The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Limited Edition Smoked Cheddar Cheetos Puffs

November 9, 2012February 26, 2023 Marvo 6 Comments

Smoked cheeses usually have a brownish exterior, but these Limited Edition Smoked Cheddar Cheetos Puffs don’t have any similar color characteristics of smoked cheese. Instead they’re just noticeably less radioactive orange than regular Cheetos.

Of course, because of the shape of Cheetos Puffs, if they did have a brownish exterior, they would look like poop.

It seems whenever Frito-Lay wants to get fancy with Cheetos Puffs, they break out different cheddar varieties, like white cheddar. And if they want to go the opposite of fancy, they create pizza-flavored Cheetos. There are dozens of cheeses they could’ve gone with, but they stuck with what they know (and can pronounce) — cheddar.

I mean, there are so many cheeses with butcherable names they could flavor their cornmeal puffs with.

Here’s a list. Say them out loud and give your mouth a workout. Then guess which one of them is completely made up…without help from the internet.

There’s Gruyère, Boerenkaas, Taleggio, Montcabrer, Scamorza, Robiola della Alta Langa, Courgherst, Fium’Orbu, Neufchatel, Rauchkase, Camembert de Normandie, Nevat de Oveja, and Époisses.

(The answer can be found in the Cons section of this review)

But the fine food scientists at Frito-Lay didn’t pick a cheese with a tongue twister for a name, they decided to combine the flavor of smoked cheddar with their iconic snack to create the Limited Edition Smoked Cheddar Cheetos Puffs.

Regular Cheetos Puffs have a strong cheesiness and it’s what makes them so great. But these Limited Edition Smoked Cheddar Cheetos lack that, even though they’re flavored with smoked cheddar, regular cheddar, blue cheese, and parmesan. Instead these crunchy puffs had a mild cheese and equally mild, slightly off-putting artificial smoke flavor.

The lack of cheesiness made me hesitate when it was time to decide whether or not to suck the Cheetos dust off my fingers. However, because I was too lazy to grab a napkin or to walk to a sink, I sucked my fingers clean. But I didn’t enjoy it.

The superimposed smoke that surrounds the Limited Edition Smoked Cheddar Cheetos on the front of the packaging makes each one look like it’s losing its soul. The image is fitting because the lack of cheesiness make these Cheetos taste like they’ve lost their souls.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 ounce/about 13 pieces – 150 calories, 90 calories from fat, 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Other Limited Edition Smoked Cheddar Cheetos Puffs reviews:
Junk Food Guy
Chip Review

Item: Limited Edition Smoked Cheddar Cheetos Puffs
Purchased Price: $4.39
Size: 9 ounces
Purchased at: Foodland
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Crunchy. Not colored like smoked cheddar. Less radioactive looking. How easy it was to come up with a fake cheese name.
Cons: Not cheesy enough. Artificial smokiness was a little off-putting. Cheddar being the default cheese flavor for snacks. Made me hesitant to suck my fingers clean. Courgherst.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 11/9/2012

November 9, 2012December 24, 2020 Marvo 7 Comments

Here are some new and limited edition products found on store shelves by us and your fellow readers. We may or may not review them, but we’d like to let you know what new items are popping up. We’ll also occasionally throw in an unusual product.

Despite their names, both coconuts and peanuts aren’t nuts. Coconuts are drupes, while peanuts are legumes. So I find it fitting that the two find themselves together in a coconut and peanut butter spread. (Spotted at Whole Foods. Spotted by Audrey.)

Is Rice-A-Roni still the “San Francisco Treat”? Because I’ve never considered rice to be a treat. When has rice ever been a treat? Well, now that I think about it, I guess if I was held captive somewhere and fed only water and bread, rice would be a treat. (Spotted at Safeway)

It’s rare to see another Heinz 57 Sauce variety. I can’t wait to use Heinz 57 Sauce with Honey to make the steak, chicken, and pork I overcook in my George Foreman grill taste a little better. (Spotted at Safeway)

As someone who has trouble baking a cake from a regular boxed cake mix, these, with their filling and need for a bundt pan, look really scary to me. (Spotted at Safeway)

Hormel is the king, THE KING I say, of shelf stable meat products. Also, I find their SPAM Museum in Minnesota to be very interesting. Here’s a Hormel Black Label Real Bacon Snackin’ Nuggest Jalapeño review. (Spotted at Walmart. Spotted by Carrie.)

If you’re out shopping and see a new or limited edition product on the shelf (or really unusual), snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

NEWS: Japan’s Pepsi Special Sounds Like It’s A Beverage Sumo Wrestlers Will Avoid

November 8, 2012December 24, 2020 Marvo

Do you eat fatty foods AND live in Japan?

Well, I have a beverage for you, my fatty food feasting friend. It’s the new Pepsi Special, which will be released in Japan later this month. What makes this cola special? It’s special because it contains dextrin. What’s dextrin? Well, I’ll tell you what dextrin is, my fact finding friend. It’s a soluble fiber supplement that helps prevent your body from absorbing fat.

You might be thinking to yourself, “That sounds dubious.”

Well, my cynical compadre, Pepsi Special has been certified by the Japanese government as a “food for specific health use.” The certification is based on dextrin experiments with rats by Junichi Nagata and Morio Saito from Japan’s National Institute of Health and Nutrition. But Pepsi Special isn’t the only dextrin-fied cola available in Japan. Earlier this year, Kirin introduced Mets Cola.

Pepsi Special will be released in Japan on November 13th and sold for 150 yen.

Source: Foodbeast

NEWS: Taco Bell’s Cookie Sandwich Is Probably Not Lorena Garcia’s Idea

November 8, 2012February 4, 2023 Marvo 10 Comments

Why is Taco Bell’s new Cookie Sandwich not a cookie taco?

Or instead of a cookie taco, why couldn’t Taco Bell just make up a Mexican sounding name like they’ve done with past menu items? Because Cookie Sandwich sounds out of place among the other two items on Taco Bell’s dessert menu — Churros and a Caramel Apple Empanada.

Taco Bell’s Cookie Sandwich is made up of two triangle-shaped chocolate chip cookies with vanilla cream filling in between. The dessert reminds me of the discontinued Chips Ahoy Cremewiches, which I really miss.

The Taco Bell Cookie Sandwich has 390 calories, 17 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 56 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 44 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Baked Pumpkin Pie

November 8, 2012September 4, 2023 Adam 7 Comments

Last year, I tried the McDonald’s Baked Pumpkin Pie and thought it was pretty good for what it was — namely, one of McDonald’s many pie varieties — although it had a lackluster crust and weird textured filling.

Well, I tried the fast food pumpkin pie again this year and all I have to say is that it appears McDonald’s is in cahoots with Paula Deen.

How else can one explain the flaky pastry crust adorned with warm cinnamon and buttery taste, and the warm, unctuous texture of the spicy yet rich filling that’s bursting with robust pumpkin flavor and a none-to-sweet finish that will make you swear off Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts for the remainder of your November?

A pumpkin junkie in my own right, I’ve had the autumnal rite of pumpkin pie flavored stuff in just about every conceivable form – and even some inconceivable ones. Pumpkin donuts. pumpkin pie yogurt. pumpkin muffins and ice cream and yes, even that standard, how-the-heck does it taste this artificially awesome pumpkin mousse that every Weight Watcher’s household has run-across. There have been some hits. There have been a lot of misses. But the McDonald’s Baked Pumpkin Pie is one of the few edible goodies that have been able to live up to any semblance of that traditionally rich and wholesome pumpkin pie your grandma bakes each Thanksgiving.

My local McDonald’s wasn’t quite inclined to recreate the Thanksgiving experience by serving me my pumpkin pie on a recliner in front of a picture-in-picture HDTV with both the Cowboys game and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade highlights on the screen, but my store did serve it to me piping hot and in a cute little orange box which made me feel like I was getting an early Christmas present, and not just one with a buttload of saturated fat in something the size of my phone.

Adorned with a cinnamon glaze and three tiny slits on top, the pies themselves won’t win any beauty contests. Nor will they intoxicate you with the kind of siren-like aroma that causes even the most grotesquely stuffed post-Thanksgiving dinner guest to make a beeline for the dessert table. Yet for what the pie lacks in visual sophistication or intoxicating aroma, it somehow makes up in balance of taste and remarkable authenticity.

I don’t know if they changed the recipe from last year but the crust is much better from what I remember and isn’t just an afterthought to contain the warm and delicious filling. It has a delicate crumb and an enjoyably flaky texture, but it’s the buttery, croissant-like taste and baked-in cinnamon flavor which make it an enjoyable and dare-I-say sophisticated foil to the filling.

The filling itself is tough to describe outside of the prerequisite “mmmmmmm,” but I’ll do my best to exploit my non auditory vocabulary ability. Texturally speaking, it’s a bit more viscous than solid packed pumpkin filling, with specks of fall spices breaking up the bright orange. Despite looking like it might have come from a can, it tastes developed and rich, as if it’s been baked with the addition of brown sugar and evaporated milk – two staples of many a pumpkin pie recipe. The sweetness seems remarkably restrained, a pleasant surprise which allows the spices and pumpkin to shine while still providing enough textural contrast with the flaky crust.

I just don’t get it, I really don’t. I’m not suppose to enjoy a McDonald’s pie this much. A hamburger? Possibly. Fries? Certainly. But a one dollar pie exemplifying all that is right and good about autumn foods? As dumbfounded as I am at this apparent coup aimed at the family Thanksgiving table, McDonald’s Baked Pumpkin Pie cannot be denied it’s due deliciousness, especially not when it’s fresh baked and piping hot.

Thank you, Ronald and company. Whether it was Paula Deen and her Botox enhanced grins or just an assembly line of conscripted grandmothers, you’ve managed to create an affordable slice of the Holidays that’s as delicious as it is simple.

(Nutrition Facts – 240 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 150 milligrams of sodium, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 11 grams of sugars, and 3 grams of protein.)

Other McDonald’s Pumpkin Pie reviews:
Foodette Reviews
Brand Eating

Item: McDonald’s Baked Pumpkin Pie
Purchased Price: $1.00
Size: N/A
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Flakey, buttery crust with warm cinnamon flavor. Filling has enjoyably viscous and warm consistency with classic warming spices and brown sugar sweetness. Not cloying. Comes in a cute box. Trans fat free. Tastes new and improved. Vitamin A!
Cons: Small, as in, three bites and your done small. Super source of saturated fat. Potential cultural ramifications of McDonald’s making a better pumpkin pie than my own grandmother. My grandmother reading this review and forcing me to sit at the kids table for Thanksgiving. Not available nationwide.

Basic