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

Brie

@Rosa_Damascena my first thought was "I must tell him indoors as he'd love that!" My second thought was "what a faff for me to clean!!" Even if it's easy I'm the one that would be cleaning it and frankly I love the pod machine we picked up at Aldi a couple of years back for about £30. Previously we'd had Lavazza machines which cost ££££ and never lasted very long for some reason. We were considering what to replace it with when I spotted the one in Aldi and we decided to get it to tide us over. The business end of the machine including pod receptacle and drip tray needs a good scrub regularly but it's not been too much work. AND I like that there's no milk frother attached as there would always be drips of milk on the counter. I much prefer to have a separate one which is a name brand and was purchased on sale at Lakeland as no one wanted to buy a red appliance!! Think it cost at least as much as the Aldi coffee maker but it gets used multiple times a day as it froths hot or cold.

Rosa_Damascena

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82100384#Comment_82100384

WD40 will do?

Rosa_Damascena

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82100600#Comment_82100600

I bought a Silvercrest (Lidl) milk frother from the chazzer for £3, which was great whilst it lasted! (Unfortunately not very long).

Doc_N

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82101334#Comment_82101334

Absolutely not, I’m afraid. It’s a completely different product and will damage washers. Best either use silicone or leave alone. WD40 is a much misunderstood substance, and isn’t suitable for use on quite a few things. It’s not even a proper lubricating oil, but beyond that it certainly has its uses.

mikb

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82101367#Comment_82101367

I have a bottle of "Hellerine" oil for that sort of thing, originally designed for getting Hellerman (etc.) rubber insulation sleeves/strain reliefs onto rubber/PVC cables where they are a tight fit, by design. Says on it something about will not damage plastics/rubber, which is more than can be said for a lot of solventy blends and some mineral oils, esp. if they are in contact long term.

DigForVictory

I wondered briefly about Vaseline but Google says no.
It does admit that "Food-grade grease for kitchen equipment is a specialized, non-toxic lubricant certified as NSF H1 for incidental food contact". then adds "Silicone-Based Grease: Best for rubber O-rings, seals, valves, and plastic components in coffee machines and espresso taps because it repels water and won't degrade polymers." It also had a link to ebay where some "10g Food Grade Silicon Grease Lubricant O Seals Brake Waterproof" retails for £1.80 & free postage

Rosa_Damascena

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82101367#Comment_82101367

Maintenance is increasingly looking like a chore!!

DigForVictory

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82102683#Comment_82102683

But it's a very Money Saving chore…

Rosa_Damascena

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82103199#Comment_82103199

TBH I think I may be better off sticking to my preferred jar of coffee and buying an expensive kettle when the time for reaplcement comes!

thriftytracey

We buy the part baked bread baguettes from Lidl as we do like garlic bread with pasta dishes and have it sometimes with their lamb kebabs for an easy dinner or make crostini.

However, for the past few weeks I have been trying their new sourdough part baked baguettes. They are slightly shorter but really delicious. I hope Lidl continue to stock them.

It's probably Sourfaux dough but hey it tastes a lot nicer than the other type!