Are there any items you use a specific brand or specific item within a brand only?

Campbell’s Tomato Soup.

I’m a Persil user and buy it pretty deeply discounted at CVS or on Amazon. I use the Pods and sometimes the liquid with plastic sleeves of refill to reuse the same dispenser bottle.

My ex, a native of the UK, says that Persil is considered a bargain brand there. That surprised me because it is recommended by my expensive washers, Bosch and Miele.

Anyway, it’s a good product. I also really like the Chlorox pods now, because I’m clumsy and spill, and I use bleach on my whites and kitchen towels. I go through a ton of towels in the kitchen since learning to really cook during the pandemic.

DeCecco pasta. It's what I grew up with and really is better quality than Barilla and Ronzoni.

Rao's Marinara. Nothing compares, I stock up when it's on sale.

Sensodyne toothpaste. Other "sensitive" toothpastes just aren't as effective.

Ben & Jerry's vanilla, only vanilla I like.

Swanson's ORGANIC chicken broth. It's the best tasting store bought chicken broth and America's Test Kitchen agrees with me.

Campbells' tomato soup is shite now. In the 80s it tasted of tomato. Not high end or anything but recognizably tomato. Now it's just bland, vaguely tomato-scented sugar water.

That said, the linked Campbells Stock First product is by far the best store bought stock I have ever tasted and actually rivals homemade in some cases. It easily kicks the ass of anything else (and I've tried everything, including that Better Than Bouillon' stuff which the internet (wrongly) seems to think is passable). It's unfortunately somewhat difficult to find and I stock up whenever I spot it.

I am almost 100% loyal to the linked detergent. Not sure if it's better than everything out there but it's better than weird generic shit I've tried on holidays and it doesn't reek of Alpine Meadow or Floral Dream (why is laundry detergent so intensely scented? it's so strong you can sometimes ID the brand someone uses just standing next to them)

Zendium toothpaste is a goddamn pain in the ass to get in North America (I order from Europe via Amazon) but it solved my bleeding gums where nothing from the drugstore and nothing from the dentist (including Rx strength) did.

Hellmans mayonnaise, Heinz ketchup, whatever the spreadable tub butter from Ireland at Aldi is labeled.

You’re OCD, OP.

Get some moisturizer.

[quote] Campbell’s Tomato Soup.

Disgusting. Full of corn syrup.

R8 what does moisturizer have to do with anything?

R7 same with Mayo and ketchup.

R5 you use the one I bought but I needed Persil.

R6 I see there are different ones. Which one do you get? I’m about to order

R13 i actually did a deep dive on 'alternative' toothpastes (oh jesus christ I have become middle aged) and as for the Zendium ones (i.e. a comparison of the varieties, I think there are 3 - the all arounder, the biogum and the sensitive formulas?) I go with the all arounder - it comes in the white with blue tube (the others are white with red and white with green iirc).

If you're trying to sort out bleeding gums and minor dental issues i also switched to the following toothbrushes (there is soft and ultrasoft - go for the ultrasoft):

R12 i can't get Persil here or I would try it to do a comparison!

Dawn detergent

Costco organic chicken stock

Chlorox bleach

Duke's mayonnaise, Blue Plate as a back up

R14 the top one?

Yes R17, the Zendium Complete Protection. Make sure the specific seller you're buying from has good feedback, Amazon's going to shit lately.

Fwiw every few days I brush once with Carifree (long explanation for this but includes an ingredient not seen in most US toothpastes that has been shown via studies to be as effective as fluoride - and is widely used in Japan instead of fluoride - and I just switch it up ever few days).

Also: don't rinse after brushing. Just spit. No rinse.

Carifree. Again: caveat emptor, Amazon is pretty much the wild fuckin west of consumerism these days.

Magnum™ XL

OP have you tried an extra rinse for your clothes? All machines have it, and perhaps a some vinegar in the rinse. There really should be little left on the clothes after a thorough rinse.

R21 yes but the scent from the detergent fucks with my skin too.

I don't think you're OCD, it's perfectly reasonable to find a product you like and stick with it.

I use All Free & Clear and much prefer the small 40 oz. concentrated bottles to any other iterations of it. The tabs and the powder are useless. The huge industrial sized bottle doesn't work as well, neither do the Free & Clear varieties with Oxi or other things added to it. I stick with what works.

R23 thanks. You get it.

My sister uses All detergents. My mother always uses Kirkland.

OP- I have VERY sensitive skin too and I've been using the Kirkland Signature Liquid Laundry Detergent Ultra Clear Hypoallergenic for at least two years and my sensitive skin likes it.

R25 oh! Thanks for letting me know. Will look into that one.

I alternate between two laundry detergents, both of which I get at Target.

Persil Oxi Power discs

... and lavender vanilla ECOSNEXT detergent sheets

Dawn dish soap as well.

I like Heinz ketchup, but Hunt's is actually good as well.

Yes to all Campbells soups. The off brands just aren’t the same.

Tide

Dawn

Puffs tissue

Hellman’s and Miracle Whip

Crest Radiant White toothpaste

The only cola I drink is Coca-Cola

I was a Hellman's mayo advocate until I tried Kewpie and now you won't see me using anything else.

Tilimook extra-sharp cheddar cheese

I like Hellman’s light Mayo

Tide, Scott's, and Dawn

Dawn makes my sponges stink. And don’t say it’s the sponge. I’ve tried throwing it out and using a new one. God knows what chemicals they use in it. Palmolive all the way.

R36 same. I have a Dawn bottle and my sponges always smell bad. Even new.

Not the new platinum, orange, green concoctions. Hate all those (and yes, they do leave an odor). I am talking about the original - blue Dawn only.

Aveeno body wash. I can use it on my face and even as a shampoo.

R39 I only use their body washes and lotions!

R36 They've changed the Original Palmolive scent, and not for the better I'm afraid. Lately, every bottle seems to smell different, like they're using up and mixing scents. For awhile, it almost seemed like they had mixed Ylang Ylang and their Murphy's Oil Soap scent... Then there was a concentrated version, still labeled as original with a tutti-fruity bubble gum scent. Madly disappointing.

So very many brands I've liked have changed or have been discontinued, I have very low expectations, and refuse to get attached to brands. My last burn was when Unilever ruined Lever 2000 bar soap, and when Imperial Leather reformulated their bars. Not much brand loyalty left in me.

Some very tender-to-the-touch bitches on here right now. I condole you and your long suffering.

Victoria Marinara Sauce. I prefer it over Rao's TBH, but it's just a matter of spices and seasonings, Rao's is solid as well.

It doesn't have any added sugar or starches/flour/thickeners. The ingredient list is incredibly simple. It can also hold up to long slow cooked dishes without scorching or becoming too pasty.

Op, what are you using the pineapple for?

R3 De Cecco is ok. I used to think dried pasta was all the same until I tried Anna pasta. OMG! LOVE IT! I buy it at my local Italian deli.

Persil is great, all we use now. Duke’s Mayo.

Oooops try this link:

OP, you should use 7th Generation, or Sun & Earth. They're better than those big name brands that do "free and clear" detergent on the side. Sometimes I just use Ivory soap in the wash as I get reactions to a lot of soaps and I don't to Ivory. Or find a similar dye free fragrance free dish detergent and use that in your wash. Often it's milder than laundry soap.

Duke's mayo (courtesy of DL recommendations) I love it. I keep meaning to try Kewpie too.

Dawn dishwashing liquid - soak your smelly sponge in some baking soda and water for a few hours or overnight - works like a charm.

Tide laundry soap - it actually gets clothes cleaner

Penzey's spices - fresh and delicious

DeCecco pasta (I buy Garofolo's too sometimes)

Bianco di Napoli canned tomatoes - the best

Grey Poupon mustard

Real Purell, Bounty paper towels, Charmin toilet paper (the only one that doesn't leave my ass sore), Colgate toothpaste, Rao's marinara sauce. Lee and Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce, Dawn green apple dish soap, I use it as hand soap too, Bonne Maman preserves, Kitchen Basics organic stock, Kirkland tuna when I want tuna in water and some specific brand, I can't remember when I want tuna from Italy in olive oil, California Ranch olive oil and for cooking Kirkland organic olive oil, Hane's T shirts. Most other things the brand vary.

Teacher here- Ticonderoga and Crayola.

For cake mixes: Duncan Hines.

For brownie mixes: Duncan Hines or Ghirardelli.

Downy fabric softener. Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast tea, Ditto peppermint baking soda toothpaste. Real maple syrup.

Deodorant: Arrid Solid. Although, for some odd reason, it seems to have been pulled from many grocery and drug stores in the past couple of years. I find it interesting that its spray varieties, which it was all the rage to ban because of harm to the earth's ozone layer during the 1980s and '90s, are back in full force in the place of their Solid varieties, though. Buy them in bulk on Amazon.

Oh, also Bigelow's Decaffeinated Green Tea.

Neutrogena Rainbath gel (not the green bullshit) and shaving cream

My sneakers have to be Bally, but that's just a reaction to being brought up on Kmart Traxx.

I was faithful to Hills Brothers, but it's not easy to find in the PNW. I'm safe as long as I avoid Seattle's Best.

R49 I’ve tried boiling it in hot water and it works. But why keep doing this when I can use something else? Palmolive is perfect.

Duke's mayo (THANKS to DL)

Kicking Horse dark roast coffee,

Happy Belly (Amazon Fresh brand) salad dressings (no HFC or artificial garbage & less than $2)

APlenty espresso chip ice cream and APlenty salted caramel mini cookies and APlenty Asian sauce line

Duke’s mayonnaise

Fresh Sugar roll-on deodorant

(don’t kill me DL but) ob tampons

When viva stopped making job squad paper towels I stopped using paper towels.

A couple of times a year I’ll go to the dollar store and buy dish towels and use them in place of paper towels.

I don't buy Worcestershire sauce, but if I did it'd be L&P for sure. Staying with my mom, who uses Grey Poupon, which I'm not thrilled with. I get Aldi brand sweet-hot at home.

R7 - Kerrygold Butter? I am equally loyal to Hellman's (except when locals or my roommate makes homemade). Out here I have sinned and bought the light version, tried the ketchup and vegan one (it had Siracha so it was a must). Heinz makes the original formula, a spicy ketchup and a horseradish one out here. They are pretty good. Looks like a lot of companies make both the original version and one customized to local tastes and trends. Also, I am loyal to Heinz breakfast beans.

Nilla Vanilla Wafers.

The cheaper versions always disappoint for such a simple thing.

Trader Joe's Caesar salad dressing with Romano cheese.

Hellmann's mayo. (Guess I will give Duke a try since you bitches rave about it and you are culinar-ier than me).

Sauvage Dior deodorant since it came out...anything else in that scent is way too strong.

Nescafe Instant Coffee (regular and decaf)....yes, I know...

Kerrygold Butter

A&H Baking Soda

Yes, Kerrygold butter! The Kerrygold "Dubliner" cheese is also very good.

R64 We must have similiar tastes. Though I've lamented upthread about brands changing formulas and discontinued favourite products, I'm the same with the Sauvage deo, Kerrygold, and the Nescafé. I insist on the European Nescafé product that uses coffee from the Ivory Coast. I find it in Greek and Italian shops. The American Nescafé isn't quite the same. Regardless of the languages on the tins if it's labeled PRODUCT OF IVORY COAST, it's the good stuff.

R66 - agreed. I always get it in Latino or Armenian markets back in Los Angeles. Thank God they have Kerrygold all over the EU as well. Just made a red pesto chicken breast and fresh pasta dish with it and the taste is amazing. I hate changing brands and go ballistic when one of my favorites is gone or altered. I gave up on lots of stuff over the years because of that.

Greek Nescafe is delicious, I've been drinking it iced all summer. American Nescafe just isn't very good.

Maille dijon mustard

Always have wondered how Nescafe is so popular in Europe as it doesn't taste very good in the States. Now I understand they use a completely different bean (Ivory Coast.)

Oh absolutely R70. Until I went to Toronto for work and got one in a desperate coffee run when everything except a small Pakistani grocer was closed within walking distance, I wouldn't have touched it. It was surprisingly flavorful and reminiscent of an Ethiopian roast. Then, when my mom and sister came to visit, I didn't tell them it was instant and just asked them to try it. They thought I got some fancy coffee but it was the good ole instant stuff. Never went back.

R70 They're almost always packaged in metal tins, not plastic containers. I think that may have something to do with it as well, as the American type doesn't have the same fresh aroma. It's weaker, yet bitter. It doesn't seem to make as good of a frappé either.

Cheers R67 & R68

Lidia's pasta is truly above all other dried pastas I have made.

Maille mustards. They have amazing flavors.

Nespresso. I've tried other pod and capsule brands, none are as good. I can't drink Starbucks at all. Burnt, horrible tasting crap.

R16, Blue Plate first, Duke's if necessary. Both good, like BP better.

All Free detergent, Cascade for the dishwasher.

Cascade powder dishwasher detergent Kerry gold butter Viva paper towels Dreyer's ice cream

Of course, op. Lots of things. I’m American.

I use Finish products in my dishwasher.

Scrub Daddy sponges

Maille mustard

Maldon salt

LL Bean galoshes

Fellow Maldon whore here, R78.

R79 I bought a giant pail of it during COVID, it was my best pandemic purchase !!

Dukes Mayonnaise

Coca-cola

Gold bond lotion- I have used it since I was a teen.

Marlborough Reds - The 🤠⚰️. We are doomed anyway, may as well 🚬 . ( Ok, haven't lit up again yet, but kinda plotting to )

Neutrogena face cream & Cleanser. Campbell's Tomato Soup. It is a comfort food.

[quote] "Campbell’s Tomato Soup."

[quote] "Disgusting. Full of corn syrup."

I make my own. It's super easy, and takes (at the most) thirty minutes. I don't eat a lot of pork, but love to render sweet or spicy Italian sausage, and throw it in. But I can fully understand brand loyalty. Not everyone wants to make the soup...sometimes folks just want it. To each their own.

Fuck your high soup aspirations! You were eating it from a can before soup became trendy.

Best Foods Mayo Barbasol shaving cream Listerine

Acme brand butt plugs! Anything else is just a pain in the ass

Duke’s of course!

R84 I love the scent of the Original Barbasol.

You old man!

I believe in Crystal Light because I believe in me!

I use Tardil, which is supposedly the same as Persil and sold at Aldi. I use Persil pods as well. Kewpie mayo, the Xl Dawn with a foam dispenser that can clean anything. A liquid soap/shower gel called All One sold by Trader Joe's. Olaplex, the kind of all hair conditioners. Love Spike and its low sodium Vege-Sal as all-around seasonings. Sabra hummus. Kozy Shack puddings. Aldi has a line of Italian, Bronze-die-cut pasta under the Priano label.

You use Retardil?

R82 - I do too but I also love convenience. Stopped liking Campbell's awhile back as it got too salty even for me. A soupless existence is a useless existence so when I was lazy back hole I would get Trader Joe's Tomato Feta soup that is made fresh in the salad aisle. Occasionally, I would get less lazy and shred some mozzarella in it while it was piping hot to melt it in, maybe toss on an avocado slice or a pickled jalapeno slice. They are pretty solid at making loads of fresh cream soups, clear soups and pureed vegetable soups out in Romania on the daily as it's considered weird to not eat soup once a day (dinner is almost always some form of soup) and it is a starter to a full meal. Salad is never a starter.

[quote]Kewpie mayo, the Xl Dawn with a foam dispenser that can clean anything

Agree on both, r90. That Dawn foaming soap is amazing. If I forget to wash a dish until the next day it'll take anything that's stuck right off of there without much problem.

I believe in Lotrimin AF for anal fungus.

I love to wipe my asshole with Kirkland Signature toilet tissue!!

Duke’s all day.

Bounce fabric softener sheets.

Honest Tea.

Scratch Pasta from Lynchburg VA. Worth ordering if you can’t get it locally. Beautiful stuff.

Q-Tips. I specifically mentioned the brand to my partner. Of course, he forgot and came home with Kroger brand. I think he was genuinely surprised at the speed and ferocity of my reaction.

"What brands are you loyal to?"

6 words, OP! Dangling preposition aside.

Yeah, I've tried another brand of cotton swabs. Q-tips really are better. I think there's no plastic in Q-tips, so that's good as well.

R95 - I hope, for the sake of my brothers in top, you aren't a bottom. Obviously, R97 is (also, an elder) which explains why so many tops end up alone.

Only use Crisco

Anyone know who makes Kirkland's detergent?

Kewpie Mayo uses the yolk and it’s delicious. The plastic container is very strange though. We’re loyal to Rao’s, but looking forward to trying some of the brands listed here.

Costco r102

R104 Costco doesn't manufacture detergents. Kirkland is their brand name, based on an original location. Who makes the detergent?

Goya extra virgin oil. Its a huge spanish industrial food company yet the olive oil is consistently great. If I buy famous branded Italian coffee beans it's always Lavazza. Palmolive shave cream in the dark green tube. Gilette cartridge razors - pricey but never ever nick my skin.

How in the fuck should I know?

Magnum condoms. It’s the fit of course. 😉

R105 I always heard it was Persil.

Shove a jug of Persil up your asshole!

With Crisco!

Dataloungers are laundry obsessed!

R111 - and that would be an interesting question on DL. Has anyone used Crisco (for anything besides lube in 1979) to cook? Some people still swear by it for fried food among the olds.

Yes R113 - fried chicken! Old people wisdom.

Dove soap

Another vote for Blue Plate Mayonnaise. The others taste like lard though I guess Miracle Whip would do in a pinch.

I can't find a lotion I like better than the old-fashioned Vaseline Intensive Care in the big yellow squirt bottle - even tried the dermatologist's recommended Cera Vie. Pricey and not as good imo.

Agree with Dove soap - and All scent-free laundry detergent.

Crisco for Southern Fried Chicken. A few cookie and frosting recipes. Little else.

Even my mom who's a great old school cook won't use shortening, she uses corn oil instead. Grandma used Crisco in everything!

Aunt Jeremiah Syrup

Uncle Ben's Rice

Yamasa soy sauce

Not Crisco, I use actual lard when I want something to fry really well.

My mom used to use Crisco for pie crusts. Her pie crusts were really good. She didn't use a food processor. She used one of those pastry cutting (manual) tools, though.

Glad garbage bags

Kirkland paper towels and TP

Softsoap pomegranate body wash (it wakes me up)

Nutella

Many "Presidents Choice" products - it's a great brand

Aunt Jemima is now PEARL MILLING COMPANY and don’t you forget it!

So how do I use Crisco for frying chicken?

I have to buy Kewpie at an upscale place, so it'd better be worth it!

Just as you would use any other oil to fry,r125. Not gonna lie, fried foods fried in that stuff have an extra crunch.

[quote] "Fuck your high soup aspirations! You were eating it from a can before soup became trendy."

I wasn't aware soup had become "trendy"., R83. My mother always cooked it from scratch, mainly due to financial limitations. For instance: making my own, I can get at least three or four meals out of one roasted chicken, by the time I make stock. I'm also not ingesting massive amounts of sodium present in the canned versions. I just love to make and eat soup. I always have.

I stopped buying canned soup about five years ago. I don't need it. My soup is far superior (and healthier).

Evian water

R128 - I just made this frau's version of chicken soup (didn't find the raw spices, but got very good quality powders). Such a good take on the recipe, we ate it up in one sitting. Healthy too. The only tweak I made to it was adding skinless and boneless chicken thighs instead of breast (juicier) and omitting the peas (I don't like them but if you do, go for it).

Bounty (Plenty) Kitchen towel and Charmin (Cushelle) toilet roll.

My Dad and Brother both used to work for Proctor & Gamble in the UK and the company shop used to sell them to staff and their families for 5p (8c) a roll. In Europe they are made under license now by SCA (hence the different names) and not available at the staff shop, but I've carried on buying them.

I can still get every other P&G product for about 25% of retail price from there, even though my Dad has been dead for 20 years and my Brother took early retirement.

Cuisinart small appliances. I bought their coffee maker and love it. Then needed a new microwave and later a slow cooker. Love them all.

Felix cat food. He won’t touch anything else.

Miralax