodium. And don't think for one second that the turkey, sausage, and spinach
41:53option is much better. Let's face it, when your appetite is calling for a hot slice of pizza,
41:58there really is no other food you can supply it that'll scratch that itch.
42:02Not pizza, not pizza, not pizza.
42:06Pizza time is serious, so having a few frozen options in your freezer on hand alleviates all
42:10the traveling you have to do to grab a fresh pie. However, if you're at Aldi and you see a box of
42:15Reggio's sausage pizza staring back at you, you pass that box right on by.
42:20This is one frozen pizza that definitely doesn't earn its place anywhere in your freezer. Now,
42:25these pizzas are dinner size, which means you can pretty much put away a whole pie if you're
42:29really hungry. But your body definitely doesn't want or need 18 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated
42:35fat, 49 grams of carbs, and over 700 milligrams of sodium. On top of that, the texture of the
42:42sausage is rubbery and the cheese is rather bland. After a heavy meal full of rich and
42:48hearty dishes, a sugary blast of dessert can really push dinner over the top.
42:52And you better believe that if you have guests over to eat and you break out a
42:55container of specialty-selected frozen cream puffs, you're gonna get people pretty excited.
43:01The little morsels of light, delicate breading filled with rich cream top off an evening in
43:05one of the most delicious ways possible. As tasty as they might be, you should keep them
43:10far away from your mouth. Since these puffs are bite-sized, it's too easy to toss back
43:15several of them. And that's a big issue in terms of their nutrition.
43:19Let's say you scarf down three cream puffs. You just smacked your body with over 11 grams of fat,
43:247 grams of saturated fat, and almost 20% of your daily cholesterol intake. This means anyone who
43:30really decides to go hard on the cream puffs is flooding their system with unnecessary cholesterol.
43:36Are these puffs tasty? Most definitely. But they're simply not worth the poor nutrition.
43:41When hunger strikes, it comes in all kinds of forms. Sometimes it's the kind that only requires
43:46a small snack. But other times, the belly beast kicks in with a force akin to what Harold and
43:52Kumar felt when they made their incredibly arduous journey to White Castle. Well, if you get smacked
43:57with Harold and Kumar-level hunger that only White Castle can stave off, you can simply pick yourself
44:02up a box of the frozen White Castle cheese sliders for the sake of convenience. But just
44:07because you can doesn't mean that you should. Now, it's no secret that fast food isn't the
44:11pinnacle of healthy eating. In fact, it's far from it. And that's why these frozen cheese sliders
44:17don't belong in your fridge. Each box comes with three plastic sleeves containing two sliders,
44:22making two sliders a single serving. Along with both of the slider-sized burgers is 18 grams of
44:28fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, and over half a gram of sodium. These things
44:34are miniature vessels of unhealthiness, and you would be wise to leave them out of your shopping
44:38cart. Trust us, your waistline and your toilet will thank you. There are so many questions that
44:45pop into your head when you're in the mood for a burger. What kind of meat are you going to use?
44:49What kind of fixings will you pile on top of the patty? Do you want it rare or well done? All these
44:54pertinent questions loom large because when it's burger time, you want to make sure your appetite
44:58is invested in something worthwhile. Well, if you're wondering whether or not the Bremer Angus
45:03cheeseburgers will check the right boxes, they won't. Now, keep in mind, these cheeseburgers are
45:07basically Aldi's attempt to recreate everyone's favorite microwavable fare. Hot pockets!
45:15The cheese top patty has a flat bread casing around it, so the meat and cheese flavors are encased in
45:19the bread. Well, sadly, there isn't really much flavor to seal in. The beef is super bland, and
45:25the cheese has a gummy texture. These things aren't exactly great on the nutrition scale either.
45:30With 340 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 160 calories per flatbread burger,
45:37all of this makes the fact that there are 10 grams of protein in them seem somewhat irrelevant.
45:43While cream cheese and jalapenos might at first seem like an odd combination,
45:46once you actually try it, you realize the cream cheese does a great job of coating your mouth with
45:51a cooling sensation to offset the spicy kick of the jalapeno. Now add a deep fryer to the whole
45:56mix, and you have yourself a super solid appetizer for parties. However, it might be best to avoid the
46:02Appetito's stuffed jalapenos with cream cheese at Aldi for a couple of different reasons.
46:07Let's start with the nutritional content. Now, once you start combining a heavy cheese and a
46:11deep fryer, you automatically know that you're not dealing with healthy cuisine.
46:15So it shouldn't come as a huge shock that in only three of these stuffed peppers lies 230 calories,
46:21almost a third of your daily saturated fat intake, and 25 grams of carbs. Even if you
46:26can stomach all that, the flavor here lacks as well. The cream cheese often comes out runny,
46:31which is very unappealing, and the outer breading burns easily. If you're looking
46:35to get your stuffed jalapenos on, this is not the way to do it. Whether you're having some
46:41friends over for a weekend get-together or just cranking through Netflix shows on your own,
46:45having a big ol' pile of freshly baked beef taquitos on a tray nearby is never a bad idea.
46:51So long as the outer corn tortilla is crispy and the meat inside is tender and savory,
46:55you really can't go wrong. Well, the Casa Mamita beef taquitos at Aldi certainly found more than
47:01one way to go wrong, which is why they don't deserve a spot on your shopping list. Even after
47:06they are baked in the oven, the corn tortillas that wrap the beef are mostly chewy as opposed
47:10to crispy. Once you bite down, things don't really get any better. The meat inside tastes
47:15super salty and is nowhere as tender as you'd like. You get the sensation of chewing on dried
47:20strips of beef jerky. And the nutrition here is nothing to brag about. Three small taquitos pack
47:25240 calories, 26 grams of carbs, and 340 milligrams of sodium. The best part of diving into a freshly
47:33made chicken pot pie, other than the delicious flavor, of course, is the first time you break
47:37open the buttery crust on top. Your nostrils are graced with those rich smells that erupt from
47:42within the flaky pastry. This is what makes the Bremer chicken pot pie such a bummer.
47:47Let's start with the pastry pie itself. Flaky and buttery it certainly isn't, the edge around
47:52the pie comes out hard as a rock and crumbles everywhere when you try to bite into it.
47:57Once you break through the pie's edible innards, your nose isn't met with a lovely aroma.
48:01And there's a thick, off-putting heaviness that leaves you suspicious about the quality
48:05of the ingredients used. If you're after foods packed with rich, vibrant, and savory flavors,
48:11you may look to Asian cuisine to find dishes with tastes and sensations that render your
48:15tongue numb with satisfaction. Take potstickers, for example. These bite-sized dumplings are
48:21encased in a super delicate wrapper that allows for the maximum flavors of the meat and vegetable
48:25stuffing inside to hit your palate. However, the Fuchsia Asian Inspirations Pork Potstickers at
48:30Aldi managed to do the opposite. The pork filling in each potsticker is juicy, but not in a great
48:35way. It feels like you're biting into a juicy, warm loaf of compact sodium. Gross! The dumpling
48:42casings are very delicate, but the pleasant mouthfeel they cause is instantly canceled out by
48:47the off-putting saltiness of the pork. In terms of nutritional value, there's nothing here to boast
48:52about. Tossing back three potstickers nets you just under half a gram of sodium, 150 calories,
48:58as well as some sugar. When it's time to enjoy Asian food, this isn't the way to do it.
49:04Rice can get a bad rap as being a boring, bland food. However, there are tons of ways to spruce
49:09up a plate of basic rice and turn it into something super savory and packed with delicious ingredients.
49:15Well, if you don't feel like heading out to the nearest Asian restaurant for some great rice
49:18options, Aldi has Fuchsia Asian Inspirations Chicken Fried Rice available for purchase.
49:23After a few bites of this dish, you may realize you should have just made the trip to a local
49:28restaurant and saved yourself the disappointment. Much of the rice becomes a very tough texture
49:32after cooking. The chunks of chicken are so dry that even the sauce that it comes in can't
49:37seep into the chicken enough to solve the problem. Flavor-wise, this dish is a disappointment.
49:43Cheesecake is the kind of dessert that can push you into a food coma in the most delicious way
49:48possible. If you eat a huge dinner but can still fit a bit more before your stomach waves the white
49:53flag, cheesecake is the perfect food to get that flag frantically shaking back and forth.
49:58Aldi sells assorted varieties of Belmont cheesecake, and even though each slice hits
50:02those rich and creamy notes really well, the nutritional value in them would make any doctor
50:07furious. If you take down one slice, which is super easy to do because the flavor and texture
50:13of each slice is incredible, you'll be hammered with 320 calories, 100 percent of your daily
50:20sugar intake, and over half of your saturated fat intake. However, it's temptingly easy to
50:25brush these facts aside once you take a bite because each slice erupts with tremendous flavor.
50:30But if you're looking out for your health or watching your sugar,
50:34then leave the Belmont slices far away from your freezer.
50:38Attention budget-conscious carnivores, Aldi has you covered with its bountiful meat selection,
50:44but there are certain unhealthy and untasty options that you better avoid.
50:48Although Aldi's regular chicken breasts are reasonably priced, they're not the best when
50:53it comes to taste or quality. They might be okay enough to feed a crowd in a pinch if they're
50:57sufficiently masked with other ingredients in certain dishes, but they're not ideal for serving
51:02on their own as a main course. Simply put, they're chewy and insufficiently moist no
51:07matter how you cook them. It's also hard to ignore the problems with conventionally raised
51:11chicken products. Researchers are continuing to question the effects of antibiotic use on chickens
51:17and the health effects they have on people who eat poultry. Even if you're not terribly concerned
51:21about that issue, there are other benefits to choosing more naturally raised chicken products,
51:26including higher levels of important nutrients like omega fatty acids.
51:30As far as meat options go, hot dogs are certainly one of the cheapest, especially at Aldi,
51:35but they come at the price of what's inside. While research is still learning more about
51:40processed meat and its impact on our health, there is clearly a correlation between the
51:44regular intake of processed meats and health problems like cancer and heart disease.
51:48Many brands have stepped up to create hot dogs that are more natural without nitrates
51:52and other questionable ingredients. But alas, Aldi falls short in this category,
51:57as its selection is rather limited to conventional brands that are a mixture
52:01of mechanically separated chicken and pork. Depending on which Aldi location you visit,
52:06there are occasionally organic uncured beef hot dogs, but the availability is hit or miss.
52:11Plus, there's not a ton of versatility when it comes to the types of meals you can make
52:15with hot dogs. There is some debate about whether or not pork is a healthy protein option,
52:20but in the grand scheme of meat consumption, it's actually a great choice.
52:25It's high in nutrients like B vitamins and iron and can also be beneficial for muscle health.
52:30However, Aldi's pork chops are a little less than ideal.
52:34You done messed up, A.A. Ron!
52:36The chain offers many different types of cuts of pork chops, but none are super flavorful,
52:41and they also tend to be dry, making them chewy and difficult to cut through.
52:45Plus, it can be confusing to determine the level of quality based on the labels alone.
52:50They mention that they're a product of the USA, but they don't state anything about them
52:54being all-natural or free from things like preservatives, antibiotics, added hormones,
52:58or other factors. Offered in a number of varieties including Italian,
53:03bratwurst, and maple breakfast slinks, Aldi's sausage selection might look wholesome at first
53:08glance, but what's really inside each one remains questionable.
53:12Labeled as a premium cut of pork, it's a mystery as to what that statement actually means.
53:17We can probably deduce that the pork that Aldi uses is from conventionally raised animals
53:22based on the lack of mention otherwise. Pigs in this situation are typically given antibiotics
53:27and are fed low-quality diets, which ultimately results in fewer nutrients and less flavor.
53:33Not only are these sausages on the bland side, but there are also a plethora of fillers and
53:37other ingredients that generate more questions than answers. For example, it states right on
53:42the label that the sausage contains BHA and propyl gallite, which are two synthetic antioxidant
53:48chemicals used to preserve and protect flavor. Every variety of Aldi bacon leaves way too much
53:54to be desired. Whether you buy the Never Any all-natural offering or the regular option that
53:59claims to be thick-cut, each one is so thin that it might make you wonder if you're eating bacon-flavored
54:03paper rather than actual bacon. In fact, just getting the strips out of the package and separated
54:09onto a skillet without any of them falling apart is a challenge. If that's not reason enough to
54:14buy your bacon somewhere else, then consider the nutritional value or lack thereof. No matter what
54:19kind you get, bacon is still highly processed, even if you choose to splurge on the Never Any variety,
54:25which is free from preservatives like nitrates and sulfates. Plus, bacon is one of the more
54:29cholesterol- and sodium-heavy protein choices, with very little healthy fats or protein to make
54:35up for it.
54:36No, I want my bacon. I gotta tell you something. Bacon is good for me.
54:41You can tell pretty quickly after your first bite that all of Aldi's deli meat is pre-packaged and
54:46not sliced fresh on sight. Pre-packaged deli meat already has the tendency to be on the thin side,
54:52and Aldi's varieties are no exception. If you're someone who has trouble with texture,
54:56it's undoubtedly best to steer clear, since a lot of the chain's deli meat gets slimy after
55:01sitting inside a plastic package with water for an extended period of time.
55:05Between the average taste and the highly processed quality, there's little about
55:09Aldi's deli meat that's worth recommending other than the fact that it's convenient.
55:13Every once in a while, your local store might have organic deli meat in stock,
55:16but the choices are rather limited, and they usually sell out soon after hitting the shelves.
55:22Turkey is known for being super dry, which is why brining and basting is such a vital process
55:26to any Thanksgiving preparation. But it's not just a whole turkey that you have to worry about
55:31cooking correctly. All forms of this bird, including ground turkey, tend to be on the dry
55:36side. Aldi's ground turkey deserves credit for being all-natural, but it's not enough
55:40to justify a purchase. Sure, the price tag is lower than its fresh counterparts, but it's
55:45not worth the savings and convenience when all you have to look forward to is something that
55:49lacks flavor and moisture, no matter how you cook it.
55:52You guys, I see one! I see a turkey! Shoot it! Shoot it!