One of my students this semester (the term that just ended) is on the VoiceThread team. What they say about it on their website sounds pretty cool, but I have to admit that it didn’t suck me in as much as seeing Monte annotate a Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoon … while it was playing! The video doodling is remarkable technology.
Taste Test: Peanut Butter Wafer Candy Bar
Last week, I presented the next candy bar taste test to my usual three judges. This time we compared a Butterfinger candy bar to a Slimfast Peanut Butter Crunch snack bar.
Aside #1: You would think that a Slimfast “snack bar” would be better nutrionally than a regular candy bar, but they’re remarkably close. The skeptic in me had to check, and I was slightly surprised. The Slimfast has slightly less fat and sugar, but the major difference is that it comes in a smaller serving size; it’s one-third the size of a King Size Butterfinger.
Slimfast (2 Slimfast bars) Butterfinger (1/2 Butterfinger bar) serving size 28g (56g) 60g (30g) calories 120 (240) 270 (135) fat 4g (8g) 11g (5.5g) - saturated fat 2g (4g) 6g (3g) carbohydrates 21g (42g) 43g (21.5g) - sugar 12g (24g) 29g (14.5g) protein 1g (2g) 4g (2g)
The Butterfinger had a slightly more desirable texture and didn’t stick to my teeth as much, but the only way to tell the difference was to sample both at the same time. If we had tried these at different times, we’re not sure we would notice.
Aside #2: I refuse to buy Nestle products, at least once I know they’re made by Nestle. So I have to admit that the Butterfinger sample was part of the Toddler’s Halloween haul (I didn’t buy it), and its age may have contributed to its drier texture.
So although the Butterfinger won the taste test, it only won by a very slim margin. In favor of the Slimfast Peanut Butter Crunch, it does not have visible orange dye in the crunchy wafers (who needs more dye in their diet?), it comes in portion-controlled sizes, and oh it’s not made by Nestle.
What I’ll actually buy was determined before the taste test, but it’s nice to know that I’m not missing out on taste. In addition, (one-half to) one Slimfast bar is enough to cure my craving, so I don’t need or want the larger Butterfinger bar.
Taste Test: Mint Chocolate Candy Bar
Several months ago, I noticed a new flavor of 3 Musketeers at the store: mint! I had to try it. This taste test had the usual three of us for dinner (me, Daddy, and Mimi).
We compared 3 Musketeers Mint to York Peppermint Pattie. Both have a mint filling covered with dark chocolate, although one is a bar and the other is a pattie. The verdict is that we preferred the 3 Musketeers for general noshing because the mint flavor of the York Peppermint Patty was overpowering (then again, that is their brand identity). The 3 Musketeers bar was also fluffier, but that’s part of their identity.
