You also want there to be enough vegetables to add some crunch and brightness.
I got this one-pound tub for $5.79 at my local Stop & Shop.
The look:This macaroni salad is so juicymuch juicier than some of the competitors.
Photo: Shutterstock. Design: Eat This, Not That!
There weren’t many veggies, though.
The taste:I struggled to find much flavor in this at all.
There’s an overwhelming sweetness, though, which was off-putting.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
Sugar is very high up in the ingredient list, and you’ve got the option to tell.
(A whole 10 grams of sugar per serving, according to the nutrition label.)
The only thing I could taste was the sugar and nothing else.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
No vinegar, no spices, no vegetables.
The 13-ounce tub cost me $6.39.
Let’s discuss where the popular East Coast grocer went wrong here.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
It was also a very creamy salad, which should have been a good thing.
The taste:Bland.
Unfortunately, despite being a very amply dressed macaroni salad, none of the dressing had any flavor.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
There was a hint of sweetness from the added sugar, but other flavors were largely absent.
The brand also makes a section of other salads and prepared foods.
The look:This juicy little mac salad was so yellow!
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
It was also packed with veggies.
This macaroni salad is really sour from both the mustard and the vinegar.
The noodles were also really tough.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
It was hard to eat very much of this because it was so mouth-puckeringly tart.
The vegetables added some contrast and texture, but the mustardy flavor was a lot to handle.
But I’m always down to try new things (and new stores).
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
A 2-pound tub cost me $6.39.
This one had the largest vegetable chunks of all brands in this survey, which I loved.
The taste:Overwhelmingly mustardyit’s all it’s possible for you to taste.
Photo: Hedy Phillips, Eat This, Not That!
The combination of mustard and vinegar is too much, and even having large vegetable chunks doesn’t help.
The noodles were also really hard, so it was unpleasant to give a shot to chew.
When I think of what I’m getting at the deli, that just makes me think of grandma.
Would grandma approve of this recipe?
The look:A bit dry.
It was also very skimpy on veggies and was mostly just noodles.
The taste:The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente, which I liked.
The flavor overall just felt a bit boringnot bad, just boring.
There were lots of green and red peppers, which added plenty of color to the pale yellow mixture.
The taste:Peppery.
I really liked the Bowl & Basket variety because of that veggie-forward vibrancy.
Even so, there were two other salads that I enjoyed even more.
I managed to snag a 12-ounce container for $3.99.
The look:So green!
I actually thought I had opened a container of spinach and artichoke dip.
The taste:Pleasantly unconventional.
This is not grandma’s macaroni salad!
(There are also varieties of each, to get even more specific.)
I grabbed this 1-pound container ofWalmart’s original potato saladfor $2.92.
The look:Perfectly chunky and creamy.
It looked like what grandma would make!
The taste:Grandma would be proud.
The noodles were also perfectly cooked, and there were enough vegetables to add texture and crunch.
A handful of spices pump up the flavor, but again, nothing is too overpowering.
It all melds together and tastes like a summer day.
