Posts Tagged ‘aldi’

ALDI – German Pound Cake Trio – Food Review

01/07/2017

ALDI, German Pound Cake Trio, food, review

January 7, 2017

This is the kind of product that used to be found at a local  bakery.  It’s too bad there aren’t more local bakeries anymore.

These are surprisingly light and fluffy.  The cake is slightly firmer than a Twinkie.  The center of each cake is filled with a fruit jam (1 each of: apricot, apple, cherry).  The cakes have a rich not overly sweet buttery taste and feel in the mouth.  Each cake comes in an individual thin cardboard baking tray.  They’re a nice change from the usual cakes that fill supermarket freezer cases.
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Imperium Lager Beer – ALDI – Food Review

12/16/2016

beer. lager, Belgium, ImperiumDecember 16, 2016

Aside from the fairly recent rise of the craft beer industry, most beers consumed in America are lagers.  Coming from Belgium this ALDI beer of the month is also a lager, but with the usual European flavor.  Generally European beers have more of everything when compared with American beers; flavor, calories, alcohol and bitterness.  This lager is somewhat of a transition between the two.  The bitterness is reduced making it closer, but still different, from an American lager.  For Americans desiring more from their beer, this is a way to take a step in that direction.   Price  $6.49 – 6 pack, Calories – unspecified

 

ALDI – German Pound Cake Trio – Food Review

12/16/2016

ALDI, Germany, pound cake

December 16, 2016

Maybe this should be labeled as half-pound cake?  The cake is surprisingly light and fluffy with a consistency similar to but firmer than a Twinkie.  The cakes have a nice taste and are not overly sweet.  There’s a thin layer of jam, with some pieces of fruit, embedded in the cake, sometimes rising to the surface.  Each cake comes in an individual thin cardboard tray.  This is a quality product similar to what local bakeries might have.  The only negatives are the price and calories (watch it, the box listed calories are for half a cake – really?).  The regular price is $3.99 per box of three cakes.  It seems many people agreed about the price as this was marked down to $1.99 when I purchased it.  One of the nice things about ALDI is we get to try some imported products that otherwise we’d never know existed.  For that reason alone, this is worth a try, if and when it comes around again to the ALDI freezers – especially if the price is $1.99.  Calories 380 per whole cake
ALDI, Germany, pound cake, nutrition

ALDI – Season’s Choice Black Bean Chipotle Burger – Food Review

12/10/2016

aldi, black bean chipotle burger, season's choiceDecember 10, 2016

This was quite a surprise to find a mainstream store carrying something so spicy. Have the Zantac ready!
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ALDI – Clancy’s Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips – Food Review

11/12/2016

aldi, clancy's, potato chips, sour cream and onionNovember 12, 2016

I needed to buy two bags of these chips to do this review.  The first bag had very little seasoning. The second bag had more seasoning, but still on the light side.  In other words, there wasn’t very much of that sour cream and onion flavor in either bag.  Other than the seasoning, these are nicely done chips – thin, cooked perfectly, and not very salty.  At $1.39 per bag they’re not much more than a 1 ounce bag from a vending machine.  But if you’re looking for that sour cream and onion flavor, you may be disappointed with these chips.  Calories  150/1 ounce (about 13 chips)     Price $1.39 per 9.5 ounce bag

aldi, clancy's, potato chips, sour cream and onion, nutrition

Specially Selected Colombian Popayan Ground Coffee – Food Review – ALDI

11/12/2016

ALDI, Colombian coffee, ground, specially selected, Popayan11/12/2016

Can single origin, 2 ounces less, 30 cents more, and a map of South America make a better cup of coffee?  In short, yes if you follow directions.

There’s not much aroma coming from the bag when first opened.  There’s not much aroma coming from the cup when brewed.  There’s not a horrible taste coming from the cup, but not much of a coffee taste either.  There’s a strange earthy/woody taste on first sip ending in a slightly bitter taste on the tongue and a little bit of acid feel in the stomach.  It’s not the best cup of coffee on the planet, but it’s entirely drinkable especially when taken with food.  Based on memory, compared to the other ALDI coffees reviewed here this is a better cup of coffee.  Price: $4.29

About directions:  I used too much coffee brewing my initial cups.  When I cut the amount down to just a little more than what’s recommended on the bag, the coffee was much better as reviewed above.

Belmont Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake – ALDI – Food Review

10/29/2016

aldi, strawberry swirl, cheesecake, belmontOctober 29, 2016aldi, strawberry swirl, cheesecake, belmont, nutrition

Thick, creamy, sweet swirls – this couldn’t be better.  Rather than a whole cheese cake which takes up a considerable amount of space in the freezer, there are two cheesecake slices in this much smaller packaging.   The slices may seem to be on the small side, but when considering the 310 calories per slice and the feeling of satisfaction after eating, the size is just about perfect.

The cheesecake part is slightly tart, as cheesecake should be.  The nice tasting strawberry swirls add some sweetness when encountered.   The cheesecake sits on a graham cracker crust.  At a dollar per slice this is more than worth the extra time spent at the gym to work off those calories.

Price $1.99 (2 slices)       Calories 310 per slice

 

 

Freshine Glass Cleaner – ALDI – Product Review

10/23/2016

freshine glass cleaner, ALDIOctober 23, 2016

It cleans glass.  It contains ammonia. It works as good as other products.  Is there more to say?  I use it on counters and the stove also.  Check the cleaning instructions on your appliance and counters for recommended cleaning products before using.  My only complaint, there isn’t a refill bottle available.  The spray bottle seems to be the only way ALDI sells this.  However at 89 cents per spray bottle, it’s less expensive than using most other brands’ refill bottles.

 

Frost Vs. ICE – Orange Mango – Food Review – ALDI

10/18/2016

ALDI, frost drink, ICE drink, orange mango

October 18, 2016

The very bottom line on both these drinks is, they’re very similar sparkling sucralose sweetened flavored water with a few vitamins thrown in.  For me ICE has a slightly better flavor.  However there’s not enough difference between the two that I buy one over the other.  When in ALDI I’ll throw a few Frost bottles in my basket and when in another store I’ll throw a few ICE bottles in my basket.

There is a considerable difference in price per bottle, 49 cents for Frost and generally around $1 for ICE.  While that’s a 100% difference, the relatively low cost for either and the few bottles I purchase doesn’t break or make my food budget either way.  Sparkling Frost, I assume, is ALDI’s store brand under the PurAqua product line.  Sparkling ICE is a national brand available in many retail outlets.
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Winking Owl Cabernet Sauvignon – Wine Review – ALDI

10/18/2016

wine, cabernet sauvignon, winking owl, aldi, california

October 18, 2016
This is surprisingly good for $2.89.  But there are better out there for a few dollars more.  A weak red color for a Cab, leads to a slightly fruity aroma in the glass changing to an aroma of a rough red table wine.  Nothing bad so far.  The first sip is a little fruity and slightly sweet. In subsequent sips the sweetness is gone. There are no tannins to speak of which is consistent with the semi-dry description on the label.  Maybe some oak, or something close to oak in the taste. The only negative is a somewhat strange type of astringency causing excessive cheek puckering.  Don’t ask for pictures.  I’m not sure it’s a Cab, if you’re expecting what’s commonly expected of a Cab.

Pairing with some leftover restaurant grilled chicken and chorizo (think spicy), it was not the best companion. The spicy food added to that cheek pucker.

The problem I’ve had in the past with very inexpensive wines (like $2 Chuck) is that the quality varies widely from bottle to bottle. I don’t know if that’s the case here, I’ve only had this one bottle.  Would I buy it again?  If I did it would only be to see how the next bottle changes from this one.  For 3 or 4 dollars more it’s possible to get a much better red wine that’s consistently good – think Italian, think Tuscany, think DOCG, think sangiovese grapes.  If  you’re on a tight budget or think puckered cheeks are cute or just say one day, what the heck, give this a try.  Otherwise pop for the extra few dollars.  On the other hand if you’re at a major retailer that “also sells wine”, looking for a $10 bottle of wine, save yourself a few dollars and buy this one.  Chances are this will be just as good.  Price $2.89.