The Worst Store-Bought Apple Cider Vinegar Comes From This Grocery Chain

Apple cider vinegar is a pantry staple with potential health benefits, and it is usually a welcome addition to any dish to give it a bright, fruity zip. However, not all brands of vinegar are the same. We tested eight brands of apple cider vinegar to find which ones are worth keeping on hand, and which have no place in your home. Our least favorite brand was one that lacked any earthy, fruity notes, but added a hint of artificiality to the sharp vinegar flavor and had a thin, water-like mouthfeel. That vinegar was from Bowl & Basket.

Using 15 years of experience in the food industry, our reviewer judged each apple cider vinegar on taste. On occasion, like this last-place finish, texture and weight came into play. Our reviewer said they would not purchase a bottle of this vinegar again. Let's hope they finished the bottle using our guide to 14 different ways to clean your kitchen with apple cider vinegar.

Bowl & Basket is ShopRite's private label brand that began in 2019. The brand's products have scored both poorly and well in other taste tests we've conducted. Bowl & Basket ranked dead last in our review of BBQ chips because they were so hard they were difficult to eat, and once you persevered through the chip, you were rewarded with a dull, woody flavor. However, the brand seems to be capable of making a good grape jelly that tasted like real fruit with a slight tang and decent sweetness, according to our reviewer. Posters on Reddit have similar varied opinions, with some writing "Almost everything they make is horrible," while others express that they've "Never had an issue."

ShopRite and Bowl & Basket are part of the Wakefern Food Corp cooperative of supermarkets. Some of the other markets in the co-op are Price Rite, Morton Williams, and Fairway — the recently picked up after being ruined by private equity New York City grocer. One Reddit poster who says they work for Wakefern had this to say about the company's store brands: "Their quality standards have always been to meet or exceed the national brand equivalent. They are able to offer lower prices because they aren't advertising the store brand on a national level like national brands do." Hopefully the apple cider vinegar reflects this ethos soon!