Think about your favorite restaurant. No matter how good it is, there’s a big chance that, like any other place to get food, it has its fair share of hits and misses. Whether the dish just doesn’t land on your taste buds or, let’s be honest, is bland, forgettable, or — worst of all — nasty, not everything is always going to hit the mark. Even products that look so tempting to eat could be better off on the shelf to be admired, kind of like Aldi’s Specially Selected Lobster Mac and Cheese.
When we wrote about the 12 products you should never buy at Aldi based on online reviews, we went on a deep dive to see what people have been saying about the fancy seafood pasta, and it was a particular disappointment that we (and a lot of people on the internet) wished it tasted as appetizing as it looked. For one, the smell leaves a lot to be desired, which is perhaps the most common critique about it. And it’s a valid reason, as flavor isn’t the only way to gauge whether the food is good or not. The texture, appearance, and, of course, aroma, also come into play.
Other foodies have complained about the off-putting taste from the seafood, throwing everything off balance. Those who aren’t keen on salty food should steer clear. What it does correctly, though, is its creamy texture, so we’ll give it that. Other than its consistency, it doesn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities — but what does the ingredient list say?
Read more: 6 Frozen Costco Foods To Buy And 7 To Skip
Short answer: The ingredients also show it’s not worth it
A close-up image of a decadent lobster mac and cheese with spring onions layered on top – Thepalmer/Getty Images
Based on the information from the National Library of Medicine on ultra-processed food, the ingredient list of Specially Selected Lobster Mac and Cheese has raised some red flags. It contains additives like annatto, which is a kind of food coloring that was most likely used to achieve the bold hue of the lobster. On its own, it gives off an aquatic scent, and it’s probably why people have complained about the lobster’s overwhelming flavor. The product also contains emulsifiers like modified food starch — most likely added to improve texture and shelf life — and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) to keep it nice, tender, and juicy. While both don’t seem to alter the flavor of the dish, and instead help stabilize it, a fresher alternative is still significantly better overall.
It’s also quite calorie-dense — another sign that something is ultra-processed. You’d get 370 calories for just a 255-gram serving, plus 920 milligrams of sodium, which is about 61% of the daily limit. The largest source of most Americans’ sodium intake is packaged meals, and based on reviews, it’s not at all worth approaching the threshold for. It’s wiser to read up on the unique way to avoid buying processed foods at the grocery store to be a more mindful consumer, or better yet, know how to easily identify ultra-processed foods to get your money’s (and health’s) worth. But the best option? Just make your own lobster mac and cheese at home, folks.
Read the original article on Chowhound.
