Tip #4: Shelves change constantly. Supermarkets will often rearrange shelves, making shoppers search for their regular staple items (typically ketchup, mayonnaise, etc) and we then wind up discovering (and buying) new products in the old, familiar locations.
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Bertolli Premium Champignon & Portobello Mushroom Pasta Sauce
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 30 |
19 |
14 |
15 |
n/a 10 |
5 |
5 | 98 |
This product is a HIT!
Here's a new product that is just phenomenal, and we realize it's a shock, but this sauce contains mushroom pieces that are actually identifiable as mushrooms! The aroma, the taste - fresh and flavorful – and, unlike a lot of ready-made pasta sauces, there is no sugar added. The consistency is thick and inviting, not watery at all. The pouch cooks in the microwave with a warning on the package about the crackling sound it makes – it is disconcerting as you expect to open the door of the oven to find a tomato-splattered cleaning nightmare, but in fact the sauce has cooked perfectly in the pouch in just 90 seconds! Available in other flavors.
Retails for $2.89 / 13.5 oz.
Bertolli USA , Englewood Cliffs, NJ
800 450 8699
villabertolli.com/
La Famiglia Del Grosso Uncle Jim’s Late Night Puttanesca
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 24 |
14 |
13 |
14 |
n/a 10 |
4 |
5 | 84 |
This pasta sauce is on the watery side, but it has a nice, fresh-tasting flavor and we like it. Oddly, we didn't get a strong input flavor-wise from the olives, capers, mushrooms or artichoke hearts; although we can clearly see them, and they give the sauce a nice texture; the flavor leans more towards a simple, but good, marinara. We suspect the ingredients must have been cooked separately and added later. We love that this company is family-owned and that the personality that radiates through each different sauce makes us wish we were a close cousin of the Del Grosso's who gets invited to all the family meals! Available in other flavors.
Retails for $7.99 / 26 oz.
DelGrosso Foods Inc., Tipton, PA
800 521 5880
delgrossosauce.com
Chocolatea Ginger Tea fine Milk Chocolate Hand Blended with Crushed Tea
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 20 |
12 |
14 |
12 |
n/a 10 |
3 |
5 | 76 |
We love the look of this new product: the package design is enticing and inviting, but we were surprised to find this "Fine Milk Chocolate" didn't have the sheen and appearance that gourmet upscale chocolate usually has, opting for smaller squares, giving the bar itself a more generic look. We know by the name we should expect a combination of tea and chocolate, but strangely, the flavor was not strong on either tea or chocolate – and we were thinking ginger tea would be an herbal concoction and were confused to see black tea on the ingredients - and cranberries – which explained the mystery gritty texture. There are many different flavors available and perhaps we were just unlucky with this one.
Retails for $4.50 - $6.00 / 3 oz.
Smile Chocolatiers , Malibu, CA
Smilechocolatiers.com
Brothers-All-Natural Potato Crisps With a Hint of Fresh Onion and Garlic
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 10 |
10 |
13 |
15 |
n/a 10 |
1 |
5 | 64 |
This product is a MISS!
We love this new trend of crisps that started with fruit, but sadly, when it comes to potatoes this process just doesn't succeed. The taste, the crunch – both are disappointing even if you have never tasted a conventional chip to compare it to. We applaud the idea of a chip that is better for you than its baked or fried rivals, but we question this product being manufactured in China. This is a case where good health is not going to be enough to sell a product that doesn't deliver. There is no satiety whatsoever. Available in other flavors and in fruit varieties.
Retails for $0.75 - $1.19 / 0.42 oz.
Brothers International Food Corp , Batavia, NY
585 343 3007
brothersallnatural.com
Natural Ovens Bakery Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 15 |
16 |
7 |
10 |
n/a 10 |
3 |
3 | 64 |
This product is a MISS!
Natural Ovens Bakery should market these "cookies" as muffin top cookies and then consumers won't be disappointed by their mushy consistency and lack of crisp cookie crunch. Even as a soft cookie these are lacking in luster, and due to the lack of chemical preservatives the package warns you to "Freeze promptly after purchase – for best results". Maybe that's where we went wrong, but this package doesn't lend itself to freezing, as the thin cellophane will make it a candidate for freezer burn in no time. The package claims 210 mg of Omega 3s. In each package? Each cookie? It's not clear. The second ingredient is Crystalline Corn Fructose – a cousin of our dreaded foe High Fructose Corn Syrup!
Retails for $3.89 / 11.4 oz.
Natural Ovens Bakery , Manitowoc, WI
800 558 3535
naturalovens.com
Points System:
Each product is judged and taste-tested based on the following seven criteria:
1. (30 points) Taste: The most important attribute of any food
2. (20 points) Value: Is it worth it?
3. (15 points) Health: Based off the nutritional information, is it nutritionally balanced?
4. (15 points) Ingredients: What's in it, how natural is it?
5. (10 points) Preparation: When applicable, how accurate or good are the directions?*
6. (5 points) Appearance: Is it appetizing and does it resemble its photo or description?
7. (5 points) Packaging: Is it appropriate for the product and does it have any benefits such as reseal ability, added freshness, better storage, etc?
*Products that do not require any preparation will have the full value of these points included in their total score.
More from Phil Lempert:
- More new product reviews
- Get more tips and information on Today Show on iVillage
Tip #3: Kids' cereals.
The most expensive children's breakfast cereals are often placed at their eye level (not adults'). As you shop the aisle, you don't even realize what's causing your kids to want to put just about every cereal box imaginable in the cart. Look for the plastic bagged cereals – these are typically 30 percent less expensive.
More in this series from Phil Lempert
Each week we will post the latest reviews and I hope you will log in to see what’s hot…and what’s not!
Tostitos Pinch of Salt 100% White Corn Crispy Rounds
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 30 |
20 |
15 |
15 |
n/a 10 |
5 |
4 | 99 |
This product is a HIT!
The people at Frito Lay have done it again. We love that this company has made such a commitment to healthy snacking, at least when it comes to chips. One look at the ingredient list "Whole White Corn, Vegetable Oil and Salt" says it all. And now their new "Pinch of Salt" line is one of the smartest things to hit the snack aisle in decades. With just 75 grams of Sodium this is the perfect snack for those aging baby boomers with their hypertension! And most importantly they taste great, which goes to prove we don't need tons of sodium in our foods for flavor; just good ingredients are enough.
Frito-Lay Inc, Plano, TX
800 352 4477
fritolay.com
Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt Honey Flavor
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 29 |
15 |
15 |
15 |
n/a 10 |
3 |
2 | 92 |
This product is a HIT!
There's little doubt that 2008 is the year of Greek Yogurt. At the recent National Products Expo West convention there seemed to be authentic Greek yogurt everywhere. Stonyfield is one of our favorite yogurt brands and is leading the trend with their new Oikos Organic Yogurt. This is what yogurt is supposed to taste like, although we found the honey flavor a little intense and somewhat overpowering the flavor of the yogurt itself. Makes us question the need to add sugar to a honey yogurt. But after all it is Greek and Greeks love their honey! Stonyfield also clearly identifies the fact that this product contains live cultures and names them. Hey, you "other" brands: are you paying attention?
Stonyfield Farm, Londonderry, NH
800 776 2697
oikosorganic.com
Baji’s Indian Lentil Biryani Authentic Basmati Rice
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 25 |
17 |
11 |
15 |
7 |
3 |
5 | 83 |
Typically, Basmati Rice has a unique, aromatic quality; however in this Lentil Biryani product from Baji's the spice actually overwhelms the delicate taste, resulting in a fiery, spicy heat rather than a well-balanced Indian flavor. For those of you who like your food extra hot, you'll probably enjoy this as a side dish for two or a vegetarian entrée for one. The package proclaims that this is a 90-second meal, but when cooked for this amount of time the dish was still clumpy. Available in other flavors.
Retails for $2.41 - $3.09 / 9 0z.
Passion Foods, Inc., Sudbury, MA
978 443 6225
www.bajispassion.com
Phil's Fresh Foods Shredded Beef New Mexico Style Burrito
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 22 |
15 |
12 |
15 |
8 |
2 |
5 | 79 |
Now you might think the name of this new product would make us biased, but we're not – and no, we didn't start a burrito company! Having said that, Phil's Shredded Beef Burrito is pretty tasty, not bad at all. Our only criticism is that the tortilla is very chewy and doughy, but that might have something to do with the cooking time. We cooked this burrito for two minutes in the microwave as per instructions, but thought it could do with more cooking. We noticed from the website that the cooking time has now been upped to four minutes, so maybe that would have helped. Wish they would have told us! Available in other flavors.
Retails for $2.79 - $2.99 / 8 oz.
Phil’s Fresh Foods, Boulder, CO
303 554 7000
philsfreshfoods.com
Primo Purified Water
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Total |
| 20 |
13 |
15 |
5 |
n/a 10 |
5 |
3 | 71 |
This company is trying to make a statement on the environment, which is great. Of course we want everyone to be socially responsible; we are just not convinced that Primo, with their "American Grown Bottle", is going about it the right way. They are packaging their "Purified Water" which has been "Perfected with Minerals" (mystery minerals that are not listed) in bottles made from corn instead of oil. Is this really the way to save the planet? Wouldn't a glass or recycled bottle be more green? And wait a minute, what about the trend of moving away from individual bottled water bottles anyway? And as far as the label proclaiming you can "taste perfection", that just sadly isn't true. There are a lot of bottled waters that taste way better than this one.
Primo Water Corp
Salem, MA
Phone: 877 266 5370
primowater.com
Points System:
Each product is judged and taste-tested based on the following seven criteria:
1. (30 points) Taste: The most important attribute of any food
2. (20 points) Value: Is it worth it?
3. (15 points) Health: Based off the nutritional information, is it nutritionally balanced?
4. (15 points) Ingredients: What's in it, how natural is it?
5. (10 points) Preparation: When applicable, how accurate or good are the directions?*
6. (5 points) Appearance: Is it appetizing and does it resemble its photo or description?
7. (5 points) Packaging: Is it appropriate for the product and does it have any benefits such as reseal ability, added freshness, better storage, etc?
*Products that do not require any preparation will have the full value of these points included in their total score.
More from Phil Lempert:
- More new product reviews
- Get more tips and information on Today Show on iVillage
Unless you are one of the few people who doesn’t look forward to the summer tomato crop all year, the events over the past week have you as upset as I am.
I love tomatoes. All kinds of tomatoes. I struggle through eating tasteless tomatoes most of the year with the promise that come summer that great flavor will return. But maybe not this year?
Many fast food restaurants have signs posted that their signature burgers, including Big Macs and Whoppers are still available, but without the tomatoes. No tomato on a Whopper? That, my friends, is sacrilegious.
Federal food safety officials have reported that at least 167 people in 17 states appear to have been affected by salmonella poisoning is related to the consumption of raw tomatoes. Over the weekend the agency warned consumers to avoid certain raw red plum, red Roma and red round tomatoes and products containing them. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and those sold with the vine still attached are not associated with the outbreak. As of late yesterday, Florida's latest tomato crop has been cleared and reported as safe to eat.
But what is the most upsetting (and we’ve said it many times before) is that the time that it takes for the government to release food safety information makes the entire process a joke. This investigation started in mid-April. Almost two months ago. Are we really to believe that these contaminated fresh tomatoes are still on supermarket shelves? All that is accomplished by this outdated process is to further denigrate our confidence in our food supply. In 2008 we can find out information about celebrity drug problems or who’s having whose baby in nano-seconds – but when it comes to the safety of our foods it takes months…usually well after the foods have been consumed.
This is unacceptable.
And by the way, just for the record. I am eating fresh tomatoes – and they taste delicious.
For more information on this recall visit the Centers for Disease Control’s webpage.
