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Upstarts dethrone the majority whip
By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published September 7, 2005
Anyone who has ever been on a diet knows the value of Cool Whip. It is low-calorie, sweet and comes in a fat-free variety. It makes Jell-O taste like a real dessert and it turns fat-free chocolate pudding into decent mousse.
A slave to name brands and wooed by those appetizing television commercials of picnic tables lined with Cool Whip-enhanced desserts, I always reach for it. But with so many store-brand whipped toppings, Taster's Choice wondered if the differences were detectable.
The answer was a resounding no. Taster's Choice tested three store brands against Cool Whip. The whipped topping from Publix ($1.50) was our favorite. Judges gave it 64 out of 80 points.
Three of four panelists said they would buy it.
"It's white as snow and very airy," said one judge. "Give me some strawberries."
Another panelist liked the thickness of the Publix topping, saying she detected a hint of vanilla. Kash n' Karry (89 cents) whipped topping placed second with 52 points.
"I love this one," said a panelist, who praised its creaminess, fluffiness and "marshmallowlike" taste. Cool Whip ($1.19) was third with 50 points. Judges liked its bright color and the texture.
The fourth topping, from Albertsons (99 cents) received 27 points. Judges said it had a slight aftertaste and a "strange lemony, sour taste." None of the judges would choose it.
But even the lower score didn't mean our panelists would push it away on a dessert.
I used the leftovers from Albertsons to make a faux chocolate cream pie the same week and no one in my family could tell the topping wasn't Cool Whip.
- Panelists were: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with Pinellas County Extension, Gary Kawalec, chef/owner of Supper Club, a make-and-take meal assembly business soon to open in Safety Harbor, personal chef Julie Overton and Times food editor Janet K. Keeler. All products were tasted blind.
Send suggestions for product testing to Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to krieta@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past Taster's Choice columns, go to www.sptimes.com/food
RANKINGS
No. 1: Publix.
No. 2: Kash n' Karry.
No. 3: Cool Whip.
[Last modified September 6, 2005, 09:19:04]
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Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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