Everything We Learned About Aldi in 2017

Aldi just might be the most underrated supermarket of all time. Why aren’t more people talking about it? And why aren’t more people shopping there? We do and we know a lot of you guys do, too, so we wrote a lot about it in 2017. Here’s a recap of what we learned.

Nothing major. It’s just important you know what to expect. For example, it’s not going to be a giant store. And you’ll need to bring a quarter if you want to use a cart.

Read more: 9 Things You Should Know Before Shopping at Aldi for the First Time

I make special trips to Aldi just to stock up on coffee — and my houseguests always lose their minds over the stuff. Our Food Editor, Hali Bey Ramdene, goes there for the chocolate.

• The Best $5 You Can Spend at Aldi
  
• If You Buy One Thing from Aldi, This Should Be It

With the refrigerators pushed along the perimeter of the store, it’s easy to accidentally skip them. You should not, though. There, you can find good deals on yogurt, inexpensive eggs, and some special snacks.

What to buy: The 7 Best Refrigerator Snacks from Aldi

Forget Two-Buck Chuck (from Trader Joe’s) — this year, everyone was all excited over Aldi’s wine. It’s all discounted heavily and the quality does not reflect the price — some bottles have even won awards, beating out more expensive bottles.

• This Award-Winning Rosé from Aldi Is Finally Coming to the U.S.
  
• This $7 Shiraz from Aldi Beat a $375 Bottle of Wine in Competition

You could pay a couple hundred bucks to get a name-brand stand mixer. Or you can pay $60 to get Aldi’s version. Is it just as good, though? We put it to the test to find out!

• Aldi Is Taking on KitchenAid with This $60 Stand Mixer

  
  
• We Tried Aldi’s $60 Mixer on 3 Essential Baking Recipes

These gorgeous copper pots look just like the swanky copper pans in Nigella Lawsons’s kitchen and in fancy department stores, but Aldi’s collection ranges in price from just $24 to $47. That’s a fraction of the price of copper kitchenware at most other stores.

Read more: You’d Never Believe These Gorgeous Copper Pans Are from Aldi

In August, Aldi announced a partnership with Instacart, which launched later that month. It’s now available in three markets — Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Dallas — but there have been no official hints about expansion plans.

Read more: Aldi’s New Partnership with Instacart Is a Total Game-Changer

We sent a reporter to Aldi to price out all the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It cost her $69.88 (plus tax) and she found nearly everything she needed (except fresh herbs and ground mustard powder).

• The Best Wine to Pick Up from Aldi for Your Thanksgiving Table
• The Best 5 Things to Buy at Aldi for Thanksgiving
• I Went Shopping for Thanksgiving at Aldi & This Is How Much It Cost

If you’ve ever been abroad, you might be familiar with Lidl, which describes itself as “a cross between Trader Joe’s and Harris Teeter.” (We actually think it’s more like a cross between Harris Teeter and Aldi, which is why we’re talking about it now.) We got some Lidl stores in the States this year — and we covered them extensively.

• I Went to Lidl’s Grand Opening in Virginia. Here’s What I Learned.
  

• Lidl Will Open First U.S. Grocery Store in Less than a Month

  
  
• Lidl’s Grand Opening Prices Are Real and They’re Spectacular
  
• Lidl Supermarket Could Be Big News for Trader Joe’s and Aldi Fans

Did you learn anything else about Aldi this year? Share your discovery in the comments!