I’ve had quite a few of Aldi’s private label fry offerings (and there are quite a few), but I’ve never really sat down to review any. Why? Because the very thought of doing it makes me feel like I’m up against a wall. What can you really say about fries, especially ones as boring and straightforward as shoestrings? Nevertheless, I feel it is my duty to help you make informed decisions on what to buy and what to avoid, and so I’m going to do my best, though this will probably be shorter than most.

For starters, the size of the bag is pretty impressive, considering it retails (if memory serves me correctly) for $1.79. It’s true that you can also get bags of shoestring fries from Dollar Tree, for a dollar, but the bag is much smaller. I don’t have the exact weight or dimensions of the DT brand fries (which taste fine, by the way) but it’s noticeably smaller. With just about any bag of frozen sides (be it French fries, or onion rings), I generally toss in about a third of the bag, and that’s just the right amount for me. With these, I put in probably about a fifth and it was still way too many, so you really do get a lot for the money.

Now how do they taste? Well, like fried potatoes. Shoestring fries are never really that good or interesting by themselves, and these are no exception (if you don’t believe me, get the plain fries from Steak n’ Shake, and if you think they’re delicious, try it again when you’re sober). But they do provide a nice foundation for whatever toppings/condiments you enjoy. For me, I sprinkle them with a barbecue seasoning (that was actually intended for grilling), and then dip them in ketchup. That livens them up a little bit, and gives them a little added punch that would otherwise be missing.

So, if your fry budget is small but you have a lot of mouths to feed, this is a great way to go. The only downside: it’s curiously only available as a special buy, so be sure to stock up if they happen to have them!

Overall: 7/10. If you want a lot of fries for not a lot of money, these are a good option. Now, keep in mind, these are shoestring fries, which are the French fry equivalent of math class: Completely, and utterly boring. They’re essentially thin-cut fries with some salt, and that’s it, so you’re not getting a lot of flavor right out of the bag, which is true of any shoestring fry I‘ve ever had. But you can always add condiments and seasonings to liven them up, which can help you stretch your grocery dollar farther, and isn’t that what this is all about? One fairly big negative: These are curiously only available as a special buy, so be sure to stock up on them when they are available!