SPOTTED: 11/15/2024

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

Heritage Lasagna Soup

(Spotted by Robbie at Costco.)

Golden Platter Chicken Parmesan Bites Stuff’d Bites

(Spotted by Robbie at Costco.)

Tyson Blackened Flavored Chicken Tenders

(Spotted by Robbie at Costco.)

Stouffer’s Ranch Chicken Air Fryer Meals
Stouffer’s Teriyaki Chicken Air Fryer Meals
Stouffer’s Orange Chicken Air Fryer Meals

We covered the Buffalo Chicken and Garlic Parmesan varieties in a previous post. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

Great Value Ring Pasta Microwavable Cup
Great Value Lasagna Pasta Microwavable Cup

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

H-E-B Natural Cheese Limited Edition Hot Honey

(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

Stouffer’s Supreme Cheddar Cheese Shells & Cheese

Covered the Three Cheese variety in a previous post. (Spotted by Phil at Redner’s.)

Proper Good Spicy Tomato Pasta
Proper Good Sundried Tomato Basil Pasta
Proper Good Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Proper Good Meatball Marinara Pasta

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

Prep Chef Bacon & Cheese Egg Bites

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Burger King Pickle Fries

Not satisfried with just turning potatoes and chicken into fries, Burger King has recently been on a crusade to turn whatever else it can into “fries,” like Mozzarella Fries, Churro Fries, and now the new Pickle Fries. I wouldn’t be surprised if the fast food chain someday changes its slogan from “Have it Your Way” to “Have it Your Way As Long As It’s Fry-Shaped.” And when that day comes, I imagine Whopper Fries will be an option.

Burger King’s newest side features thin dill pickle spears battered and breaded with a savory seasoned coating, then deep fried. It’s available in one size and comes with a container of Hidden Valley Ranch for dipping, which is just enough to double-dip the pickle fries you receive.

What caught my eye at first was the white specks that dotted the coating, which I thought could represent cucumber seeds, but later, I thought that would be too extra for Burger King to do. Even after nibbling on them, I couldn’t determine what they were, and I just chalked it up to be some kind of seasoning. But that nibbling helped me taste the coating, which had a nondescript savoriness. The golden brown exterior also had a satisfying crispy texture that helped hide how limp the pickles inside were.

Looking down the barrel of an individual fry, you’ll see that the pickle spear takes up most of the space, but there’s still some air between it and the breading. This gap makes them look slightly more substantial than they really are. This also causes something similar to what happens when you bite an onion ring and accidentally pull out the rest of the onion from the breading.

While the coating has nice crispiness, the pickles within also have a crunchiness, despite their limpness. If you’re expecting these to taste dill-heavy, get ready to be dill-sappointed. They have enough flavor that I could notice the tanginess through the breading, but it’s not overwhelming, and I wish it was slightly stronger. Because the pickle taste isn’t very bold, I prefer to eat these fries without the Hidden Valley Ranch. The sauce adds another level of tanginess, but the coating and pickles are tasty enough on their own, and the addition of the condiment hides the side’s flavor.

I enjoyed eating through a container of Burger King’s Pickle Fries, mostly sans sauce. It’s a tasty side, but I wish it had a more robust dill flavor or, if it ever returns, it comes with a dill ranch sauce, which would satisfy me.

Purchased Price: $5.49*
Size: One size
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 380 calories, 21 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 2280 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 7 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.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger

With its beef patty, roasted mushrooms, Applewood smoked bacon, muenster cheese, and creamy garlic spread, Wendy’s says that its new Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger is “literally oozing with umami.” With so many savory ingredients, I don’t doubt that, but the burger is also seeping with some surprising spiciness.

That hint of heat comes from the creamy garlic spread, which is literally oozing out from the sides of the burger. Here’s a list of the sauce’s ingredients to help figure out what’s causing the slight spiciness and to add 50 words to this review:

Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolks, Salt, Cider Vinegar, Distilled Vinegar, Garlic, Contains Less than 2% of Onion, Sugar, Dehydrated Onion, Dehydrated Garlic, Mustard Seed, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Monosodium Glutamate, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), Natural Flavor, Oleoresin Paprika (Color), Parsley, Citric Acid, Calcium Disodium EDTA Added to Protect Flavor. CONTAINS: EGG.

Well, whatever it is, that spiciness doesn’t enhance the burger. If anything, it was more of a distraction because I usually don’t associate heat with garlic sauces. The garlic flavor is mild enough that if your significant other ate this and wanted to make out after, you shouldn’t be offended by their breath. It’s also subtle enough that it allows the mushroom’s earthiness, bacon’s smokiness, and the beef’s, um, beefiness to come through with every bite.

What doesn’t come through is the muenster cheese, which is supposed to have a mild nutty/buttery taste. Whatever flavor it has gets lost with all the other oozing umami. It’s so inconsequential that folks could be tricked into thinking this has Swiss, another mild-tasting cheese.

But the bacon and mushroom flavors do come through, and I think this is a good cheeseburger, with the garlic spread providing some difference from a standard mushroom and Swiss. However, it’s not oozing THAT much of a difference.

Purchased Price: $8.19*
Size: Single patty
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 670 calories, 43 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1210 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 35 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.

SPOTTED: Mtn Dew Game Fuel 2024 (Citrus Cherry and Citrus Blackberry)

Mtn Dew Game Fuel 2024 (Citrus Cherry and Citrus Blackberry).

Citrus Cherry is back! Citrus Blackberry is new. (Spotted by Rob at Kroger.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Sweetarts Gummy Halos

Sweetarts Gummy Halos.

According to the press release, these feature “an airy, fluffy gummy bottom layer topped with a vibrant pink and blue chewy layer – all coated in a perfect blend of sweet AND tart sugar.” (Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email (theimpulsivebuy@gmail.com) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.