taste-test

taste test

Taste Test: Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino

"What is that stuff?"

"What is that stuff?" I asked the barista, eyeing the dark tan mixture he poured into my Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino.

"I don't really know," he responded. As if to explain, he added, "I just got back from a two-week vacation, so I'm kind of out of it. And this is our first day making this drink."

I watched with both curiosity and suspicion as he followed the tan liquid with a more-than-generous drizzle of caramel and a shower of toffee-colored bits. I'd stopped into my neighborhood Starbucks to check out the new offering, released today — the first new Frappuccino flavor in a year — but after watching two being made, I still wasn't sure what was going into the drink.

Keep reading to learn more about the Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino.

Cocktails

Set Aside Neon Bottles For These Lesser-Evil Margarita Mixes

Remember drinking the neon-green margarita mix at college parties?

Remember drinking the neon-green margarita mix at college parties? It's hard to know exactly what scary sweeteners and artificial flavors filled those plastic bottles! Thankfully, there's been a bumper crop of newer options made with lime juice and real sugar. In an effort to find actually good margarita mixes, we picked up five finer options (all available at BevMo) so you can throw a fancy fiesta with margaritas that are convenient to make, yet also deliver in the flavor department.

taste test

Taste Test: McDonald's New Egg White Delight McMuffin

McDonald's Egg White Delight McMuffin (left) and Egg McMuffin (right) I take whole milk (or even half-and-half) in my tea and have been known to add an extra yolk to my morning scramble, so to say that I'm not the intended demographic for the latest McDonald's offering — the Egg White Delight McMuffin — is an understatement.

McDonald's Egg White Delight McMuffin (left) and Egg McMuffin (right)

I take whole milk (or even half-and-half) in my tea and have been known to add an extra yolk to my morning scramble, so to say that I'm not the intended demographic for the latest McDonald's offering — the Egg White Delight McMuffin — is an understatement. Still, I tried to put my bias aside. I snapped up the Gabby Douglas-endorsed breakfast sandwich and sat down with our food team to see if it stacks up to the beloved original. Thanks to a swap of egg whites for the original griddled egg, the Egg White Delight McMuffin has 50 calories fewer and nearly half the fat of its classic counterpart. There's one other subtle substitution — white cheddar instead of American cheese — but the new option is otherwise unchanged.

Though McDonald's has found itself at the center of egg controversy in recent years, the star of the McMuffin is undoubtedly still the egg. How would a switch-up in the sandwich's standout ingredient, we wondered, affect the chain's bestselling breakfast sandwich? Keep reading for the answer and to find out which McMuffin we'd pick.

Vegan

Chipotle's New Vegan Sofritas: Tofu or Snafu?

While it's always been easy for vegetarians and vegans to order at Chipotle, the burrito chain has rolled out yet another meat-free option to pilot locations in Northern California: Sofritas, shredded Hodo Soy tofu marinated in a spicy sauce made from chipotle chiles, roasted poblanos, and Mexican spices.

While it's always been easy for vegetarians and vegans to order at Chipotle, the burrito chain has rolled out yet another meat-free option to pilot locations in Northern California: Sofritas, shredded Hodo Soy tofu marinated in a spicy sauce made from chipotle chiles, roasted poblanos, and Mexican spices. Being fans of both Chipotle and Hodo Soy tofu, an Oakland-based brand that stocks the restaurants with the soy product, we tried Sofritas for ourselves. See if it's worth ordering.

taste test

Vampires Begone! Taste Testing Lay's Roasted Garlic and Sea Salt Chips

The question: can a mass-market potato chip capture the much-beloved earthy, caramelized sweetness of roasted garlic without verging on cloying, burnt, or worse?

The question: can a mass-market potato chip capture the much-beloved earthy, caramelized sweetness of roasted garlic without verging on cloying, burnt, or worse? As I ripped into a bag of Lay's latest offering — Wavy Lay's Roasted Garlic and Sea Salt Chips — I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but as soon as a crisp chip crunched between my teeth I knew we had a winner on our hands. Just to be sure I wasn't biased — I'm an unabashed garlic fan, often doubling up on the fragrant allium in recipes — I set out a bowl to share with my office mates to see if they'd agree.  

Find out the results.

taste test

Taste Test: Pringles Stix

Pringles . . . in stick form?

Pringles . . . in stick form? With the relaunch of Pringles Stix ($3) in Pizza, Cheese, and Honey Butter flavors, many in our office scoffed at the unfamiliar shape and wondered how the Pringles Stix fared compared to the company's famed flaky chips. However, the experience and flavors of the sticks weren't what we anticipated. Keep reading to see our tasting notes and rating.

Pringles Pizza Stix

Our tasters sang praises for this pizza flavor. Described as packing plenty of pizza-like flavors, one taster even ventured to say, "I want to go back in time so my mom can pack these in my lunch box." Another likened the sticks to Italian cheesy bread topped with plenty of basil and oregano.

Tasters' average rating:


See the other flavors.

taste test

Sweet Treats From Japan: How Do They Fare?

Step into any Asian supermarket and you'll be greeted by shelf after shelf of enticingly packaged Japanese candies.

Step into any Asian supermarket and you'll be greeted by shelf after shelf of enticingly packaged Japanese candies. Great, right? Well, despite our love for the category, the vast variety can be, at times, a bit overwhelming. So in the interest of separating the kawaii ("cute" in Japanese) from the catastrophic, we're tasting our way through the panoply of Japanese sweets available stateside.

party planning

22 Cold Ones Worth Cracking Open This Afternoon

Last month we celebrated an unofficial — but hardly insignificant — food holiday: beer month.

Last month we celebrated an unofficial — but hardly insignificant — food holiday: beer month. In its honor (and, OK, partially just for fun) we sipped our way through a legion of frothy brews, buffed up on brewing knowledge, and added a splash (or more) to our favorite dishes. In the process we discovered — and revisited — a variety of brews ranging from bold and boisterous to crisp and refreshing; click through for our top picks, and share yours in the comments.

— Additional reporting by Anna Monette Roberts

Spring

We Tasted 10 Chocolate Easter Bunnies So You Don't Have To

Chocolate Easter bunnies, while adorable, are often more style than substance and are perhaps best suited to those of the age who still believe in the critter after which they're modeled.

Chocolate Easter bunnies, while adorable, are often more style than substance and are perhaps best suited to those of the age who still believe in the critter after which they're modeled. Still, ever curious, we set out to tackle the somewhat-daunting task of sampling the gamut of options available to see if any could pass muster with our slightly more sophisticated palates.

To keep the playing field even, we stuck to milk chocolate bunnies available at our local Target — no dark chocolate, novel flavors, or fancy-pants mail-order bunnies need apply. Keep reading to find which bunny reigns (relatively) supreme; we'll start with the most offensive and go from there.

taste test

Taste Test: Vanilla Créme Peeps

Neon pink stalks of rhubarb and sweet and snappy peas may be nature's cue that Spring has sprung, but I don't quite process the transition until I've sunk my teeth into my first sugar-crusted Peep of the season.

Neon pink stalks of rhubarb and sweet and snappy peas may be nature's cue that Spring has sprung, but I don't quite process the transition until I've sunk my teeth into my first sugar-crusted Peep of the season. Sure, Just Born has branched out with seasonal variations as of late — we were particularly fond of a gingerbread iteration that debuted this Winter — but it's a tall order to top the classic that I, like many, grew up with. Now, without giving too much away, I'd argue that they've done just that with their latest offering: a confetti-bedecked Vanilla Créme Peep to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary.

Keep reading to learn what makes these confections shine.