I'm not typically much on the typical store-bought cookies of any kind. Compared to Subway cookies (my favorite!) they are always dry and rather unsatisfying.
However, on the scale of pre-made cookies you buy in a bag, the Glutino ones are not bad. They are, if anything, a little extra dry, but are probably only a little below average for this kind of cookie. They do have lots of chocolate chips in them, which helps.
My son, who is only 5, likes these just as much as any cookie. But he's 5 and a five-year old loves all cookies. So he's mostly been eating these - he's not gotten the whole "special foods only for big sister" thing yet, so it helps keep the peace.
My daughter is not enamored of the Glutinos, preferring the Wow Lemon Cookies instead, and I don't blame her. The Wow cookies are really quite excellent, although they are quite expensive if you buy them at regular price. They are soft, smell and feel good, and taste really good too. My daughter quite loves her lemon cookies now!
I prefer the Peanut Butter ones - enough so that I find myself buying them instead of "regular" cookies, as long as they are on sale. As my daughter doesn't like PB, I can buy them with the pretense they're for her, but eat them myself. They're not Subway, but they're still awfully good :-) I don't think my wife has realized I've gone through a whole bag already!
They are definitely good but since I have other options, I would probably not buy them >for myself< at regular price. I would be more likely to buy them full price for my daughter, though, as she has limited cookie options that she likes.
I don't know if the brand name is Wow, WOW, Wow! or WOW! But whatever it is, it is a pretty good cookie. As far as cookies deserve a "Wow!" these ones do.
Showing posts with label #review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #review. Show all posts
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Saturday, June 11, 2016
President's Choice Banana Bread vs. Ener-G Banana Loaf
As it turns out, this matchup was not really a fair competition.
The reason is because the Ener-G "Banana Loaf" is not really banana bread. It's more like white sandwich bread that happens to have banana as one of the ingredients.
Having said that:
The PC Banana Bread is pretty good, in our opinion. Nothing wrong with it at all, it tastes just as you'd expect. It's a winner.
The Ener-G Banana Loaf, however, was not. It doesn't taste like anything I've ever tasted before and I would not call it good. My daughter and I each had a couple of halfhearted bites and that was that. I would not recommend this product.
I have not tried any of the other Ener-G products so I do not know how they taste (yet).
Next time we go camping I will definitely be bringing a PC gluten-free banana bread with us.
The reason is because the Ener-G "Banana Loaf" is not really banana bread. It's more like white sandwich bread that happens to have banana as one of the ingredients.
Having said that:
The PC Banana Bread is pretty good, in our opinion. Nothing wrong with it at all, it tastes just as you'd expect. It's a winner.
The Ener-G Banana Loaf, however, was not. It doesn't taste like anything I've ever tasted before and I would not call it good. My daughter and I each had a couple of halfhearted bites and that was that. I would not recommend this product.
I have not tried any of the other Ener-G products so I do not know how they taste (yet).
Next time we go camping I will definitely be bringing a PC gluten-free banana bread with us.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
GF hamburger buns: Care Bakery vs. Udi's white buns
Both of these were available at Co-Op. Both are frozen. You get 4 buns each. The Care buns are larger and taller.
Both were "white" versions. Udi's had a whole grain version but Care did not, and I thought it would be unfair to compare whole grain vs. white. (Normally, we would do whole grain, but fair is fair.)
Test: Thawed but not toasted for daughter; toasted on the BBQ for me. PC Angus burgers with the usual fixins'.
Verdict: They were both quite good, but Udi's edged out Care. My daughter didn't have a preference. To me, the Care was a little spongy.
This was because the Care buns had more air in them, which some might find a plus. And they are bigger and wider than Udi's, though much of this is also air. I would eat Care buns without any real complaints.
Based on results so far, I would say that any family just starting out in gluten-free could probably do worse than start with Udi's bakery products. They are not necessarily the cheapest, but they seem consistently good to us. This might be especially helpful for picky eaters or those already used to a traditional diet.
Both were "white" versions. Udi's had a whole grain version but Care did not, and I thought it would be unfair to compare whole grain vs. white. (Normally, we would do whole grain, but fair is fair.)
Test: Thawed but not toasted for daughter; toasted on the BBQ for me. PC Angus burgers with the usual fixins'.
Verdict: They were both quite good, but Udi's edged out Care. My daughter didn't have a preference. To me, the Care was a little spongy.
This was because the Care buns had more air in them, which some might find a plus. And they are bigger and wider than Udi's, though much of this is also air. I would eat Care buns without any real complaints.
Based on results so far, I would say that any family just starting out in gluten-free could probably do worse than start with Udi's bakery products. They are not necessarily the cheapest, but they seem consistently good to us. This might be especially helpful for picky eaters or those already used to a traditional diet.
Gluten-free bread: Udi's Whole Grain Loaf vs. Glutino Mutigrain
Both of these products are available (frozen) at Superstore.
Test: Slices were warmed until dry in a toaster oven, but not toasted. Nutella and banana for my daughter, turkey, mayo and mustard for me.
Verdict: Near-tie. They are different from each other but both good. My daughter preferred the Udi's, but I actually ate both samples together. I suppose, given a choice, I'd do Udi's, but Glutino would still be perfectly acceptable.
"Whole Grain" aside, the Udi's is a bit more like white bread. The crusts are bit stiff; slices are ever-so-slightly smaller. But it does taste good. A little dry, possibly, or maybe slightly powdery.
The Glutino tasted good as well, but a bit more like corn bread to me. It is a little more grainy after chewing, like fresh corn bread is. (Maybe it is corn bread! I didn't look.) So I would say it tastes closer to 60% whole wheat bread than Udi's. If that's a taste you like, possibly this one is for you.
Udi's was $7 for 340g, Glutino was $6 for 400g. YMMV.
So far that is two hits for Udi's - bread and hot dog buns. It's beat President's Choice (buns) and Glutino (bread). I hope to pick up some alternative hamburger buns to give Udi's another challenge.
Lunch is over, back to work.
Test: Slices were warmed until dry in a toaster oven, but not toasted. Nutella and banana for my daughter, turkey, mayo and mustard for me.
Verdict: Near-tie. They are different from each other but both good. My daughter preferred the Udi's, but I actually ate both samples together. I suppose, given a choice, I'd do Udi's, but Glutino would still be perfectly acceptable.
"Whole Grain" aside, the Udi's is a bit more like white bread. The crusts are bit stiff; slices are ever-so-slightly smaller. But it does taste good. A little dry, possibly, or maybe slightly powdery.
The Glutino tasted good as well, but a bit more like corn bread to me. It is a little more grainy after chewing, like fresh corn bread is. (Maybe it is corn bread! I didn't look.) So I would say it tastes closer to 60% whole wheat bread than Udi's. If that's a taste you like, possibly this one is for you.
Udi's was $7 for 340g, Glutino was $6 for 400g. YMMV.
So far that is two hits for Udi's - bread and hot dog buns. It's beat President's Choice (buns) and Glutino (bread). I hope to pick up some alternative hamburger buns to give Udi's another challenge.
Lunch is over, back to work.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
GF hot dog buns - Udi's vs. President's Choice
See my standard review terms here.
Udi's vs. PC. Both can be purchased at Superstore, so we taste-tested them side by side with Schneider's Naturals hot dogs from the BBQ, plus the usual fixins'. Both bun types were toasted slightly on the grill alongside the hot dogs, because that is what I do. :-) I tried to get them even.
Verdict: Udi's were preferred by everyone. My wife even tried them both and agreed that though the PC version was tolerable, they had a strange consistency. It's hard to pin down, so I won't try, except to say that the "chew" was not quite what we wanted. Even after toasting, the PC buns were just a little mushy.
Alternatively, some might find the whole grain-y taste of the PC buns a bit more appealing. They were more like 60% whole wheat buns in flavor, or at least a bit more than the Udi's. So if you prefer something more like whole wheat buns, maybe the PCs are worth a try.
Notes:
- The Udi's are frozen. They can be a bit slow to thaw and may initially seem unusually hard. However, after thawing and toasting, they were just fine. I doubt anyone would notice them at all if you didn't say anything.
- The Udi's are smaller than the PC. Udi's is about right for a "regular" hot dog. PC will be a bit large, meaning you'll get an initial bite of bun unless you use extra-big franks.
- You get 4 buns in the PC package, 6 in Udi's.
- The PCs will not keep terribly well - they are even worse than traditional fresh buns, and will go hard pretty quick. Fridge storage might help slightly, but I imagine you'd have to freeze them for anything past a couple of days. The Udi's are already frozen so no worries on that front.
Udi's vs. PC. Both can be purchased at Superstore, so we taste-tested them side by side with Schneider's Naturals hot dogs from the BBQ, plus the usual fixins'. Both bun types were toasted slightly on the grill alongside the hot dogs, because that is what I do. :-) I tried to get them even.
Verdict: Udi's were preferred by everyone. My wife even tried them both and agreed that though the PC version was tolerable, they had a strange consistency. It's hard to pin down, so I won't try, except to say that the "chew" was not quite what we wanted. Even after toasting, the PC buns were just a little mushy.
Alternatively, some might find the whole grain-y taste of the PC buns a bit more appealing. They were more like 60% whole wheat buns in flavor, or at least a bit more than the Udi's. So if you prefer something more like whole wheat buns, maybe the PCs are worth a try.
Notes:
- The Udi's are frozen. They can be a bit slow to thaw and may initially seem unusually hard. However, after thawing and toasting, they were just fine. I doubt anyone would notice them at all if you didn't say anything.
- The Udi's are smaller than the PC. Udi's is about right for a "regular" hot dog. PC will be a bit large, meaning you'll get an initial bite of bun unless you use extra-big franks.
- You get 4 buns in the PC package, 6 in Udi's.
- The PCs will not keep terribly well - they are even worse than traditional fresh buns, and will go hard pretty quick. Fridge storage might help slightly, but I imagine you'd have to freeze them for anything past a couple of days. The Udi's are already frozen so no worries on that front.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
GF Pancakes - Bob's Red Mill vs. Bisquick Gluten-Free Baking Mixes
See my standard ground rules for reviews here.
Pancakes are always a favorite with my kids. As we transition to a GF diet, as well as GF camping, I wanted my pancakes. Time to experiment.
A (very) quick trip to the store netted only two mixes:
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Biscuit And Baking Mix (680g)
- Bisquick Gluten Free Variety Baking Mix (454g)
I am aware that Bob's has a dedicated pancake mix; I could not find it for this review.
I am also aware that Bob's "recently" changed their recipe. I do not know if the one we tried was the "old" or "new".
Per a "trick" on the net, I mixed the Bisquick with ONLY the milk and let it sit for 15 minutes before cooking. I did not try it the other way so I don't know if it made a difference or not. If I ever find out, I will try and update.
Verdict: Both my daughter and I preferred the Bisquick mix. The Bob's was by no means bad, but it did have a slightly odd taste that I could not identify. The Bisquick was neutral and had a good consistency; definitely not "heavy" or gritty. If you didn't say anything, I doubt most would identify it as GF.
The Bisquick was rather thick, so I didn't pour it into the pan so much as squash it. But this worked fine and the result was worth it.
Do watch the cakes while they cook. The mix does not bubble well, so it's hard to use that as a guideline. A slightly lower heat might also be in order; you'll have to experiment.
It is an expensive mix, and each box makes perhaps 15 pancakes, as a guess. There are no estimates on the box, which is a pity for comparison shoppers. I'm guessing that's half because it's a multipurpose mix and half because the manufacturer doesn't want you to know how little you're actually getting. (I do not blame them, however - it's up to the consumer to decide if the product is worth it or not.)
Until we find a less expensive mix, I expect this will be our GF go-to for pancakes from now on.
Pancakes are always a favorite with my kids. As we transition to a GF diet, as well as GF camping, I wanted my pancakes. Time to experiment.
A (very) quick trip to the store netted only two mixes:
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Biscuit And Baking Mix (680g)
- Bisquick Gluten Free Variety Baking Mix (454g)
I am aware that Bob's has a dedicated pancake mix; I could not find it for this review.
I am also aware that Bob's "recently" changed their recipe. I do not know if the one we tried was the "old" or "new".
Per a "trick" on the net, I mixed the Bisquick with ONLY the milk and let it sit for 15 minutes before cooking. I did not try it the other way so I don't know if it made a difference or not. If I ever find out, I will try and update.
Verdict: Both my daughter and I preferred the Bisquick mix. The Bob's was by no means bad, but it did have a slightly odd taste that I could not identify. The Bisquick was neutral and had a good consistency; definitely not "heavy" or gritty. If you didn't say anything, I doubt most would identify it as GF.
The Bisquick was rather thick, so I didn't pour it into the pan so much as squash it. But this worked fine and the result was worth it.
Do watch the cakes while they cook. The mix does not bubble well, so it's hard to use that as a guideline. A slightly lower heat might also be in order; you'll have to experiment.
It is an expensive mix, and each box makes perhaps 15 pancakes, as a guess. There are no estimates on the box, which is a pity for comparison shoppers. I'm guessing that's half because it's a multipurpose mix and half because the manufacturer doesn't want you to know how little you're actually getting. (I do not blame them, however - it's up to the consumer to decide if the product is worth it or not.)
Until we find a less expensive mix, I expect this will be our GF go-to for pancakes from now on.
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