Aldi Vs Trader Joe's: Which Grocery Store Is Better For Kitchen Tools?

A kitchen's existence is dedicated to making delicious food, but we need kitchen tools to get us there. From the common kitchen tool we use to cut potato wedges to sponges and Tupperware, every home cook requires certain essentials for preparing, plating, storing, and cleaning up food. Meanwhile, we're always comparing Trader Joe's to Aldi because they're both offbeat grocery stores that offer savings over your average supermarket while carrying many fewer SKUs. Which discount retailer has our backs when it comes to stocking up on kitchen utensils, cleaning products, and cookware, however?

While Trader Joe's is known for copycat snacks that are real winners, in the way of kitchen tools, it carries very little. A peek at the household essentials page on its website reveals some reusable plastic storage bags and a couple of types of sponges. On the other hand, as of this writing, Aldi was in the swing of college dorm stocking season — which, admittedly, is not a year-long category — and advertised a ton of kitchen tools, including a microwave cleaner, rice and spaghetti cookers for the microwave, and ice cube trays. Even its standard household essentials page carried significantly more than TJ's version of the lineup, with many options for plastic bags and cleaning supplies. It seems that neither store is going to sell you absolutely everything you need to furnish a kitchen, but, especially depending on the time of year, you are likely to find more options at Aldi.

Have you ever heard a "caw-caw" in Aldi? According to social media, it's a playful summons to kindred spirits browsing the "Aisle of Shame," a distinctly Aldi phenomenon dedicated to "Special Buys." It comes by its name because the deals are so good that, sometimes, one is tempted to make impulse buys and might just regret their spending. Yet Aldi's AoS sometimes contains some really excellent kitchen implements, like Dutch ovens that mimic Le Creuset for a fraction of the price and genuine cast iron skillets. We've seen YouTubers proudly showing off their Aldi AoS kitchen hauls, including telescoping steamer baskets, microwave splatter shields, and nonstick sauté pans. For those in the know, the center aisle in Aldi is an ever-changing treasure hunt that could yield amazing deals on kitchen tools. Want pumpkin-shaped stoneware containers to serve sugar and salt in the fall? Aldi's got your back ... provided you visit the store for the short time that such items are in stock.

While Trader Joe's also rotates offerings seasonally — we're still dreaming about those garlic-butter potato chips that rocked our world — there's not much evidence to suggest that they ever really shelve hardline kitchen goods over tasty morsels for your fridge or pantry. This is just fine, honestly, as we're of the opinion that life is best when you shop at both Aldi and Trader Joe's for the best of each store, rather than limiting yourself to an either/or proposition.