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Annie Chun’s Pork & Ginger Mini Wontons

Bonnie: Annie Chun’s recently introduced frozen mini wontons are something that I can rave about. I’m as surprised as you that I’m recommending a convenience food. But one look at the ingredient list of these small, round dumplings with a savory pork and ginger filling assured me that these contain the same ingredients I’d use if I were making them myself: wonton wrappers filled with...

Bryan: If you haven’t heard of them before, Annie Chun’s is a San Rafael, Calif.-based company that offers a wide selection of shelf-stable pan-Asian foods. I’ve tried a number of its products before and have always been wowed by the strong flavors. It’s a great thing, as I’ve come to rarely expect...

Eric: I love Asian food – or more specifically, I love American-Asian food (as well as European-Asian food). I enjoy eating Asian-inspired cuisine so much that I have my very own pair of chopsticks, and an endless supply of Asian cooking sauces and a wok that’s probably been around since...

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By |2017-09-04T16:17:48-04:00March 2nd, 2010|Food & Drinks|9 Comments
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Melissa’s Steamed Blackeyed Peas

Bonnie: My love for beans grew when I penned a cookbook by that name with my friend and co-author Joanne Lamb Hayes. We created recipes using beans in every possible way — including white bean ice milk! And during that time, I had bean-tasting parties to sample the foods that I was testing. I needed testers as oddly at that time — in the early ’90s — neither Bryan nor Eric ate beans.

Blackeyed peas are a medium, kidney-shaped, off-white bean with a purplish-black color in its keel. They have...

Bryan: I often do a bit of background research on the food products we review on Bite of the Best. I am a foodie at heart, intrigued by the nutritional value of different foods, their cultural significance, history, etc. I just find that a better understanding of a food at its core gives me a greater appreciation for the unique variations and presentations I get to sample… whether it’s foie gras, Kobe beef, a beet, or...

Eric: It’s ironic, but the diet of a hospitality worker (i.e. restaurant employee, hotel clerk, banquet server, etc) is not comparable to those of the people they are “serving.” The combination of long hours and short breaks leaves little time for a healthy diet; sandwiches, coffee and the occasional piece of fruit seem to be the standard staples, as well as the cause of any malnutrition.

I like to...

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By |2017-09-04T16:28:13-04:00February 23rd, 2010|Food & Drinks|3 Comments
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GoodyTwos Toffee

Bonnie: My holiday gift from Robin Miller — of Food Network’s Quick Fix Meals and my client when I don my talent agent hat — was a box overflowing with a plethora of her favorite local Phoenix-area foods.There were lots of goodies including spicy nuts, hot sauces, honey, olive oil, Parmesan crackers, jellies, mustard, tomatillo salsa and small bags of GoodyTwos Nutty-Twist, Traditional and Double-Crossed fresh toffee.

The toffee was the easiest to sample, so I reached into....

Bryan: GoodyTwos Toffee Company. “Who?” I asked. “They’re a mother/daughter team based out of Arizona,” Bonnie said. “It’s very small-batch stuff. They’re a specialty producer, and I think we should try them out. Just let me know what you think.”

I definitely let her know what I thought — and quickly. I got the toffees in the mail and was in my email only minutes later. “These are...

Eric: My brother already has boasted about these delicious (and I repeat, delicious) pieces of toffee, and I would be doing the same if it were not redundant.

I’ve never been a fan of toffee — it usually sticks to my teeth or has this chewy quality that leaves me unsatisfied — but GoodyTwos Toffee was almost like a new ...

You can now follow Bonnie on Twitter: BonnieBOTB

For the month of February, Stacey — the daughter in the mother-daughter duo behind GoodyTwos — is offering Bite of the Best visitors a 15% discount on all orders. Shipping, BTW, is $10.95 for up to 2 pounds to anywhere in the US.

By |2017-08-25T13:28:06-04:00February 9th, 2010|Food & Drinks|1 Comment
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Mary’s Gone Crackers Original

Bonnie: “What are those?” asked a guest in my home when I put out a bowl of Mary’s Gone Crackers to accompany my cheese and hummus nibble platter. Obviously from her tone, she thought the thin, seeded crackers looked odd.

It took but one bite to turn her into the fan that I am.

Mary’s are thin, crisp and nutty...

Bryan: Mary Waldner originally started going crackers in 1994, when she made the unfortunate discovery that both she and her son had a gluten allergy. Gluten allergies are actually more common than you might think, with a whole host of foods causing problems for sufferers. The dietary difficulties are caused by a...

Eric: Mary’s crackers are not just crackers, they’re an experience. Sure, they cater to those with celiac disease with a wheat-free, gluten-free, organic mixture, but as a “mere” cracker, they’re a powerhouse of rich, nutty flavor. The crunchiness is unsurpassed, and the...

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By |2017-09-04T16:31:55-04:00February 2nd, 2010|Food & Drinks|10 Comments
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Just BARE Chicken

Bonnie: I like everything about this new Just BARE Chicken from Gold’n Plump Poultry, a family-owned company.

Its chickens are raised humanely, vegetable-fed, contain no antibiotics or hormones and come in easy-open, clear, recyclable plastic trays, allowing you to see what you’re purchasing; the whole chicken is in see-through plastic.FB_JustBarethighs The company is also transparent about its chicken sourcing. Next to the manufacturer’s freshness-date code on each package, there is also

Bryan: Just BARE Chicken. Could there be a more simple or straightforward product name? It’s a pure concept; Just BARE chicken is simply chicken. That might seem overly simplistic, but in a world where even our bottled waters have additives, that’s unique!

Just BARE Chicken has no added hormones or antibiotics. All of the chickens raised for Just BARE Chicken come from family-run farms, with each package of chicken coming with a three-

Eric: What a concept – take one chicken, add fresh drinking water, all-you-can-eat natural locally sourced feed and a loving farmer. Sound surreal? What’s amazing is that this concept doesn’t only exist – but it goes the distance in incorporating a sustainable mentality, from 100% recycled packaging to the use of bakery and brewery “leftovers” as part of...

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By |2017-08-25T13:39:34-04:00January 27th, 2010|Food & Drinks|26 Comments
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McCormick Black Peppercorn and Sea Salt Grinders

Bonnie: What a difference a few grindings make!

Seriously. Freshly ground pepper provides so much more of an intense, bold flavor punch to food than does the preground regular. Same with freshly ground sea salt. To me, it’s like the fresh-taste contrast between freshly squeezed vs. pasteurized...

Bryan: Properly seasoning your food is an art. You will notice that many recipes call for you to “salt and pepper to taste.” What does that mean, I always thought? To taste? To taste what? Well the answer is, to taste good. Bringing ingredients together to create a dish is great, but if you forget to salt, or even worse, over...

Eric: How do you explain the obvious? It’s always been a trial for me to do so, having always being under the impression that what is of value and wisdom to one man can seem nonsense to another. McCormick salt and pepper grinders are the obvious, and I implore you to heed our advice in...

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By |2017-09-04T16:33:21-04:00January 20th, 2010|Food & Drinks|9 Comments
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The Cheese Ambassador

Bonnie: I admit when I’m wrong.

This past turkey day, while sitting around the holiday table, we discussed some of the products we’ve tried and whether we felt them worthy of being a FeaturedBite. Yes. Yes, we’re always discussing food!Earlier this year, I had decided to write only a TidBite about The Cheese Ambassador and not a bite because I felt their offerings were pricey.

“The cheeses are fabulous,” said Bryan. “The Cave-Aged Blue was the big hit at a recent dinner party….”

“We’ve recommended pricey items before,” added Eric....

Bryan: It’s a hard job always being right ;-)

I’ve been pushing for The Cheese Ambassador as a featured bite for a while now. In actuality, it wasn’t really that hard of a sell, as all of us really enjoyed the concept and the cheese itself; it’s just that there are so many products vying for our (and your) attention that sometimes a small knock against something will cause it to...

Eric: One of the hardest choices I have to make when food shopping is the type of cheese to buy. It may sound silly, or even ridiculous, but the right cheese (flavor, not slice or shred) will make the difference between a good meal and a great one.

I’ve written about cheese in the past, and how my love affair with it began at my aunt’s house in Brussels, with the usual...

You can now follow Bonnie on Twitter: BonnieBOTB

By |2017-08-25T13:39:34-04:00December 9th, 2009|Food & Drinks|4 Comments
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Materne GoGo SqueeZ Applesauce on the Go

Bonnie: GoGo squeeZ is a new single-serve applesauce modeled on Yoplait’s pioneering Go-GURT squeezable yogurt in a tube. Go-GURT contains artificially Day-Glo colored, artificially flavored yogurt that’s sweetened with both sugar and high fructose corn syrup in a flimsy tube. (Read: Can be messy.)

GoGo is 100 percent fruit, sweetened with apple-juice concentrate, in a GoGo-squeeZ_cinnamonsturdy ...

Bryan: Europeans dunk their French fries in mayonnaise; Americans use ketchup. It might seem like a small thing, but I’ve always found this divergence in toppings for one of the Western World’s most-often consumed side dishes was indicative of the differences between European food culture and US food culture. It’s not that one way is better than the other — actually, mixing the two together to form ....

Eric: My love affair with applesauce was rekindled during my first month overseas after I finished an order of rotisserie chicken. Odd as it seemed to me, the chicken was not only accompanied by traditional French fries (pommes frites), but also contained a side of applesauce (or applemoes, as the Dutch refer to it). The applesauce added a sweet, ...

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By |2017-08-25T13:32:47-04:00December 2nd, 2009|Food & Drinks|4 Comments
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Barefoot Contessa Dark Chocolates

Bonnie: My mailbox overflows with chocolate samples. Yes, yes it's a hard job but someone has to do it! So when I received my samples of the Barefoot Contessa's dark chocolates, they sat on my desk with no urgency for me to taste test.

barefoot contessa on Bite of the Best But then one evening...

Bryan: Though I'm still a fan of the channel, I'm definitely not the same Food Network junkie that I used to be. There was a time when the foodie programming lineup was one of the few go-to's for my TV watching... A little Mario Batali, a bit of Bobby Flay, a smidge of Alton Brown, a dash of Robin...

Eric: Chocolate, like most supermarket products, is produced and packaged in myriad ways so that choosing the richest, creamiest, most sweet-tooth satisfying option tends to turn into a crusade down the confectionery aisle.

Now I'm sure that for the majority of us, the traditional notion of "decadent ...

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By |2017-08-25T13:28:07-04:00November 17th, 2009|Food & Drinks|3 Comments
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Surry Farms Surryano Sliced Dry-Cured Ham

Bonnie: Think of Surry Farms Surryano sliced dry-cured hams as the American versions of the European prosciutto and serrano ones — produced from Six-Spotted Berkshire hogs that are pasture-raised and free of antibiotics or added hormones. That, and the fact that Surryano ham has a rich...

Bryan: Surry Farms Surryano ham, a sublimely clever play on words for “Surry” and “serrano,” is a culinary European classic. Surry Farms introduced Surryano ham a few years back. The product is a domestically produced version of Spain’s jamón serrano, literally “mountain ham.” Serrano refers to...

Eric: In 2002, I visited the Vatican. Words cannot describe the beauty of the architecture and the insignificant feeling that comes over you when you walk into the main hall. I vividly remember a statement my brother made upon first entering the main hall. He had eloquently (in his standard...

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By |2017-09-04T16:39:29-04:00November 4th, 2009|Food & Drinks, xyz misc|7 Comments
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Roth Käse Buttermilk Blue

Bonnie: Lots of people claim to find blue cheeses strong and overpowering. If you’re one of those, I suggest you try this creamy, mild buttermilk blue from Wisconsin’s Roth Käse, as I think you’ll like it.

Buttermilk blue is not only for those who enjoy veined cheese, but for those who haven’t yet developed a palate for them. Seriously, this raw milk cheese is ...

Bryan: A few weeks back, I had the chance to invite some friends over for a small dinner party. Co-authoring a food blog does have its perks, and the occasional foodie press package does make its way to my door from time to time. Hey, we really do try these products to let you know if...

Eric: In the world of cheese, blue cheese is like the antisocial kid in elementary school who sits in the corner; it has a pungent smell and a defining unique taste, is covered in mold and is disliked by a select people. With these characteristics, I’m sure you’re beginning to wonder why such a cheese...

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By |2017-09-04T16:40:08-04:00October 28th, 2009|Food & Drinks, xyz misc|20 Comments
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Ninja Master Prep

Bonnie: “Rule the kitchen with this new Ninja Master Prep,” boasts the makers of this new kitchen appliance.

They claim that this under-$50 Ninja could dice more evenly than my expensive food processor and chop ice better than blenders.

“Skeptical,” is an understatement.

So, when asked, I agreed...

Bryan: Ok, so I’m not going to lie. I definitely felt a little twinge of “infomercial” when first seeing my Ninja Master Prep. I mean, it slices, it dices… Don’t look at it the wrong way or it’ll kick your a$$! I heard the voice of kitchen gadget guru, Ron Popeil echoing in my head: “It’ll solve all your kitchen needs,” he whispered. “But I’ve heard that all before,” I answered.

Could it be true this...

Eric: To explain this in modern written language, OMG this product is not a WTF. The Ninja, or as I like to refer to it, “the little infomercial product that could,” is an appliance designed for the modern kitchen as well as for the fast-paced lifestyle many of us live. Similar to its infomercial nemesis, “The...

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By |2017-08-31T16:18:04-04:00September 16th, 2009|Kitchen Counter, Drawer and More, xyz misc|932 Comments
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Lucini Italia Delicate Cucumber & Shallot Vinaigrette

Bonnie: In general, the only time I add bottled dressings to my fresh salad is when I need to test them for Supermarket Sampler, my syndicated column where I review what’s new on the grocer’s shelf.

I prefer whisking together freshly squeezed lemon juice, a soupçon of a light vinegar, some Dijon mustard and some extra virgin olive oil. Sometimes I blend in fresh...

Bryan: The beautiful thing about a salad is that it can be whatever you want it to be. I was with a friend at a sports bar recently; though I wasn’t eating, most at the table ordered cheeseburgers (what else?) except my friend, who ordered a garden salad. He was being teased for his choice until he ....

Eric: I love a tasty salad dressing and, like my mother, prefer to create my dressing from scratch (the olive didn’t fall far from the tree). I have a pretty straight-forward philosophy on salad: if you’re going to go the distance and define it as I do — consisting of leafy greens and vegetables — then make sure to keep it...

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By |2017-09-04T16:40:45-04:00September 9th, 2009|Food & Drinks, xyz misc|4 Comments
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Vinturi Wine Aerator

Bonnie: Last week, when in Des Moines, Iowa, I was at the home of Linda Funk, executive director of the Soyfoods Council. She served wine, cheese and chocolates. Soy foods, too.

Before sampling the edibles, I reached for the bottle of Charles Krug (2005) Peter Mondavi Family Generations to pour myself a glass, when there on the counter at the serve-yourself bar, I noticed...

Bryan: You’ve got to love science. Yes, yes. There is always something to be said for doing things the old fashioned way. We all have a romantic view of the way things used to be, but I must say that on more than a few kitchen gadgets, I see no need to turn back the clock. I don’t know anybody who would like to puree anything without the assistance of a food processor nowadays… So why shouldn’t ...

Eric: I’d consider myself more of a beer/bourbon drinker than a wine enthusiast, so when it was time to test the Vinturi aerator, I wasn’t as enthused as my mother and brother to break open a bottle and watch physics in action. With a degree in hospitality, and a few years of banqueting and restaurant service under my belt, I’m more than familiar with how to properly serve wine, as well as the many...

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By |2017-09-04T16:42:33-04:00August 12th, 2009|Kitchen Counter, Drawer and More, xyz misc|5 Comments
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Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams

Bonnie: The Bite of the Best team first learned about Dark Chocolate Dreams from a community member who suggested we try it.

”If you like peanut butter and you like chocolate you will love this product,” wrote Barbara Allen. “I used to be able to find it only in gourmet shops and I am embarrassed to say that I would travel ...

Bryan: Raise your hand if you don’t like peanut butter and chocolate. OK, the two people out there with their hands up can simply stop reading now. For everybody else, listen up…. This stuff is good! I have to admit upfront that I’m a super fan of this flavor combo. A warm peanut butter cup is one of my all-time favorite candy choices and the cooler version, found by combining the two into...

Eric: I am probably one of the biggest peanut butter enthusiasts out there. On a daily basis I eat at least one peanut butter sandwich, usually switching between a combination of strawberry jam, Nutella or banana (although when I was growing up and visiting my friend Eric ...

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By |2017-09-04T16:44:31-04:00August 5th, 2009|Food & Drinks, xyz misc|14 Comments
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California Cantaré Burrata

Bonnie: I was first introduced to burrata in the Puglia region of Italy, where it is said to have originated. (Pronounced BURR AH TA) This artisanal cheese is basically mozzarella with a luscious soft creamy interior that spills onto the plate as you cut into a ball of it. It truly was amore at first bite. I savored each bite of this runny cheese ...

Bryan: Growing up in New Haven (a strongly Italian-influenced food city), I thought I was pretty well versed in the ways and means of the mozzarella. I can still remember, as a little boy, going to one of the many specialty grocery stores in town (Luzzi’s Market) to pick up fresh bread and cheese. My treat on the way home always was a handful of bite-sized mozzarella balls, lightly dipped in ...

Eric: Ricotta cheese enveloped in a thin layer of mozzarella — do you really need any more explanation before adding burrata cheese to your shopping list. I highly doubt that our reviews of burrata will be the only factors influencing your decision to buy a package. Honestly, if you’re not intrigued just by the idea of what this product is, then I have to question your love of food. My mother...

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By |2017-09-04T16:49:46-04:00July 29th, 2009|Food & Drinks|8 Comments
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Vande Rose Farms Applewood Smoked Artisan Uncured Ham

Bonnie: Uncured ham? I’d eaten uncured bacon, but had never handled uncured ham.

Having just started tweeting, I thought I’d ask the fellow foodies who I was following on Twitter: “Received an artisan uncured ham. How would YOU prepare it? All suggestions welcome!”

“Is it fresh pork or more like prosciutto?” asked a NY Times food writer who...

Bryan: Vande Rose Farms is not your average meat packer. This boutique farm has been raising award-winning Duroc hogs on its family farms for more than 100 years.

A growing number of Americans are finding out that our system of food has become overly industrialized. The facts are: Most store-bought pork doesn’t even bother to display the breed of the pig, let alone the land, environment or feed the animal was reared on. We, as a society, have become...

Eric: I think I’ve written it in an earlier posting, but to quote Homer Simpson, the pig is a “wonderful, magical animal.” Although it yields a variety of particular and delicious cuts, this week the focus is on smoked artisan ham, more specifically, the brined and smoked hind leg of the Duroc pig.

“What’s so particular about this ham?” was the first question out of my mouth when opening the ...

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By |2017-09-04T16:54:46-04:00July 22nd, 2009|Food & Drinks, xyz misc|8 Comments
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Seeds of Change Madras Simmer Sauce

Bonnie: Simmer sauces are the new convenience food. Keeping a jar in your pantry allows you to make a meal with a foreign flare almost immediately as the sauces instantly capture various regional flavors that would require a mixture of many spices not traditionally found in the American cupboard.

When I first tested Seeds of Change Madras Simmer Sauce, I had no meat or fish on hand, but I did ...

Bryan: All of the attempts to reproduce my favorite Indian cuisines in my home kitchen have resulted in flops. There, I’ve admitted that aloud. I feel better. It’s not that my homemade chicken tikka masala was inedible, it just wasn’t what I wanted it to be. Over and over again. Though I hate to admit it, Indian food has been a definite shortcoming in my culinary development.

I’ve spent a good amount of time in kitchens (my own and those of many restaurants). Having been able to make...

Eric: As unlikely as it is, especially to readers of this blog, if you’ve never tried a curry sauce, Seeds of Change is a great company to start with. Aside from producing a variety of Indian-style heat-and-serve simmer sauces, Seeds of Change is a heavy promoter of the organic and sustainably grown-food lifestyle, especially with regard to all of its products. The company offers four varieties of the sauces, each unique in seasoning and level of heat. My opinion for the sauces, as...

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By |2017-09-04T16:55:46-04:00July 15th, 2009|Food & Drinks, xyz misc|7 Comments
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Yves Tierenteyn-Verlent Fresh Mustard from Ghent, Belgium

Bonnie: “It’s the only place you can purchase this very special mustard,” explained my sister’s friend Hart as he asked me whether I’d like to take a drive with him to purchase it.

“Sure,” I said without asking any questions, as I was intrigued.

Hart and I were both houseguests at my sister’s home in Brussels during a cold and dreary February. I thought a short drive into downtown Brussels might be a fun — and interesting — outing. I’d recently...

Bryan: I love the story of Yves Tierenteyn-Verlent. It is a story of culinary romance, dedication, history and craftsmanship. Of food as art, as tradition, as a representation of a people and a place. The simple story of this mustard is a powerful reminder of what pieces of ourselves we choose to maintain as a society.

Modern Europe is formed from the cultural patchwork of thousands of cities, towns and villages spread across a number of languages and locations. With such diversity of backgrounds and geography...

Eric: There are a few condiments that I can easily live without: relish, BBQ-sauce and mustard. I’m sure there are others in my fridge that will never see the light of day, but these three, in particular, will never even see the inside of my fridge. There are a few tastes that just don’t agree with you (and if you love the taste of everything, then you haven’t tried enough). I will gladly eat just about anything, but mustard seed is one of those tastes that never ...

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By |2017-09-02T10:57:43-04:00July 1st, 2009|Food & Drinks, Recommended, World Travel|10 Comments
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SunChips, Original

Bonnie: Yes, it’s true. I am a registered dietitian and am recommending a chip. No, not for everyday eating. But when you do reach for a chip, which most people do more than occasionally, I suggest you try original SunChips.

These tasty morsels are good for you and for the environment. SunChips contain 30 percent less fat than regular potato chips (that’s only 6 grams instead of 9 or 10 grams total fat per serving). They’re deliciously crisp and delicately...

Bryan: Potato chips are terrible for you, right? Well, it turns out that this is not exactly true when you really take a look at it. To turn an Orwellian phrase: “All chips are equal, but some chips are more equal than others.”

Though most standard “potato chips” servings are heavy on saturated fat and sodium while light on just about everything of positive nutritional value, SunChips has somehow found a way to turn this equation...

Eric: Healthy chips that taste good: an oxymoron, or a simple truth? In recent years, with food companies and the FDA implementing buzzwords such as “heart healthy” and “all-natural,” there have been many products vying for the top position in the consumer’s shopping cart – even within the so-called “junk-food” industry. In past Bites we’ve written on ice cream, tortilla chips and even dips that are for the health conscious, so why should potato chips...

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By |2017-09-04T16:56:28-04:00June 17th, 2009|Food & Drinks, xyz misc|10 Comments
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