Update: We tried it! Click here to read our review.
Here you go, folks who signed one of the bring back Doritos 3D petitions on Change.org. Doritos 3D Crunch is available in 6- and 2-ounce bags. (Spotted by JR at Walmart.)
REVIEW: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops Cereal Bars (2020)
What are Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops Cereal Bars?
They’re not the Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops Cereal & Milk Bars that were available years ago that I thought were still around. But if you’re not familiar with cereal bars, the concept has been the same throughout the years. Cereal pieces are coated in corn syrup (or some other sticky ingredient) that allows them to stick together. Then their bottoms are dipped in a sweet confection.
According to Kellogg’s, the amount of cereal in each bar equals a half serving of cereal (by weight).
How are they?
The Frosted Flakes one, oddly, doesn’t instantly remind me of Frosted Flakes. Although, the original Frosted Flakes Cereal & Milk Bars also apparently didn’t taste like the cereal. My first bite reminded me of a sugar cone, but I couldn’t replicate that flavor with subsequent tastes.
The combination of the frosting on the corn flakes, corn syrup, and the white confection at the bottom of every bar make these taste sugar-heavy. I imagine it’s what Xtreme Frosted Flakes would taste like. It’s hard for the corn flakes’ flavor to come through. Occasionally it does, and when that happens, the bar tastes more like Frosted Flakes. But for the most part, it’s hard to pinpoint these as Frosted Flakes bars.
Fortunately, that’s not the case with the Froot Loops version. When I opened the wrapper, I expected a toucan to land on my shoulder and say, “I followed my nose” because the aroma of eau de parfroot filled my nostrils. And, with every bite, there’s no mistaking these are made with the iconic fruity cereal.
But the bars are a bit more fragile than the Frosted Flakes one. I imagine that’s the case because they’re made with loops instead of flakes, which means less surface area to allow the corn syrup to its job. Speaking of the corn syrup coating, it might’ve also softened the cereal loops ever so slightly, which didn’t happen with the corn flakes.
Anything else you need to know?
Along with these 6-count boxes, the bars are also available in 18- and 36-count offerings.
Conclusion:
Both bars are sweet, tasty, portable, and convenient ways to consume these iconic parts of a complete breakfast. But because it’s hard to tell the Frosted Flakes version is made with Tony’s cereal with all the sugar components, I have to say I enjoy the Froot Loops one more. That’s a bit odd for me to say since I prefer Frosted Flakes over Froot Loops when it comes to breakfast cereal.
DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the products. (Thanks, Kellogg’s!) Doing so did not influence my review.
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 6 bars
Purchased at: Received from Kellogg’s (available now at retailers nationwide)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Frosted Flakes), 7 out of 10 (Froot Loops)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) Frosted Flakes – 100 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein. Froot Loops – 90 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.
SPOTTED: Reese’s Mallow-top Peanut Butter Cups
Update: We tried it! Click here to read our review.
You know, it wouldn’t be the end of the year if I didn’t show you a product for Easter. (Spotted by Kelly at Food Lion.)
REVIEW: Papa John’s Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza
The year is 1995. Coolio is busy living in a gangsta’s paradise. Alicia Silverstone — as Cher Horowitz or Hamilton (they accidentally gave her two last names) — was falling in love with her stepbrother, but no one cared because hey, it was Paul Rudd. And, an innovation that would change the junk food world forever, Pizza Hut was stuffing cheese in its crust. The chain also attempted to convince the American people that “eating your pizza backwards” was a thing everyone would start doing.
(Spoiler alert: no one actually did this.)
Fast forward 25 years. Coolio is living…man, who knows where Coolio is living these days. Paul Rudd has eclipsed his stepsister’s fame by a wide margin. Pizza Hut is still slinging cheese-stuffed crusts, and has even been known to occasionally put other things in there, too. (Hot dogs, bacon, shrimp and mayo, Marmite.)
Meanwhile, competitor, Papa John’s? In all these years, they’ve never stuffed anything into a crust.
So, if you were in Product Development for Papa John’s, what would you do? Why you’d introduce your own version of the stuffed crust pizza to capitalize on an idea Pizza Hut begat a quarter-century ago.
It’s 2020, so sure, why not?
Here’s the absolutely bizarre thing about this pizza: the pizza body is no different than a normal Papa John’s body, but the hat? Tastes exactly like Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust. It’s almost like a Frankensteinian operation that involves surgically grafting the two pizzas together.
From the slice’s point up to the crust, it is distinctly Papa — the sweet sauce, the cheese that doesn’t do much stretching (and sadly, wasn’t even melted uniformly on mine), and whatever toppings you choose to make it your own. (For the sake of the review, I went with pepperoni.) The point being, you’ve had this pizza. And you are either fine with it or don’t like it; this particular incarnation won’t do anything to change that.
Then you get to the crust. And, like I said, you’ve probably had this, too, just not from Papa John’s. The thing I find most unusual is that the dough used to make this crust is probably Papa’s regular hand-tossed, or “original” dough, just, you know, stretched. It’s the same way Pizza Hut does it. But Pizza Hut’s hand-tossed dough is decidedly different than Papa John’s, wouldn’t you agree? They’re distinct until they’re stretched and stuffed with cheese around the perimeter! Something about that act makes the two crusts indiscernible.
Overall the cheese in the crust is warm and appropriately stretchy and a nice way to end a slice. With Pizza Hut’s version, you can add some flavor to the crust, like a garlic buttery blend or toasted parmesan, which elevates things. Papa John’s crust didn’t have butter, but it would’ve added a little something. Not to be a broken record, but if you like Hut’s stuffed crust, you’ll like this, too.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go see if I can find out how Coolio is doing.
Purchased Price: $12
Size: Large
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Unavailable at time of publication.
Click here for our previous fast food reviews.
REVIEW: Jack in the Box Sauced & Loaded Tots
What are Jack in the Box Sauced & Loaded Tots?
They’re a follow-up to Jack’s Sauced & Loaded Curly Fries. They’re available in two varieties — Cheddar Bacon and Jalapeño Ranch. The former features cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and bacon bits on top of tater tots. While the latter has cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, jalapeño slices, and buttermilk ranch plopped on tots.
How are they?
In my experience, it’s rare that anything involving cheese-covered deep-fried potato thingies ends up being awful, so it’s not surprising I enjoyed these Sauced & Loaded Tots.
But having tried multiple varieties of Jack’s Sauced & Loaded Curly Fries, I think topped curly fries are a better experience than these. The curly fries’ seasoning stands out a little more among the cheeses and sauces, and the coating helps prevent the potato product from falling apart. With both tots varieties, by the time I got to the middle of their boxes, the viscous toppings softened most of the coated tater tots to the point where they fell apart when picked up with a fork.
Also, I don’t mean to be a Danny Double Downer, but Cheddar Bacon and Jalapeño Ranch are uninspiring flavors. If you’ve been eating Jack’s food for years, the flavor combinations will be familiar, so they’re not anything unique.
With that said, both are tasty, but if I had to pick a favorite between the two, it would be the Jalapeño Ranch. I prefer the ranch’s tang and jalapeño’s zing over the porky and cheesy flavors of the other one. Although, I do wish there were more pickled peppers in the container and with all the cheese and sauces, the jalapeños don’t have a strong kick.
Anything else you need to know?
I’m going by memory, but this might be the first time Jack has offered tater tots. Unfortunately, unsauced and unloaded tater tots aren’t its own thing on Jack in the Box’s menu. However, using the chain’s app, I could remove all the toppings to turn them into plain tots. But, of course, the price doesn’t change even after the deletions. I was able to try a few tots on their own and they taste like any ol’ tots you’ve had.
Conclusion:
If you enjoy anything involving cheese-covered deep-fried potato thingies, Jack in the Box’s Sauced & Loaded Tots will satisfy your cheese and carbohydrate cravings.
Purchased Price: $4.00 each*
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Cheddar Bacon), 7 out of 10 (Jalapeño Ranch)
Nutrition Facts: Cheddar Bacon – 740 calories, 47 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 1670 milligrams of sodium, 65 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of protein. Jalapeño Ranch – 750 calories, 49 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 1770 milligrams of sodium, 66 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.