Sometimes the supermarket-brand groceries are cheap because of their low quality, but sometimes it is because they spend less in marketing and logistic. We can't possibly try every supermarket-brand items ourselves, so let's crowdsource this info! Which item have you bought that is actually quite good compared to branded ones?
This is mainly for Coles & Woolworths.
Not sure why this would get deeply down voted. Coles brand chocolate is from Europe and has a different taste and mouth feel to Cadbury's products. Some people prefer it.
The Coles Chocolate was Belgian Chocolate, which was definitely superior to Cadburys, however I'm pretty sure in the last few months they've stopped selling Belgian and now its some cheaper chocolate (it doesn't say Belgian on the pack anymore). I think because not many people realized how good it was.
I still remember the disappointment of Franklin's No Frills (R) "chocolate" goods from the 90s. From "Cocoa Puffs" to the non-dissolving Nesquick-clone, everything was bitter and so was I.
Generics have come a long way in taste since then.
When I first moved out of home in the early 90s I bought a tin of no frills instant coffee. I got the big tin, as I would save more. It was $8 for a 1kg, I think.
I had one cup. It was rank. Made International Roast look like ambrosia.
When I took it back for a refund under their satisfaction guarantee the store manager didn't want to refund me.
"what did you expect?" he asked.
"Just give me my money, dude."
Coles
Mango Swirls Ice Cream 1L
Bread Loaf $2.5 (White sandwich / toast)
Tomato Tin's
Frozen Vegetables
+1 for tomato tin's
tomato tins, they are almost half the price of any branded on the shelf, although they stopped 60c tins and only have 80c premium coles tins
+1 for the frozen vegies
That Mango ice cream is awesome
Out of interest, do Coles do frozen vegetables in the individual serve microwave packs like Birds Eye make? I'm guessing they only do the large multi-serve packs like one big 750gram thing of peas etc?
You need a microwave proof bowl to hold your single serve of vegetables out of the 750g bag, and you will save.
For instant coffee (gasp!) I'm a big fan of Woolworths Select Colombian Gold coffee. $10 for 200g. So much nicer than any branded instant coffees I've had, even Moccona.
Instant is my morning drink. You know, when you've just barely woken up and can't function enough to do anything more complicated than drag yourself to the kettle and flick the switch, and death-stare the contraption down until it boils the little drop of water you need to add to those filthy black granules in your filthy-addict's cup, which you'll then clutch desperately to your face until the caffeine vapours breathe enough life back into you to help you cope with the next few seconds of the day…
Then maybe you have enough energy to make it to the coffee machine to make a proper coffee…
Water for instant coffee? Milk up you peasant!
This reminds me of a trick I've seen on the net. You make coffee ice cubes and put them in your milk.
It's colder and you don't have to stir insanely to get rid of the granules.
except now you have to wait for the ice to melt and your hot coffee will become ice-coffee. hmmm….. not sure if its worth the effort
@deal seeking missile: I made those with extra sugar and extra coffee. It did leave a sticky gooey layer of sugar/coffee as it froze (I think it was the sugar), but I got myself a decent iced coffee flavoured milk as a result. You can make it by just making a coffee + sugar + water + milk, but it's not as cold as the coffee ice blocks method.
hmm… a cheap alternative to Breaka ??
plus you can use what ever milk you like, soy, skim, light, lactose free, etc
Coles free trade granulated instant is identical to Mocconna.
is it cheaper?
About half the price.
As in flavour? If so might give it a whirl.
Yes. Didn't do a side by side taste test, but have had Moccona for years then got a jar of the Coles brand left over from an event - seems like the same stuff.
Note there is a Coles brand fair trade powdered instant coffee too, it is more like International Roast (ergghh!), you want the granulated one.
@mskeggs: Bought it yesterday to try. Not bad but not as good (for me) as the Moccona dark roast (although healthier apparently). Good saving, even on the Moccona specials, so thanks again for the tip.
Yes
Bloody hell, try going to sleep earlier!
(I suffer from the same morning zombie syndrome but decided a number of years ago there are healthier ways to deal with it than coffee)
…but…but…Internet…
I used to buy Nescafe Gold Original, once I tried Coles freeze dried gold fairtrade instant coffee and liked the taste. Coles coffee is very similar or better in taste to Nescafe and it's less than half price of Nescafe.
gonna try this out as I like the Gold Original too.
Instant coffee… you drink instant coffee!?!?!?!?!?
You need to get yourself one of the capsule machines fast =)
That or find someone to make you a coffee in the morning, instant coffee is horrible
I have a pod machine that makes lovely coffee lol but I still enjoy instant. That's probably a sign that I need psychiatric help, isn't it… :P
That's probably a sign that I need psychiatric help, isn't it… :P
Well, the first steps to recovery is always acceptance =)
I reckon instant coffee is a different beverage to espresso. They certainly taste quite different.
I drink both, and sometimes a mug of instant is the right choice (warming my hands and stomach on a cold winter morning, for example)
Prefer my Moccona dark roast to most pods as a regular cuppa.
If you have the caffeitaly machines given the Gloria jeans special intense roast pods a go. I normally hate gj coffee but these pods are pretty damn good
@ProjectZero: thanks for the advice but no dice I'm afraid. Nespresso. Some of the Grinders pods are okay but no good for when I want a large cup.
The Coles finest Sumatra pods are pretty good. As good as the Nescafe ones I have tried for my taste. $4 for 10.
I'm a big fan of muesli and the Coles one (http://shop.coles.com.au/online/national/coles-muesli-toaste…) I found is really good, there's a few different flavours available, they have low sugar in contrast to big brands, and is around half the price.
I agree. Woolworths do a similar product. They are both cheaper than the brands & less sugar.
Yeah the coles low fat muesli is pretty good. Still sweeter than I want though haha.
Low fat muesli?
I either pick out 50% of the dried fruits, or I buy a bag of plain oats and mix through, most of the times it's the latter, making that dollar stretch.
do you just add milk in the morning and eat? or need to presoak them? I currently just used cut oats.
No pre-soaking, just add milk and eat, breakfast of the champions! It's bit hard if you're coming from the usual cereal stuff, but I've been eating this for many years so it's no different in my mouth.
Woolworths (Home Brand) Quick Oats
Cost about $1 per pack vs $3 per pack for similar product.
They tast the same and there is no additional sugar unlike Uncle Toby's quick oat varieties.
Yep. All the no name quick oats are good - Coles, Ww, Aldi.
Agreed, all the cheaper quick oats are good.
hasn't think already been asked before somewhere else on the forums? i remember seeing a similar question
I like woolworth cooking chocolate. Cheaper and test better IMO.
Idk of any brand name of this product but I really like the tropicle flavour of the select soft drink and at 75cents it's cheap also.
Sometimes I am wondering if the supermarket brand and other brand are made from the same factories…Except the label, those container and the product inside are most likely the same…
This is quite ussual.
For example Bega cheese won a contract to supply Coles generic cheese, and Norco the butter and ice-cream (I think - it was in the paper).
The problem is that there is not necessarily any consistency, so when that contract expires they change suppliers to a worse product.
I really like Coles 1kg light cheddar cheese. At $8 it's well priced and doesn't ooze fat when melted like other full fat cheddar cheeses do.
I tried it once. Was like chewing on a credit card.
Also just cause its MADE in the same factory, doesn't mean its made the same way. ie Coles cheese will use cheaper/different ingredients compared to the Bega branded cheese. Most of the time anyhow.
Sometimes they are the same product. You can tell if they are, because the nutritional analysis for the two products are identical. This was the case for those cheeses in the past, but I haven't checked for a few years.
thats right but it doesnt mean it is the same product.
ice cream may have a certain % of cream but for when the make the cheaper stuff they use less cream and more sugar for example.
All food manufacturere make a variety of items in each factory, even there on brands vary in quality (say cheese, cheap is aged a short time to a long time for quality)
Milk, butter, sugar, salt are all identical to branded items.
I find generic white flour makes better bread than the branded ones.
Woolies home brand tasty cheese is on a par with Bega (I still prefer Mainland on sale).
I have a friend who refuses to buy any generic brand items, including milk, butter, sugar, flour, etc. He's convinced inferior quality items are set aside for generic brands while superior products are branded. The power of marketing really works on some people.
I find Dairy Farmers milk has a funny aftertaste compared to Woolworths milk (then again, I drink long life Woolies UHT milk, so perhaps that might be the difference?).
Though, in saying that, there have been plenty of occasions I've bought fresh Woolies milk while filling up petrol (for the extra 4c off), and that milk didn't have the Dairy Farmers aftertaste…
Is it just me? o_O I really do prefer Woolworths milk, despite knowing they probably come from the same exact place lol…
I think originally that was the accepted thought, but not the case now. He needs to have a blind tester.
That my NAN she call gencric brand poor man food. she even does it on pbs drugs
I found the woolies brand raw sugar to have a different texture and taste to the CSR stuff, it was far from identical. The Aldi sugar, however, had the same taste/texture so I buy that now.
Woolies brand raw sugar is mix of CSR and bundaberg sugar.
Just because you have a single example doesn't mean it applies across the board.
Do you really think branded salt is superior to generic salt?
Do you really think branded salt is superior to generic salt?
It would obviously be from a posher part of the sea.
It would obviously be from a posher part of the sea.
As opposed to the generic stuff which comes from the kosher part.
@ waterlogged turnip, some don't even come from the sea. They come from salt mines.
Even labelled "Himalayan salt" from mines that are actually in Pakistan.
Personally, I buy Saxa salt thinking it was still an Australian brand. It's actually now owned by the Japanese. Is there any food you can buy where money isn't leaving our country? :(
Corners cut everywhere, whether it be the manufacturing process, where it is done, and most commonly, inferior produce or ingredients used.
Okay…
Bad urban legend thinking that it is all the same - please show me where this is true and I'll be convinced otherwise.
Right back at you.
So far, many opinions are proving that home branded products can and do taste better than branded products. Ie. they don't always taste inferior. So either loads of people have no taste buds, or, you need to stop making assumptions and actually go out there and try things without bias.
I suggest you give Aldi a go. Maybe do a few actual comparisons of brands vs. homebrand products. Then report back to us. Yes, plenty of home branded products do taste like shite… but use your brain while making choices, read the labels, compare the details, and you might make some pleasant discoveries.
I try supermarket brands all the time, mostly out of protest, when my favourite condiment (not salt), biscuit, etc costs too much. Currently my fav milk is trying to extort me of my hard earned.
But quite often it will either taste rat shizer or bland or be watered down or over flavoured or flavoured with something that taste like it wasn't intended to (this happens a lot with sauces). Been burnt many a time, better off just waiting for favourite brand to be on special and bulk buy imo.
The only thing blank brand I have in the pantry are tin tomatoes as mentioned by others above, Coles have a good supplier for this one.
Unfortunately we don't have Aldi in my city yet. Maybe their blank brand practices are of higher quality and more consistent than shonky coles/woollies? I often read of praise for their items much more so than the competition and can't wait to try.
They might be able to order much larger volumes or orders which allows them to save money. They have huge buying power, they don't necessarily have to cut corners or use inferior ingredients.
I would say the real concern is that the larger supermarket brands can push prices so low that they wipe out competition and then raise the prices and/or start using inferior quality ingredients. We'd all lose in that scenario.
I like your logic. Guilty until proven innocent
Coles Baked Beans in Ham Sauce are better than Heinz ones.
I prefer SPC with Australian beans. The others are imported.
Black & Gold Sweet White Pickled Onions are the bees knees.
I only eat Cole's brand cottage cheese- not only better flavour but good consistency & price, too.
Coles Tuna. Dolphin-friendly & high tuna content + great taste. I buy the largest tins (whole family here loves tuna fish)!
and to make that tuna fish:
Woolies Select Whole Egg Mayonaise - the closest I've found to the rich flavour of the ridiculously over-priced Hellmans or Paul Newman's.
also Woolies cream cheese, just as good as Philly, I am sure Coles has one as well.
whats the % in coles tuna, I bought a couple of Chunk in waters (but was not chunky at all) writing was too small to read the %.
I found Safcol the highest % but expensive, Greenseas and John West about the worst.
sirena the way to go
no its not. they dont say what type of tuna the use. They just say Tuna as a species and not type (yellowfin, skipjack etc).
anyway try Aldis Oceanrise tuna its italian style chunk like Sirena.
The Coles tuna is actually greenseas tuna.
Of that's the case I'd stay away from Greenseas.
I'll second woolies whole egg mayo. I can't get enough of it.
Love Aldi's Smooth Wholemeal, makes great toast and taste like white bread but isn't! Used to eat Burgen's soy linseed, but after eating it for 4 years, my palate changed when I tasted soft and light Asian bread. Aldi's smooth wholemeal is soft, light and healthy. It's around $1.96 or thereabouts.
We converted to woolies bakery bread a while ago. We find it soft, and not sticky to the teeth, and have a good texture and taste. We also realized it must have very little preservatives as we got a fresh loaf and during a couple of hot days, not in the fridge, it started to go off. Compared to some branded loafs, like helgas, which seems to survive any conditions.
Some people might see that as a bad thing, as it doesn't last as long, but I see it as a more natural blend of ingredients.
Yep, their bakery loaves don't have preservatives and the ingredients in them are fairly simple. Much better than most commercial loaves.
Same is true with their iced bonuts
Aldi Viva bread are made by Buttercup taste just as good but cost 1/2 the price.
Other good products from Aldi- Corale baked beans, 3 ply toilet paper, fresh whole chicken.
Aldi
Tastes as good and is cheaper =
Cup Noodles
Special Flakes
Aldi bread eg Ciabatta and the Viva branded bread
Aldi Olives
Aldi Ice cream
Crispets biscuits (Cruskits)
Soft Drinks (visting friends from brand name households love the Orangee and the Cola)
Most of the biscuits
The Block Choclate
Tastes better and is cheaper =
Goldenvale Flavoured Instant Oats
Aldi Tuna
The Moser Roth Choclate
Works as good or better and is cheaper =
Aldi dishwashing liquid (my hands are sensitive to other cheap brands)
Aldi dishwashing tablets 30
TP
Aldi Dry Dog Food
Aldi Dog Snacks (Schmackos etc)
A partial list based on what I bought yesterday.
My dogs hate the Aldi dry dog food. They ate it for about a week the first time (with their other wet food) but have flat out refused to ingest one more piece. I tried mixing what is left with other expensive dry food but they pick it out specifically to be left in the bowl. My dogs are absolute pigs with food, so the fact they won't eat it says a lot.
My dogs are crazy fussy and quite like the aldi dry food, tin food and treats. Normally they turn their noses up at treats.
WOO! Go Aldi!
ps: not troll comment. I just really like Aldi
The Coles branded chocolate is far superior to Cadbury's