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A healthful twist on holiday snacking
Eat before you get to the holiday parties, and choose vegetables and pretzels over desserts and chips.
By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published December 6, 2006
Most diet literature gives the same tips for holiday eating strategies: Eat before you get to the holiday parties, and choose vegetables and pretzels over desserts and chips. Assuming we make those choices, Taster's Choice wanted to know just how satisfying pretzels could be. We put six brands to the test and invited the help of some volunteer judges during the Great American Teach-In at St. Paul's Catholic School in St. Petersburg. The eighth-graders in Maryjon Reed's class spread the pretzels on their desks to compare color, texture, shape and taste. Pretzels by Rold Gold ($2.24 for a 16-ounce bag at Wal-Mart) were their favorite. The students gave them 60.5 points out of a possible 100. They described the winning brand as shiny, smooth and buttery. The Rold Gold pretzels were thinner than some of the competitors; most of the students said they would eat these pretzels "at the movies" or "if they were packed in our school lunches." One group of students liked the bumpy salt crystals on the Rold Gold pretzels, comparing them to little mountains. The eighth-graders liked the Publix brand pretzels almost as much as the winning brand. They gave the Publix brand ($1.69 for a 16-ounce bag) 58 points. The Publix pretzels were the saltiest of the bunch. They also had a nice balance: soft interior and a crunchy coating. One group of students described them as "sunchy." Several students commented that the Publix pretzels were shaped like frogs. Another compared them to a barnacle-covered pole beneath a boat dock. "I would eat these if I had a real craving for salt," said one student. "I would tell my parents to buy the Publix pretzels if they were on sale," said a fellow judge. Two brands of pretzels tied for third place in the school tasting. Students gave Snyders ($2.08 for a 16-ounce bag at Wal-Mart) and Great Value ($1 for a 20-ounce bag at Wal-Mart) 47 points each. The Snyders pretzels looked like little hearts, according to the judges. They were glossy and smooth. The Wal-Mart store brand pretzels resembled tree bark to some judges. But they said they would eat them for their salty flavor and crunchy texture. "I would eat these all the time," one judge said about the Wal-Mart pretzels. Also sampled were pretzels from Newman's Own ($2.79 for a 7-ounce bag) and Albertsons ($1 for a 15-ounce bag). All pretzels were tasted blind. Panelists were: Patricia Alphonso, Lauren Barker, Ben Brackett, Zach Brasseur, Beard Bruce, Odalys Caro, Mary Daniels, Emily DiVito, Julia Doughtie, Anthony Dudley, Devin Dudley, Coby Goodwin, Sarah Hartney, Eric Hendrickson, Gabby Iglesias, Katie James, Christina Lahiff, Lauren Lautner, Erin Long, Gaby Lopez, Angelique Macolino, Christina Maggio, Erin McEntegart, Allie McPhail, Andrew Nguyen, Ellie Petrillo, Matt Ulm, Dominick VanKleeck, Phillip Vitrano, Marta Vucemilovic, Olivia Wilkinson, Katie Williford and Victoria Yarbrough. Judge's rankings Pretzels 1. Rold Gold 2. Publix 3. (tie) Snyders/Great Value
[Last modified December 6, 2006, 06:37:54]
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