March 18, 2024 - 4:35am
Anyone here use Aldi yeast on a regular basis?
I have a big two pound package of Redstar active yeast that I have been using. But I needed some instant yeast for a recipe and bought some Aldi.
The bread turned out pretty close to the photos on the King Arthur site and it tasted good so I am satisfied.
While I like the convenience of the large quantity of yeast from the Redstar package, I am probably going to end up wasting a lot of it.
I have been thinking next time I need yeast that I will buy a whole bunch of Aldi yeast, cut open the packages and combine them all into one easy to store container.
In any case, has anyone else used Aldi yeast on a regular basis and have any comments about it?
Thanks.
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As I said on another thread, we are not blessed with an Aldi in Canada, so can't comment on its yeast. Other than the convenience, I've never noticed a difference between instant and AD.
Is the reason you are going to waste a lot of the Red Star because the quantity is too large? I buy 2-lb pkgs, empty some into a small jar for the fridge and freeze the rest. Freezing doesn't hurt yeast, so you can do that with large quantities of active dry or instant, and just refill the fridge jar for convenience.
No experience with Aldi's but they have to be getting it from one of the few large-scale manufacturers. With a different brand I have cut open a packet, used part of it, folded the end over tightly, and stored it in the refrigerator. Months later the remainder worked normally.
TomP
Like the others, I have no experience with Aldi even though they are now in my area. I need to go on a field trip, I suppose. But died yeast, either ADY or IDY, which I find interchangeable, freezes well and stores for a very long time. My bulk yeast goes into glass jars with sealing tops and stay in the freezer. No need to keep any in refrigerator as it thaws in a matter of minutes. Lately I’ve been buying the 4 ounce jars as they are less bulky than larger quantities.
Regarding buying packets and cutting them open to make bulk... too much time used to accompish very little, if any, benefit.
FWIW - my red star yeast is 6+ years old - stored in the fridge it lasts a long time. Enjoy!
I am still using some SAF Red IDY that has a use by date of June 2022. I don't even remember when I bought it. It still works just fine. Most of it stays in the freezer and one small bottle is in the fridge for current bakes. I doubt that any of your yeast will go to waste if you freeze some of it.
I do love Aldi, though!
I have used Aldi yeast in the past and have never had a problem with the product. From what I remember from looking at the label is that the yeast is a product of Turkey.
Turkey? Hmm.That's where yarn comes from these days.
I'm always amazed at how much of the foodstuff at Aldi comes from overseas. Frozen pizzas from Italy and Germany, fruit preserves from Poland, etc., but I wouldn't have expected ADY from Turkey.
So it's not surprising that many of their items come from Europe. It's a fun place to shop when I visit the USA. Lots of organic or well labelled items. (I'm corn allergic - I read a LOT of labels) My experience has been that they have pretty high quality standards for food (other goods not so sure)
What I forgot to add is that my amazement is because those frozen pizzas from Europe are usually only $5–6! And these aren't just one topping pizzas, either.
I'm surprised that freezer shipping from Europe could be so cheap.
I just took a quick look. Here's something representative:
A 20-ft container has a volume of something over 1000 cubic feet. So roughly $1 US per cubic foot. If the pizza boxes stack into say 5/cu. ft., that would be only $.20 per pizza. Even allowing 100% for lost space and other inefficiencies it would only be $.40 per pizza. Hard to believe shipping can be so inexpensive.
That is surprisingly cheap. Is that for a refrigerated container?
I suppose not. I didn't think to check.
Here's an example of one of those inexpensive frozen pizzas from Aldi (N.B., imported from Italy). Only $3.99(!) and the pizza looks like the picture on the box—rim-to-rim toppings. I bought two last week.
How would you rate the flavor, texture and quality of ingredients?
Nearly all of the Aldi pizzas have been above average to excellent in those parameters. There have only been a couple of duds in several years of having a couple a month. Aldi has some pizzas that recur once or twice a year and this is one of them. This one is good enough that I bought two of them because I knew they would be gone the next week. I also like the fact that Aldi has many pizzas, like this one, that are meatless yet interesting (not just cheese).
It's possible that I could make one myself, but I would need to make the dough, buy several vegetables, roast those veg, and assemble and bake the pizza. Instead, I can heat up the oven and bake this one in under a half hour.
I bought some packets of ADY from Wallymart last year and it was from Turkey. Workled fine...
Thanks for all the constructive input.