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Appetitos Mac and Cheese Bites (Aldi)

In sitting down to write this review, I’m rather shocked to realize that I have not reviewed any other items from Aldi’s “Appetitos” line, which, as you can probably tell, are frozen appetizers.  Aldi carries quite a few year ‘round, including cream cheese jalapenos and mozzarella sticks, but their Mac and Cheese Bites are only available a couple times a year as Special Buys.

The wife and I had actually tried these once before, quite a while ago, and neither of us remembered what we thought of them, so we decided to give them another go.  It’s usually not a good thing when you can’t remember how something tasted, but then again, Aldi is also known to switch up the recipes of their products, so even if there’s an item that you once hated, there’s a possibility the “formula” might change into something that you actually enjoy.

For $1.99, you get somewhere around six decent-sized triangular pieces (we only ended up with five in our box).  Originally, we were actually pretty disappointed at how few we got.  I mean, even though they’re not small, five is still five…it’s not really a whole lot.  Those complaints quickly disappeared once we bit into them, however, because then it seemed like way too much.

Too put it bluntly, these things suck.  The breading, which somehow is the sole highlight, actually cooked up perfectly crispy, much to my surprise.  It had a nice crunch, and would have made a perfect companion to some delicious, creamy macaroni and cheese.  Unfortunately, the mac that Appetitos serves up here is bland and lifeless…imagine Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese, minus even more flavor.  Yeah, not kidding you, it’s that bad.  After a few minutes, the three remaining pieces looked even larger than they actually were, and it was hard to believe just a short while ago we were complaining how few we got…by the end, these things might as well have been the size of basketballs; there was no way I was going to be able to cram them down my throat.

I did dip these in ranch, which made the flavor somewhat palatable.  But on their own, they’re almost inedible.  The Appetitos line has always been hit-or-miss for me, but none that I recall have missed the mark so badly.  Stay away from these.  Unless you have an unhealthy obsession with factory-created macaroni and cheese products.

Overall: 2/10.  The breading was crisp.  There, now that we got the sole bright spot out of the way, let’s cover the rest:  The macaroni and cheese inside tastes nothing like macaroni, or cheese, should.  It’s shockingly void of any form of cheesiness, and tastes like it came straight out of a factory.  It’s even a few notches below frozen supermarket mac and cheese.  Hell, even the smell is disgusting, and gives off no hints of cheese whatsoever.  We couldn’t finish the five pieces we were given, as two ended up in the trash can.  There’s a new low in the already-sad lineup of frozen appetizers.

This Post Has 15 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    I ate these and think they are awesome. Too bad the first guy is so picky, to each his own. They are EXCELLENT, truly just like my grandma made when we were kids.

  2. atom

    I'm not sure what you're referring to…the mac and cheese bites, or the corn nuggets? Either way, I don't have the benefit of nostalgia, as my family never made either of them, and I'm sure that certainly helps. It's amazing the foods you grow up with, and how they can leave their mark on you all throughout life.

    I can assure you I'm nowhere near a picky eater, but you are correct with the "to each his own" phrase. Tastes are subjective. But I'm glad you liked it!

  3. Anonymous

    So far the frozen pastry of the franks in a blanket by appetitos have stuck to the paper over which it was packed and I am not able to find out where the food was made.

  4. atom

    Yeah, finding the actual manufacturers of Aldi foods can be notoriously difficult at times. I'm not sure who makes the Appetitos line, either. Could be a national brand factory under a different name, or a different supplier altogether.

    You might be able to get that information from contacting their customer service email address (available on their website), but also not sure how forthcoming they'll be with that kind of information.

  5. atom

    Yeah, finding the actual manufacturers of Aldi foods can be notoriously difficult at times. I'm not sure who makes the Appetitos line, either. Could be a national brand factory under a different name, or a different supplier altogether.

    You might be able to get that information from contacting their customer service email address (available on their website), but also not sure how forthcoming they'll be with that kind of information.

  6. Unknown

    I bought the appetitos Frank's in a blanket. I had to peel them off the paper tray and then use a knife to remove the paper that peeled off and stuck to each and every one of them.
    Then put them in the oven for 20 minutes… That I'll never get back. If I were starving to death- id probably still refuse to eat these things. Don't waste your money!

  7. atom

    Good call. I've seen them offered, but they just never looked all that good to me, so I've never bothered to get them.

    Looks like they're something I'll continue to avoid!

  8. Anonymous

    My family loves the Breaded Green Bean Fries. $2.29/box. I've never seen any of the other choices at my local Aldi's.

  9. atom

    We tried those and also liked them pretty well, though I forgot to review them! I don't know whereabouts you live, but if you have a Dollar Tree by you, check to see if they have green bean fries. I tried them from there, and they are actually really good.

    It's a shame that a lot of their appetizers are all Special Buys, so it's hard to pin them down sometimes, unless it's a part of their constant inventory.

  10. RDMSN

    These are awesome. I am pretty healthy 50 year old male, but all the sugar and fat kicks in the flavor! Also remind me of the kind of flat Corn Fritters we used have at thanksgiving 35+ years ago!!

  11. atom

    See, I've never tried them prior to this so I never had the "nostalgia" factor. I'll admit, I'd probably be singing a different tune if I did have them as a child. I just thought these got pretty old real quickly…I'd rather just have a can of corn.

  12. Unknown

    Got the Corn Nuggets last month. 10/2016. There were awesome. Love the flavor. The only reason I found this website is I was looking to see if I could buy these online. But apparently it is only Aldi's whenever deals. I wish they would put these in their stores permanently. Love them.

  13. atom

    If I was more adventurous, heartless, and rich, I'd love to try selling popular Aldi products in between Special Buy cycles, or even selling some of their standard inventory to people that don't have Aldi stores nearby.

    But in either scenario, I just feel like I'd be ripping people off. Plus, as in your case, shipping frozen foods would be a costly, daunting endeavor.

    Just a suggestion: A lot of Aldi products, as you probably well know, are manufactured by the same companies that manufacture larger brands. I'm seeing that Walmart carries a product called Pecos Valley Battered Corn Nuggets, with reviews that suggest a similar flavor profile. Maybe they would at least be close in taste, if not the same?

  14. Anonymous

    I actually enjoyed the mac and cheese bites. They were a quick side side and very tasty.

  15. atom

    We've been avoiding these for the last couple years, so it's about time to give these another shot. With the frequency Aldi changes their recipes, it's very possible that they're much different, and better, than they used to be.

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