SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 6/27/2016

Marvo 3 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.

Planters 100th Birthday Dry Roasted Peanuts

Planters 100th Birthday Dry Roasted Peanuts

Happy Birthday, Mr. Peanut! Now that you’re 100 years old, maybe it’s time to ditch the monocle and get some glasses so you don’t look like you’re living in the 1900’s. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

IBC Cream Soda and Black Cherry made with Real Sugar

IBC Cream Soda and Black Cherry made with Real Sugar

IBC Root Beer and Cherry Limeade made with Real Sugar

IBC Root Beer and Cherry Limeade made with Real Sugar

IBC Diet Root Beer

IBC Diet Root Beer

Speaking of 100th birthdays, it looks like a particular beverage company will be a centenarian soon. (Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

Screamin' Sicilian Holy Pepperoni and Lucky Clucker Stromboli

Screamin’ Sicilian Holy Pepperoni and Lucky Clucker Stromboli

Screamin' Sicilian Mambo Italiano and Supremus Maximus Stromboli

Screamin’ Sicilian Mambo Italiano and Supremus Maximus Stromboli

Screaming’ Sicilian packaging gives me nightmares. It started with their pizza and it’ll continue with their stromboli. (Spotted by Sascha at Meijer.)

Thomas' Nooks & Crannies Plain Bagels

Thomas’ Nooks & Crannies Plain Bagels

Thomas’ already has Nooks & Crannies English Muffins. Will Nooks & Crannies Swirl Bread be next? (Spotted by Elizabeth L at Target.)

Amy's Bowls (Cheest Tortellini and Ravioli Spinach & Ricotta Cheese)

Amy’s Bowls (Cheese Tortellini and Ravioli Spinach & Ricotta Cheese)

I have a friend named Amy who likes bowls too, if you know what I mean. She’s a skateboarder. And a cereal junkie. And enjoys lawn bowling. And loves watching college football. (Spotted by Michael V at Target.)

Wrigley's Hubba Bubba Bubble Blast

Wrigley’s Hubba Bubba Bubble Blast

That’s a lot of gum. (Spotted by Robbie at Dollar Tree.)

Charms Fluffy Stuff Strawberry Lemonade Cotton Candy

Charms Fluffy Stuff Strawberry Lemonade Cotton Candy

IT’S SO FLUFFY!!! (Spotted by Sylvia at Vons.)

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

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Great Value Big Burly Breakfast Sandwiches

Marvo 3 Comments
Great Value Big Burly Breakfast Sandwiches (Southern Style Chicken and Waffles and Spicy Sausage, Egg and Cheese on Toast)

Great Value Big Burly Breakfast Sandwiches (Southern Style Chicken and Waffles and Spicy Sausage, Egg and Cheese on Toast)

Great Value Big Burly Breakfast Sandwiches (Sausage, Egg and Cheese on Cinnamon Swirl French Toast and Bacon, Egg and Cheese on Cinnamon Swirl French Toast)

Great Value Big Burly Breakfast Sandwiches (Sausage, Egg and Cheese on Cinnamon Swirl French Toast and Bacon, Egg and Cheese on Cinnamon Swirl French Toast)

Are the caution strips there to warn us about how bad these breakfast sandwich are for us? (Spotted by Carla at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you’ve tried the product, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

REVIEW: Burger King Mac n’ Cheetos

Marvo 9 Comments

Burger King Mac n' Cheetos

The more I look at Burger King’s new Mac n’ Cheetos, the more I want to call them Mac n’ Cheeturds. I assume they’re supposed to look like Cheetos Puffs, but they’re not orange enough or curved enough, which gives me the urge to rename them.

The fast food side appears to be the successor to Doritos Loaded, a fried, triangular cheese-stuffed product that debuted at 7-Eleven locations in 2014 and was available at select Burger King locations last year, which, now looking back, was probably a test to see if Burger King patrons would buy a newfangled mozzarella stick. SPOILER ALERT: It appears they would. I didn’t have the fortitude to try Doritos Loaded after reading a bunch of negative reviews, so I can’t compare it with Mac n’ Cheetos.

The product is basically deep fried mac n’ cheese, a staple at carnivals, state fairs, and the Cheesecake Factory, but with a sprinkling of Cheetos dust in the crispy coating. A serving is five golden orange pieces that come in a Chester Cheetah-less package. I guess the rights to use Chester Cheetah would’ve cost Burger King some money, but it would’ve made the packaging as fun as what the Chicken Fries come in.

Burger King Mac n' Cheetos 2

The golden orange coating has a slight crispiness to it, but Burger King’s Onion Rings have a better crunch. I nibbled on the exterior to taste whatever Cheetos seasoning may be on in it, but my taste buds didn’t register anything that made me think of the crunchy cheese snack. But the crispy coating did remind of another popular cheesy snack — Cheez-Its.

Burger King Mac n' Cheetos 3

As for the interior, it’s a combination of orange cheese goo and tiny macaroni. The macaroni were tender, although they’re small enough that your teeth might not even notice them. The cheese tastes like cheddar and has a consistency that more like toothpaste than ooey-gooey cheese, making it slightly weird. The mac and cheese is adequate, but it too doesn’t have anything that makes me think of Cheetos.

As you can probably tell, I’m not impressed with Burger King’s Mac n’ Cheetos. They somewhat look like Cheetos, but they don’t have that distinguishable Cheetos flavor, not even a hint of it. And what about Cheetos dust on my fingers! They don’t even give me that.

Look, I admire Burger King for their willingness to try something like this. Someone said you can’t be successful without failure. I’m not sure who said that, probably someone who came up with hundreds of failing sayings before coming up with that winner. It’s a great idea and I was excited about them, but the execution was poor. Maybe they do deserve the name Mac n’ Cheeturds?

(Nutrition Facts – Not available on website yet.)

Purchased Price: $3.29*
Size: 5 pieces
Purchased at: Burger King
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: They kind of look like Cheetos. Adequate. Interesting concept and name. Breading reminds me of Cheez-Its.
Cons: Disappointing they don’t taste at all like Cheetos. Don’t give me Cheetos dust fingers. No Chester Cheetah on the packaging. Cheese doesn’t have an oozy-gooey consistency.

*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 ON SHELVES – 6/24/2016

Marvo

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.

Rold Gold Cheesecake Pretzel Dippers

Rold Gold Cheesecake Pretzel Dippers

A new Rold Gold Pretzel Dippers flavor. I guess people really love dipping pretzels. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

Nature Valley Chocolate Oat Bites

Nature Valley Chocolate Oat Bites

Nature Valley Raisin Oat Clusters

Nature Valley Raisin Oat Clusters

Nature Valley has two new cereals! (Spotted by Rachel C at Walmart.)

Nature Valley Backpacker Chewy Oatmeal Bites (Chocolate Chip and S'mores)

Nature Valley Backpacker Chewy Oatmeal Bites (Chocolate Chip and S’mores)

Nature Valley could also have a third new cereal if I empty all six pouches of both Backpacker flavors into a bowl and pour milk over them. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)

Trader Joe's Dark & White Chocolates Tulips

Trader Joe’s Dark & White Chocolates Tulips

Don’t these look more like a spring thing. (Spotted by Rachel C at Trader Joe’s.)

Kashi Dark Cocoa Karma Cereal

Kashi Dark Cocoa Karma Cereal

Light bright wheat combined with dark cocoa karma. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)

Great Value Breakfast Biscuits (Golden Oat, Cinnamon & Brown Sugar, and Blueberry)

Great Value Breakfast Biscuits (Golden Oat, Cinnamon & Brown Sugar, and Blueberry)

“Have a Great Morning with Great Value Breakfast Biscuits! They’re Great!” is what I would’ve wanted to put on the box if I was horrible marketing person. (Spotted by Carla at Walmart.)

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