March 2011
4 posts
7 tags
National Snack Food Month - Day 28
Featured snack: Sesame Sticks
Rating: 76 noms
Review: I’ve reserved the last day of NSFM 2011 for one of my all-time favorites. Hearty, adaptable, satisfying, not unhealthy - one might make the argument for the Sesame Stick being the perfect snack.
Another thing I appreciate about sesame sticks is that there has never (to my knowledge) been a nationally distributed brand. They are...
February 2011
42 posts
6 tags
NSFM - Day 27
Featured snack: Pizzeria Pretzel Combos
Rating: 999 Looks like we made its
Review: I’ve written about my love of Combos before so I won’t spend time here detailing the many ways that they encapsulate and reinforce my snacking values. Instead, I’ll just simply point out that after 26 days of regular daily snacking, as I was trolling the aisles of 7-11 to find a snack to...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 26
Featured snack: Salsitas salsa chips
Rating: 16 Read My Lips
Review: Those of you that follow The Snack Blog might have noticed that there tend to be a lot of Frito-Lay products featured. Lest you think me some sort of mouthpiece for the most popular and successful savory snack producer in the world, I will try to be as clear as I can with today’s review:
DO NOT EAT DORITOS. EAT...
7 tags
NSFM - Day 25
Featured snack: Kale chips
Rating: 77 coughs
Review: Kale chips are great. So great. So great that if they had run for Mayor of Chicago, they totally would have won. They have so many of the qualities one hopes for in a snack. They are crispy but also chewy. They have the obligatory craving-satiating salt and oil but with real flavor underneath. And even though everyone I’ve seen on the...
8 tags
NSFM - Day 24
Featured snack: Wheat Thins Crunch Stix (Fire Roasted Tomato flavor)
Rating: 36 yawns
Review: Wheat Thins are good but let’s face it, they are boring. Like most good crackers, their value comes from their adaptability. This being the case, it makes no sense to make them into a different “fun” shape, put them in a new “fun” package, and sprinkle them with an...
7 tags
NSFM - Day 23
Featured snack: Keebler Fudge Shoppe “Coconut Dreams”
Rating: 1,000 About F*cking Times!
Review: These cookies should just be called Keebler “No Brainers”. Why should the Girl Scouts of America have such control over us? It’s not fair. Finally, a way out of what is possibly the most abusive relationship in snacking.
Thing is - I can’t really tell if these...
7 tags
NSFM - Day 22
Featured snack: Turbos Flamas
Rating: Catorce “Ay Chihuahuas!”
Review: At first glance these appeared to simply be “Flamin’ Hot” Fritos that happen to be marketed toward Latino Americans. What I failed to realize is that “Turbos Flamas” bring something altogether new to the Frito-Lay family of snacks.
Although Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are the most...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 21
Featured snack: Snyder’s of Hanover brand Honey Mustard & Onion flavored “Pieces”
Rating: 18 breath mints
Review: I’ll be honest with you guys: I’m not crazy about pretzels. Yes, the shape is fun and aesthetically pleasing, but the flavor department is severely understaffed. Also, do we really need the excessively large grains of salt?
This product, courtesy...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 20
Featured snack: Ants on a Log
Rating: Ants on a motherf*cking log!
Review: Yes, you can combine the crisp crunch of fresh celery with the nutty goodness of your favorite peanut butter and have a very fine snack. But when you spend the effort to add that little row of raisins, a kind of mysterious magic kicks in and the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts. Now you are eating ants....
8 tags
NSFM - Day 19
Featured snack: TGI Friday’s brand Cheddar and Bacon Potato Skins
Rating: Oh, the things I do for you my Dear Readers.
Review: Maybe I’m not clear on the premise. Are these supposed to emulate a dish from the namesake Crappy Restaurant Franchise? I’ve never been to said Crappy Restaurant Franchise but it seems like the kind of place that would use a sharpie to draw grill...
8 tags
NSFM - Day 18
Featured snack: Austin brand “Zoo” Animal Crackers
Rating: 36 decapitations
Review: While not the more popular Barnum’s (Nabisco) brand Animal Crackers that come in the iconic cardboard circus train car, Austin (Kellogg’s) brand are often easier to find and, in my humble O, just as (if not more) tasty. However, let’s get to what really matters:
Barnum’s...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 17
Featured snack: Charleston Chews Mini
Rating: 13 PG-13s
Review: Who wants to eat a whole Charleston Chew by themselves? Nobody, that’s who. Now who wants to sneak in a box of Charleston Chew minis to split with their friend during a crappy movie at the Logan? Everybody.
4 tags
NSFM - Day 16
Featured snack: Pretzel M&M’s
Rating: 13 Key demos
Review: Big snack companies are always trying to find ways to put a new spin on an old product to boost their sales. In most cases, if the new variety of snack doesn’t take off in a couple fiscal quarters, it’s off the market. In this case, however, I can’t blame the Mars corporation for their (relatively) new...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 15
Featured snack: Terra Brand Sweet Potato Chips (Crinkle cut style)
Rating: 27 Whole Foods parking lots
Review: I always thought Terra chips were for snobs and yuppies. Then I had these at my nephew’s birthday party (Happy birthday Alex!) and they were really really good. They achieve what few mass marketed snacks can: They are savory without being too salty. They are hearty but not too...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 14
Featured snack: Conversation Hearts
Rating: 14 QT Pies
Review: In lieu of a review, let’s try a hypothetical thought experiment:
Suppose you gave a young child a disgusting sugary chalk to eat one day a year for every year of its childhood.
Suppose the child, through a combination of tradition, social norms and its own sentimental tendencies, came to associate the taste of this...
4 tags
NSFM - Day 13
Featured snack: Kit Kat “Big Kat”
Rating: 44 gimme a breaks
Review: Why mess with a classic? Kit Kat’s original design of 4 connected bars is elegant, fun, and one of a kind. The lightness of each individual bar along with the perfectly balanced proportion of wafer to chocolate make you almost want to hold out your pinkie as you enjoy each small I-beam of goodness. In...
NSFM - Day 12
Featured snack: Lundberg’s Pico de Gallo flavored Rice Chips
Rating: 99 finger licks
Review: These are delicious. They are a nice go-to if you want a nicely flavored chip with a little spice that you don’t have to dip. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: rice chips and crackers make superior snacks. Their light texture and non-greasiness make you wonder why the...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 11
Featured snack: Chick-o-Stick
Rating: 20 cavities
Review: I can see why this candy has been around since the Depression*. It is simple, satisfying, and best of all: cheap (retails for around $0.35 at your local liquor store). It was described to me as, “like the inside of a Butterfinger, but with a little bit of dried coconut coating the outside.” Sign me up! It’s a shame...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 10
Featured snack: Rice Krispies Treats Crunch Mix (Classic variety)
Rating: 40,000 gags
Review: RKT’s might be in my all-time top 10 (homemade, of course) but this snack fails on EVERY front. There is not a single element that isn’t disgusting. The only ingredient that could and should be it’s salvation (the Rice Krispie Treats clusters) are small, unsatisfactory, gross,...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 9
Featured snack: An orange
Rating: Even I have my limits
Review: The packaging gets a -12 but everything else is a 100. It really is like eating sunshine.
NSFM - Day 8
Featured snack: “Flamin’ Hot” Funyuns
Rating: 1,000 OMGs
Review: They did it. They created the perfect snack. The words, “two great tastes that taste great together” have lost all meaning. These get a 10 in flavor, balance, and texture. Seriously you guys, it’s only a matter of time before some enterprising young chef uses these as a panko substitute on some...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 7
Featured snack: Cheez-it brand cheese crackers
Rating: 100 pinkie sweeps*
Review: How can you go wrong with Cheez-its? This one is a classic that will never die. Although please do me a favor and don’t confuse Cheez-its with Nabisco’s Cheese Nips. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!
* Stay tuned to The Snack Blog for an explanation and analysis of the pinkie sweep manuever
colinpalombi asked: Dear Sir,
Why don't you allow for comments?
Yours,
Colin R. Palombi
Why don't you allow for comments?
Yours,
Colin R. Palombi
5 tags
NSFM - Day 6
Featured snack: Orville Redenbacher’s Poppycock (Pecan Delight variety)
Rating: 36 yums
Review: My friends, there is more to Orville Redenbacher than a neatly tied bow tie and a pretty face. There is quality and integrity. Trust me - after tasting the luxuriously tender and sweet, pecan-laden butter-glazed clusters, you will rather eat baseball diamond dirt than go back to Cracker Jacks....
NSFM - Day 5
Featured Snack: Lay’s Garden Tomato & Basil potato chips
Rating: -3
Review: These are not good. Nothing about them evokes gardens, tomatoes, or basil. If you are going to eat BBQ potato chips, just eat them. Don’t try to make them seem all healthy and natural by putting the word “Garden” in there.
NSFM - Day 4
Featured snack: Popchips (original recipe)
Rating: 7.777
Review: These potato chips are not fried or even baked but “popped” using heat and pressure in an effort to be healthy. If you are like me, you might at first taste be like, “These are gross and wrong”. Then by the end of the bag, you’ll be like, “Okay, these are pretty good.” Actually, this...
NSFM - Day 3
Featured snack: Blue Diamond “Bold Wasabi and Soy Sauce” flavored almonds.
Rating: Bold! But don’t take my word for it.
“Mike. 29. works hard. loves to play. Believes limits are for testing. Thinks the edge is a great place to hang out. Buys whichever Blue Diamond Bold flavors fit the moment.”
- From the...
NSFM - Day 2
Featured snack: Multigrain Pringles (“truly original” variety)
Rating: 99
Review: “More well-rounded and less aggressively salty than normal Pringles. This might very well renew my love affair with Proctor and Gamble’s mysterious crisps”
National Snack Food Month - Day 1
Well, it is National Snack Food Month and, as promised, I will celebrate by once again enjoying a different snack every day that I will tell you about and rate arbitrarily - this time using this nifty new tumblr blog.
After this month-long demonstration of snacking stamina and commitment, The Snack Blog will continue to feature in-depth analysis of present day issues in snacks and snacking at...
Snack Blog Archive (Myspace snack blog no. 13)
I thought it might be a good idea to start The Snack Blog with an archive of the original snack blog. Perhaps it will provide some context for what is to come.
The original snack blog was started in February 2007 and the final entry was posted February 2009. There were only 13 entries but I consider them collectively to be a sort of mission statement for what I hope to accomplish here with this...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 12)
Jul 21, 2007
snack blog no. 12
Hello again. As some of you may have noticed, I took a brief hiatus from the snack blog while I was moving and finishing the project that we called “the Ice Factory”. Now that I’m settled in my new place, I plan to resume the snack blog on a fairly regular basis. Please continue to write in with your snacking questions and concerns. Snack tip...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 11)
May 25, 2007
snack blog no. 11
Hi Snackers. This letter comes from Vince: although i find your snack blog to be both thorough and entertaining, i do believe that it is lacking in one area. i must say that my only point of contention lies within the fact that, as information technologies continues to expand, structures have been put into place that make the world around us much smaller. In...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 10)
May 14, 2007
snack blog no. 10
Hello Snackers, The Snack Blog has broken 1,000 views! Thanks to everyone involved. While researching snack mascots, I found this great article by David Segal about food spokescharacters. While not specifically about snacks, I think this article is worth a peek. Haven’t figured out how to program a “hyperlink” so you’ll have to copy and...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 9)
May 7, 2007
snack blog no. 9
Current mood: rejuvenated
First of all, I must apologize for my neglect of the snack blog lately. Forgiveness please. I guess that’s what you get with blogging. No deadlines means no accountability. My thanks to those that have continued to check in for content and to those that have written in with their snacking concerns. This letter comes from Terisa from...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 8)
Apr 5, 2007
snack blog no. 8
Red Vines vs. Twizzlers. As far as I’m concerned, there shouldn’t even be a debate over this issue. Both Red Vines and Twizzlers enjoy a share of the mainstream red licorice twist market and both are good snacks in their own right. However, some people still insist that Hershey’s “Strawberry Flavored” Twizzlers twists should be in the...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 7)
Apr 4, 2007
snack blog no. 7
Current mood: working
Hello Snack Blog readers. I want to alert you to a change in the editorial structure of the Snack Blog. From now on, if you have a comment or question about the blog or about snacking in general, please send it to me as a message on myspace or to my personal email account (seth@fprecord.com) and I will print your question/comment with a ...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 6)
Mar 20, 2007
snack blog no. 6
Current mood: nostalgic
Snackdedote 001 All the news about the new “Skywalk” at the Grand Canyon has brought to mind an important snack memory that has an important lesson for us all. One summer, on a road trip with a couple of friends, I visited the Grand Canyon for the first time. The three of us decided to hike as far into the canyon as...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 5)
Mar 13, 2007
snack blog no. 5
Current mood: blah
New Product Review! As promised, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks trying every variety of Pringles’ new “Select” line of snacks after seeing them at my local CITGO. As far as I know, there are four: Garlic Parmesan, Cinnamon Sweet Potato, Sundried Tomato, and Szechaun Barbecue Rice Chips. The first thing to note is...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 4)
Mar 7, 2007
snack blog no. 4
Sorry for the lull in snackformation lately. Been slackin’ on the snackin’. Forgiveness, please. My blog page tells me that 7 people have viewed my blog today which might be more people than I’ve had meaningful conversations with today. I don’t know about you, but that really puts things in perspective for me. Anyway, let’s get on...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 3)
Feb 24, 2007
snack blog no. 3
Current mood: disappointed
New Product Reviews!!! First up, Zesty Salsa Tortilla Combos. As some of you already know, I’m a big fan of Combos and have made the case for them over the years as being a great all-around snack, and while some varieties are better than others, I’m pretty sure that Pepperoni Pizza Combos are in my all-time top ten, if not...
SBA (Myspace snack blog no. 2)
Feb 23, 2007
snack blog no. 2
Current mood: busy
Ok snackers, here’s a quickie: Snack tip 001: Tired of getting cheesey powder on your fingers from Cheetos and cheese puffs? Use chopsticks for fun and elegance and prove Chester wrong: It IS easy being cheesey! That’s all for now. Tune in later for more tips and stories. Happy snacking, Seth
Snack Blog Archive (Myspace snack blog no. 1)
Feb 21, 2007
snack blog no. 1
Current mood:hopeful
After much deliberation, i’ve decided to start blogging. Not for my own personal gratification, but because i truly believe the blogging community is lacking in accessible, concise writing about a subject that concerns many of us: Snacks and snacking. Those of you who know me know that I have been passionate about snacks for quite a...
