Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Appetitos Buffalo Style Chicken Dip - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Appetitos Buffalo Style Chicken Dip - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ
With all the snow that we've been getting in Jersey, I've been going to Aldi more frequently. Like most people, I like to stock up on basics before bad weather hits, but during my last trip I found this frozen container of buffalo dip in the Specialty Buy section. (Home to all things random.) It isn't like I needed to buy this dip, but I was kind of curious, so into the cart it went!
Now, I typically make my own buffalo dip for parties, which is from a recipe I got off of Pinterest, and it's always a hit. Since I know how to make it, and it's really easy, why would I buy a frozen version? To be honest, I was a little confused and interested in the packaging. It's hard to tell in the photos, but this box is super tiny! (I should have included my hand for a size comparison.)

This itty bitty box is about the size of small Bath and Body Works candle, and the design is pretty rough. Okay, it's very rough. The text layout is a mess and the photo of the dip itself looks really artificial and unappealing. Just look at the little tagline below the product name! "A tasty blend of chicken, buffalo style sauce, cream cheese product and ranch seasoning."  Just saying that tagline aloud in unappetizing. I waxed and waned about buying this, but I was so curious as to how the sauce inside was packaged. It was such a small box, how'd they decide to get it in there? My curiosity got the best of me and that was why I ultimately purchased this, and boy was the packaging quirky.
Check out this vacuum sealed puck of frozen "buffalo style" dip. I had no idea it's just be a frozen puck all on it's own. I expected some kind of waxy paper serving cup or something, but there's absolutely nothing! Isn't this odd? (Doesn't this look just like those frozen Pizza Bagels before you microwave them?)

So apparently you need to put this frozen puck into a bowl and microwave it for three minutes, stir, microwave for another two minutes, and then it's ready to serve. Sounds easy enough...

Here it is after round 1 in the microwave. Doesn't that look delicious?

At this point I started regretting my purchase. The kitchen smelled like generic hot sauce and this looked like some kind of weird Pizza Bagel croquette. It still needed to be stirred and cooked for another two minutes. Maybe it'll get better?


After a bit of stirring, and a second round of microwave radiation, this was looking a bit more appealing. To be honest, this photo makes it look a lot better than it did in person. This dip is a bright artificial orange color, really chunky and pretty greasy looking. It isn't very appealing as a food item, but it is photogenic.  
This dip isn't very visually appealing, but it doesn't smell half bad. (Although it doesn't smell phenomenal either.) I can smell hot sauce, ranch dressing, and cream cheese. It actually smells quite similar to homemade buffalo dip, just more artificial.

I decided to toast some baguette slices to dunk into this stuff.

This stuff tastes exactly like it smells. It's not bad, but it's no where near as good as the homemade stuff. You can taste all of the ingredients, although they are artificial, and the heat is build-able. After a few baguette chips with dip my mouth had a satisfying spicy tingle, but the flavoring was pretty lackluster.

I wouldn't say that I recommend this, I think you really ought to make your own, but it wasn't that bad. If you have a hungry teenage boy at home this might be a great item to have on hand for an after school snack, or something to munch on when their friends come over. (Since it's pretty cheap.) The portion size is pretty big for one person, it was way too much for me, but it's a bit too small for a large crowd, so keep that in mind.

In the end, I'm happy I bought this and satisfied my curiosity, but I wouldn't buy it again.
© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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1 comment:

  1. This is great to keep on hand. My grandson comes by after college or work and is starved. This satisfies him while I prepare something homemade. Just wish it was carried and a regular item. It was a hit at our house. Will stock up next time they carry it.

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