Good and Bad Buys at Lidl and Aldi stores (***Please don't expire***)

General_Grant

rhcp said:

I have an unopened jar of the Lidl coffee and have weighed it and it is 200g, the coffee filling up to just above the label.  I thought it was always like that with a gap at the top.

That is reassuring.  I did wonder whether it was simply my not having noticed it being like that before.

J63320

Pollycat said:

I buy Aldi Columbian and Alto Rica.
Like Kenco.

Which Kenco, please?

Pollycat

J63320 said:

Pollycat said:

I buy Aldi Columbian and Alto Rica.
Like Kenco.

Which Kenco, please?

Kenco Columbian and Kenco alto Rica.
I used to buy Tesco but Aldi is cheaper.

Brie

mikb said:

The shift to secret-coding of the display until/use by/best before dates is precisely so that customers do not understand the codes. Therefore, customers will no longer use them to make bad decisions ... this is to "stop wastage" from people seeing "Best Before: 18th Oct" and binning it tomorrow because it is out of date, and therefore instantly inedible, toxic and rancid!

I'm not entirely convinced it's a good thing, however I've heard enough comments from people in store to realise that not everyone has common sense about these things. e.g. complaining about bananas that have brown spots on them as being no good, or complaining about poor stock rotation and then saying "which is why I always have to take the good ones from the back". Hello? You reaching to the back and taking those is what causes the poor stock rotation! Naughty!

Currently using milk BBD is 17 Oct.  Sniff test is done before it goes into a mug/frother/whatever.  

As for bananas to me brown spots do make them inedible - I like mine greenish at least.   If I take green ones home and they start to freckle I don't throw them out but put them peeled in the freezer to use in baking where the freckles don't matter.  

And I do always take things from the back - our dinner plans change much too frequently (yes I know they shouldn't) so by ensuring I've got the very freshest I'm less likely to need to bin something that doesn't get used for a few days or need to put it in the freezer to get forgotten until we do the pre Christmas clearout.

J63320

Pollycat said:

J63320 said:

Pollycat said:

I buy Aldi Columbian and Alto Rica.
Like Kenco.

Which Kenco, please?

Kenco Columbian and Kenco alto Rica.
I used to buy Tesco but Aldi is cheaper.

I was thinking about the Smooth and Rich ones - not familiar with these others until I looked them up just now. Makes my question look a bit silly - sorry!

pumpkin89

Brie said:

As for bananas to me brown spots do make them inedible - I like mine greenish at least.   If I take green ones home and they start to freckle I don't throw them out but put them peeled in the freezer to use in baking where the freckles don't matter.  

Aha!  So there really are people that like green bananas.  I can never understand why it's impossible to buy ripe bananas.  In future I will think of you and be less grumpy about it 

maman

I'm another that searches out the green bananas. We don't mind eating them yellow (but still firm) but as I want them to last a week then buying them ripe to start with wouldn't be helpful. 

I'm also another that looks for the longest date on fresh foods, even if it does mean looking at the back or underneath and ruining stock rotation. 

At the same time, I'm not averse to buying short date or YS for some goods provided I have a plan to use up quickly so I suppose it balances out to an extent. 🤔

DigSunPap

I much prefer Aldi in general over Lidl - a lot more variety and better pricing. However, there are few items that I will venture to Lidl for. Of course, the bakery, and they do a great piri-piri sauce which Aldi do not offer.

maman

Same here. I do most of my shopping in Aldi on a weekly basis. We go to Lidl perhaps every 6 weeks or so to stock up on muesli, cornichons and stuff for the dishwasher. DH also likes Lidl's bratwurst as an occasional treat. 

Rosa_Damascena

maman said:

I'm another that searches out the green bananas. We don't mind eating them yellow (but still firm) but as I want them to last a week then buying them ripe to start with wouldn't be helpful. 

I'm also another that looks for the longest date on fresh foods, even if it does mean looking at the back or underneath and ruining stock rotation. 

At the same time, I'm not averse to buying short date or YS for some goods provided I have a plan to use up quickly so I suppose it balances out to an extent. 🤔

I find Lidl's green bananas sometimes don't ripen at all! It usually the skinny ones / tiddlers.