'I compared Aldi's hash browns to McDonald's and was amazed by price difference'
McDonald's hash browns are arguably one of the best breakfast items on the menu, but now they have some pretty fierce competition thanks to Aldi. The budget supermarket has launched its Oakhurst Breakfast Hash Browns, which have been hailed as 'superior' to McDonald's £1.49 single offering by food lovers across the nation.
Any Maccies lover will know they can only get their hands on the hash browns until 11am, but Aldi is on a mission to allow foodies the chance to tuck into the golden crispy treat any time of the day for a lot cheaper. The bargain supermarket is famous for near-identical dupes at incredible prices - and they have managed to create their own take on the beloved McDonald's favourite.
Hash browns to me are one of the best hangover cures, but it can be annoying when they are taken off the menu post 11am, so I wanted to see if Aldi could compare when it comes to the hash brown game. So I headed to my local store to pick up a box, and ordered two McDonald's hash browns to see if they could rival the fast food giant...
Research from Aldi uncovered the "great breakfast frustration" -the feeling Brits experience when they miss out on the breakfast cut-off. The study revealed that 62% of UK adults believe 11am is too early to stop serving breakfast, with one in five (22%) saying they would prefer breakfast food to be available all day - and I couldn't agree more.
Maccies hash browns are known for their golden and crispy coating and seriously fluffy inside, so I knew it would be a pretty tough gig to try and beat, but I was seriously surprised. When I spotted them on the shelves of Aldi, I knew instantly they were a McDonald's dupe - the images on the box looked almost identical to a McDonald's hash brown, making them easily identifiable.
Aldi's Oakhurst Breakfast Hash Brownshave garnered cult status among breakfast enthusiasts, often outdoing the fast food chain in blind taste tests across social media and food critic reviews. But for £1.99 for a box of ten, I was still sceptical thinking the price was too good to be true.
Whenever I think of frozen hash browns, I imagine them going soggy with too much potato. And when I took them out of the box, it was clear they were smaller. I popped two in my air fryer for eight minutes.
They were perfectly golden and crispy and smelt delicious. If they weren't next to the original McDonald's ones, you could easily mistake them for being straight from Mcdonald's—the only giveaway was the size and shape.
However when it came to the test, I couldn't believe how alike they were. Aldi's were prehaps a little more onion-y and seasoned a little more, but what I liked about the supermarket version was they were a lot less oily. One of the reasons McDonald's ones are so nice is because they are deep fried - which means they can only be enjoyed as a treat every so often.
The potato was identical in texture to McDonald's, but sadly, the crispy coating wasn't as good as McDonald's, presumably because it wasn't deep-fried. With Aldi's, being able to air fry them removes all of the oil, making them healthier and less messy to eat. The fact they were a lot less oily really stood out.
I was very impressed with Aldi's take on the famous hash browns, and I am definitely a fan. I will be picking these up again as for 20p per hash brown, you can't go wrong. But I will always treat myself to a McDonald's hash brown every so often, I think.
For those who want to try, there are Aldi branded food vans pulling up outside selected McDonald's restaurants from precisely 11:01am, just after the fast-food chain's breakfast service ends and offering free, freshly cooked hash browns to those left craving their morning potato fix.
Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: "Brits love their hash browns and our Oakhurst Breakfast Hash Browns have developed quite the loyal following, with over half a million breakfast hash browns sold in store per week.
"That's why our hash brown van has been designed with one purpose — to bring the nation their crispy potato fix at any time of the day, not just before 11am."
For those that miss out on Aldi's hash brown tour, the supermarket's popular hash brown range including the Oakhurst Breakfast Hash Browns are available to buy in stores now.
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