I finally noticed store brand pasta is basically the same as name brand

Honestly, I've been making this cheap dinner for years - pasta with jarred sauce and frozen veggies - and I always grabbed the name brand box. Last week I picked up the store brand for 89 cents instead of $1.89 and I swear I couldn't tell a difference in taste or texture after 8 minutes of boiling. My wife even guessed wrong in a blind test with three different sauces. But then I tried store brand canned tomatoes for the same meal and they were watery and bland. So here's my debate: is it just specific items like pasta and rice where store brand wins, or am I missing something? Has anyone else found a store brand that totally fails for under 5 bucks?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara_baker573d ago

Oh man, I feel this hard. I mean, store brand pasta is honestly one of those things where you're just paying for the box design, not the noodles. I've done my own blind tests with generic vs. Barilla and couldn't tell them apart in a basic spaghetti or penne, even when I tried to be picky. But you're spot on about canned tomatoes - those are a total gamble and I've had some that were basically tomato water with sad chunks. For me, it's hit or miss on things like salsa or sour cream, where store brand can be really thin or off-flavor. Maybe it's just me but I think pasta and rice are safe bets, but anything with a lot of ingredients or a specific flavor profile, you gotta watch out.

tessa_clark743d ago

Yeah totally agree with you on the salsa and sour cream. Store brand sour cream always seems watery to me, I gave up trying after a few bad batches. Pasta and rice though, I'll buy generic every time.