The crispy crackle of organic brown rice, quinoa, and sesame and flax seeds in Mary’s Gone Crackers pleased us — and surprised us, given the fact that these thin nibbles contain no gluten or wheat. They’re also low-calorie (fewer than 10 calories per cracker) and low-fat. They taste great alone, but will also add a healthful, complementary note to cheese platters. A 6.5-ounce box of original or caraway flavor costs $3.40-$4.60 at select grocers.
Butter booster
Clearbrook Farms Fruit Butters have a velvety texture and bright flavors. We enjoyed them on bread, but they’ll work equally well on sweet or savory items — from poundcake to poultry. Several flavors are offered; our favorites were pear and peach (and the only flavor we didn’t like: the baby-food-flavor of the pumpkin). A 7.5-ounce jar costs $2.30-$3 at select grocers.
Low-carb crunch
Low-carb dieters who’ve been shunning regular potato chips might find a friend in sweet potato chips from Jays Foods Inc., makers of Jays potato chips. Sweet Baby Jays sweet potato chips are sold under the Jays Krunchers! label and are low in carbohydrates and, like the regular chips in the Jays line, are trans fat free. They’re available in unsalted and mesquite flavors. The chips have a nice crunch to them and, of course, have a sweet taste. You won’t miss the salt in the unsalted variety, and the mesquite-flavored has a pleasant blend of sweet and smoky. They’re available in three sizes: .75-ounce (25 cents), 2.25-ounce (99 cents) and 8.5-ounces ($3.29.) Look for them at your local grocer, or order online at www.jaysfoods.com.
Mashed potatoes in a bottle
Jones Soda Co. takes the idea of a liquid diet to a new low. How does Green Bean Casserole Soda strike you (right)? And how about an aggressively buttery-smelling Mashed Potato Soda?
Even the creators of the fizzy concoctions at this small Seattle soda company can hardly stomach the stuff. But last year’s unexpected success of the Turkey & Gravy Soda means another round of bizarre food-flavored soft drinks. As an added bonus — they’re calorie-free.
This year Jones plans to produce up to 15,000 five-packs of the 12-ounce bottles, which come complete with utensils (a straw and a toothpick). The sodas may not be as satisfying as a real holiday meal, but they can boast being both calorie- and carb-free, not to mention vegan and kosher.
They’ll be on sale at some Target Corp. stores throughout the country, and at other retailers, for between $14.95 and $16.95, with proceeds benefiting Toys for Tots.
Juice for grown-ups
The Izze Beverage Co. of Boulder, Colo., makes very adult, all-natural, no-sugar-added, sparkling fruit drinks that come in pleasing flavors: blueberry, blackberry, pear, lemon and grapefruit — and let’s not forget clementine, our favorite.
About $4.59 for a four-pack of 12-ounce bottles. Available at Whole Foods and Target stores; sold individually at some Starbucks locations for $1.29.
Chili approval
We’re not fans of canned stews and chilies, but Bush’s Homestyle Chili earned across-the-board praise for its solid flavor, light spark of heat and fresh, well-seasoned ground beef and good textured beans. We tried the original beef with beans; also offered are a beef chili without beans, chunky beef chili with beans, and hot beef chili with beans. A 15- ounce jar costs $2.25-$2.80 at Cub Foods, Sunset Foods, Treasure Island and online at peapod.com.
Pushing for coffee
Hamilton Beach’s Brew Station looked like just another gimmick — it dispenses coffee like convenience-store soda machines. We were pleased with the quiet brewing, the coffee’s quality, and the removable bucket that makes it easy to fill the 12-cup capacity machine. It’s available in black or white for $50-$60 at Sears, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target and online at cooking.com.
Fizzy for Santa
It’s fizzy, almost red and flavored with cinnamon and ginger. It’s Pepsi Holiday Spice, available only until early January. Not only is it the first Pepsi product tied to the holiday season, a Pepsi spokesman said, it’s also the first one intended for limited-time release.
We’d describe Pepsi Holiday Spice’s flavor as, umm, interesting. Needs rum. Check out the recipes for using it in cakes, cookies and a glaze on the Pepsi Web site at www.Pepsi.com.
Slick chick’s tricks
Hungry Girl: Tips & Tricks for Hungry Chicks, at www.Hungry-Girl.com, invites users to sign up for free daily e-mails of attitudinal dieting tips, food news and product information.
It’s the creation of ex-Warner Bros. and Nickelodeon executive Lisa Lillien, a 30-something Los Angeles food lover who lost 30 pounds three years ago and keeps it off by making smart eating choices — and exercising like crazy. As Hungry Girl, she dishes about the best and worst bets on the menus of your favorite casual-dining restaurants, tips readers to diet-friendly products coming to stores and does side-by-side comparisons of everyday products from hot cocoa mixes to snack crackers.
Secrets revealed
Ever wonder how professional chefs and cookbook authors make food look and taste so good? A new book reveals some of the answers. Chef’s Secrets: Insider Techniques From Today’s Culinary Masters (Quirk Books, $16.95) answers both big questions, such as how to make a flawless omelet, and small, such as how to detach a stuck cheese wrapper.
Look for it in bookstores and among online booksellers.
Shortbread heaven
When we first tasted Miss Fran’s shortbread cookies (above) a few years back, we fell in love with the handmade, buttery-rich, soft-as-a-cloud cookies based on a family recipe. Now they’re getting an extra layer of indulgence with a dip in milk, dark or white Belgian chocolate (the latter coats lemon-flavored cookies). A package of about 20 cookies costs $10-$11 at select grocers.
Sweet addition
Karo Corn Syrup, which has been sweetening recipes for more than 100 years, has a new product in its lineup. The company has introduced a corn syrup with brown sugar that is perfect for glazing meats and enhancing the flavor of desserts.
Karo Corn Syrup With Real Brown Sugar sells for about $2.40 and comes in a 16-ounce squeezable plastic bottle.
Ready to roast
Imagine a frozen turkey that doesn’t have to be defrosted or cleaned before roasting.
Sometimes dreams do come true. Jennie-O Turkey Store, a subsidiary of Hormel Foods, has developed a method that lets you take the turkey directly to the oven from the freezer.
The turkeys are available in grocery stores nationwide for about $2 a pound. For more information, visit www.jennieoturkeystore.com.
Thoughtful brews
Millstone began selling its Signature Collection of environmentally friendly coffees online last year; now the brews are available in stores. We enjoyed Rainforest Reserve, a mellow and pleasant medium-dark roast that has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance, and Mountain Moonlight, an organic, slightly floral medium-roast brew that’s Fair Trade Certified. Each 10-ounce bag of whole beans costs $8.60-$9 at select grocers and millstone.com.
Chocolate with a twist
Tasters loved all three flavors of Guylian Twists: milk chocolate with truffle filling; dark chocolate with orange cream, and a blend of milk, dark and white chocolate with hazelnut praline. The Belgian chocolates are shaped like sea horses, and not just for aesthetic reasons: A portion of the profits benefits Project Seahorse, a nonprofit effort to conserve habitats of the endangered fish. Each 4.3-ounce package of 16-18 chocolates costs about $4 at select grocers.
Spud savvy
Peeler Pal (right) has one of those “as seen on TV”-like names that we tend to avoid, but it earned approval in the test kitchen for folks who aren’t handy when it comes to peeling spuds. The rod is inserted in the base of a potato, keeping the holding hand away from the sharp peeler. (It works on other fruits and veggies, too, such as apples.) Both items are dishwasher-safe — though we prefer to wash blades by hand. It costs $5 in the produce section at select grocers or for $3.99-$4.99 online at www.peelerpal.com.
Taking stock of the blue chip market
Blue corn tortilla chips, which continue to solidify their presence in the snack aisles, are no gimmick. The chips are made from blue corn, a variety associated with the Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest, according to gourmetsleuth.com. In addition to their deep color, which we found in our tasting ranged from brown to purplish-black, blue corn chips tend to be thicker — all the easier to load up on guacamole and salsa.
We found 10 brands, with the greatest selection in natural foods stores. Our six tasters were looking for a good corn flavor and crispy texture. We mixed a variety of types in this tasting: fried, baked, organic, low-salt.
Products are scored on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being highest. Prices are based on what we paid for them at the supermarket and may reflect sales or discounts from frequent-shopper cards. At right are the winners, with tasters’ comments. The remaining chips are listed in order of finish.
And the winners are...
1. 365 Organic Lightly Salted (6.3 points. 10-ounce bag, $1.99; 20 cents per ounce). “Decent corn flavor with buttery overtones.” “Great crunch!” “Good flavor but needs more salt.”
2. Frontera (6.2 points. 10-ounce bag, $2; 20 cents per ounce). “Rich flavor; satisfying.” “Corny goodness, with excellent balance between corn and salt.” “Relatively good snap but tastes flat.”
3. Bearitos (5.7 points. 16-ounce bag, $3.39; 21 cents per ounce). “Mild corn and tortilla flavor; good salt level.” “Deep finish, very pleasing but too salty.” “Not as crisp as some.”
4. (tie) Fit & Active (baked chips from Aldi); Garden of Eatin’ No Salt Added (5.5 points)
5. (tie) Kettle, Tostitos Natural (5.4)
6. Wild Oats Natural (3.8)
7. Guiltless Gourmet (3.5)
8. Trader Joe’s Low-Fat (3.1)
Drink your chocolate
Two new varieties of Schokinag Drinking Chocolate — dulce de leche with its caramel boost and chocolate mocha’s coffee kick — delighted us with their luscious, intense (and yes, decidedly upscale) flavors, courtesy of real chocolate and all-natural ingredients. The indulgence is matched by ease of preparation: Just stir in milk, then microwave. They can be used in baking and cooking too. Each 12-ounce canister contains 8 servings and costs $10.70-$14 at select markets and online at amazon.com.
All-American heritage
John T. Edge captures two classic dishes from the American kitchen in “Apple Pie” and “Fried Chicken” (G.P. Putnam, $18.95 each). The subtitle for each is appropriately “An American Story.” The books read like travelogues as Edge uncovers myriad variations of each dish from region to region. Example: Green with Chile Envy Pie from 78-year-old Scot Robinson, aka Señor Pie, of Albuquerque. The books are sold at some Barnes & Noble bookstores and online at amazon.com.
Sweet compromise
We tend to be skeptical about baking with sugar substitutes, but Equal Sugar Lite (right), a blend of regular sugar with the no-calorie sweetener, offers a compromise. We made two batches of sugar cookies, one with regular sugar, another with Sugar Lite: The latter were sweeter, but more important, the texture was not sacrificed. It has half the calories (8 per teaspoon) of granulated. A 17.6-ounce bag costs $4.20; a 35.2-ounce bag is about $7 at most grocers.
Miniature cucumbers are here
Baby vegetables — artichokes, peppers, zucchini, patty pan squash, beets, celery, little leafy greens — are the stars on many high-end restaurant menus, and now they’re finding their way to many supermarkets.
The finger-sized cucumbers are about 2- to 3-inches long and half an inch in diameter. They have thin, light green skins with lighter green stripes. Their tender, thin skins do not need to be peeled before eating.
The vegetable is grown in the Dominican Republic and shipped by Morari Specialties, a Miami grower and shipper of specialty vegetables.
Add to pasta, tuna and chicken; toss into salads, or quarter them lengthwise and put them on a sandwich. They’re also great for dipping.
Out of that? Use this
McCormick Spices offers these suggestions for quick flavor substitutes:
• You can substitute 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder for 1 medium-sized clove of garlic or 3 tablespoons dried minced onion or 2-1/2 teaspoons onion powder for 1/2 cup chopped onion.
• When baking, if you need 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel or 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel, you can substitute 1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract, respectively.
• If you need 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, you can use 3/4 teaspoon ground sage plus 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme.
For more information, visit www.mccormick.com.
Cuckoo for hot cocoa
There are a lot of chichi hot cocoa mixes on the market. But confection maker Tiny Trapeze of Hyde Park, Mass., has a new hot cocoa kit that includes a 9.5-ounce bag of not overly sweet malted Valhrona cocoa mix as well as a bag of eight hand-cut, snowflake-shaped, vanilla-flavored marshmallows to float on top.
Six-serving package of Malted Hot Cocoa With Snowflake Marshmallows costs $19.95 plus shipping; available by mail order only. Call (800) 844-8469 or see www.tinytrapeze.com.
