Bowled Over

TASTE KITCHEN: TOASTED O'S CEREAL

Bowled over
By Debra Samuels
Globe Correspondent / January 7, 2009

In a supermarket, the breakfast cereal aisle is a football field-long corridor. Some of have morphed into many other brands. Recently, nine members of a food and nutrition-oriented 4-H club, ranging in age from 6 to 17, tasted five brands of toasted O's. The young group took our blind tests cereal-ously. (Couldn't resist!) First they nibbled on dry O's and then added milk. For a while, all you could hear was the sound of crunching. There were eyebrows raised pensively, requests for one more taste, and pleas for more time to finish. One thing was clear: These youngsters wanted their O's toasty and crunchy, even when submerged in milk.
All the brands are made with whole grains. Although this is typically not a sweet cereal (1 gram of sugar per 1 cup serving), sugar is the third item on the ingredient list in four of the five brands. Cascadian Farms Organic purely O's, the only cereal with no sugar, got seven pairs of thumbs down as the least favorite. Most of the cereals are similar in texture, but this one tastes like air. Trader Joe's brand, Joe's O's, was the favorite. Its first ingredient is whole grain oats, which you taste and which have an agreeable aroma. The brand Cheerios came in a close second.

Cascadian Farm Organic
purely O'sOrganic whole grain oat cereal
$4.69 for 9 ounces
This brand was often compared with an inert object: "Dry, it tasted like old paper, it tastes better with milk." "Smells like some kind of flower, sweet but appealing, but tastes like cardboard. Better after milk." One taster compared the smell to an attic. "Very pale compared to others. This egg-white looking cereal is smooth in your mouth and is awkward to chew. After adding milk the flavor is weak and gets soggy." But another thought it "maintained its crunchiness with the milk, but not the best taste." The final word: "Not sweet, tastes like cardboard. Not crunchy, horrible."

CheeriosToasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal
$3.19 for 8.9 ounces
A close second for best, three chose this as the favorite. Texture and smell were important factors for most: "Smells like toast, not very sweet, and more crunchy than the others." "Even crunchy with the milk. Also has a good after-taste." "Before milk, smells grainy, really has lots of flavor. With milk tastes good and has good texture." "Looks less hole-y and bumpy than the others. When chewing, the cereal is crunchy and tastes like freshly toasted bread." Another also said it "smelled like toast." One observer wrote this: "Different color than the others. Tastes good with milk. I think they might be Cheerios."

Food Club Original Toasted Oats
Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal
$2.50 for 15 ounces
We found this brand at Roche Bros. Not a lot of enthusiasm here but some liked the size: "O's bigger than other brands." As for the texture: "Feels kind of stale and tastes bland. Tastes the same with milk - like sawdust." "It almost looks as if it is made of Styrofoam. When I taste it, it is like Styrofoam with a very bland flavor." "The texture is crunchy and rough." Others liked the taste. "Has a nice sweetness to it, which makes it less bland. I smell honey." (There is no honey). "Not very sweet, not very sweet smelling, but very very crunchy!" "At first they are a bit stale, but as you progress the taste is OK." Another: "Blander with milk."

Stop & Shop Oats & O's
Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal
$2.69 for 15 ounces
Most of the kids commented on the texture before and after adding the milk: "Before milk, crunchy, just sort of doesn't have a taste. After milk, kind of soggy. Still no taste." "Has a sweet smell, but tastes bland. The texture is crunchy. With the milk it is still bland, but got soggy quickly." A "sweet smell" appeared on many comments. Another who chose it as a favorite wrote: "It looked bland at first. When I tasted it, it was crunchy and seemed to dissolve in my mouth. It reminds me of my own toasted O's that I eat at home." Several thought the milk helped. "Milk adds more flavor." Our youngest gestured with a thumbs up and his scribe (his mom) said he was all smiles after he finished it.

THE WINNER!
Trader Joe's Joe's O's
Toasted Whole Grain Oats
$2.29 for 15 ounces
Waxing eloquent, one wrote: "The golden brown cereal, smelling toasty and warm, tastes great and the texture is just right. The combination of milk and cereal is good but the flavor diminishes." "Before milk: smells nice and appealing and the color is golden and yellowish. Tastes very good and is quite easy to chew. After milk: Tastes even better. The milk complements the flavor of the O's." "Absolutely no smell, tastes really good and good with milk." "Very sweet and crunchy!" "Not too much of a smell. Is more oat-y, has small o's." "It has a very weak scent and looks pale. The taste is somewhat bolder and doesn't taste so much like paper." Two described it as having a bland taste: "When I have 8 in my mouth they taste like rice crackers. Very, very bland." And one was just not sure: "It tastes between good and bad."

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company

JELLY BEANS

Don't put all of these chewy, colorful sweets in one basket

The Easter bunny would have a very heavy basket if he filled it with all the brands of jelly beans out there. We tested beans from companies such as Life Savers, Starburst, and Jolly Rancher that tasted like their other-time-of-the-year products, and shockingly bright beans from Crayola - which thankfully didn't. There were two organic brands in the bunch that won no awards for beauty, but they tasted like real fruit and had no artificial coloring, as did most of the other brands. Our taste test also included jelly beans with added vitamins A, C, and E, and the immediately identifiable Jelly Belly, which comes in unconventional flavors such as coconut, mango, and chocolate pudding.
Eight people tasted 12 brands, and by the end of the session they were ping-ponging off the walls. Jelly beans are loaded with sugar and memories of Easters past, which affected the choices of the tasters - preferences were so personal that there was no clear winner. - DEBRA SAMUELS

Brach's Classic Jelly Bird Eggs
$2.49 for 19.5 ounces
Big, bright, and traditional. "Yum - not! Taste like colored olives and take too long to chew." "Hate the way these look! Too big - you can only eat one at a time. Looks like 99 cent candy from 7-Eleven." "I like these flavors - they feel familiar, traditional." "Good texture, lasting taste - possibly a little large." "Tastes sugary rather than fruity." "Flat, childish taste. Why do the big ones all seem less sophisticated?"

Brach’s Orchard Fruit Jelly Beans
$2.29 for 14 ounces
Made with real fruit juice, so the colors actually taste like cherry, grape, and so on. They contain vitamins A, C, and E. "Looks like they would be more at home in a bead store. Tasty though." "Strong colors, nice taste, and very candy-flavored." "Crispy crunch outside, way too gooey inside." "Each color has different flavor." "Grape flavor makes you feel bad swallowing it - it tastes like grape gum!"

Confectionery Lane Assorted Jelly Beans
99 cents for 9 ounces
This is your standard 99 cent brand, and people knew it. "Tough, very hard to chew, and flavorless." "Least favorite, crudest flavors." "Too hard. Too big. Too gloopy. Too nasty!" "More brilliant color, sugary - cotton candy style." "Waxy finish, low grade, and each tasted the same across the rainbow."

Crayola Jelly Beans
$1.49 for 12 ounces
Manufactured by Simply Smart from BlueberryHill, these also contain vitamins A, C and E, as well as real fruit juice. "These are so neon I need sunglasses. You taste the sugar, not the flavor - bad aftertaste." "Nice assortment of chewy colors. Easy to keep eating. Gentler flavor than the traditional kind." "Reminds me of Easter when I was a kid - very typical." "Flavor is very artificial, as is the color." "Best balance of texture, flavor, and aroma - the best." "Normal looking. Mushy consistency after initial crunch.

Budget bean."
Jelly Belly
$1.99 for 5 ounces
Calling itself "the original gourmet jelly bean," these come in 20 flavors. Most people could identify the beans in one bite. "Almost exotic, super-aesthetic, delicate but strong. My favorite." "The chocolate pudding was a surprise. Flavors all a tad too exotic." "Delicate, easy to eat, and modern flavors. Desire to taste each and every one." "Jelly Belly, right? My favorites but a little tough to chew." "Cute actual 'bean' shape." "Weak flavor, tastes like gelatin."

Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans
$2.49 for 14 ounces
If you like Jolly Ranchers, you'll like these tropical-colored beans. "Smallish, shiny, tropical flavors." "Glassy, pleasant balance between chews." "Good size and excellent flavor." "Great texture; each color is a distinctive flavor." "There is a weird chemical in this - icky." "Very candy-ish - but this is too sweet."

Life Savers Candy Jellybeans
$2.49 for 14 ounces
Life Savers lost the hole and molded its fruity candy into chewy beans. "Like Bubble Yum in a jelly bean." "Shiny. Back taste evokes herring - worst." "Favorite in terms of color. Nice and light - sort of transparent." "Light flavor. Not too harsh."
Russell Stover Candies Pectin Jelly Beans

$3.49 for 12 ounces
The venerable company includes pectin in its beans. "Glassy. Kerosene flavored." "Not a fan of fruity flavors, would prefer more cinnamon-y flavors." "Super duper shiny - too shiny, actually. Surprisingly good flavor, though." "Subtle flavor - this is a grown-up jelly bean." "Fragrance is not very good." "No difference between the colors, strange aftertaste."

Shaw's Jelly Beans
$1.50 for 15 ounces
An old-fashioned mix of big beans, with plenty of black and white. The ingredient list includes a roster of artificial colors. "Too big, dull shine, and shocking texture - dough-like." "Too grainy and gelatinous." "Strong flavors that corresponded to the color - yellow tasted like lemon." "I like these flavors - less fruity, more interesting. Marzipan flavored?" "Almond taste . . . a little unusual." "Not much flavor, chemical lime taste. Red tastes like cough drops."

Starburst Original Jellybeans
$2.19 for 14 ounces
Another candy company puts its stamp on the jelly bean - literally. Each one says "Starburst." "These stick to your teeth." "Better than average bean." "Sticks to teeth but great size and shine." "Sort of Life Savers flavors. I don't like Life Saver flavors." "Mm, delicious. Sharp, strong, very fruity and distinct."

Surf Sweets Organic
$1.69 for 2.7 ounces
The most expensive of the lot. We found these organic, vegetarian beans at Whole Foods Market. They also contain Vitamin C. "Wrinkly, unappetizing, and excessively sweet." "Transparent looking, matte finish. Organic flavor - very tasty." "Limited flavors, grainy feeling with sugar. Nice appearance." "Good flavor. Look like gems with dull-ish finish. Itty bitty and cute." "Kind of perfume-y. Lemon ones are yummy." "Rather anemic looking with a sugary texture." "Natural flavor, more subtle. An adult bean - good stuff."

SunRidge Farms Organic Jolly Beans
$6.99 for 1 poundFound in the bulk aisle at Whole Foods, these "jolly beans" come in muted colors and juicy flavors. "Nice texture, don't like the flavors. Too grapefruit-y but nice - if you like grapefruit." "Pretty colors, but grimy sugary feeling." "Awkward perfume-y flavor and grainy." "Great colors, more natural flavor, like juice." "Uuuu-gly! Barely congealed sugar cubes."

Dijon Mustard

Pardon me, do you have any good French condiments?

The area around the French region of Dijon is famous for its mustard bushes. But unlike Bordeaux and other wine growing regions, Dijon doesn't regulate use of the name. Now the word Dijon is all over the famous yellow condiment, on jars that are made in France, some that are made here by Frenchmen, and some that are made in California.
The mustard contains black or brown mustard seeds that have been husked, which gives them a soft color. The mixture can also include vinegar, water, and spices. At only five calories per teaspoon, mustard is an excellent condiment for those watching waistlines, and a great addition to leftover cold meats.
We tasted six brands. Among us, two are very familiar with Dijon mustard - one taster is a native French person and another had lived in France for several years. Mustards were served with plain crackers and club soda.
Unlike many other products tasted in this column, the mustards contain nothing artificial. Some brands are made with white wine, others with sugar. Thickeners such as fruit pectin, mustard flour, and guar gum are on some ingredient lists. Vinegar, not mustard seed, is the first ingredient on some jars, which could account for the puckered mouths in the group.
Two brands had won a top award at the annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival - Grey Poupon in 2005 and Maille in 2007. Our crew gave the nod to Maille; they didn't like Grey Poupon quite as much. Maille's label boasts "260 years of expertise." The winning texture was described as creamy, rich, smooth, and velvety. Grey Poupon, a company started by two men (named Grey and Poupon), is now owned by Kraft and manufactured in the United States.
All the labels except Annie's list "spices" as an ingredient, without getting specific. Annie's lists cloves, which was immediately detected (unwelcome, too).
When the tasting was over, our host brought out her favorite mustard, a jar of Dijon made by Amora (not readily available on retail shelves; go to amazon.com). The texture is mousse-like, the taste smooth but vinegary. As it happens, Amora bought Maille and then both were acquired by Unilever. Jean-Louis'

Dijon Mustard
$6.99 for 11.8 ounces
A local brand, the thinnest of the group, manufactured at the Nuestra Community Kitchen in Jamaica Plain by French native Jean-Louis Eck. It garnered three "least favorite" votes and one favorite. In small type on the bottom of the label, it says "with local honey." The sweetness was noted by tasters but not identified. It was the heat that several took notice of: "A potent very strong-flavored, smooth-textured mustard. Brings tears to the eye and a tickle-cough to the throat. Too intense to the taste buds." "The first taste is sweet and after, a very hot taste spreads around the mouth."

Maille Dijon Originale Traditional Dijon Mustard Winner
$3.79 for 7.5 ounces
Maille has been in the mustard business since 1747. What we tasted is a product of Canada manufactured for Maille, whose headquarters are in Dijon. It was chosen best or second-best by many. The texture was the big attraction, described as "smooth and comfortable." "Creamy, rich texture, velvety taste." "Smooth, salty, not too hot." "Predominant flavor is salt. Golden color." Others loved the color and the heat: "Great color, spicy taste."

Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
$2.99 for 8 ounces
This may be one of the first Dijon-style mustards Americans were introduced to. In an old commercial, you see a scene of a formal dinner party. One guest asks in a snooty tone, "Would someone please pass the Grey Poupon?" A butler appears with the jar on a silver platter. "Love the smell. Hits the nostrils and good color." "The taste is very hot but I like the mouth feel. It must be good for sausages." "A light pale yellow that packs a punch." One taster said it has a "light buttery look and no aroma." And this: "Strong enough but sweet after-taste - too bad."

Whole Foods 365 Organic Dijon Mustard
$1.59 for 8 ounces
This is another watery mustard; it could use a little color therapy. "Is this a mustard? The color is gross." "Has a grayer and more granular appearance and a bit of a vinegar smell. Milder taste. Not as biting." "Tan in color but the taste is not bland - it's quite spicy and would be welcomed on my sandwich." "Light taste and less character. A little hot, but comfortable." "Has a sweet, sour-pickle taste. Almost a [German-style] Dusseldorf." That taster voted it her least favorite.

Annie's Naturals Organic Dijon Mustard
$3.59 for 9 ounces
This brand is a very dull yellow - almost as though someone added a little black to the paint pot and didn't do a good job of mixing it up. Many tasters were very put off by the color. "Too dark to be appealing." "Bad color, bad taste, not a mustard!" "Looks green and beige. A darker gray granular appearance and milder pleasant flavor." "Brown and bold, but too much vinegar." And then there was the spice: "Am I hallucinating or is there clove in here?" (There is.) "Almost no smell. The taste is very salty and sour."

Roche Bros. Dijon Mustard
$1.59 for 12 ounces
This plastic bottle, which is larger than the others, is least expensive. It's also the most watery. Comments were all over the place. It was a favorite for one taster, but three found it bitter. "Pale in color." A smooth textured mustard that has a sharp, bitter bite to it." "I don't like the smell or the bitter taste, which sticks to the tongue." "Rather bland with a bitter under taste. Needs more texture." Another liked the "smell but not the taste." "Too sweet, too green, bad aft

CANNED CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Even Wolfgang Puck can't get the taste perfect



How many Jewish grandmothers does it take to dismiss canned chicken soup? Probably only one. But we had five, and one grandfather. These mavens tasted seven brands of ready-to-heat chicken noodle soup (no added water) and decided they all left a lot to be desired. It's not that they don't buy soup in cans, it is just that they never buy canned chicken soup. "Who makes better chicken soup than I do?" one asked. Only the others, it turns out.
Many sighs and many choruses of "oy vey" could be heard during the tasting. Before it even started, one announced, "They are all going to taste the same, there is just so much you can do with a chicken once you kill it."
Then came the questions. "Is there MSG in these soups? I can't have any," declared one bubbe. "I can't have any garlic," said another.
In fact, many companies make soup with garlic; five of these brands contained garlic powder.
The women shushed each other and finally got down to business, sipping soup and reminiscing. One octogenarian recalled carrying a live chicken in a brown paper bag to the kosher butcher every Friday before the Sabbath dinner when she was a child. It was also her job to pluck the feathers when she returned home.
As for a winner, "they all stink," said one reluctant taster. Bouquets to Wolfgang Puck. The celebrated Austrian-born TV chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author got three best votes for his brand. Picking a loser was less difficult. Whole Foods Market's 365 organic brand, said the tasters, was lackluster in every way. Campbell's had watery looking broth with a few globules of fat on top.
Besides garlic powder, most of these soups contain cornstarch and chicken fat, (fat gives flavor and the content - mostly 3 percent- was negligible).
"Hey, we do have a winner," one person pointed out, as he was reviewing the labels. "In the salt category." Stop & Shop brand contains a mega dose: a 1-cup serving has 44 percent of the recommended daily allowance of sodium. For comparison, Healthy Choice has 20 percent.
If you don't want salt, MSG, or garlic in your soup, get a chicken and set the pot to boil.

Wolfgang Puck Organic Chicken with Egg Noodles – WINNER
$2.50 for 14.5-ounce can
Whew. Finally a boy you can bring home to your mother - or grandmother - and he cooks no less. Wolfgang Puck garnered three favorite votes. The aroma did it. "Looks good. Smells good. Tastes good." "Very tasty, strong odor smells good." "Delish!! Excellent!" "Looks very appetizing, smells delicious." But it wasn't all kudos: "Salty, strong chicken flavor. Dark color."

Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup
$2 for 15-ounce container
Campbell's, the granddaddy of canned soups, was immediately identified by two tasters, who also chose it as their favorite. "Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup? Tastes great but not homemade." "Looks good, tastes very good," said another. The yellowish color (from beta carotene) gave some a sense that this was more like the chicken soup they knew. "Starting to look like chicken soup, but doesn't taste like chicken soup. Too thick." However the salt factor loomed large (it contains 36 percent of the RDA). "Much too salty."

Healthy Choice Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
$2 for 15-ounce can
Very few salty comments, but the taste was overwhelming: "Very strong taste, too much seasoning!" "Too much onion. Too much garlic, and the noodles are too large. Definitely not chicken soup. Stinks." (The first ingredient listed is chicken broth and the second chicken breast.) "Not great, passable." Finally: "Slight off taste - medium salty and light color."

Muir Glen Organic Chicken Noodle Soup
$3.49 for 18.8-ounce can
One person chose this as a favorite: "Less salty, mild chicken flavor, and medium chicken color." (For the record, it contains 39 percent of the RDA, which is more than Campbell's.) Another said: "Looks good, very little smell, a bit salty but the taste is OK." "Smells great. Very light looking. I prefer this color - looks like Campbell's soup." One person found it dreadful: "Too thick, too salty, too much cornstarch, and too awful." Finally, "Not enough seasoning."

Progresso Soup Traditional Chicken Noodle
$2.39 for 19-ounce can
Vying for highest in the salt category (40 percent for the RDA); most comments reflected this: "Too much salt." "Salty, metallic flavor and color." One taster voted it best; here's what she wrote: "Maybe real chicken, awful carrots." One worst vote. Someone spotted green flakes floating in the soup. "What is it? I think it's parsley."

Stop & Shop Select Premium Ready to Serve Soup Chicken Noodle
$2.00 for 18.6-ounce can
First a little praise (very little): "Not bad." No garlic to complain about, but plenty of salt: "Some thickening can be noticed, a little salty." "Too salty." "I don't like the size of the noodles." "Off chicken flavor. Medium color." "Definitely not Jewish chicken soup: noodles too thick, too salty, too awful."

365 Organic Chicken Noodle Soup
$1.69 for 14.5-ounce can
The label reads: "A chicken noodle soup even your Grandmother will love." Not these grandmothers. "Tastes flat and watery, and I don't like the color." Others noted this: "A little watery, no smell, and a little peppery." "The soup has too much pepper." But there is no garlic. And a least favorite vote came with this comment: "Awful chicken, too thick, too much cornstarch."

Taste Kitchen / Smoked Atlantic salmon
Group's diversity spawns a variety of opinions
With the big celebration evening upon us, it's time to taste smoked salmon. For obvious reasons, we chose the Atlantic variety.
Smoked salmon begins with a liquid brine or dry cure of salt, sugar, and other spices. (If you stop the process here, you've made gravlax). Then for smoking, the salmon is put over wood chips, usually cold smoked at low temperatures that cure it without cooking it. Most packages labeled smoked Atlantic salmon contain farmed salmon. Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, and Lascco Premium all state that on the label.
Farming affects color. Farmed salmon has a dark orange color, wild a lighter pink tone. The color has to do with what the salmon are eating; farmed salmon are fed pellets that include fish meal and in some cases synthetic carotenoids (found naturally in the food of wild salmon), which makes the flesh darker. Some vendors freeze the salmon after it's been smoked, which doesn't affect either color or taste.
Nine people from eight countries tasted five brands of salmon and chased it with club soda. After the tasting, they were rewarded with bagels and a "schmear" (cream cheese) for the leftovers. One taster had worked for a Norwegian company that imported smoked salmon and even without the wrapping, spotted the brand she always buys, Trader Joe's. She thinks it's "good quality for a good price."
No clear winners emerged from this school of fish. There was a three-way tie: two best votes each for Trader Joe's, Spence & Co., and Lascco Premium. As it happened, more people chose Lascco as their least favorite, with comments like, "What did they do to this fish?"
Contrary to what it tastes like, there is no oil added to smoked salmon. Our resident expert explained that the longer salmon is smoked, the more its natural oils come out - but they're the good Omega-3 fatty acids that are in certain fish.
On a shopping expedition at Whole Foods Market one day, a server explained that the more expensive the brand of salmon, the better the fish has been trimmed. It's all the same fish.

DuckTrap Prize Smoked Atlantic Salmon
DuckTrap River of Maine
$12.99 for 8 ounces
"Nicely veined, light in color and rich in flavor. Good balance between salt and fish," wrote one taster who chose this Maine brand a favorite. Some other comments: "Too salty with a heavy taste," "Clean cut pleasant pink color," "Nice thick pieces, the light color is not appealing." "It looks better than the others!" one said. Another: "Slightly too pale." Several said its "mild taste" is an asset and one dubbed it "easy for beginners."

Lascco Premium FancyOriginal Grade Atlantic Salmon
Alderwood Smoked
$15.99 for 1 pound
"Sickly and pale," said one, a comment echoed by several who chose this as their least favorite. "Rather mushy texture, salt was the dominant taste, poor smoked flavor." "Melts in your mouth - not a good thing." That taster thought it seemed like the most "natural" and decided it came from Whole Foods. (It didn't.) The brand has some additives on the ingredient list. "From the first look, I am not sure I want to eat this. It also smells strange." "Looks shredded, not appealing." Another person said it tastes like "smoked cardboard." Two chose it as a favorite and liked the "light texture, thin slices, and delicate feel."

Spence & Co. Classic Smoked Salmon
$12.99 for 8 ounces
Most people liked the deep orange hue in this brand. "Nice and bright," "full color." One said, "too orange." Another associated "the darker color with being oilier than the others - in a good sense." "Nicely salted and a rich texture." One taster found it "richer in fat," another called it "too slippery and slimy." Two people chose it as their least favorite. "It has a fishy smell, too strong odor, something my kids would not touch." "More rubbery than others. Heavy flavor." Sometimes you wonder if everyone is on the same page. This comment after tasting the same salmon: "Good taste but not chewy enough. Lightly salted, richer but dry."

Trader Joe's Atlantic Harvest Smoked Salmon Farm Raised
$4.99 for 6 ounces
The cheapest brand of the group. Many commented on the appearance: "Color is appealing." Texture, said one, is "a bit stiff." Others: "Slightly mushy texture." "Melty." "Very fleshy, not very distinctive poignant taste." "It's a bit too smooth, you don't need to chew it." "This has a long salty aftertaste." "Nice mild flavor, a little tangy, delicious on an empty stomach." Finally: "Smooth, balanced, tasty, and fresh, easy to please, lightly smoked, and nice color."

Whole Foods Market Whole Catch Atlantic Smoked Salmon
Scottish Style Cold Smoked
$12.99 for 8 ounces
Chosen best by two. "That looks really good. You can see the structure of the salmon flesh and it smells like a real salmon. You taste it after you finish eating it." "Looks appealing. Good balance between salt, chewiness, and aftertaste." Some liked the appearance but felt the taste didn't deliver. "Healthy vibrant looks and strong smell. But suddenly disappointing taste - too watery. There was a surprising gap between smell and taste." "Love the color and size. Slippery and oily." Others found the taste "salty and saturated, richer in fat, smoked longer."

CRINKLE-CUT FROZEN FRENCH FRIESFAST FOOD, THE HOME VERSION

Even the late Julia Child liked french fries. That would be the kind you got at McDonald's. Thin crisp strips emerged from a deep fryer and were blanketed in a storm of salt. All this, of course, before trans fats became dirty words.
You hardly have to wonder what Child would have thought of french fries displaying the virtuous "0 trans fat" claims, spilled onto a baking sheet from frozen packages and browned in the oven. But that's how many families eat fries, so we bought a bunch to see what's inside the packets.
Seven people tasted five brands of crinkle-cut frozen french fries - and the news is not all bad. The fries come coated with vegetable oil and salt. We baked them at 450 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. Some took longer to firm and crisp. First bites were naked (without ketchup). Second bites were dipped into everyone's favorite red condiment.
All crinkles are not created equal. McCain brand had the deepest ridges, which seemed to help them crisp up better than ones with rounder, more Marilyn Monroe-like, curves. And for once, the pictures on the packages looked like the products inside.
The potato kings of the west, OreIda, were the big winners. "You can taste the potato," exclaimed one in our group. On this brand, there were no claims of zero trans fat and indeed the company uses a mixture of vegetable oils, including the partially hydrogenated kind.
Do you have to be bad to be good?

Alexia Oven Crinkles
USDA Organic, no trans fat
$2 for 16 ounces
This brand has no artificial ingredients and won some accolades for taste, but had people crinkling their noses over the appearance: "These look like they crawled out of a sewer. Really soft and gooey, very potato-y, too. They seem the most natural and don't seem like they have too many chemicals." Looks affected others, too: "It doesn't look appetizing, looks old, not golden brown. Can't tell if black flakes are pepper or dirt; doesn't taste like potato at all." And yet another: "By appearance, I didn't think I would like them, but they are great. Good consistency and flavor." And this: "Best potato taste, but worst looks." Finally: "Taste is very good as well as the texture; the most realistic."

Goya French Fried Potatoes Crinkle Cut
$2.19 for 28 ounces
Seems that Goya knows something about beans but, according to this crew of tasters, they don't know beans about potatoes. This got voted the least favorite by five out of seven. "Oh man, these look really fat and greasy, like I need a napkin to dry them. Not quite as salty as others and actually taste like potatoes. Can't put my finger on it but there is some kind of weird aftertaste." Could that be the sodium acid pyrophosphate used to preserve the natural color? More on looks: "Not as appealing to the eye. Off-white and flopsy. Oddly enough it smells like Chinese food." Someone else had the same thought: "Too mushy and smells like Chinese food. Not crisp; tastes like compressed potatoes." The final slap: "It would take a lot of ketchup to make these good."

McCain Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes
0 grams trans fat, no cholesterol
$2.59 for 32 ounces
Beauty is skin deep in this case. These potatoes had deep-cut crinkles and were thinner than the other brands. "These look the prettiest in color and shape but when I picked it up it was limp and soggy. They don't smell like anything that resembles a french fry." Another took note of the oil: "Buttery, very attractive grease-catching crinkles." On the plus side: "It looks great! Really crinkly! Good size and not too fat. It made me want to pick them up and eat them right away." "Taste and texture good; perfect combination."

OreIda Golden Crinkles French Fried Potatoes Winner
$2.99 for 32 ounces
Four of seven tasters chose this popular brand as the favorite. "Potato-y crisp texture, buttery, smooth and good color of golden orange." "They smell like Tater Tots, but I guess that makes sense. Not too dry." One taster looked at her paper plate and said this: "It's pretty greasy so it looks kind of wet, and it's staining my plate. But it does taste good!" "Looks a little greasy, but overall they have a nice golden-brown color. Certainly tastes pre-frozen." "Good appearance, good consistency, too greasy."

Stop & Shop Crinkle Cuts French Fried Potatoes
0 grams trans fat
$1.99 for 32 ounces
These thick crinkles have soft curvaceous edges, not as angular as the others. One taster decided this: "Looks like a caterpillar. These are very dense and stick in my throat. I could not eat these without something to wash them down. They are not very salty." Another called for "water to wash them down, they were so dry." But one said: "Rough texture, more fibrous but surprisingly adds to the taste. Nice color. The flavor grows on you. Nice smell. Not greasy." Also this: "It did have a nice thick skin." "Very tasty, seem seasoned. Texture is a bit fluffy." "Like real fast food fries. Strong, not floppy, holds the ketchup well." Finally: "I can't tell that it was once a potato."

Macaroni and Cheese

A childhood staple, from disappointing to delectable

"This," said one of the tasters, "is going to be so easy. It was the only thing my mother could cook." Along with hot dogs and peanut butter, macaroni and cheese from a box is a childhood favorite and a staple in many households. Often, it's the first thing a kid learns to make. To do it, you have to cook macaroni in boiling water, drain it, and mix it with packets of dehydrated cheese sauce, low-fat milk, and butter or margarine.
After we assembled six brands, the tasters went to work. One was clearly enjoying herself as she licked her spoon between entries. (On one of the packages, there is a kid doing the same thing.) Most of the tasters were raised on this and happy to tuck into the cheesy spoonfuls. But as for finding a creamy texture, that was hard to come by. "Ew, this is clumping," said one. Flavors ranged from "none" to "pungent" to "metallic" and finally "delectable." Colors went from "crazy white," to a blush of orange to a neon glow - possibly due to food dye Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 (Shaw's and Kraft, respectively).
Shaw's Macaroni & Cheese Dinner was the winner. The group liked its texture, described as creamy, and taste, which earned the "delectable" compliment. It ties with Kraft in calories - on the high side at 410 for a 1 cup serving (other brands suggest serving sizes ranging from 1/3 to 2/3 cup).
Annie's Totally Natural Macaroni & Cheese in a blue and yellow box is evidently different than the macaroni and cheese in her purple box - and these tasters knew it because they grew up on the purple. "Maybe she wants it to look like Kraft and more people will buy it," one decided. It garnered no best votes and two least favorites.
Everyone had an opinion about then and now. When one woman was asked about what brand she favored, she replied: "Oh I don't eat this stuff anymore. I'm a vegan." - DEBRA SAMUELS

Annie's Macaroni & Cheese Classic mild cheese taste
100 percent real cheese and organic pasta
$1.79 for 6 ounces
The brand with "no artificial anything" and among the most expensive, it left the tasters cold and wondering why Annie would add this to her mac and cheese repertoire. "It's pretty bland; there could be a lot more flavor." "Macaroni tastes like rubber, with a cheesy aftertaste." Another also mentioned, "kinda weird aftertaste." "Pretty good, but I wish there was more cheese." "Orange! Dry. Taste's like Shaw's brand or something" (a dis?). "Tasted a bit dry. Cheese sauce wasn't as creamy as others." "Not bad but it's not very cheesy. Would have been better with more salt and flavor. 23 percent sodium per serving isn't enough?"

Back to Nature Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
Made with real natural cheddar cheese No artificial preservatives or flavor
$1.99 for 6.5 ounces
The package says "Total Taste Promise: Love it or your money back." The line is forming - someone scrunched up her nose when she took a whiff. Several noted the color or lack thereof: "Not orange! Amazing. White cheddar or something? I don't like white cheddar. Tastes old and bad." "It's a different color, weird taste. After eating enough of it, I started to like it, but the first taste was like, `ugh."' Several liked the creamy texture but the taste was another matter: "I don't like the taste of this one, even though it is creamy. It seems to be a different kind of cheese, because it is more white than yellow." "Creamy! But cheese had a pungent aftertaste." One likened the taste to "moss, soil, and plastic."

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
The Cheesiest Original Flavor
$1.19 for 7.25 ounces
The granddaddy of boxed mac and cheese; it is the brand that many of another generation grew up on. It is on the high end of the spectrum with 410 calories and 30 percent sodium per 1 cup serving. People liked its texture: "This tastes almost homemade to me. The cheese was nice and creamy." "Good flavor as well as consistency. It did not look appetizing though." Another says "It looks like it's going to have a lot of flavor but really lacks. Better visually; kind of tastes like paper and butter." Creamy? To some it was "so soggy you can almost drink it."

Winner
Shaw's Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
$.75 for 7.25 ounces
The hands-down winner, this brand got accolades for being creamier than others with the perfect balance of cheesy flavor: "Mmm ... this was creamy and cheesy. Just like I like it." "Very good, has a lot more flavor. You are tasting more than just pasta and butter. Cheesiness is at a good level." "The sauce was extra creamy. In the words of my best friend, it was quite delectable." Another noted the "noodles were shorter than others. Not dry, the most al dente macaroni. Probably Kraft brand." Close, very close. "Good consistency ... I want more."

Trader Joe's Macaroni & Cheese Wisconsin Cheddar
$.89 for 7 ounces
This brand has butter and buttermilk already in the cheese packet so all that is added is the low-fat milk, which partially accounts for the low calorie count, 270 calories per serving. The other part: One serving is 2/3 of a cup. But lackluster characterizes the comments: "Lacking in color and flavor. It looks unappetizing and is unappetizing. This brand should just be called "mac" because it tastes like there's no cheese at all." "This is bland and boring. It tastes like just noodles and no cheese." Is there an echo in here? Poor appearance came up in several comments. As for texture: "Looks dry! Tastes dry. Orange-ish. No milk or butter?" And finally on taste: "Metallic, I couldn't finish it."

Whole Foods Market 365 Macaroni & Cheese
Traditional Cheddar 100 percent Real Cheese
$.89 for 7.25 ounces
The calorie count is 265, sodium 16 percent - looks good, doesn't it? Look again - serving size is 1/3 of a cup. The tasters detected some seasoning in this and it wasn't one they liked. "This is kind of strange. It's basically like chewing garlic. It does have a flavor, though what I can't say." "There is a taste of some kind of liquid metal. Oh so bad! Can't finish my plate." "I don't like how the cheese tastes, like there might be other seasoning added." "Cheese had funky aftertaste." "Tastes like McDonald's cheeseburger." "The cheese tastes like nacho cheese, it has some sort of other flavor, more processed." Well, there is something that says "natural flavors" on the ingredient list. How curious.

Packaged cooked turkey breast

Any way you slice it, it comes down to flavor, color, and texture

Most turkey breast, both from the deli case and in packages, is made from chopped turkey breast muscle that has been pressed together, shaped into a round or oval, then steamed or roasted. When you buy turkey in sealed packages, it stays fairly moist and has a shelf life of 2 weeks or more.
Sliced turkey breast is one of the most popular deli meats for sandwiches. There has been an explosion in the number of packaged brands in the refrigerator cases, so we decided to taste them. Seven people tasted seven brands. Most thought they would be eating the long pieces that come from slicing a cooked breast in your own kitchen. Alas, these slices were all even; many felt the round shape made it "bologna-like" and some thought the meat was slimy inside the sealed packages.
Colors ranged from pale white to rosy. Oscar Mayer uses caramel color for browning. A few dark spots on the Healthy Choice brand prompted one taster to comment: "Dark (blood?) spots." Butterball brand has such thin slices that it was hard to tell what we were eating. "I will need 10 of these to fill up," someone said.
All in all, the lack of taste and good smells was disappointing. "I was excited by the looks and then it was nothing," said one. "The smell is the most delicious aspect of turkey breast," said another, and that was missing from these brands. Applegate Farms did pass the sniff test. Oscar Mayer has an easy-to-peel package, but once open, it gave off a strong Spam-like smell. It was also the thickest and greasiest.
There is plenty of sodium in these products. Serving sizes vary, so the sodium content can seem low in some and high in others.
As with many products, tasters now want nothing to do with packaged variety for a while. Said one: "I'm going home to roast my own turkey breast."

Applegate Farms Roasted Turkey Breast Winner
$3.69 for 7 ounces
Chosen top by 3 of the 7 participants (second best by another), this wasn't an overwhelming favorite, but did well. It looked the most like the deli counter variety, in that it wasn't pressed into a round. "Smells like turkey (good sign!), but looks like processed meat, tastes somewhat salty." "Light color looks pretty fresh, not pre-cut shape. Tastes good - like meat." However, "it has some visible fat that makes me think twice about eating it." And another: "It has a porky smell; did the turkey get some to eat? Slices could be a bit thicker, otherwise they break apart." One said, "salty, greasy, and pale."

Butterball Turkey Breast Oven Roasted
$2 for 6 ounces
We expected better from the famous turkey company. "Looks small. Tastes a little like tuna." Another: "Teeny tiny cutesy rounds. Odorless, extra chewy texture. Eh, leaves something to be desired." "Smells fresh, doesn't taste like turkey." "Salty, somewhat gamey flavor." "Did not taste like turkey - color unappealing." One person who chose it as a favorite said, "Less aroma, initially less chemical taste, slight aftertaste but altogether mild."

Healthy Choice Oven Roasted Turkey Breast & White Turkey
$2.49 for 6 ounces
This brand had slices that are so thin, they're almost transparent. Four slices equals one serving. "More of the itty bitty slices, good for easy sandwich making but looks super processed. Taste is yucky; it sure is gooey in my mouth." This comment was echoed by many: "Low to nonexistent aroma, unremarkable taste, blah." "No turkey taste and not much smell either." "Looks small and ugly" - referring to the brown spots.

Hormel Natural Choice Oven Roasted Deli Turkey
$3.29 for 9 ounces
This brand was chosen least favorite by 3 and got more comments on its looks and texture than any others: "Peach in color - it looks horrible! Slimy, like a child's play food. Tastes over-processed." "The consistency is a little like gum and I don't much like the flavor." Another: "I detect a touch of rosey-ness. This one is too sweet, as if honey was substituted for salt." Others used words like "plastic" and "artificial" to describe the taste.

Oscar Mayer Turkey Breast Oven Roasted
$2.49 for 6 ounces
Ah, the brand with the jingle of our childhood memories. Many found the looks promising and the taste lacking. "I like the thickness of the slices. Looks like it is delicious but kind of tasteless." Another, "I love the rosy looks (although it has a round pre-package look). Taste is disappointingly non-distinctive. It does have the right moisture, color - just not taste. Good-sized portion of slices!" "Ooh, it is so pink, smells tempting, but flavorless." "Very pink, smells like ham, tastes more like ham." "Thicker pinker slices than the others. The roundness of the slice is a bit scary." "Tastes better than it looks."

Trader Joe's Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
$3.29 for 7 ounces
Boasts no nitrates, nitrites, or MSG, but there is 26percent sodium per serving. Many thought the aroma was a plus. "Smells like turkey, but it has that round artificial shape and a very processed look. Tastes too salty." One person marked this her second best: "Cute rounds, nice and thick, color is white and pink, smells good, and wow it tastes good too." But another said, "Though it doesn't look delicious, it tastes good and normal. But it smells like chicken."

Trader Joe's no brand (distributed by Kayem)
$3.80 for about 8 ounces
This brand got lots of comments for its texture and in-the-mouth feel: "It smells good but I can't really focus on flavor because it is so slimy and gooey. What's with the chewy texture?" Another: "Too white, too thick, and too salty." "Looks were not appealing and I wasn't crazy about the taste. It looks glazed and slippery." The word salty appeared on most of the comments, and one asked, "Did they use any spices other than salt?"

LEMON ICED TEA

Cold Newman's Own is the pucker of the litter

It may be the end of August, but there are still plenty of hot days and long drinks ahead. Americans love cold, icy drinks. Among the most popular are commercially made iced teas. Today they're manufactured in a variety of flavors, and few are just tea, lemon, and water.
Nine thirsty people tasted seven brands of lemon iced tea (no powdered mixes) from either the refrigerator section of the supermarket or the beverage aisle. All brands were presweetened, but to varying degrees. Teas ranged from 30 calories (365 Organic Lemon Black Tea, a brand from Whole Foods) to 110 calories per eight ounces (Newman's Own Virgin Lemon-Aided Iced Tea). All had "natural lemon" on the label, which turned out to mean real lemon juice or an undisclosed "natural flavor." Many were too sweet. All contained citric acid, a preservative, which is sometimes extracted from lemons and limes. Citric acid also provides a tang.
Newman's, with 7percent lemon juice, lemon pulp, and lemon oil, delivered the best pucker. It turned out to be the winning drink, though one of the tasters asked, "Is this tea trying to be lemonade?" And what about the silly name? Read the not-so-funny "fairy tale" on the side panel about a warlord and a battle between twin brothers. The short version: One is carrying a basket of virgin lemons (there always has to be a virgin in a fairy tale) and the other a basket of tea. They have a fight, and the tea and lemon get smushed together. This is the result, along with world peace, of course.
Other brands paled in comparison. ReaLemon and Lipton listed "natural flavors" on their ingredient lists, but there was no lemon listed. I called ReaLemon, which is owned by the beverage giant Schweppes, to ask if the drink contained lemon. The friendly customer rep had no idea, but checked and said it was indeed real lemon juice from concentrate. So, I wonder, why keep it secret and leave it off the list?
Tasters knew at once that 365 tea was the wholesome entry. "This is the healthy one, isn't it?" asked one. Many said it had a clean taste, but it still got voted least favorite by five out of nine. One taster commented, "Hello - I would like a little tea with my water."
"I thought I liked the lemon iced tea I buy," bemoaned one person. "Now I'm not so sure."
Everyone agreed on one thing. You want iced tea with lemon? Get a pitcher. Brew the tea. Squeeze in lemon. Chill. Drink.

Lipton Iced Tea LemonNatural Flavor with other natural flavors
$1.69 for 1.5 liters
A company many associate with tea has tea as the third ingredient (other brands have the tea lower on the list). The word lemon doesn't appear at all. But a lot of other stuff does, including sodium hexametaphosphate to protect flavor, potassium sorbate and potassium benzoate to preserve freshness, phosphoric acid, caramel color, and red dye 40. I'm just reading the label, folks - you should too. Many found this weak and watered down; two picked it as their least favorite. "Light color and almost no smell." "Where's the tea? Where's the lemon?" "Artificial taste. Good if parched in the desert." "Sugary" and "too sweet" came up, as did this: "The color looks a bit odd, not dark as normal tea would be, orange-y." One person said, "There is something I don't like in the aftertaste, I'm not sure what it is." Scan the ingredient list and you'll get an idea.

Newman's Own Virgin Lemon-Aided Iced Tea Winner
(Refrigerator section)
$2.49 for 1/2 gallon
Four thumbs up as a favorite and two more as second choice. "I detect something delightful in the finish, something Caribbean, cocktail-like." "Sweet, somewhat lemony. So far, I think this most resembles iced tea." "Absolutely delicious, tastes like it's mixed with ginger ale or some kind of strawberry juice." (Neither is in the ingredients.) Others: "Lots of lemon flavor and natural taste. A little pucker but not too tart." "It's the perfect balance between iced tea and lemonade." One taster thought the lemon was overpowering and chose it as the worst: "It's Lemon Pledge! Ugh!"

365 Organic Lemon Black Tea
$1.19 for 16-ounce bottle
Whole Foods' brand is sweetened with cane juice, which didn't cut it for most. "Not at all sweet or lemony. Does sort of taste like tea. Is this supposed to be presweetened?" (It actually contains 5percent organic lemon juice.) "Oh no, this one is not too tasty. Has a clean natural taste to it, but is somewhat bitter. Good for those looking for less sugar." Another person couldn't quite decide, and wrote, "Good thing: It is less sweet and smooth. Bad thing: Does not taste much like lemon tea." Another said it has "the smell of a horse barn. It tastes more natural." One summed it up: "If this is water, I'd like iced tea. But if this is iced tea, I'd like water."

ReaLemon Iced Tea
$2.99 for 1 gallon
This company makes bottled, shelf-stable lemon juice concentrate, and now this new product, the cheapest of the tasting. If you can make lemon juice, you can make good iced tea, right? Not necessarily. "It's drinkable, but you can taste it's artificial. Nestea?" (No.) "Sweet, too lightweight." "Needs more flavor, very light in flavor and color." "Don't like the smell! Taste is OK." "At least there is no aftertaste." "Very undistinguished." "The lemon is subtle, and yet still has an unnatural aftertaste." And more: "Very nice color. Probably nice enough to get it picked off the shelf. BUT, no taste, so I'd want my money back. Really, just sweet water."

Snapple Lemon Iced Tea All Natural Real Brewed
$2.99 for 1/2 gallon
Chosen best by two, second best by several. The pucker factor figured in here. "More lemony, more punch, more interesting. Lightly tart and zesty. Tastes more like tea." "I smell the sweetness, a nice lemon bite." "I like the lemon-lime flavor. Not too sweet. It didn't seem like iced tea, more like lemonade." "Has a zing to it. This is great if you want something other than plain tea." "Refreshing with a slight, tangy lemon appeal. Just what tea should be."

Trader Joe's Iced Tea Natural Lemon Flavor
(Refrigerator section)
$1.99 for 1/2 gallon
Sweetened with cane sugar. Tasters said, "Has such a full taste. Almost buttery and sweet. A bit heavy." "Overly sweet, but gets better the more you drink." "Very syrupy tasting. There is a smell of tea, but not TASTE of tea. Really not much lemon either." The lack of lemon flavor showed up in comments like "a more distinct lemon taste, please!" Two chose this as a favorite, saying it was "light and refreshing" and "smells like tea bags. It has no aftertaste, no false sweetener taste." One noted, "Definitely an original iced tea taste, just the right amount of sugar."

New! Zeigler's Lemon Tea
(Refrigerator section)
$2 for 1/2 gallon
The apple cider guys are in the iced tea business. One whiff and the tasting crew knew there was something fruity here. Tasters guessed they were sampling grapefruit, apricots, pear, and apples. Close. The ingredient list revealed grapes. Yes, grape juice in lemon tea. The package says 5percent juice (lemon is listed before grape). The front of the jug shows a lemon, so that's the taste you're expecting. "Am I crazy? It smells metallic. Tastes nothing like iced tea. Gross aftertaste too. Also smells like apple juice." And another, "Tastes like apple juice, not tea." And this: "Looks like cider, a bit cloudy. Doesn't really taste like tea. Has a bit of a sparkling kick to it. Not much color. Looks like beer." "Too sweet. Too fruity. Foul tasting." "Tastes like the Kool-Aid we had to drink at camp." Maybe Zeigler's uses the same machines for this tea as they do to make apple cider. If so, the label should come with a warning.

All-Beef Hot Dogs

Choosing the top dog is no picnic

There can be a lot to an all-beef hot dog. Some things you expect, like beef, of course, along with water, salt, and a few preservatives (nitrates and nitrites); and some you wouldn't imagine: hydrolyzed soy protein, corn syrup, nutmeg, and celery juice.
Eight people tasted six brands of all-beef hot dogs. One of our tasters was a very mature 6 1/2-year-old who had a lot to say (or in this case, write). The dogs were cooked on a charcoal grill. We chased them with hot dog buns and club soda. At first, we had nothing else, then opened the French's mustard.
There were organic, kosher, uncured, and local brands (Pearl Kountry Klub is based in Randolph). Regrettably, not all of these franks can be found everywhere. Pearl links can be purchased loose at the deli counter at Market Basket and Shaw's. The new 6-link pack in the meat department at one Market Basket was a revelation to the meat manager, who didn't know he carried it. Placement of the hot dogs in the store can be a bit confusing. Some are under the deli's dominion, others with meat and poultry.
Hebrew National, the kosher brand that answers to "a higher authority" was the winner with half the votes. It was lauded for its robust flavor. Fenway Franks struck out with five least-favorite votes and negative comments about the "mushy" texture. Only Applegate Farms and Coleman contain neither nitrites nor nitrates, used for preservation and the reddish color they add to meats. Organic and uncured brands tend to use paprika for color, and celery juice, which contains natural nitrites.
I heard every dog joke imaginable. Even though I conduct tastings in which comments are written and everyone is asked not to share them until the end, no amount of coaxing could get this crew to be quiet. One let an "mmm ..." escape while biting into a particularly crispy skin, another hummed the song "Who Let the Dogs Out?" when displeased. By the sixth brand, I thought I heard barking.
It's summer. All backyard parties and picnics will feature hot dogs. Frankly, they're not all great. (Sorry, I couldn't resist. Blame it on the tasters.)

Applegate Farms Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dogs
$5.99 for 12-ounce package
This no-nitrite brand had a light brown color prompting comments like: "not an attractive brown," "ugly," and "best wrinkly looking hot dog I ever had." One invoked another dog-related product: "Smells like Alpo. A little dead, skin a little tough." But this person also noted it had "good real flavor, a little smoky and spicy - less commercial style." Two, who chose this as their least favorite, found the skin "tough" and "rough." Others found the texture to be "dry" and "chewy." "Ham," "veal," and "bland," were used to describe the flavor.

Boar's Head Natural Casing Beef Frankfurters
$4.56 for .83-pound package
Lots of comments about the exterior: "Very chewy," "tough casing," "hard to chew," and "hard to cut." As for flavor: "Good taste, verging on too mild. Kind of greasy but good." "Juicy but not much flavor." The size of the hot dog attracted attention, too. "Longer, thinner, firmer." "Is this the foot-long dog of my youth?" One person chose this as the favorite, writing, "Best balance of salt and spice. Skin a little tough. Bites back. Most natural tasting." And then, emphatically wrote, "Definitely Coleman." (Wrong!)

Coleman All Natural Uncured Beef Hot Dogs
$4.99 for 1-pound package
The other no-nitrite brand got good marks for being "juicy." Two chose it as the favorite: "Oh, my God, the smell, smells like a Fenway Frank." (Wrong.) A whiff of pork" (wrong again). "Clubbier, pleasant chew to skin. Beautiful color, just enough red to make them attractive. Good spices, not one dominant." "This is nice-tasting, not too spicy, and yet not bland." Another commented on the "plump, curvy" shape. One found this to have a "metallic/nutmeg taste."

Fenway Beef Franks
$2.50 for 1-pound package
Not even Big Papi could help here. "Yuck. Texture is gooey." "Soft mushy and yet a classic. I suspect filler here: sawdust? Not a lot of taste. Boring actually." "Fluffy, not enough texture or taste." And more on the texture: "No bite to the casing." "Mild, soft and squishy. My guess: Hebrew National." (Wrong.) "More commercial style. Slightly heavy on the salt." This from someone who voted it the favorite: "Thick, juicy like a real dog should be. Voluptuous."

Hebrew National Beef Franks Winner
$4.69 for 12-ounce package
"Skinny dog, redder flesh, juicy, salty, Wow! I love the salt! Tender skin but firm rather than shriveled. Ball park dog?" "Commercial style, quite salty. Dark color. Skin quite tender. Tastes like kielbasa - very spicy and Polish." "Ripe and real tasty." And finally: "Tastes kosher. Moist and yummy. Fun. I love this dog."

Pearl Original Kountry Klub Beef Frankfurters
$2.99 for 12-ounce package
Did you think a common baking spice would be added to a hot dog? These tasters missed nothing. "Nutmeg in the spice mix? Tastes like a Christmas cake." "Kind of nasty flavor. Nutmeg?" "Lots of nutmeg - too much." "Unusual herbal flavor, not traditional." "Slight taste of disinfectant or something strange." "A lingering after-taste. Not altogether pleasant." Yikes. Maybe somebody's hand slipped while pouring? Many found the "casing firm" and the "skin thick." On the other hand if you just looked at it, several said, it was "gorgeous! Long, good bronze color, like the stunning woman at the gym after a trip to the Caribbean." "Beautiful and glistening." "Pretty."

Cottage Cheese

Which brand would Little Miss Muffet choose?

June 20, 2007

When Little Miss Muffet sat eating her curds and whey, it's a safe bet that she didn't have the choice between California and Vermont styles.
It seems that people who love cottage cheese are very interested in the texture as well as the taste. Some brands are creamy, others dry, a few downright lumpy. Companies have code words for the size of their curds and the texture of their product. California-style (Friendship, a New York dairy, uses this expression) refers to a drier cottage cheese, Vermont-style (as in Cabot Creamery) refers to a creamy mixture with defined curds. Most companies indicate curd size on the container, but you have to know each company's lingo.
Cottage cheese is made from whole and skim milk that has varying degrees of fat. During a heating and resting process, curds form and mass together. Whey is the liquid that remains and is often drained. Cream, salt, and sometimes modified cornstarch are added.
Nine tasters tried five brands of 4 percent minimum fat cottage cheese (not low-fat). We chased it with cantaloupe chunks and celery sticks.
Creamier cottage cheeses fared well among the tasters, with the big winner Hood Country Style Small Curd Cottage Cheese. Tie for least favorite went to two brands, Cabot and Friendship. Two tasters asked to check the sell date for Cabot because they were certain the cheese was beyond the date (there were three weeks to go). It tasted rancid, they said, but another thought the same cottage cheese "divine." Friendship was the driest. "See, this is what gives cottage cheese a bad name," someone said. Surprisingly, the organic brand, Horizon, has the longest list of ingredients, and at $3.79 for a 1-pound carton, is the most expensive.
Although participants are urged not to make any comments during the tasting (they write down their impressions), I heard an occasional "mmm" from somewhere around the table. One of the tasters later confessed that she was in heaven eating a particular cottage cheese she only buys in the low-fat variety. She said that in comparison, the taste was almost like ice cream. She was later seen loitering around the leftovers.

Breakstone's Small Curd Smooth & Creamy Cottage Cheese
$2.99 for 1-pound container
Some tasters found it slightly sweeter than others, with a "light flavor." Another: "Taste is blander. It tastes healthier, which I guess is the reason you eat this stuff in the first place. Curd is good size and consistency. Looks healthy and natural." But the texture drew negatives: "It is drier than others and chunky in comparison. I could see this with salty foods, crackers, and as a dip for veggies." One taster described this brand as "clumpy," and said it looks "like oatmeal."

Cabot Vermont Style Cottage Cheese
$1.99 for 1-pound container
"Too salty, almost tastes off, too yellow and quite moist," was the gist of the comments. This brand received three worst votes, and strong opinions like "nasty and acidic. Mushy." Many thought it had a sour flavor and "not a good aftertaste. Two mouthfuls are quite enough!" I checked the date at this point and smelled it. The date was fine and it wasn't rancid. Texture complaints: "Lack of distinct curds," "several misshapen clumps." The best of the comments pronounced it bland.

Hood Country Style Small Curd Cottage Cheese Winner
$1.99 for 1-pound container
Won accolades from most of our tasters. "Creamy" popped up on most of the comments. "Yummy! Nice creamy texture, slightly sweet." "Looks like it has a good consistency. Cheese bits are a bit firm, could be softer, but liquid-to-cheese ratio is good. Good flavor, good amount of salt." And the color drew attention from several: "the whitest white, nice soft, fresh, grainy." "Just enough tang and salt." Finally: the amount of liquid made this brand "goopy."

Horizon Organic Small Curd Cottage Cheese
$3.79 for 1-pound container
For an organic product, Horizon has a long ingredient list. Tasters noticed "very large well-shaped curds. Creamier pleasant mouth feel but not much taste. It's pretty though!" "Tasty and refreshing." "Larger chunks and more liquid. I love it." Several didn't: "Too wet. Flavor is bland, kind of sour - not desirable." "Looks like noodles, larger bits, not much taste." "Huge curd, very little cream, powdery to chew. Taste is a little acidic, a little rancid perhaps?" (It wasn't.) This taster compared a sour taste to "the memory of lost love." Even cottage cheese tasting can get dramatic.

Friendship California Style Cottage Cheese
$2.79 for 1-pound container
This brand split the least-favorite honors with Cabot. Friendship's dry texture was completely different than the others and was more reminiscent of pot cheese and farmer's cheese (basically well-drained cottage cheese) that I remember growing up in New York. "Curds are too tiny and clumped together." "The driest of them all." "More of a cheesy taste than the others." "Doesn't have as fresh a taste as some of the others." "Taste is OK, kind of cheesy versus sour." One person liked the "compact clumps and mild flavor." This cottage cheese has the fewest ingredients, and no additives, simply milk, cream, and salt.

Supermarket California Rolls

Sushi migrates to the grocery cart
In-store sushi bars are relatively new, at least on the East Coast, as major supermarket chains cash in on the sushi boom. Many stores offer sushi made off premises and this is where the quality can suffer. Refrigeration alters the texture of the rice and makes it hard. So in-store operations offer a better sushi-eating experience.
Supermarket sushi bars are independently owned and operated by several different companies. Southern Tsunami, a California-based company, is one that offers franchises. Franchisees are trained in California; all ingredients are purchased from the company and are subject to their quality control.
We tasted California rolls from four companies in five supermarkets. Because California rolls do not contain raw fish, they're sometimes considered starter sushi. These rolls have the rice on the outside, and a single layer of seaweed that encloses avocado, cucumber, and imitation crab (a mixture of pollock and other things). It is rolled and then sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Quality varied among sushi pieces, even from the same company. For instance, Southern Tsunami is a franchise in both Shaw's and Hannaford markets (but owned by different franchisees), and the sushi from these markets was not the same. We had no unanimous winner. Votes were split between Hannaford and Roche Bros. (the supplier is Hissho Sushi). Shaw's sushi was voted least favorite. So the same supplier was given top marks by some and dismissed as inferior by others.
The word sushi refers to short-grain sticky rice seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. What you put on top of the rice, or inside or around it, makes it a certain type of sushi. So good rice is an important element and it was the part that most tasters had strong opinions about. Many found the rice mushy, under-cooked, or tasteless.
Sushi preferences are personal. Some tasters liked the fact that there was a big piece of cucumber to chew and crunch, others preferred the multiple matchstick-slice approach. What one thought was pleasingly creamy avocado, another called "disgusting mushy." There was a similar divide when they tasted the condiments - sliced pickled ginger and wasabi, the hot green horseradish paste.
Nine people participated in the tasting. Of those, two were native-born Japanese, three had studied and lived in Japan, and four were sushi devotees. I offered hot green tea as a palate cleanser. We also judged presentation, which is important in Japanese cuisine.

Roche Bros.
34 Cambridge St., Burlington, 781-273-3261
Supplier: Hissho Sushi
$5.25 for 7-ounces
This tied with Hannaford as the best. "Beautiful fresh appearance, uniformly sized, tightly rolled bites. Shredded cucumber is beautiful. Avocado is perfect. Sea legs taste like they are out of the sea and are refreshingly non-uniform," said one admirer. "Attractive packaging, nice balanced taste, right size," said another. The rice got a lot of attention, not all good: "Looks completely squished even before putting in my mouth." "The cucumber is bad and that is the only thing that is usually good about store-bought sushi." "Rice is a little overcooked, but ingredients were fresh." Others said this sushi lacked distinction. "Nicely packaged but utterly without flavor." "I couldn't taste the individual vegetables and seafood." "OK, not special." Which brings us to ginger: "Excellent. Not too much food dye and delicate taste." "White ginger, I didn't like the taste."

Hannaford
55 Russell St., Waltham, 781-893-6776
Supplier: Southern Tsunami
$5.09 for 10.5 ounces
Hannaford garnered three best votes. "Pretty decent; not bad, not great. The volume of the rice to the ingredients is also quite good." "Rice is perfectly cooked." Then, "the rice has zero taste of sushi rice, but given how sushi rice is so badly seasoned, this may be a good thing." Many liked the bite-size pieces, another found them "a little small" and one person noticed gaps in the filling. As for the avocado: "Looks too gross to eat, well past just ripe." Another: "Avocado was too old." The cucumber, "Crunchy (that's good)." The imitation crab was deemed "sweeter" and "tastier" than the others, the ginger "wilted," and having an "aftertaste." A little dab of wasabi seemed like it was extruded from a pastry bag, and, said one, "looked ridiculous."

Shaw's
1070 Lexington St., Waltham, 781-891-0615
Supplier: Southern Tsunami
$5.09 for 10.5-ounces
The same company that supplies Shaw's also supplies Hannaford. But where Hannaford drew good comments, this one didn't fare as well. Tasters liked the "nice plastic tray; Japanese design." "Attractive look from the top, but too tightly packaged." Then: "Nondescript and OK with soy sauce." "The avocado tasted terrible." "The avocado did not look nice and green." The rice was pronounced "uneven, some dry, some sticky." "Rice tastes like it has filler in it - cornstarch?" (It doesn't.) "Thin skin of rice. Imbalanced - too little rice. Gets caught between the teeth." "No seasoning." Several noted that the pieces were uneven. And: "They're falling apart."

Stop & Shop
36 Bedford St., Lexington, 781-861-0456
Supplier: Sushi by Jay
$3.99 for 6-ounces
Two tasters tipped their hat with best votes: "Robust looking and substantive taste. This is real sushi - with sesame seeds that one can actually taste." "Nicely rolled, perfectly seasoned, rice perfectly cooked. Big piece of fake crabmeat and avocado." Others found the rice and rolling woeful: "The rice is terrible, not seasoned at all and badly cooked." "If you are on a diet, avoid this XXL sushi!" "Not rolled well; rice was inside with the ingredients." Finally the ginger, too, got called down. "Looks terrible." "The ginger looks like lip gloss."

Whole Foods Market
400 Cambridge Road, Woburn, 781-376-9600
Supplier: Genji Express
$5.99 for 7-ounces
"Good (but not excellent) for supermarket sushi." "The rice is not terribly squished, which may be an achievement for store-bought sushi." "Too anodyne - plain vanilla sushi." "Well seasoned with sushi vinegar. The rice is moist but slightly on the under-cooked side." "Nice balanced taste, would put more sesame seeds on the outside." "Very fresh, well presented, rice moist but slightly undercooked." Kudos for "crispy good-looking vegetables," and at last some praise for the avocado: "Perfect, fresh, buttery, ripe, but not overly so." But then the cucumber: "Lacks the crunch that should contrast with smooth avocado." Not good news on the fish front. "The ingredients themselves are rather bland, especially the crab." "The imitation crab has almost zero taste." The ginger: "I did not enjoy the aftertaste of the ginger." "Ginger on the plate looked too yellow compared to the pink-rosy colored ginger served in restaurants." (This should have been a good thing. It means no food coloring.)

Sharp White Cheddar

One of the cheeses stands alone

You would think, with all the sniffing, that this was a wine tasting. Instead, seven brands of sharp white cheddar had our noses doing some detective work. The cheeses were aged anywhere from 60 days to 9 months, during which time they develop flavor and texture.
We ate them at room temperature with plain crackers, slices of crisp apple, and sparkling water. Several bites into the tasting, someone asked, "Don't you think this would go down better with wine?" The tasters seemed to want more from the cheeses; many brands didn't have the bite or the texture we expected. Several people found them "bland and rubbery." Cabot Cheese of Vermont came out on top, with comments like "nice crumble and tang."
These cheeses, of course, are intended to appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes. This might explain one comment about Cracker Barrel - "I found this cheese satisfyingly bland." Unimpressed with the options, one person wrote this on her notes: "I am falling asleep over here, the whole world looks like one giant, pale yellow flavorless block. There is no more real food, only differently packaged lipids."
But the crew of seven woke up when they tasted Shaw's Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar. They showed outright contempt for this cheese. Several people looked as if they had tasted something bad; one person spit it out. When they were done, someone lined up the leftover cheeses, trying to decide which one would be good bait for a mouse trap.

Cabot Sharp Cheddar Cheese Winner
$6.58 for 1 pound
Many commented on the texture of this Vermont-made cheese. "Very good! Sort of dry, but in a good way. Nice flavor, good bite." "Appears to have a real cheese consistency. It has an aged, slightly brittle appearance, which makes me think it is good. Flavor is lacking, but still real." "The consistency sets it above the rest, nice flavor, not too rubbery." "Sharp, but not tangy." "Best of bunch, not scary, good sharp flavor."

Cracker Barrel Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
$5.58 for 1 pound
This cheese got good marks for being "creamy" and for its ordinary taste. "Creamy, not that sharp, kind of mellow, kind of bland." "Similar to airplane cheese or what you would get at a conference. Not something I would buy." "Satisfyingly bland." "Whipped and recongealed, but with a pleasant sharp taste. Creamy delight. Would probably be good melting cheese." "A little gummy and pasty, but good flavor." "A little oily."

Crystal Farms Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
$5.58 for 1 pound
This Wisconsin-made cheese elicited these comments: "Not delicious, not offensive, just sort of there. Like thick, gooey air." "No resemblance to cheddar. Slightly oily and leaves a film in my mouth." "Not much flavor. The after-taste actually has more flavor than when eating it." "The most bland." Another said, "Is it my imagination or does it actually have some flavor? I just may detect a tiny tang!"
Heluva Good Sharp Cheddar Cheese
$6.38 for 1 pound
This cutesy title resulted in a chorus of negatives. "More like `helluva a horrible cheese,"' said one. "Hits like a wet blanket." "Really rubbery, little taste, no sharpness. Second worst." "Pretty nasty. Like eating soft plastic. Weird bland flavor." And the lowest blow: "Like whipped styrofoam with subtle bitterness."

Land O Lakes Aged Sharp Cheddar Cheese
$5.18 for 1 pound
This cheese offended no one. "Good sharp taste, texture a bit strange. Cheese bends up when trying to break off a piece." "Nice texture. Made my teeth stick together a bit, but still good." "Definitely something you would get on an airplane." One astute observer likened it to another product for which this manufacturer is known: "Looks like a large pat of butter and pretty much tastes and smells like one." Another: "The Velveeta of cheddar."

Shaw's Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar Cheese
$4.78 for 1 pound
"Maybe not even good enough for a mouse trap," wrote one taster. Voted least favorite by four out of seven. "Not even sure what this is and I don't want to try any more to see." "Tastes old and musty." "Weird chemical taste. Might work well as furniture glide." (This participant was later observed rubbing the leftover piece on a wooden table.) "Yuck! Had to spit it out."

Yancey's Fancy Sharp Cheddar Cheese
$7.99 for 1 pound
"Good texture, benign flavor, no real bite." "Not bad, slightly crumbly, not very sharp." "Something served at a bad cocktail party with cheap wine in a box." "A little stronger with a bit of a strange aftertaste." "Sharp tangy flavor and strong scent." "Tastes like fake cheese flavor. Not good."

Cereal bars

Blurring the line between breakfast and dessert

Presented with an array of goodies to taste, one participant asks: “Why do cereal bars exist?”
An inauspicious start. But six brands later, the answer is not apparent.
With a soft crust and a fruit paste inside, cereal bars have a Fig Newton quality. Fig Newtons, of course, are cookies. These are meant to replace morning cereal, for adults and children on the run. As such, many crusts are whole wheat or made with whole oats. There are some sprinkles of bran or wheat germ flakes on top of most, obviously an attempt to appear healthful. But once we began tasting, bars were almost indistinguishable from each other. One brand is decorated with swirly strips of icing and another has a crease down the middle (the cleavage, as one person described it).
Though many brands boast their calcium and vitamin content, the tasters were throwing around words like “pop tarts” and “candy bars” instead of cereal. One said, “This could be dessert if I wanted dessert.”
The eight tasters, all public health professionals, didn't seem to fall for the healthful aspect the bar companies want to project. Nor were they fooled by the package photographs after they saw what's inside. Thick strawberry fruit fillings on the box were not in evidence once opened. In fact, most fillings were gelatinous and sparse, and far too sweet. “This is just another path to creating future diabetics,” said one jaded taster.
Winning by a wide margin was Sunbelt Fruit and Grain Bar, the one with the icing. One taster so disliked the bars, she refused to choose a favorite.
The box of Quaker’s Breakfast Bars claims 25 percent less sugar than the leading cereal bar. Later, we called the company's help line to ask for the name of the leading cereal bar. A representative hesitated, then said, “ones with peanut butter or chocolate chips” -- was she talking about granola bars? -- also made by the company. To Quaker’s credit, it has the only packaging that states: “Not a low calorie food – but in a very small font.
Shaw’s and Stop & Shop’s house brands turned out to be identical -- at least we thought so. Red foil wrapping around the bars is the same, ingredients list is the same, but the box and prices are different (Shaw’s is $1.99 for 8; Stop & Shop 70 cents more for the same amount).
People were under-whelmed by the entire line. At the end, one taster announced that she would eat them again “if they were being given out as samples for free and I was really hungry.”

Kellog’s Nutri•Grain Cereal Bars
$2.50 for 8 bars (1.3 ounces each)
This is the brand most closely associated with cereal. “I feel like I have a film on the roof of my mouth…ick! “Not sure I’d even know this was strawberry flavored.” “Kinda doughy and I can’t really taste the jam,” said another. Then: “Little specs in the dough makes me think it’s wholesome." “Bizarre superfluous flakes on top.” Yet another said, “Better tasting than I had expected and pleasantly surprised not to see any faux wheat germ.” Finally: “Tastes bland, with a fake whole-wheat chewy texture.”

Shaw’s Fruit & Grain Cereal Bars Low Fat Strawberry
$1.99 for 8 bars (1.3 ounces each)
Least favorite of the bunch, though box claims “new and improved.” From what? “Fig Newton consistency and appearance. Distinctly chemical flavored crust.” “Chewy, dry, not enough jam, tastes processed.” “Smells like a vitamin.” “Looks and tastes like an un-brand or store brand cheap knock-off." "Too much bread and dry.” “Browner crust, more whole-wheat-y??” “Actually something that looks edible, but then it’s a brick." Finally: “This one tastes more like a soft fruit cookie. A little dry. Fruit taste is OK.”

Stop and Shop Fruit & Grain Cereal Bars Strawberry
$2.69 for 8 bars (1.3 ounces each)
We decided this is the same bar as Shaw’s. Comments: “Not as bad as some, wouldn’t buy it. Gelatinous filling.” “The dough is good, but where’s the treat? I’m expecting something fruity and tasty and end up with gelatinous goo that adheres to my teeth.” One astute taster noticed the likeness to Shaw's brand. “Dry like the previous one," he said, "Keep chewing, waiting for the flavor to kick in.” “Boring filling is like chewing gum." "No heavy tastes like they’re trying to hide something.” “Not overly sweet.”

Sunbelt Fruit and Grain Bars Strawberry Winner
$1.99 for 8 bars (1.4 ounces each)
The most attractive looking bar with swirls of icing; it received the most comments about a real strawberry taste. The photo of this bar was most like the actual product.
“Thicker jam and crust than others. Jam tastes more like strawberries.” “Pretty tasty. Can really taste the jam. Can’t really taste the icing but looks nice.” “Good pastry. Pop Tart-like.” “Jazzed up, good looking with decorative frosting. Can’t really taste the strawberry.” "Better filling; more like real jam and not so gelatinous.” “Ooh frosting, nice touch but not sure it added to the flavor.” “Softest most cake-like.” "Sort of like PB and J without the P.” And finally, “If you want to eat a candy bar for breakfast than this is the best."

Trader Joe’s “this strawberry walks into a bar…” Cereal Bars
$1.69 for 6 bars (1.3 ounces each)
You can try to be funny, but in the end this crew was not buying the joke or the product. Three decided it was their least favorite. “It’s like a Jolly Rancher covered in artificial potato flakes." “If I were to imagine what rabbit food tastes like, this would be it.” “Texture of cookie is fine. Less red color in the fruit mixture." “Looks like a mashed jam sandwich on whole wheat. Wonder Bread. Same consistency too.” “Interesting trench in the middle." “I was originally horrified by the shape, but it was a great way to divide the bar in half.” “I like the bran flakes on top. I think it tastes less fake.”

Quaker Breakfast Bars Strawberry
$2.50 for 8 bars (1.3 ounces each)
You’d expect this company to know breakfast food. Not according to our tasters. “So dry I desperately need to wash this down with coffee or something stronger. I thought this had strawberry in it -- bland goop instead.” “Fake smell." "Unappealing kind of a shiny gold color.” Another: "Kinda yellow. Not too much bread to jam ratio.” "Little oatmeal chips on top seem a superfluous after-thought.” “Looks like a fried potato cake." The final diss: “Looks like a mashed Twinkie or maybe an egg roll."

Matzo

Crisp kosher crackers taste like Passover

Matzo, a thin, often square, perforated cracker, is the symbolic food of the Passover table. When the Jews left ancient Egypt, they fled without letting the bread rise. During the eight days of Passover, which begins on Monday night, no foods with leavening are allowed on the table.
Today's choices for matzo are wide ranging, not just the plain unsalted variety once available. Matzo flavored with egg, onion, and salt are on many supermarket shelves. When six tasters gathered to sample the plain kind, they were surprised by the number of brands available, baked both in the United States and in Israel.
Most matzo is machine made and costs just a few dollars for a 1-pound box. The handmade variety, shmura (or shmuroh) matzo, which used to be sold only in kosher markets and is now also on some supermarket shelves, costs $20 for a 1-pound box. Some people like to use these circular rustic matzo during the Seder.
One brand made in Boro Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., was beautiful to look at. "This looks religious," said one taster. Another brand, from Israel, was burnt and broken. Our tasters didn't go for the very dry texture of either. This group was surprised to discover that they couldn't identify the brands they grew up with. Machine made Aviv (which means spring in Hebrew), imported from Israel, was the winner. "It tastes like Passover," someone said.

Manischewitz Passover Matzos Sodium Free
$1.99 for 1-pound box
Many folks grew up with this brand on their table. But nostalgia didn't seem to matter. "More baked flavor. Stuck to teeth more." "Color not so attractive, no taste at all." Another: "Tasteless, sawdust." "Tastes like cardboard; even drier than others, if that's possible." "Blah. Not for me. It's probably the brand I use!"

Hand Shmura Matzoh Boro Park Shmura Matzoh Bakery
Brooklyn, N.Y.
$19.99 for 1-pound box
The large white box with blue lettering is striking. The appearance of these round crackers got a lot of attention, as did the texture. "Interesting shape, good color, more crackery, no flavor." "Looks like whole wheat, possibly Shmura matzoh, thin and dark. Doesn't taste as different as it looks. More dense." "Much denser and crispier. I like the shape. Don't think I could eat it for a whole week!" Another: "Artisan appearance, attractive, and distinctive. Very crispy and dense. Charred taste, no particular flavor." "Tastes like a cracker, not matzo. Dense, not too bad flavor." Finally, "thinnest and crispiest. No distinct flavor. Burnt on the ends."

Matzoh Shmuroh Handmade Shmuroh Matzoh for the Seder Night
Made in Israel
$19.99 for 1-pound box
Upon opening this very large, pretty box we found broken and burnt matzo. The least favorite for many. "Round like the other one, however, this is over-baked. Tastes bad. Actually has bad flavor." "Looks and tastes a little burnt." "Another artisanal matzoh. Bubbly and polka dotted. Charred taste." "Very burnt appearance, burnt taste, not flat." "Good crunch and color. Burnt tasting, not much flavor."

Aviv Passover Matzos Winner
Made in Israel
$1.50 for 1-pound box
"I like this the best - plain, dry, and crisp. It tastes like the matzo I grew up with," said one. (It wasn't.) "Traditional, basic flavor, not too crisp." Yet another: "Crisp - not bad! Reasonable flavor." "Nice crunch, mild flavor, good color." "Very familiar tasting, not too dry."

Streit's Passover Matzos
$2.29 for a 1-pound box
Another very familiar brand. Two people chose this as their favorite. "Crunchier, quite dry, nuttier?" "Thicker. Somewhat tastier than the others." "Standard plain matzo. Not much flavor." "Good crunch, good color." Another taster: "Looks dark, tastes dryer, more brittle and has a hint of flavor." "Crisp, slightly bitter."

ehuda Matzos
Made in Israel
$1.50 for 1-pound box
The tasters commented on the appearance first. "Best color, very light, not quite as good flavor as others, but almost." "More baked appearance and darker. Somehow less flavorful." "Looks a little overdone, tastes overdone, not good." "Different than the others, but not the one I'd choose." "Charred appearance, burnt taste dominates flavor."

Caesar croutons

All hail the best of the crunch

If you make croutons at home, you probably begin with leftover bread that you cut up into what approximates small squares, toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toast them until lightly brown. You can sprinkle them on soups, toss them with salad greens, or simply munch them out of a bowl.
With ready-made croutons in a head-spinning number of flavor combinations, most people are not cutting up stale loaves. Flavors include garlic and butter, Italian, ranch, onion and garlic, and more. Then there is size, which you wouldn't think matters - but it does. Crouton sizes vary from "traditional cut" to "restaurant style" to "generous cut" to "premium." The only way to figure out what's going on is to open the packages and have a look.
Eight people tasted six brands of Caesar croutons. Cheese, garlic, and anchovy spring to mind when you think about a Caesar salad. So logic would suggest that the crouton ingredients would be similar. In fact, some brands are made with Romano or Parmesan, others with blue or no cheese at all. There was anchovy extract in one brand, and high fructose corn syrup on half the ingredient lists. "What is corn syrup doing in a crouton?" we wondered. Manufacturers must think we like anything that's sweet.
The winner was Cardini's All Natural Gourmet Cut Caesar Croutons. The package has a picture of Caesar Cardini, the inventor of the famous salad. It also has the shortest ingredient list, no added sugars, and is among the most expensive of the lot. The runner-up - a very close second - was Chatham Village Traditional Cut, one of the cheapest in the group.
It turns out that Cardini's and Chatham Village are the exact same crouton, though it was only after the tasting that we realized it. Both are manufactured in Wareham for the Marzetti Company of Ohio. According to a company representative, the difference is in the size and where packages are placed in supermarkets. Cardini's "gourmet cut" is supposed to be in the produce section; Chatham's "traditional cut" is shelved with other croutons.
Put away your tape measures and use the extra dollar to buy good romaine.

Mrs. Cubbison's Caesar Salad Restaurant Style Croutons
99 cents for 6-ounce package
Mrs. C has been at this for 50 years, says the company website. But the tasters didn't seem convinced: "Too buttery." "A bit strong for the palate." "White bread - perhaps too light for my taste. Almost sweet aftertaste." Another: "Lots of garlic, slightly greasy feeling on tongue and roof of mouth. Almost sweet finish." (High fructose corn syrup is the fifth ingredient on a long list.) Other comments: "Cheesy aftertaste, not bad." "Mmm, nice Parmesan start."

Pepperidge Farm Classic Caesar Croutons Generous Cut
$1.79 for 5.5-ounce package
This is probably the most recognizable brand. "Good consistency. Highly seasoned, but delicate." "Rosemary flavor. Didn't like the black spots on the croutons, looks like they fell on the floor." Another noticed this, too: "Bland. No taste despite deceptive brown flecks that could be spice." "Tasty but not Caesar-like." "All white bread - boring!! Dissolves immediately upon crunching." "Too uniform." "Yellowish, looks suspiciously artificial." (It's turmeric.)

All Natural Chatham Village Caesar Traditional Cut Croutons
99 cents for 5-ounce package
This was the close second to Cardini, and as we now know, the identical twin of Cardini's, save a few millimeters in size. A few people did pick up on the difference in cut: "Different shape. They are harder because the croutons are thinner." "Flaky and very dry." "Sawdust." "Prefer bigger size; this type looks like crumbs or remnants." Another said: "No worries about getting soggy, seems like a happy crouton."


Shaw's Restaurant Style Caesar Croutons
$1.50 for 6-ounce package
These didn't fare too well. Texture: "Yuck. Heavy messy coating." "Looks toasty but dissolves into a sandy mush. Ick. Sticks to my teeth." "Doesn't seem like it's able to stand up to a real salad. Likely to crumble." Flavor: "Too strong, too cheesy, too salty." "Tastes fatty." "Cheesy, strong taste." "Garlic taste, with a hint of banana chips in the aftertaste." (There are a lot of ingredients on this list, but not banana.)

Reese Caesar Salad Premium Croutons
$1.99 for 6-ounce package
Premium doesn't refer to size; these fall into the mini category. "Teeny tiny perfectly matched," said one, who wondered if they were cut by "obsessive elves." "Pleasantly seasoned." "Ooh minis. Neater to eat. I'd buy them." "Ah, the mini croutons of my youth. Cubes look artificially constructed. Very small, wouldn't be able to stand up to a high quality Caesar salad. Taste like Goldfish crackers." "Cute little shapes." "Very ordinary." "Petite size, dill flavor, can imagine putting them into soups."

Cardini's All Natural Gourmet Cut Caesar Croutons Winner
$1.99 for 5-ounce package
The winner got lots of praise for its "good texture" and "big crunch." This has at least two kinds of bread, French and rye. Tasters mistook the rye for pumpernickel but appreciated the variety. As for appearance: "Looks great - but it's big. Not sure it would work in a home salad, but great for a restaurant salad." "Like the colorful palette; the dark crouton has a nice caraway touch." The flavor was described as "highly seasoned." Then: "Aftertaste is impossible to get rid of." "Very Caesar-like." Finally: "This is what [diners] would expect from a Caesar crouton." photos by

Hot Cocoa Mix

Instant reactions: sweet to sandy

Cocoa evokes memories of childhood. For many, that meant bitter unsweetened cocoa spooned into a mug filled with steaming milk and as much sugar as you could beg. A real marshmallow floated about, melting into a creamy circle.
Fast forward to busy schedules, less time for the kitchen, and instant hot cocoa mixes. The basics are whey, sugar, and cocoa, with plenty more if you glance at the ingredient lists. Like making a cup of tea, you can zap hot water in a microwave and add the mix. It's quick, hot, and chocolaty. Well, sort of.
We tasted hot cocoa mix brands without dehydrated marshmallows, so nothing would interfere with the taste. Alas, several entries had sugar as the first ingredient, even before you got to the cocoa. One mix listed sugar, dairy solids, corn syrup, and vegetable oil - all before the cocoa.
There was no clear winner, but Hershey's Goodnight Kisses got three out of eight votes. One tester suggested we were choosing the "best among a mediocre bunch." One brand elicited both enthusiasm and dissing. Best Friends Cocoa received comments ranging from "the most cocoa-like initial odor" to "has the texture of dirt." At $4.49 for 8 ounces, it is also the priciest. Best Friends is the only brand that doesn't list sugar first; nonfat dry milk tops the list.
When the tasting was over, one person took all her half-finished cups and poured them together. "Now that tastes chocolaty," she exclaimed.

Best Friends Cocoa, Traditional
$4.49 for 8 ounces
There are no single serving envelopes. You stir 4 tablespoons of the mix into a 6-ounce cup of boiling water. "Serious chocolate, slightly bitter in a good way. Very satisfying," said one. Others: "Less sweet than others, more cocoa-ish." "Coats the tongue, not smooth." "Not sweet enough." "Sandy." "Flavor is light." "Texture a little like dirt, great taste but not worth the texture."

Hershey's Goodnight Kisses, Milk Chocolate Flavor Winner
$1.59 for 4 1.25-ounce envelopes
When it was revealed this got three best votes, one person said, "They do know their chocolate." "Smooth, more milk-flavor than others." "Very good." "Nice and simple, mild flavor." "Flat and bland." "Smells like the other ones. Is my nose broken? My mouth must be too, tastes about the same as others."

Nestle, Milk Chocolate Flavor
$1.89 for 10 0.71-ounce envelopes
The words milk chocolate are in bold white on a light brown banner on the box. The word flavor is visible, but is in a smaller font and a tan color, neither easy to see nor easy to read. "Aroma good, taste is thin." "Sweet. Tastes OK, but not very strong." "Velvety smooth, almost to the point of slimy rich. Very sweet." "Cloyingly sweet, aftertaste, thin." "Smells like hot chocolate but the taste is overpowered by the sweetness." "Watery! Too sweet."

Shaw's Hot Cocoa Mix, Rich Chocolate Flavor
$1.29 for 10 1-ounce envelopes
This entry had the dubious honor of getting no votes for best or worst, prompting one taster to say, "In a universe of faint praise, I guess it is the winner." "Tastes flat," says another. "Some aftertaste." Two people said, "Nice vanilla smell." "Smells like vanilla, not chocolate." One commented, "Doesn't taste like chocolate, but still good." Yet, another: "No cocoa taste."

Swiss Miss, Milk Chocolate Flavor
$1.99 for 10 1-ounce packages
This package has a red banner and bold white letters reading milk chocolate. But the word flavor is in a small, narrow, light brown. Get out your strongest lenses. "Good aroma, not too sweet, good cocoa flavor," said one. "Sweet and slimy, mild flavor," said another. "Odd taste." "Right taste." "Pure chemicals." "Color is the darkest; not enough cocoa and no smell of cocoa." "Light chocolate flavor. Aroma fair."