When it comes to grocery stores, I’m not loyal to any one particular brand. In suburban Memphis, where I grew up, Kroger was your main option, so that’s what I was most accustomed to. Now that I live in Birmingham, I have access to a lot of choices: Publix, Winn-Dixie, Piggly Wiggly, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and more. I’ll shop at any of these depending on the day, what I need, how close I am to them, or sales I’ve seen advertised. I enjoy bringing variety to this very mundane task in my life, and I’m not such a huge fan of any one retailer that I will shop there exclusively. There is one thing, however, that I will never ever buy at any store other than ALDI. Even if I’m already in the neighborhood of another store, if I need this one thing, I will go out of my way to drive to an ALDI to pick it up. That special item? Plain nuts of any kind.

Katie Akin

If you’re not familiar with ALDI, here’s a quick rundown. Originally from Germany, it’s a discount grocery retailer that is known for its own-brand equivalents to major name brand products, low prices, and no-frills shopping experience. At ALDI, you’ll need to use a quarter to access a shopping cart (don’t worry; you get it back), bring your own bags, and not expect to find individualized offerings like deli counters or a fully-staffed bakery.

The pomp and circumstance of other grocery stores are put to the side at ALDI, which allows them to keep their prices low. This commitment is exactly why I’m devoted to buying my nuts at ALDI. Per ounce, you really won’t find a better value for plain roasted nuts, at least not without entering into the unwieldy world of bulk shopping. For comparison, at my local ALDI, a 16-ounce bag of roasted salted whole cashews is $6.95. At Walmart, an equivalent tin of cashews is $8.49; at Publix, you’d have to pay $8.99 for only 8.5 ounces of whole cashews. This price disparity is also true of the almonds and pistachios I compared on the same shopping trip.

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I cook and bake with nuts quite often, so buying ALDI’s larger-than-average 16-ounce bags works out well for me. I also am a fiend for a cheese board with nuts and dried fruit—another category of ingredient I usually try to pick up at my favorite discount grocery store. Nuts can be really pricey compared to other shelf-stable ingredients, so it only makes sense for me to pick them up when I’m at my neighborhood ALDI. I’ve always found them to taste just as good as even brand-name nuts, as well.

The next time you’re in need of cashews, almonds, pistachios, or even mixed-nut varieties, make sure you stop at the treasure trove that is ALDI. The value will be more than worth it, and you’ll almost certainly find some other goodies you will love.

Read the original article on Southern Living