Good and Bad Buys from Aldi & Lidl *Do NOT Expire Please*

Feral_Moon

KxMx wrote: »

Tried the Lidl icing sugar.

On the plus side, it didn't coat my immediate surroundings in a fine layer, it made easily into icing and a good texture.

On the minus side, the layer of sieved sugar in the bowl was not very fine, and the icing didn't taste so sweet.

I think in balance I will use the box up & then go back to my usual brand.

Surely icing sugar is icing sugar, no matter who makes it? You can even make it yourself at home lol

It's purely finely ground sugar!

KxMx

I don't disagree with you, but my experience is as i posted.
Perhaps Lidl do not grind the sugar quite so much as my usual brand

A._Badger

This 'when is icing sugar not icing sugar' has a curious parallel that I'd never thought to mention before: with table salt. Aldi's is so finely ground that it's like powder, which I find very unusual, particularly as I tend to like using large sea salt crystals directly on food.

Has anyone any idea why they grind it so fine? Or does it naturally come that way?

maman

A._Badger wrote: »

This 'when is icing sugar not icing sugar' has a curious parallel that I'd never thought to mention before: with table salt. Aldi's is so finely ground that it's like powder, which I find very unusual, particularly as I tend to like using large sea salt crystals directly on food.

Has anyone any idea why they grind it so fine? Or does it naturally come that way?

I don't think so. When salt water evaporates it forms crystals not fine powder. It's only really in recent years, I believe, that coarse sea salt has become 'fashionable' so maybe that's why the traditional 'table salt' seems very fine in comparison. The sort of salt cellars that have always been on caf! tables and fish and chip shops have always relied on finely ground salt to run smoothly. Grinders for salt (and even pepper) are a relatively new thing in this country IMO.

VfM4meplse

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I made enquiries and it seems it is temporarily discontinued. I've never know it to be shoved aside for Christmas before. Esp in September

Am pleased to report both the Genoese and rosso are back

Stompa

Feral_Moon wrote: »

Surely icing sugar is icing sugar, no matter who makes it? You can even make it yourself at home lol

It's purely finely ground sugar!

Apparently, it also contains an anti-caking agent, which can make a difference:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/aug/10/switch-in-sugar-ingredients-provokes-cake-decorators-wrath

VfM4meplse

Yes, and don’t come back without any cake

middy991

Anyone seen the Aldi Yorkshire pudding burrito yet

Wizard_of_Id

The basic grated cheese from Lidl tastes better than the one from Aldi and is less greasy when grilled.
I also find the resealable pack from Lidl easier to close.

A._Badger

maman wrote: »

I don't think so. When salt water evaporates it forms crystals not fine powder. It's only really in recent years, I believe, that coarse sea salt has become 'fashionable' so maybe that's why the traditional 'table salt' seems very fine in comparison. The sort of salt cellars that have always been on caf! tables and fish and chip shops have always relied on finely ground salt to run smoothly. Grinders for salt (and even pepper) are a relatively new thing in this country IMO.

Aldi table salt is very much finer than the table salt we're used to - the Saxa, Cerebos (is that still made?) kind. I'm not sure I like it, actually, but it made me wonder why. There's no way you could confuse them, they're quite different. I suppose one advantage would be that it would dissolve more quickly, but beyond that I'm at a loss to see why it's made that way.

As for sea salt, it's been around for a long while (Malden, the barand, was used in the Victorian era) but it was very unusual to find it in homes, I agree. Going back, of course, there was the coarse 'cooking salt' as it was termed. You don't see that today, either. Aldi seems to have found something different from all of these! Perhaps it's a German thing...