I'm an American baker in Switzerland. Here are the best staples I buy at Aldi for 2.
Aldi's affordable prices are great for buying staples as well as a few fun, unique treats.
My partner and I love the range of organic and local products the grocer sells.
We tend to buy more packaged staples here, like sardines, mustard, and Swiss chocolate.
I'm an American baker who relocated to Switzerland to be with my partner.
Switzerland is well-known to travelers for its gorgeous mountains, skiing, and cheese. But living here is very expensive.
I do most of our shopping at Aldi because the prices and quality are great. Here's what I buy on a typical grocery run.
Marinated stuffed peppers are a great ready-made appetizer.
I love having something to snack on while I'm cooking dinner.
The cheese and herb stuffed peppers in olive oil are delicious and only 2.39 Swiss francs (CHF), or about $2.70.
Hard-boiled eggs, aka “picnic eggs,” are great for hiking lunches.
For an American, seeing hard-boiled eggs as a regular staple at grocery stores surprised me at first.
They're often painted in bright colors so you don't confuse them with raw eggs, and they've become our go-to easy lunch when we go on a weekend hike.
Eggs are definitely pricier here than in the US, a pack of four cost me about 4 CHF.
Ovomaltine is one of my beloved breakfast drinks.
Ovomaltine is a malty, slightly sweet powder that's typically added to milk.
Swiss kids tend to grow up on it, and I absolutely love the nostalgic drink. Sometimes I even buy ready-mixed bottles if I need a quick breakfast in the morning.
I found a 250-milliliter bottle at Aldi for about 2 CHF.
Swiss Chocolate is a no-brainer treat to buy at Aldi.
My sweet tooth is mostly drawn to chocolate — and of course, Swiss chocolate is some of the best.
Each bar of Munz chocolate is only 2 CHF, so I always keep some on hand. They're also great to have when I want to bake something chocolaty.
Rosti is a delicious breakfast or dinner.
Rosti is a Swiss national staple. It's essentially a giant hash brown that can be eaten in a variety of ways.
I love buying prepackaged rosti — which costs about 3 CHF at Aldi — because it cuts out the labor of shredding potatoes.
We usually eat it with a fried egg, sausage, or even melted cheese for a hearty meal.
I always buy a bag of salad mix for lazy dinners.
Our default don't-want-to-cook dinner is a large salad with bread and any other cold cuts from the fridge.
Each bagged salad costs about 2 CHF at Aldi, so it's easy to keep a few on hand.
We eat a lot of local Appenzeller cheese.
Swiss cheese is famous for good reason, and I love that Aldi sells so much regional cheese at good prices.
A 4.30 CHF block of Appenzeller is one of our favorites — we eat it with bread all the time.
Organic milk is an affordable staple.
I love that Aldi offers a range of local, organic products that aren't too expensive.
Since we go through a lot of milk in our house (mainly for coffee and baking), a 1.80 CHF liter of organic milk is a great deal.
You can't beat Aldi's prices on organic olive oil.
Getting a liter of organic olive oil for 10 CHF is a bargain here.
We always stock up — I just wish the store sold it in larger quantities.
Mixed olives are one of our favorite additions to big salads.
Almost every time we shop at Aldi, a bag or two of Mediterranean olives gets thrown into the basket.
They're so delicious — we add them to our salads or keep them around for snacking. And I think 2.25 CHF a pack is a great deal.
We buy a variety of mustards for dressings and sandwiches.
I put mustard on just about everything, so we go through it fast.
Aldi has a variety of flavors in large tubes for 3 CHF each.
It's nice to have a pack of sardines on hand.
My boyfriend loves sardines and often eats them on crusty bread with dinner.
The Atlantic sardines packed in oil that Aldi sells are a tasty protein source for just 2 CHF a tin.
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