YumSugar

Which Will Win? Red Vines or Twizzlers?

YumSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:01:33 PDT

In addition to being grilled cheese day, this Sunday is also National Red Licorice Day. To help us celebrate, the folks at Red Vines recently sent us a care package of various flavors. The Sugar HQ is actually full of die-hard Twizzler fans, so I decided to see what they thought of my fave Red Vines. I took the three Red Vine flavors - pink strawberry, red cherry and original - and strawberry Twizzlers and put them into unmarked bowls.

I then asked folks to come taste them, and rank them from fave to least fave. With 21 taste testers, the results were more or less split down the middle. However there were a few surprises with the Red Vines strawberry option. To see what happened in our oh-so-scientific taste-test,

read more. To begin, the votes were broken down as follows: 9 for original Red Vines 7 for strawberry Twizzlers 4 for red cherry Red Vines 2 for pink strawberry Red Vines While this wasn't that interesting - nearly split down the middle like I expected - the surprising part was in the comments. Overall, we decided that Twizzlers have a plastic texture, while Red Vines have a rubbery texture. We also learned that if you were a Red Vines fan, then you ranked Twizzlers last, and vice versa. It was the difference in texture that seemed to be what people used as a ranker. Those who grew up with Twizzlers thought it tasted "more authentic" while Red Vines people thought their choice was the real deal. The intriguing part came from the two die-hard Twizzler fans who ranked strawberry Red Vines as favorite. They thought the flavor was great - I thought the two were really close in flavor - and wondered how they could swap their loyalty so easily. To follow up on this, I did a blind-taste test with a few other folks. They agreed that the flavor of the two were quite similar. Yet I was surprised that it received such few votes. Turns out it was the bright pink Barbie color that really threw everyone off. Folks told me they thought it should taste like Starburst, or something "tropical" and a few folks even swore it had to be pink lemonade. In the end, it really comes down to texture, flavor and what you grew up with. What do you think? Have you ever forced yourself to do a licorice taste test? Do you think your results would change?

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Red Vines or Twizzlers?

YumSugar — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:41:33 PST

Today I was meeting a friend for lunch when I realized I didn't have any cash. So I popped into the nearby drugstore to use my ATM card for some cash back. When I usually do this, I end up with a pack of gum, but today something made me grab a pack of Red Vines instead.

I brought them back to the office where we ended up debating the flavor and texture of a Red Vine (thicker, slightly cherry flavored and waxy, like chewy licorice) versus a Twizzler (normally strawberry or cherry flavored and plasticky, like little vinyl shoelaces all twisted together). Now I love almost all candy, so I can appreciate both, however, if I have my choice, it's Red Vines all the way. Not only do I prefer the flavor and texture, but you can use it as a straw and besides, we all know that it's Mr. Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious not Mr. Pibb + Twizzlers...

So, how about you, Red Vines or Twizzlers? Which do you prefer?

Movie Theater Food Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 09:45:00 PST

This holiday season many of us will be flocking to the movies to see the latest and greatest hitting the theaters.

Unfortunately we may not realize that the snacks we are paying WAY too much for have WAY more calories than we may realize. So to help you through, I've broken down some movie theater favorites:

Large Buttered Popcorn (20 cups): 1500 calories, 116g fat, 90g carbs
Hot Dog (1 dog with bun): 305 calories, 4.5g fat, 23g carbs
Nachos with Cheese (large, 4 oz): 1101 calories, 59g fat, 131.5g carbs
Soft Pretzel (large): 483 calories, 4.5g fat, 99g carbs
Cotton Candy (2.5 oz): 300 calories, 0g fat, 74g carbs
Junior Mints (3 oz): 320 calories, 5g fat, 68g carbs

There's lots more, so

read more Milk Duds (3 oz): 340 calories, 12g fat, 56g carbs Sno-Caps (3.1 oz): 360 calories, 16g fat, 60g carbs Raisinets (3.5 oz): 380 calories, 16g fat, 64g carbs Gummi Bears (4 oz): 390 calories, 0g fat, 90g carbs Goobers (3.5 oz): 525 calories, 35g fat, 55g carbs Twizzlers (6 oz): 600 calories, 4g fat, 136g carbs M&M's (5.3 oz): 735 calories, 31.5g fat, 105g carbs Skittles (6.75 oz): 765 calories, 9g fat, 166.5g carbs Reese's Pieces (8 oz): 1200 calories, 60g fat, 138g carbs Starburst (24 pieces): 480 calories, 10.5g fat, 99g carbs Coca-Cola with ice (large, 3 pints, 18.9 fl oz): 353 calories, 0g fat, 88.4g carbs

Have Your Gluten-Free Candy This Halloween and Eat It Too

Heather Dale — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:59:55 PDT

If the candy-lined store shelves didn't give it away, the sweetest annual holiday is just about here - no, not Valentine's Day silly . . . Halloween! For those with celiac disease or a gluten allergy/sensitivity, Halloween can be more of a trick than a treat because deciphering which candies contain traces of the gluten protein found in wheat, rye, and barley can be downright tricky.

Good news my friends. Although most cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and doughnuts are filled with gluten, most candy bars and hard candies are gluten-free (but stay away from Twizzlers, because they surprisingly do contain gluten!). Now I'm not saying you can go crazy next Monday, but when a majority of "fun size" bars are only 100 calories, a little indulging once in a while doesn't hurt. Keep reading to see which candies made the cut for being g-free!

Sugar Babies or Sugar Daddy? Help Us Pick the Best Candy!

YumSugar — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 03:45:00 PDT

Retro candy lovers, help us decide what's better: Sugar Daddy or its progeny, Sugar Babies? Currently, the former is trailing the latter by just one spot in our Best Candy of All Time bracket. Don't agree with the current rankings? Then it's up to you to cast your vote!

From Twizzlers to Red Vines and Crunch to Krackel, we've selected 64 of the most beloved candies, and we need your help to pick the winner! Start by clicking above, and go through the first-round matchups by picking your favorite candy each time. Once you've done that, we'll take your favorites and pair them against each other until there is only one winning candy left. At the end of the month, we'll tally up your votes and crown our ultimate candy. Plus, when you finish voting, you'll have the opportunity to enter to win a year's supply of candy from Dylan's Candy Bar. What are you waiting for? Play now!

Sour Patch Kids Are Ahead of Starburst: Vote in Our Candy Bracket!

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:23:17 PDT

Fruit-flavored candy fiends, tell us: does Starburst deserve to trail Sour Patch Kids? If not, it's up to you to vote for your favorite confections in our Best Candy of All Time bracket!

From Peanut M&M's to Milky Way, and Red Vines to Twizzlers, we've selected 64 of the most beloved candies, and we need your help to pick the winner! Start by clicking above, and go through the first-round matchups by picking your favorite candy each time. Once you've done that, we'll take your favorites and pair them against each other until there is only one winning candy left. At the end of the month, we'll tally up your votes and crown our ultimate candy. Plus, when you finish voting, you'll have the opportunity to enter to win a year's supply of candy from Dylan's Candy Bar. What are you waiting for? Play now!

Will Reese's Pieces Trounce Peanut Butter Cups? Vote in Our Candy Bracket!

YumSugar — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:30:00 PDT

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups vs. Reese's Pieces, M&Ms vs. Skittles, Red Vines vs. Twizzlers - it's a battle for the ages in our Best Candy of All Time Bracket. The beloved peanut butter cups are currently in first place, with peanut M&Ms in fourth and Reese's Pieces a distant 16th. So what are you waiting for? Put your money where your mouth is and vote now in our tournament-style competition to settle the sweet score once and for all.

We've selected 64 of the most beloved candies, so start by clicking below, and go through the first-round matchups by picking your favorite candy each time. Once you've done that, we'll take your favorites and pair them against each other until there is only one winning candy left! Just for playing, you'll be entered to win a year's supply of candy from Dylan's Candy Bar. To enter, complete your bracket and enter your email address by midnight PDT on Friday, Oct. 28. We'll reveal the results on Halloween! Click here for official rules. Play the bracket now!

Trick or Treat: Price Breakdown of 10 Popular Halloween Candies

Anna Monette Roberts — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:36:50 PDT

These days, it seems like you have to break the bank to buy a few bags of Halloween candy for your neighborhood trick-or-treaters. From least to most expensive, we've gathered the most common Halloween candy bags and broken down the price per candy. Do you plan on passing out kid favorites or going for the generic bags?

The Assorted Twizzlers Bag ($5/120 pieces) is a straightforward price of $0.04 per candy.
The Kirkland Signature Sunshine Mixed Candy Bag ($25/530 pieces) offers generic candies for a reasonable $0.05 per candy.
The Skittles and Starburst Fun Size Mix ($12/172) is a great way to taste the rainbow at $0.07 per candy.
The Assorted Jolly Rancher Bag ($10/120 pieces) will cost you a jolly amount of $0.08 per candy.
The Nerds, Laffy Taffy, Sweetarts, and Bottle Caps Wonka Mixup ($25/300 pieces) is a more sweet-than-sour price of $0.08 per candy.

See what organic pops, Reese's, and other favorites will cost you.

What Makes #aGoodBoyfriend?

Tara Sharp — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:50:30 PDT

If you're wondering what makes a good boyfriend, look no further than one of the top Twitter hashtags today: #agoodboyfriend. We were curious about what the Twitter community had to say about the best qualities of a BF, and the tweets ran the gamut from sweet to hilarious. But one thing's for sure, grand gestures aren't always necessary; it's all about the little things that make a good boyfriend (like surprising you with a huge bag of Twizzlers!). See a smattering of our favorite responses below:

#agoodboyfriend will be there in the good and bad times - @YourCutieee
#agoodboyfriend does something really sweet for you randomly. - @JessOliiveiraa
#agoodboyfriend is someone who admits he's wrong when he makes a mistake. - @AHchooBLESSyou
#agoodboyfriend won't change you. - @Luissasays
#agoodboyfriend tells you your pretty even on the days when your looking like sh*t - @michellearthurv
#agoodboyfriend doesn't get jealous when you start talking about about making out with Robert Pattinson - @Alissa_Larson
#agoodboyfriend would go to the store and buy u tampons witout b*tching - @nanagetsitin
#agoodboyfriend always knows when theres something wrong - @iBeatUpSlumpPPl
#AGoodBoyfriend would make me forget that I was having a bad day! - @_Soft_Lips

Do you have any to add?

And don't forget to follow @TresSugar on Twitter! It's another way to get your fix of our smart, sexy, and fun content and see exclusive updates in your Twitter feed! See you there!

Surprising Foods That Contain Gluten

Heather Dale — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:43:15 PDT

For anyone with celiac disease - or an allergy, intolerance, or sensitivity to gluten - the six-letter word "gluten" most likely has a prominent place in their daily conversations. I try my hardest not to be that annoying friend who grills the waiter about every item on the menu. But gluten is no laughing matter, especially if your body can't process it and you are trying to adhere to a gluten-free diet - which is why you need to be armed with the right information before dining out or even going to the grocery store.

A protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, gluten is usually the main ingredient in grain-based products like breads and pastries since it allows flour to rise. When I first went gluten-free, my rule of thumb was this: the doughier the item, the more harmful it is for me. The usual suspects include bread, crackers, cookies, biscuits, breaded meat, croutons, pasta, pizza crust, noodles, muffins, noodles, and cake.

But I have found foods with hidden sources of gluten that I would never have guessed I needed to steer clear from. Find out what some of these foods are.