Update: We tried them! Click here to read our review.
As mentioned in our Coming Soon post about these, there’s also a Vanilla creme variety. Of course, any sane person would buy all three varieties scrape off the cream of two of them and then add them to the third one. (Spotted by Rachel C at Walmart.)
McDonald’s Big N’ Tasty, I assume, was retribution for Burger King’s original Big King, a Big Mac copycat that also had a third bun. The Whopper-similar burger from the Golden Arches featured a 1/4 lb. beef patty topped with ketchup, mayonnaise, onions, pickles, lettuce, and tomato on a sesame seed bun.
It made its national debut in 2000 and was part of the Dollar Menu, which was the reason why I ate it often as a poor recent college graduate with an English degree that many asked what I’ll do with it.
It really should’ve been called the Big, Tasty N’ Messy because it seemed like EVERY TIME I ordered one, it would come with an excessive amount of ketchup and mayo that oozed out of all sides and onto my finger and hands when I applied any pressure to the burger. I ordered it from different locations, and they all seemed to be made by trigger-happy condiment gunslingers.
Despite it making my hands look like I was a serial burger strangler, I loved the Big N’ Tasty. It was as big as a Whopper. It was tasty, even with an overabundance of condiments. N’ it was only 99 cents.
But, from what I remember, at some point, it got smaller, less tasty, less condiment-y, and a bit more pricey. It was no longer competing with the Whopper. It was now fighting for its life with everything else on the McDonald’s menu.
While Burger King’s Big King is still around, but being used for a different line of burgers that don’t include a third bun, the Big N’ Tasty has been gone from U.S. McDonald’s menu boards since 2011.
As much as I’d like to see the Big N’ Tasty make a comeback, it probably won’t because we can get something close to it right now at the Golden Arches — the Quarter Pounder Deluxe without cheese.
It’s not a value burger like the original Big N’ Tasty, but if I custom order it with extra ketchup and mayonnaise, I imagine they’ll ooze out from under the bun, just like old times.
(Image via @collectingcandy. Go follow his Instagram to bring back sugary dreams of yore.)
Update: We tried it! Click here to read our review.
APRIL FOOLS!
Nope. Not April Fools.
I assure you Limited Edition Chips Ahoy Sour Patch Kids Cookies are real. Unless someone went through the trouble of doing some really good Photoshop work to come up with the packaging you see above, spoofing the email of a PR person I’ve dealt with before, and sending me a press release that has the following information:
What are “Sour Patch Kids-inspired candy pieces”?
I originally assumed, from the way its worded, that these cookies don’t have actual bits of chewy Sour Patch Kids. And, from what I can tell by looking at an Instagram post by @candyhunting, the cookies don’t look like they do. But after following up with the nice PR person who sent me information about these, I was told the sweet and sour candy bits have a gummy texture.
(Image via Chips Ahoy?)
Heinz, who seems to produce every condiment under the sun, doesn’t sell its own sriracha.
However, for years, the company has offered ketchup tinged with the hot sauce, which I think is mediocre. Of course, the sriracha of choice for me and every pho restaurant I’ve been to is the one from Huy Fong that’s also called, “Rooster Sauce.” Its dominance is probably the reason why Heinz doesn’t have sriracha. Even if it did, my loyalty to Rooster Sauce would never waver. Cock-a-doodle-doo!
However, Heinz Honeyracha and Mayoracha Saucy Sauces, despite having names that my phone’s autocorrect wants to turn into “honey reachable” and “mayor’s chair,” respectively, are some damn good hybrid sriracha sauces…if paired with the right foods.
At first, I tried both with Jack in the Box’s French fries. Honeyracha’s sweet and peppery flavor from the combination of honey and sriracha did okay with the fried potato sticks. But fries and Mayoracha, a combo of mayonnaise and sriracha, tasted as if they were meant for each other. Yes, it’s pretty much a fry sauce (the mayo and ketchup combo that originated in Utah), but with a spicy kick.
I love fries to death, but I love them with this peppery and garlicky mayo even more. After trying a few dipped in Honeyracha, I spent the rest of my fries with the creamy dip and was sad when every bit of fried potato was gone. I was even sadder when my wife, who says she loves me, swatted away my hand as I tried to steal some of her curly fries.
Both sauces have a level of spiciness that I’d consider mild. On my heat scale, they register a two or three.
Honeyracha didn’t get much action with the fast food side, but with every taste of the sauce, all I could think about was how it would be awesome with some chicken nuggets. In fact, its sweet and tangy flavor is very similar to McDonald’s BBQ Sauce, but with a peppery and spicy kick.
Because I couldn’t get the thought of using Honeyracha as a dip for nuggets out of my head, I had to return to Jack in the Box to get some of its bite-sized breaded chicken. When I was able to bring the two together, I was not surprised they paired wonderfully.
What was surprising was how well the honey and sriracha condiment did in a turkey sandwich. What was even more unexpected, since mayo and sandwiches come together often, was how I didn’t care for Mayoracha in another turkey sandwich I made.
I’m sure I’ll find other ways to use both sauces. But if I don’t, I’d be happy if I ended up using the rest of the Mayoracha with fries and all the remaining Honeyracha with chicken nuggets and turkey sandwiches.
DISCLOSURE: I received free samples of the products. Doing so did not influence my review in any way. Although, it totally seems like it. But I assure you it did not.
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 20.2 oz. bottle (Honeyracha), 16.6 oz.
bottle (Mayoracha)
Purchased at: Received from Heinz
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Honeyracha), 8 out of 10 (Mayoracha)
Nutrition Facts: (2 tbsp) Honeyracha – 70 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 340 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, 14 grams of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein Mayoracha – 180 calories, 19 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, 1 gram of added sugar, and 0 grams of protein.
Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.
(Spotted by Sarah R at Whole Foods.)
(Spotted by Valerie B. at Walmart.)
(Spotted by Rachel C at Walmart.)
(Spotted by Rachel C at Walmart.)
(Spotted by Daniel N at Sprouts.)
(Spotted by Tommy at Big Lots.)
(Spotted by Rachel C at Walmart.)
