FAST FOOD NEWS: McDonald’s Bacon & White Cheddar McMuffin

Marvo 4 Comments

McDonald's Bacon & White Cheddar McMuffin

Impulsive Buy reader and Chicagoan, Brad, sent us a photo of this breakfast sandwich McDonald’s is testing. As you can see, it features the freshly cracked egg and toasted English muffin that comes with most McMuffins, but it also has a slice of white cheddar and slices of Applewood smoked bacon.

It’s surprising there currently isn’t a Bacon Egg McMuffin on the McDonald’s breakfast menu. But in other countries, like Canada, Australia, and the U.K., a Bacon & Egg McMuffin is offered.

If you’ve tried it, let us know what you think of it in the comments.

REVIEW: Cheez-It Extra Toasty Crackers

Vin 42 Comments

Cheez-It and I have been on bad terms lately.

I recently tried their Crunch’d cheese puffs and they were a 3 out of 10 at best. Horrendous. They tasted like cheese flavored Cap’n Crunch. No bueno. It’s time for Cheez-It to win me back.

Sunshine, the maker of Cheez-It, have apparently been getting bombarded with requests for an “extra toasty” flavor of their flagship cracker. Now look, I’m not saying Sunshine is lying about the claim, but I would have never considered “extra toasty” a “flavor.” Maybe I should have.

I realized as I was eating these Cheez-Its that I love toasty and burnt snacks. This notion never dawned on me until that very moment. I love extra dark pretzels. I like that one over-browned Saltine in the sleeve, burnt chocolate chip cookies, and that one extra crispy French fry at the bottom of the bag. I even order my pizza “well done” so the crust is burnt and crispy. The people who were requesting extra toasty Cheez-Its were definitely on to something, and Sunshine delivered.

Extra Toasty Cheez-Its are friggin’ delicious. These are one of the most satisfying salty snacks I’ve had in a long time. In my opinion, they’ve improved on the regular ones in just about every way possible. I’m not positive the difference will blow everyone away, but I don’t see any reason to ever go back to the regular variety. If Cheez-Its were a Hollywood movie, these would be the ever-so-popular dark, gritty reboot of the outdated original that didn’t quite hold up over the years. These extra toasty ones are just flat better. Get with the times.

Cheez-Its always did the cheddar flavor right. It doesn’t overpowering you with the artificial stuff that other brands go overboard with, and these keep that family tradition alive with 100% real cheese. That being said, the “cheez” flavor wasn’t even really the star of the show for me, it was the flakey crunch of the extra toasty cracker itself. Add the perfectly complementing salt element on each piece, and they really hit a home run here. There’s a perfect balance happening. After every bite I wanted to yell “Toastttty” like that random dude who used to pop his head into Mortal Kombat levels…too obscure?

The aftertaste is pleasant as well. The flavor doesn’t dilute at all after you swallow. In fact, that might be a problem to some because it’s addictive, and you’ll want to just keep shoveling more of these down for the crunch factor.

As much as I wanted to give these a perfect ten, there is a bit of a grease factor. These would fall somewhere between Goldfish and potato chips on the grease scale. I noticed the paper plate I was eating off of was almost translucent once I finished.

I guess I should also warn you that the salt was pretty excessive here. That was not even remotely a problem for me, but I could understand it being a turnoff for some.

So, basically, my one complaint about the Extra Toasty Cheez-Its is that I wanted to finish the box in one sitting, but couldn’t thanks to a bit of heartburn. But I probably could have powered through it if I wanted to, so that’s not even a strong complaint.

If I learned one thing from eating these, it’s that “toasty” should absolutely be the new trendy “flavor.” More brands need to embrace this. I want burnt Ritz. Burnt potato and tortilla chips. Burnt Goldfish. Take your recipe and add an addition 5-10 minutes of baking time, slap a new name on the box and you’ve got yourself a sale. I have become a food pyro.

My hat goes off to Cheez-It for changing the cracker game, and for making the decision to put the hyphen in their name after the “Z.” No matter how good these tasted, I would have never bought a snack called “Chee-Zit.”

(Nutrition Facts – 27 crackers – 150 calories, 70 calories from fat, 8 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.)

Item: Cheez-It Extra Toasty Crackers
Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 12.4 oz. box
Purchased at: Stop & Shop
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Toasty is the new Orange is the New Black. Perfect flavor harmony. Flakey crunch. Crazy addictive. Proper hyphen usage. Fan requests. Mortal Kombat’s “Toasty” guy.
Cons: Greasy. Might need a Tums handy. Food pyros. Cheese flavored Cap’n Crunch.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Duncan Hines Perfect Size (Lemon Bliss and Chocolate Lover’s)

Marvo 17 Comments

Duncan Hines Perfect Size (Lemon Bliss and Chocolate Lover's)

Is it the perfect size, Duncan Hines? Is it REALLY the perfect size? (Spotted by Erika at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you’re wondering if we’ve already covered something, search our Flickr photos or use the Google Search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 6/12/2015

Marvo 4 Comments

Here are some interesting new and limited edition products found on store shelves by us and your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Adams Ice Cream (Adams Best Vanilla, Cookie Dough, and Pecan Pie)

Adams Ice Cream (Adams Best Vanilla, Cookie Dough, and Pecan Pie)

Adams has been around for over 100 years. Their ice cream has been around for less than 100 days. (Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

AMP Energy (Strawberry Limeade, Passion Fruit, and Zero Watermelon)

AMP Energy (Strawberry Limeade, Passion Fruit, and Zero Watermelon)

I haven’t tried them, but my gut tells me the passion fruit and watermelon flavors won’t be around next year. If I’m wrong I will drink them both…warm. (Spotted by Carla at 7-Eleven.)

Perrier L'Orange Mineral Water

Perrier L’Orange Mineral Water

I’ve just spent the last three minutes saying, “L’Orange” in a French accent. It’s fun! You should try it! (Spotted by The Groove Machine at Schuncks.)

Land O Lakes European Style Super Premium Butter

Land O Lakes European Style Super Premium Butter

If you’re wondering what “European-Style” butter is, here you go! (Spotted by Erin at Target.)

Entenmann's Seasonal Favorites S'mores Little Bites

Entenmann’s Seasonal Favorites S’mores Little Bites

Entenmann's Limited Edition Wild Berry Danish Twist

Entenmann’s Limited Edition Wild Berry Danish Twist

Oh, Entenmann’s! So many products that look like your other products. (Spotted by Marissa at Walmart and Debra at Stop & Shop.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

Also, if you’re wondering if we’ve already covered something, search our Flickr photos or use the Google Search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Limited Edition Chili Sauce with Beef & Cheddar Hot Pockets

Marvo 3 Comments

Limited Edition Chili Sauce with Beef & Cheddar Hot Pockets

That cornbread crust sure looks tortilla thin. (Spotted by Josh C. at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Also, if you’re wondering if we’ve already covered something, search our Flickr photos or use the Google Search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.