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Marshmallows: tiny puffs of sweet joy

By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published November 19, 2006

Marshmallows have been a year-round treat in our family because they are sweet, fat-free and very portable. I was packing them in school lunches way before Kraft came up with the idea.

Taster's Choice panelists said they have been stocking up on the fluffy puffs for the holidays. To see if they made the right buys, they put six brands of mini marshmallows to the test.

The texture was the biggest difference between the brands. Some were harder than others, some were chalky. Descriptions by the judges ranged from "buttons" to "earplugs."

The favorite was the bag of marshmallows by Great Value from Wal-Mart 97 cents for a 16-ounce bag. All five judges said they would buy these, giving the marshmallows 83 of a possible 100 points.

"These are squeezably soft," said one panelist. "I want to see these warming on top of my hot chocolate and sweet potato casserole."

The Great Value marshmallows were the largest of the minis we sampled.

"You chew into these puffs and they fight back," said one judge.

"I give them two thumbs up," he added.

In second place, with 58 points, were the Hannaford store-brand marshmallows from Sweetbay ($1.19 for a 10.5-ounce bag). Three of the five judges said they would buy this brand.

"These are like a puffed whisper; you almost can hear the taste," said a panelist who voted in favor of the Sweetbay marshmallows.

Another thought they were too spongy.

Right behind Hannaford were the familiar Jet Puff marshmallows from Kraft ($1.85 for a 10.5-ounce bag). All five judges said they have purchased the Kraft variety but only two said they would continue to do so.

"They are the most uniform looking," said one judge. "They look and taste like a mallow should."

Some judges disagreed.

"These aren't sweet enough," said one. "They leave a chalky aftertaste, and they look like an arctic ear plug."

Also sampled were marshmallows from: Albertsons ($1.85 for a 16-ounce bag), Publix (99 cents for a 10.5-ounce bag); and Market Pantry from Target (99 cents for a 10.5-ounce bag).

Panelists were: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with Pinellas County Cooperative Extension; Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620 personal chef Julie Overton; office manager Kevin McAuliffe; and registered nurse Julie Pica. All foods were tasted blind.

Send suggestions for product tasting to Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to jkeeler@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past Taster's Choice columns, go to www.sptimes.com/food.

Judge's rankings

Marshmallows

No. 1: Great Value, Wal-Mart

No. 2: Hannaford, Sweetbay

No. 3: Kraft

[Last modified November 17, 2006, 08:55:31]