The 10 Items You Should Always Buy At Publix, According To A Food Editor

As a native Floridian, you could say I was raised on Publix. When I was a baby, my mom pushed me down each aisle as I dangled my legs from the shopping cart. As a child, I practiced saying 'thank you' when accepting my free cookie at the bakery, and weighed myself every week on the giant green scale near the entrance. As a teenager, I bought Pub Subs with my friends and we took them to the beach. After college, I moved up North, but the store was usually one of my first stops when I came back to visit. Compared to the big city supermarkets I was frequenting at the time, Publix was a calm, brightly lit, incredibly stocked oasis.

Much later, as an adult, I moved back down South to Alabama. Publix was the first place I drove our rental car and it felt like coming home. Everything else in my life felt unfamiliar, but as I walked into the store, I knew I was in the right place. Eventually, I found myself pushing my own baby in a shopping cart, and taking him to get his free cookie.

All of this is to say that I am very well-versed in the world of Publix products. It remains my favorite grocery store, not just for sentimental reasons, but for the friendly employees and quality products, many of which are the store's own brand. (And I am not the only one who feels this way.) Here are some of the items that make it into my cart week after week, and hopefully well into the future.

Bakery Bread

One of my all-time favorite Publix items is brioche hamburger buns, found in the bakery section. Tender and squishy, they are the ideal roll for any type of sandwich. And they freeze well too, which is a good thing to know if they are on sale. (Same goes for their brioche hot dog buns.)

I also buy a loaf of bread at the bakery every week. Our favorite is the Publix Mountain Loaf, which comes in white or wheat. I like that bakery employees will slice it, if you like, and that you can choose how thick you'd like the slices to be cut.

Pizza Dough

We eat a lot of pizza at our house because of this dough, which is also available in the bakery. If it's available, I prefer the pre-rolled kind, like you see here. All you have to do is let the dough come to room temperature, then unfold it right onto a (preheated) baking sheet. Add some toppings, and dinner's done.

Fried Chicken

If you've had Publix's famous fried chicken, I don't need to tell you how good it is. (I think the secret is celery salt, but that's just a guess.) My son goes crazy for their fried chicken tenders, which have a wonderfully crunchy and craggy crust.

Dried Mango

If this dried mango doesn't come home, it is practically a crisis at our house. We've gone through hundreds of bags of this stuff, and while it isn't always in stock (Publix execs, I hope you are reading this), it is worth seeking out and buying up when you can find it. Unlike a lot of other dried packaged mango slices which can be overly sweet or too sour, these are always just right and there is no sugar added.

Ice Cream

I appreciate Publix's steadfast commitment to seasonal ice cream flavors. They just keep 'em coming all year long! And while other brands make limited-edition flavors that seem more designed to grab attention and headlines, Publix's ice cream comes in flavors I'd actually want to eat.

Frozen Plantains

This Cuban Black Bean and Rice Bowl is my go-to recipe when I can't muster the brainpower to figure out what's for dinner. We eat it a lot, but it never seems to get old. (And looks like commenters feel the same way!) The recipe instructs you to bake raw plantains in the oven, but truth be told, I skip this step and microwave these frozen ones, which makes the whole dish come together in no time.

Canned Chickpeas

What can't a chickpea do? These legumes find their way into so many of my recipes, and Publix is my go-to brand. Unlike other canned chickpeas, these are typically uniform in size and you don't get any of those weird gray ones floating around in there.

Mini Muffins

Mini muffins from the Publix bakery have gotten me out of many a jam, particularly classroom parties, where everyone has to bring something to share that is individually portioned. I've also served them at brunch when I didn't have time to make muffins from scratch. The blueberry and banana-nut flavors are equally good.

Milk

Publix GreenWise milk has been my go-to for years. It's always fresh and tastes just as good (if not better) than other organic milk brands. I also like that there's a lactose-free option.

Pub Subs

How could I not mention the Pub Sub? While I don't buy one every week, it is a tried-and-true lunch and a savior on those I-don't-ever-want-to-cook-again-nights.