The $2 Aldi Fridge Find My Dad Refuses to Share with the Rest of Us

My dad fell in love with Aldi right around the time a lot of America did. He could get very similar versions of his favorite name-brand items at shockingly low prices — and boy did he like that. So much so, that he started going on clandestine grocery runs without telling us! 

I think he liked wandering for deals in a place that was all his own; this went on for a good year or so before we even found out. The thing that tipped us off? A bright blue and red wrapped block of Happy Farms Pepper Jack Cheese.

Aldi’s Pepper Jack hits notes that other blocks just don’t. The zip of the peppers and the freshness of the cheese somehow escape the waxy exterior and bland flavor of other commercially made cheese blocks. Even the smallest of slivers contains a nice amount of pepper — a hat tip to the meticulous placement of red and green jalapeño peppers across every centimeter of Monterey Jack. The creamy, buttery cheese is the perfect base to showcase the spice, and it melts wonderfully.

You can find one in our fridge at all times. My dad doesn’t use it in any recipes — it’s simply for him to snack on when he’s feeling a bit “peckish.”

Ask my father, and he’ll tell you there’s only one way to eat this delicious cheese: on its own. Whenever he wants a snack, he’ll head to the fridge and shave off a slice, wrapping the rest up (meticulously) to ensure that no part of the cheese is exposed and therefore subject to drying out. It’s a fascinating process to watch.

Of course, there are multiple ways you can enjoy this supple and spicy cheese (if you’re not my dad). Use it as the base for a rich queso blanco, perhaps. Toss cubes of it with tortellini, some deli salami, and veggies of choice for the perfect pasta salad — this is my preferred way of using it. Combine it with whatever’s left over in your fridge for taco night. 

Find it in stores: Happy Farms Pepper Jack Cheese, $1.95 for 8 ounces

What Aldi groceries do you refuse to share? Tell us about it in the comments below.