This week was Bavarian week at Aldi's so I stocked up on the Bavarian style red cabbage, Stockmeyer soups, and Spaetzel noodles. The most interesting item was the canned pretzel dough which I will try later this week. I managed to spend $40 on two visits today.

Diss Aldi as much as you want but the quality is as good as anything you will find in Jewel or Dominicks.

Now if they would just bring the $0.99/gallon milk to Chicago ...

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/grocery ... s/1029556/

Spaetzle are so easy to make that I can't imagine buying them. Flour, egg, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg. Just mix to create gluten and then cook.

I do however have at least 20 types of dried pasta in my pantry, including more than a few dried Asian varieties.

jlawrence01 wrote:This week was Bavarian week at Aldi's so I stocked up on the Bavarian style red cabbage, Stockmeyer soups, and Spaetzel noodles.

They also had some interesting varieties of mustard available.

Evil Ronnie wrote:Spaetzle are so easy to make that I can't imagine buying them. Flour, egg, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg. Just mix to create gluten and then cook.

For sure. Fresh spaetzle, like many pastas, is much better than the dried version. In this case, there's no way the dried version can replicate the process of "grating" fresh dough into the boiling cooking liquid.

An earlier poster bemoaned the lack of European-style rye breads. The Eurofresh market in Tinley carries a wide variety of locally made rye breads, most from small bakeries on the SW side. There's a good selection of Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish ryes. But my favorite, and the one most like what I used to eat in Germany, is a loaf of Stiglmeier's Landbrot. This is one you won't find at Eurofresh, but they do have some representation in retail stores around Chicago. Mostly they are a mail-order operation, but it's far and away the best source for "real" German sausage (based on my living in Germany for many years).

Aldi will be opening a store inside the Chicago Ridge Mall next spring.

http://www.southtownstar.com/business/2 ... di.article

I retired a week ago and joined the ranks of folks with time on their hands who can shop at a variety of different stores. Went to Aldi to get some celery and to see what they had. I bought lots of German type sweets such as pfefferneuse, stollen, and Choceur chocolate covered marzipan (very good). Chili flavored chocolate bar. Indian spice shaker with several spices. Mango passionfruit spread. Trail mix with cranberry and chocolate. Potato chips (very good). Also dried blueberries. (very good also) I have not tried everything yet but they do have some interesting things.

Not bought but I also saw butterball turkeys, advent calendars and good looking cheeses. I've had their pepperjack cheese and its the same as what you would get at Jewel.

The produce selection is limited and some of it comes in big bags like potatoes that I can't possibly use up quickly enough. I still can't really figure out their meat. For grocery store meat it looks fine to the eye but brands are not something I've ever heard of. Will need to experiment on that. I think Aldi's is worth a trip now and then.

P.S. A year or so ago when I last went to Aldi I bought an orchid for nine dollars. Its a great plant that keeps on blooming. A real bargain.

toria wrote:I retired a week ago and joined the ranks of folks with time on their hands who can shop at a variety of different stores. Went to Aldi to get some celery and to see what they had. I bought lots of German type sweets such as pfefferneuse, stollen, and Choceur chocolate covered marzipan (very good). Chili flavored chocolate bar. Indian spice shaker with several spices. Mango passionfruit spread. Trail mix with cranberry and chocolate. Potato chips (very good). Also dried blueberries. (very good also) I have not tried everything yet but they do have some interesting things.

......

The produce selection is limited and some of it comes in big bags like potatoes that I can't possibly use up quickly enough. I still can't really figure out their meat. For grocery store meat it looks fine to the eye but brands are not something I've ever heard of. Will need to experiment on that. I think Aldi's is worth a trip now and then.

P.S. A year or so ago when I last went to Aldi I bought an orchid for nine dollars. Its a great plant that keeps on blooming. A real bargain.

Which location was this? My local Aldi (the brand-new one at California & Granville, woo hoo!) doesn't seem to have the marzipan.

On second thought, maybe not such a bad thing, considering how much marzipan I can consume....

The boneless skinless chicken breasts are a staple buy for me. Indistinguishable from the ones I bought from more expensive stores. I can't speak to the other types of meat, though.

And flowers are another staple buy for me. The cut flowers are so reasonably priced - around $5 a bunch - that I always pick some up. A small indulgence that makes our home seem so much nicer.

This was the store in Wheaton in the Danada area. There is also a newer one in Glen Ellyn that I will try as well to see about their selection. Good to know about the chicken breasts. I'll try some of their meat soon to see what it is like.

It looked like many of their selections were seasonal so the marzipan may not be carried all year. Its very good. They also had foil covered chocolate Santas filled with marzipan. I have not tried these yet but will have them today for a snack.

Around here, everyone says the Wheaton Meat Market has the best chicken so I will try that and compare.

Just another note: I also saw some honey that looked good at Aldi's and some coffee that looked like an upscale brand.

With Aldi's, one has to be selective. In regards to the meats, I have been more than satisfied with the ground beef and turkey, as well as the pork chops and boneless turkey breasts. I have bought each many times. One word of caution though-I'd steer clear of the prepared seafood entres. (There is such a thing as pushing one's luck a bit too far.)

We spent almost an hour going through the local Aldi - which we weren't very familiar with - and noted that most of the packaged/prepared foods were salt bombs. That's a cheap way to achieve "flavor" and it's worked for Campbell's for generations, but something we're on guard about.

Their Grade AA butter at $2.29/lb seems a good buy, and we picked up several other cheap things to try, including a $3 Cabernet Sauvignon which I haven't yet worked up the nerve to taste. We'll let you know.

We look at it as a good place for a few staples, not much else.

We're lucky in Burr Ridge to be close to whole bunch of good food sources- the Greeks of Minos Imports at Brookhaven in BR and Westbrook Market in Westmont, Amici's Italian Deli at Fairview and 63rd St, Angelo's Italian (GREAT deli) and of course Kramer's Foods in Hinsdale (best, cheapest sandwiches in the western suburbs) and Casey's Meat market in Western Springs - best and most expensive meats around but, oddly enough, their housemade bratwursts are not good at all. We have to go to Randy Reem's Elburn Market for those, but it's a 50-mile drive so we only get there about once a year when I go to pick up sausages for our Rotary club fund-raiser.

I'm sure Dan and JimSW will have other recommendations.

Mike

...other cheap things to try, including a $3 Cabernet Sauvignon which I haven't yet worked up the nerve to taste. We'll let you know.

We opened the $3 Cabernet Sauvignon this evening.

Stick with your Kool-Aid.

Mike

MikeLM wrote:...other cheap things to try, including a $3 Cabernet Sauvignon which I haven't yet worked up the nerve to taste. We'll let you know.

We opened the $3 Cabernet Sauvignon this evening.

Stick with your Kool-Aid.

Mike

I've purchased some very decent Pinot Grigio's at Aldi and their store version of Baileys Irish Cream is quite good. I think you just have to experiment a bit, but at Aldi's prices, it's very easy to do.

MikeLM wrote:We spent almost an hour going through the local Aldi - which we weren't very familiar with - and noted that most of the packaged/prepared foods were salt bombs.

Nothing gets past you. You could make the same statement about virtually any food store.

My most recent great find at Aldi was Cafe Bistro Butter Spekulatius cookies, imported from Germany. They are light butter cookies Great with coffee.

I purchased a couple of the marzipan logs - haven't tasted them yet, but they appear to be the same kind of log I would spend $4-6 for elsewhere. I am especially looking forward to the hazelnut praline.

Ursiform wrote:...and their store version of Baileys Irish Cream is quite good.

They've got some new flavors in, possibly just for the holidays, including mint chocolate and white chocolate. I picked up a bottle of the latter on my last visit and have been sipping it quite happily in the evenings since. Just a hint of caramel flavor with an overriding smoothness typical of white chocolate.

I think I'll be buying a few bottles as gifts for people who don't have ALDIs near them.

Buddy

I am not certain, but I believe the Aldi Faux Irish Cream was actually a flavored fortified wine. That may not matter to you but it was enough to make me give it a pass. Double check the label to be sure what you are buying.

I do shop Aldi often. Their European import things are usually pretty good. I often buy their nuts, Jarred Salsa, and blocks of cheese.

atomicman wrote:I am not certain, but I believe the Aldi Faux Irish Cream was actually a flavored fortified wine. That may not matter to you but it was enough to make me give it a pass. Double check the label to be sure what you are buying.

Wow, really? I haven't got any in the house right now, perhaps someone who does can check? If not, I'll take a peek the next time I'm at Aldi. My husband is very fond of it for his coffee and it's much less expensive than Baileys, making it an affordable treat for him.

I'm not saying don't buy it. Just know what you are buying. I think it was Aldi but it was a few years ago so I may be wrong.

I recently picked up a can of a chopped tomato and pepper mix, thinking it would be a good shortcut for the rice and bean meals. Unfortunately, it tastes horrible. Kind of sweet with a hint of cinnamon...? Ruined the whole dish.

Sure as shootin' folks, the label reads, "Grape wine with whey neutral spirits & natural flavors. Contains sulfates-Wine specialty".

I sipped a bit last night trying to detect any hint of wine flavors, but I'll be darned if I could taste anything other than classic Irish cream. They must have some mighty fine food scientists and flavor specialists over at ALDI cause this sure tastes like the real thing. I mean, it even bites back like a whiskey based drink.

Now, I'm interested in reading the label on a bottle of the real thing. Anybody got a bottle of Bailey's or some other high end Irish cream liqueur?

Buddy

We shopped ALDI 15 years ago when it was cash only and the staff looked like they had slept in the store for several days. Also the stores were shabby.

Now 15 years later (and retired with all the time in the world) we have re-discovered ALDI and we are pleased. Since I love to shop here is how we do it:

We always shop on Tuesdays.
First ALDI for staples and mostly non perishables, except milk, cottage cheese and yogurt.
Second is Caputo for fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, deli and breads. Some specials.
Twice a month to Woodmans for brand name staples. Woodmans has absolutely the best prices for brand name staples.

Besides Caputo (Joe) having 10% discount for seniors on Tuesdays another reason we shop on Tuesdays is Tuesday is the last day of the weekly cycle (Ads sales normally end on Tuesday) and so on Tuesday there is a high probability to buy closeouts at ridiculous prices. We have purchased closeouts at both ALDI and Caputo, canned veggies for 20 cents, milk for 1.00, cut flowers for 2.00 and at Caputo Big Watermelons for a 1.00 and BANANAS, WHOLE BOXES, FOR FREE!!

And one of these stores has had Kings Hawaiian Rolls for a 1.00 the week after a holiday.

All these items are well within expiration dates.

j0emv wrote: (edit)
What we loved about Aldi back in the day were their recurring deals on electronics. Their Medion brand computers are absolutely awesome and I do miss those days. I found their produce to be generally good quality, frozen meats were fine. I'm not exactly sure why people loathe the place so much. Probably because it's stigmatized as the place where the poor shop?

In late summer 2008, I felt it was time to phase out my ten-year-old Windows® '98 computer, which was bought via mail order from A B S Computer in southern California.
I had budgeted $1,250 for a new computer. As indicated on my introduction page, I obtained the September issue of Computer Shopper magazine to see how the market had changed. But one week later, I got an E-Mail that Aldi was offering a new Medion desktop computer. (It also offered a LCD flat-screen monitor, which I did not want to buy then.)
This is the computer I use. And it cost not $1,250, but only $438.90 {including tax}. Of course, I had to pay for it with cash, but I handled that.
Aldi has not offered any computer since September 2008. Not even a laptop or netbook.
It is probably due to any month now.

Let me throw in a quick word for the beers which you can obtain at Aldi. The one I usually go to for this is the one off North Ave. in Melrose Park. The "Monterrey" brand is a blatant Corona knock-off (brewed in Guatemala). If you like Corona, or need something cheap to bring to a party, it's O.K. The "Klassiek" brand is an obvious Heineken knock-off (but also brewed in the Netherlands). I bought a six-pack of this once. I'm not a fan of Heineken pale lager [its dark lager, however..], and this wasn't any better.
But the beer with pedigree which it has is "Warnesgruner". This is a very good German Pilsner comparing favorably to Beck's. I encourage you to buy it.
Unless you're heading to Trader Joe for the Minhas Brwy. beers.

Went to Aldi's again today. Have to mention it because the prices there are so much lower than regular grocery stores and much of the food is fine. I bought fifty two dollars worth of food that would have been at least eighty to a hundred dollars probably at other stores. Most items are at least fifty cents cheaper if not more than other stores. I did note after doing some comparison shopping on peapod that careful shopping could yield near Aldi prices such as buying "Our Family" brand. At Aldi, I concentrate on fresh produce and stuff like eggs, oranges, cauliflower, green peppers, cheese, etc. I don't see any real loss of quality. You do have to be careful as some of their produce looked bad such as tomatoes, cukes and brussel sprouts, other things looked very fresh.

I also bought two kinds of their jarred pasta sauce to try. Some items were "stupid cheap" such as a bag of "fresh" corn tortillas for thirty one cents. A bottle of Grandessa marinara was 1.19. A whole bag of oranges was 1.49 as opposed to paying that for one orange at some premium stores. Have not tried them yet.

Has anyone tried their "fresh" refrigerated non frozen pizzas and can report on quality???

Just to report the oranges were perfectly fine. I'd say at least a seven on a scale of ten. Not the best orange I've every tasted but not dry and woody like some oranges I've paid much much for. The vegetables were very fresh and the cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms ended up in a vegetable "primavera" linguine last night. The red sauce was perfectly fine and compared to other grocery store brands and was under two dollars a jar.

I guess I will go there from time to time..........I'll save up money for my foray to Alinea. Aldi and Alinea........hmmm is there an inconsistency there???

They both begin with the letters "A" and "L". Maybe there's a connection, not an inconsistency...

Buddy

Thats a good one, BR. Never thought of that.

I find myself picking up more and more items at Aldi each time I go in there. I usually stay out of the meat department because my husband prefers the Dietz & Watson brand cold cuts available at Walt's, but he drifted over to that end of the store and came back with several containers of Edenvale spreadable cheese -- a horseradish cheddar and a chipotle tomato flavor. Both were so good, we ran back to get more since they were a seasonal item. He also grabbed some of the Red Leicester chunk cheese. It's very, very good -- and the prices are certainly better than I could find it at other stores.

To go with the spreadable cheese I picked up a couple of boxes of Aldi's Savoritz crackers, the Wheat Thin and Triscuit clones. We can't tell the difference between those and the brand name.

I'm always on the lookout during German food week for the Zucchini and Spinach strudels. It's good to keep them in my freezer and my vegetarian daughter enjoys them as the main course for a quick and easy dinner on those nights we are in a hurry.

Suzy

I've found the cheese to be perfectly fine at Aldi's for day to day general purposes. When is German week? I'm assuming it might coincide with Oktoberfest.