The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW LIGHTNING ROUND – Dr Pepper Gum, Doritos Ranch Hot Wings Jacked, Tostitos Cantina & BK Loaded Tots

April 9, 2013April 30, 2021 Marvo 1 Comment

Here are some quick reviews of new-ish products we’re too lazy to write full reviews for:

Item: Wrigley’s Hubba Bubba Dr Pepper Bubble Gum
Purchased Price: $1.49
Size: 5 pieces
Purchased at: Walgreens
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Tastes almost like Dr Pepper. Soft chew when it has flavor. Flavor lasts for a few minutes. If I had the ability, I could blow bubbles the size of my head with this gum. Sweetened using sugar, corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners.
Cons: My inability to blow bubble gum bubbles bigger than my fist (I have small fists). Only five pieces. Not a soft chew after the flavor goes away; it gives my jaw a low impact workout. I feel like I need to brush my teeth after chewing it.
Nutrition Facts: N/A
Other reviews: TV and Gum Are Awesome

Item: Doritos Jacked Ranch Dipped Hot Wings
Purchased Price: $3.50 (on sale)
Size: 10 oz. bag
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Pleasing tangy hot wing sauce flavor with a bit of creaminess. There’s a slight chicken flavor thanks to the ingredient chicken fat. Hearty crunch. Huge chips. New Doritos logo.
Cons: Red hue makes them look evil, but they aren’t very hot. Not as addictive as most other Doritos varieties. Smelling them will burn nostrils, just like real hot wings. Not for MSG haters.
Nutrition Facts: 1 oz. – 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 290 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.
Other reviews: Junk Food Guy, Brand Eating, Chip Review

Item: Tostitos Cantina Thin & Crispy Tortilla Chips
Purchased Price: $3.00 (on sale)
Size: 9 oz. bag
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Tastes like other Tostitos tortilla chips. Simple ingredients. Crispy. With some Corona beers and these chips, you could make your Taco Bell meal seem like it’s from a cantina.
Cons: Tastes like other Tostitos tortilla chips. Too fragile for thicker salsas.
Nutrition Facts: 1 oz. – 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 110 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.
Other reviews: Spoil Your Dinner

Item: Burger King Loaded Tater Tots
Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 8 pieces
Purchased at: Burger King
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: At times, it kind of tastes like a loaded baked potato. Slightly crunchy exterior. Longer than BK’s Cheesy Tots. Better than Burger King’s fries. Available in 8, 10, or 12 pieces. BK’s changing menu.
Cons: Not a lot of bacon flavor and can’t taste the bacon at all in some tots. Light cheese flavor. Potatoes inside looked more like mashed potatoes than tater tots. Not as satisfying as BK’s Cheesy Tots. Made with partially hydrogenated oil.
Nutrition Facts: 380 calories, 22 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 640 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.
Other reviews: Junk Food Betty, Brand Eating

REVIEW: Katy’s Kettle Corn Popchips

April 9, 2013December 24, 2020 Marvo 6 Comments

It’s surprising Katy Perry’s likeness isn’t printed on every bag of her Katy’s Kettle Corn Popchips. I’m also stunned Popchips didn’t name the chips Katy’s Kettle Korn, which would’ve created a wonderful visual alliteratio…oh wait, KKK. Never mind.

I’ll never know why Popchips and/or Katy Perry decided to leave Ms. Perry’s curvy body off the bag, but I wish it was on there because I really need a visual palate cleaner, if you will, to remove the image in my head of Larry the Cable Guy’s curvy body on his chip bags.

The list of ingredients that make up Katy’s Kettle Corn Popchips are as simple as the lyrics to Perry’s “California Gurls.” But instead of lots oooooh oh ooooohs, these chips are made of whole grain corn; sunflower, safflower and or canola oil; sugar; salt; and natural flavors.

However, while California Gurl’s hooks are catchy, will forever take up some gray matter in my head, and will occasionally come out of my mouth while washing a car, I can’t say the same about the flavor of Ms. Perry’s Popchips.

Well, actually, there is a memorable moment, but it’s fleeting. It starts once I put one of these chips in my mouth and ends by the second or third chew. What I experience during these milliseconds is a pleasing mostly sweet and slightly salty fusion. However, that flavor quickly dissipates and my taste buds are left with a rice cake-like blandness that makes them feel like they’re on a flavor roller coaster and also wonder, “Is Popchips trying to trick us into a diet?”

Yes, basically, much like Ms. Perry’s marriage to Russell Brand, the flavor ended quickly.

Also, these kettle corn-flavored Popchips don’t appear to be as appetizing as Popchips’ potato and tortilla varieties. They look like…um, how can I say this using a reference from the 1980s that’ll force some of you to use Google, Wikipedia, or IMDB to know what I’m writing about? Oh, I know. They have a texture that’s much like the skin of Alex’s navigator, Grig, in The Last Starfighter.

However, these chips do have a hearty crunch to them. So if you’re one of those people who likes to annoy others by chewing with your mouth open, these chips will help boost the sound of your masticating. They also have no preservatives, artificial flavors, or artificial colors. So if you’re one of those people who likes to annoy others by being smug about the all-natural foods you eat, these chips will help boost your pontificating.

Overall, I guess you could say I didn’t like Katy’s Kettle Corn Popchips as much as Ms. Perry liked kissing a girl.

(Nutrition Facts – 28 grams/about 16 chips – 130 calories, 35 calories from fat, 4 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 grams of polyunsaturated fat, 3.2 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Item: Katy’s Kettle Corn Popchips
Purchased Price: $3.00 (on sale)
Size: 3.5 ounces
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Pleasant sweet and salty flavor. All-natural. No saturated or trans fat. Great crunch. The way Popchips are made. The Last Starfighter.
Cons: Sweet and salty flavor doesn’t last long. Doesn’t look as appetizing as other varieties of Popchips. Not having a Last Starfighter sequel when the movie totally set one up.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 4/8/2013

April 8, 2013December 24, 2020 Marvo 11 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.

Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. While the cat’s away the mice will make their own Twinkies. (Spotted by Ruben & Heather at Walmart.)

Do my eyes deceive me or are tortilla chips a topping on the Red Baron Mexican Style Pizza? (Spotted by Troy at Target.)

Oh snap! Kellogg’s got crackin’ and popped out some new Rice Krispies Treats flavors. (Spotted by Charmi at Foodland.)

Nothing excites the grocery store junkie in me more than a limited edition bread variety. Oh wait. I take that back. Limited edition canned beans would excite me more. (Spotted by Kelcey at Target.)

I don’t know what it is, but something ain’t right about baked goods that taste like other baked goods. (Spotted by Leah at Walmart.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf (or really unusual), snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Donuts Old Fashioned Butter Pecan Iced Coffee

April 8, 2013December 24, 2020 Adam 4 Comments

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always struggled with walking into Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s not that I’m drunk and end up stumbling into glass doors or anything like that, but rather, it’s the unfortunate predisposition I have to being both very, very indecisive, as well as having insatiable cravings for the kinds of things that keep dentists working overtime.

Never mind the fact that Dunkin’ Donuts presents me with a sugary catalogue filled with fried dough in all shapes and sizes, but I oftentimes find myself in a Dunkin’ that shares their space with the 31 flavors of Baskin-Robbins.

What starts out as a late afternoon coffee pick-me-up can easily turn into three scoops of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, followed by the inevitable and actual physical struggle of walking out of Dunkin’ Donuts thanks to a sugar high not seen since that fat kid in Matilda ate that whole chocolate cake.

The way I see it, the new Baskin-Robbins-inspired iced coffee flavors from Dunkin’ are, or at least should be, the ideal way to kill two birds with one stone and get both my coffee kick and ice cream sugar fix (as for working donut ingestion into that mix, I leave that up to Baskin-Robbins’ R&D).

Since I recently returned from a business trip in which I experienced the full brunt of that sweet southern concoction of nuts, butter, cream, and sugar known as pralines, I felt like the Old Fashioned Butter Pecan Iced Coffee was calling my name. And because I stress the utmost in scientific and accurate reporting on all things tooth decaying and artery clogging, I made sure to grab a cone of Baskin-Robbins’ Old Fashioned Butter Pecan Ice Cream at the same time.

The Old Fashioned Butter Pecan Iced Coffee didn’t taste exactly like the ice cream flavor that shares its name, but the former is still very good. Because I wish for my iced coffee to have the rich taste of actual milk fat and not just the watery and dull taste of lactic acid, I chose to have my iced coffee with cream instead of skim milk. I highly suggest this.

The syrup itself is plenty sweet, but not cloying in the way you’d expect from the stuff that gives snow cones their flavor. It’s actually remarkably balanced when taken with the rest of the beverage, with a roasted pecan flavor that’s only heightened by the mellow and smooth Dunkin’ coffee. There’s also a depth of sweetness that tastes like brown sugar or maple syrup.

Taking turns sipping from my iced coffee and licking my Butter Pecan Ice Cream cone, I found both products enjoyable, if moderately different in flavor. The iced coffee focused the pecan flavor more in terms of what I would call a “creamery fresh” sensation with a sophisticated roasted vibe, while the ice cream drew most of its flavor from the buttery and oily flavors of the big ass pecan sticking out of the cone.

I didn’t find Dunkin’ Donuts’ take on sister chain Baskin-Robbins’ Old Fashioned Butter Pecan Ice Cream to be an exact replication, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a bold and interesting new take in the overcrowded fast food iced coffee market which screams for flavors beyond vanilla, hazelnut, and caramel. The roasted and full-flavored coffee notes, as well as the brown sugar, give the Old Fashioned Butter Pecan Iced Coffee a kind of pralines and cream flavor that’s in some ways preferable to the “Old Fashioned” Butter Pecan flavor of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream, and much more lively than the par-for-the-course shot of vanilla-flavored syrup.

(Nutrition Facts – small – 140 calories, 50 calories from fat, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein, and 6% calcium.)

Item: Dunkin’ Donuts Old Fashioned Butter Pecan Iced Coffee
Purchased Price: $1.69
Size: Small
Purchased at: Dunkin’ Donuts
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Much better than standard iced coffee syrup. Tastes like butter pecan. Creamery fresh taste has roasted pecan flavor thanks to the smoky notes of coffee. Pralines ‘n Cream thing going on. Killing two birds with one stone. Dunking ice cream in coffee gives new meaning to the ‘Dunkin’ in Dunkin Donuts.
Cons: Doesn’t have actual pecans in it. Butter flavor could use some work. Finding a way to work donuts into the equation

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 4/5/2013

April 5, 2013December 24, 2020 Marvo 8 Comments

I love peanut butter, so I’m 99.99 percent sure I’m going to enjoy Häagen-Dazs’ Peanut Butter Pie ice cream. I love peanut butter so much that if you scratch and then sniff me, I’ll smell like peanut butter. The Ice Cream Informant has a review. (Spotted by Marvo at Safeway.)

Bamm! Bamm! Limited Edition Fruity Pebbles that probably tastes exactly like regular Fruity Pebbles. (Spotted by Marvo at Safeway.)

I hope the recipe for Stouffer’s Grandma’s Chicken & Vegetable Rice Bake isn’t my grandma’s because we buried it with her. (Spotted by Marvo at Safeway.)

Knorr has pasta, rice, and now potato sides. So if I ever want to do the opposite of an Atkins diet, I can turn to Knorr for all my starchy carbohydrate needs. (Spotted by Shannon at Walmart.)

I wonder if chili cook-off contestants look at these and say to themselves, “Really?” And then walk away laughing. (Spotted by Lauren at Walmart.)

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