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 Rachel C at Trader Joe’s.)
(Spotted by Erin K at Cub Foods.)
(Spotted by Erin K at Cub Foods.)
(Spotted by Robbie at Sam’s Club.)
(Spotted by Robbie at Five Below.)
(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)
(Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)
Yes, you read the title correctly. This is a review of a pizza-flavored ice cream, or is it ice cream-flavored pizza? Either way, the latest product you never knew you needed but are intrigued to try (or at least read about someone else trying) is from the folks at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, who are also responsible for the previously reviewed Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Ice Cream.
I imagine there was a meeting of Van Leeuwen decision-makers where someone threw out the idea of pizza ice cream, and it seems that at least some in the meeting thought it wasn’t a terrible idea (perhaps the same ones who gave the thumbs up for mac and cheese ice cream). Now, if Van Leeuwen was run by a bunch of first graders, then I could understand this flavor getting the green light, along with chicken nugget ice cream. Even though I did not do any research to back this up, I’m guessing Van Leeuwen is not run by first graders, although the company’s website refers to their products as “pints” when they only contain 14 (not 16) ounces, so I guess they do struggle with numbers a little.
So, is this a terrible idea?
Actually, no. I sort of liked it, even though it only sort of tastes like pizza. This does contain a good number of pizza-ish ingredients — tomatoes, unbleached flour, mozzarella cheese powder, and unnamed spices — but they come through with different levels of flavor. The base ice cream (the cheese) is wonderfully creamy; I suppose because it’s French ice cream, which the container explains contains more egg yolks than non-French ice cream. There’s a hint of mozzarella taste but much more of a cheesecake flavor, thanks to the decidedly non-pizza ingredient of cream cheese.
The sauce part was a pleasant surprise. Despite how mixing tomatoes and ice cream might make you cringe, it was more than palatable. That’s probably because it’s a tomato jam, according to Van Leeuwen, and, according to me, it pairs nicely with the cheesy ice cream base. It has enough tomato flavor so you know what it is, but its mild sweetness eliminates the grossness factor.
The crust, made of basil cookies, is the only part that didn’t win me over. There was not much there as far as texture or taste, but it didn’t do anything to the detriment of the ice cream as a whole. It’s like having a co-worker who rarely does any work but doesn’t screw things up either.
As has been said in other reviews of Frankenstein-inspired freaks of food folly, this product is not a great substitute for either of the items it claims to be. If you are craving pizza, then even that cold pizza in the fridge that you question if it’s still OK is to eat is probably better. And if you have a hankering for ice cream, then just about any “regular” flavor will hit the spot better than this. But you only live once, and do you really want to be sitting in a retirement home playing bingo and wondering what pizza ice cream tastes like? I certainly do not, so I’m glad I tried this.
Purchased Price: $4.98
Size: 14 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 310 calories, 16 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 110 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 33 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.
It’s Monster Energy’s attempt to enter the slowly growing canned nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee market. Since 2020, Starbucks has been selling canned versions of its Nitro Cold Brew. Also, a handful of smaller coffee brands have theirs. But behind Starbucks, Monster Energy is probably the next biggest name to have one.
If you’re unfamiliar with the coffee drink, adding the element with an atomic weight of 14.0067 (I still remember it off the top of my head…after Googling it 10 seconds ago) into coffee gives it a smoother texture and head of foam when poured. Java Monster Nitro Cold Brew is available in two varieties — Sweet Black and Latte.
I like my coffee how I like my babies, full of milk. So I started with the Latte version. Pouring it created a thick foamy head, but perhaps too thick because of how I poured it. So I had to wait a while for it to shrink before drinking it. With the foam, its flavor reminds me of a regular Java Monster, but slightly watered down and less creamy, which I guess could be considered a smooth texture? Once the foam disappears into the liquid, the headless drink has more flavor, but it’s still less creamy than Monster’s regular coffee energy drinks. It’s okay, but I wouldn’t repurchase it.
Pouring the Sweet Black version resulted in a less pronounced foam head. It also has a less noticeable flavor. Even though there’s no sugar, it’s slightly sweet, and it isn’t very bitter, which is expected for cold brew. But much like the Latte one, it tastes watered down when drinking it with the foam. I thought, much like the Latte one, the flavor would perk up when the foam melts into the drink, but that wasn’t the case. While I enjoy Starbucks’ Black Nitro Cold Brew, I’m not a fan of this.
A can has 200 milligrams of caffeine thanks to the coffee and, of course, Monster’s proprietary energy blend. It’s the same amount you’ll find in most regular Java Monster flavors.
Also, the coffee is, I guess, pre-mixed with nitrogen. Unlike the Starbucks canned Nitro Cold Brew and Nitro Pepsi, there isn’t a nitrogen infuser at the can’s bottom that activates when opened. So, I’m sorry, ASMRers. There isn’t a satisfying hiss.
As someone who loves Java Monster and Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew, I thought there would be a good chance I’d enjoy Monster’s Nitro Cold Brew, but both varieties are underwhelming.
Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 13.5 fl oz cans
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Latte), 5 out of 10 (Sweet Black)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) Sweet Black – 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, 330 milligrams of sodium, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Latte – 100 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 490 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of sugar (0 grams of added sugar), and 7 grams of protein.
For some reason, and I don’t know why this happened, someone at Boar’s Head decided that apple pie and hummus belonged together. Weirdly, they were right.
This hummus does its job of mimicking apple pie a little too well. I was expecting a vague apple flavor and tons of sugary sweetness, but it’s more complex than that. The flavor actually tastes like the syrup-soaked pieces of piecrust that you get in the bottom of a dish of any halfway decent pie, also known as “the best part.” I was expecting them to go heavy on the apple, and instead they went all-in on the crust. The usual chickpea flavor of hummus was barely even discernable.
This left me in a weird kind of dessert purgatory, because even though the flavor evoked pie, the grainy hummus texture did not. My mouth kept looking for the tactile feeling of a crisp and buttery pie shell, and obviously I didn’t get it. After polishing off a full serving of the hummus, I was ready to run out to the store and buy myself a real apple pie…which I could then cover in this apple pie hummus, forming a kind of pie-ception. Yeah, that’s definitely going to happen.
I tried to mitigate the problem by adding more texture. After eating the hummus alone, I spread some of it on one of the Stella D’Oro Margherite cookies I always keep on hand. It was enjoyable, but the texture of the cookie wasn’t enough like pie to solve the problem. The prospect of trying to match the hummus with different kinds of cookies is appealing, however.
Boar’s Head also puts out a dark chocolate hummus, which is probably the better flavor because chocolate comes in all kinds of different textures already. I had the chocolate variety about a year ago and was impressed with just how chocolatey it was, so I really shouldn’t have been surprised at how much this hummus tasted like its namesake.
If you’re curious about dessert hummus and/or are looking for some kind of sweet spread, both this and the chocolate variety are solid buys that will satisfy a sugar craving. But if you want pie – and I mean if there’s even a snowball’s chance in hell that you might ever, at some conceivable point, want an apple pie – buy the apple pie. As for me, I’m going to buy a giant Dutch apple pie tomorrow and send Boar’s Head an invoice.
Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 8 oz
Purchased at: King Kullen
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 Tbsp) 60 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 9 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 5 grams of sugar (5 grams of added sugar), and 1 gram of protein.
I didn’t see any images of this cookie prior to this month. So it’s a bit late for St. Patrick’s Day and really late for National Chocolate Mint Day. (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)
