Why Some Aldi Shoppers Say You Should Avoid The Mini Cucumbers

Aldi is a beloved grocery chain with some seriously cheap and delicious products, but you can't trust everything on the shelf to be high-quality. In fact, there are a decent number of products you should never buy at Aldi. For quite some time, the store's mini cucumbers have received major backlash from shoppers for more than one reason. What seems at first like a simple snack turns out to have a strangely slimy texture and rot fairly quickly, at least according to many a small cucumber rant on Reddit and Facebook. While the mini cukes may be a cheap buy, it's one you may regret. 

Cucumbers typically last a little under a week in the refrigerator, as is, and they can be a difficult vegetable to keep crisp. But many Aldi shoppers have complained of their mini cucumbers being slimy from the start. Others have mentioned these cucumbers get moldy and mushy within just a couple days of purchasing. All of these characteristics are red flags to avoid when choosing good cucumbers, so Aldi might not be the ideal place to shop.

It's tempting to avoid Aldi cucumbers at all costs, but it's hard to tell if Aldi is really the root of the problem. This has only been a claim made by a few customers. One Reddit user even said, "These tiny cucumbers are the worst. No matter where I buy them from, they get slimy and rubbery very quickly." Aldi's mini cukes may have a good amount of backlash online, but they aren't the only store that's been accused of bad produce. Reddit users have also made complaints about Trader Joe's cucumbers, saying they go bad after only a few days.  

And not all Aldi shoppers had the same bad experience with their cucumbers. One customer even recommended keeping the mini ones on the counter rather than in the fridge for extended freshness. That might be best if your fridge is set low enough to cause chilling injury in the cukes. But the best way to store them is wrapped loosely in paper towel inside a zip-top bag on a shelf in your fridge. Cucumbers are a difficult vegetable to keep fresh. A cucumber's moisture content makes them prone to sliminess and bacteria growth, so storing them correctly can help them last much longer.

Like most grocery retailers, Aldi's produce is probably as hit-and-miss as its other inventory, and it's unknown exactly where Aldi sources its vegetables. That doesn't mean you're certain to get a bad batch if you buy the cucumbers there, but it may be worth your time to inspect your cukes a little closer next time you shop.