Waffling

In celebration of the upcoming National Waffle Iron Day on June 29th, I decided that is was time for me to finally purchase a waffle iron. I've been talking about buying one for several years now, but apparently the time (and price) was right.

To be clear, National Waffle Iron Day should not be confused with National Waffle Day, which is on August 24th, or International Waffle Day, which is March 25th. Basically there seems to be a whole lot of reasons to eat waffles. Of course, now that I have my own waffle iron, every day is basically waffle day. Why not?

Having picked up the finest $20 waffle iron that money can buy and subsequently named him "Tommeke", I headed over to the Giant to check out the selection of batter mixes.





 Now, I'm fully aware that the best waffle batter is homemade. However, I figured it'd be more entertaining to subject myself the various chemical concoctions that is pre-made waffle/pancake/biscuit batter.

I also had no idea that there was such a wide selection...

I ended up choosing the Bisquick Shake 'n Pour and the Classique Fare Belgian Waffle Mix with it's retro 1970s packaging.

The only thing that's missing is the classic shot of the 1970s family enjoying a hearty meal?












Surprisingly, the Shake 'n Pour waffles actually turned out ok as far as pre-mixed batter goes. Nothing special really, but perfectly decent if you can get over the fact that you're pouring pre-made batter out of a plastic jug. Aside from the amusing packaging, the Classique Fare mix was pretty bad. Despite using the mix instructions on the box and trying varying waffle temperature settings, the waffles never cooked right. I was mostly left with half-cooked waffle goo that had to be scraped off the iron with a fork. Go ahead and chuckle at the box next time you see it in the store, but definitely buy another brand.

Next up I'll be talking about making home made choco tacos...the latest trend in hipster foods.

Chocolate Pudding Disaster

A friend of mine, who was recovering from recent dental surgery, made an off-hand comment that her favorite brand of pudding was Swiss Miss. Aside from the the one time I (accidentally) made rice pudding, I don't really eat pudding. Why would I? My last recollection of pudding comes from the plastic snack packs that I pleadingly convinced a friend to trade to me during elementary school lunch and the infamous "pudding parties" that, so far, I have only experienced in the state of Michigan.

A little about the "pudding party", I've asked a few people and it seems to be a regional thing. Basically there's a gigantic vat of pudding, there's a party going on, you're supposed to bring your own cup, and the place ends up a mess. The gigantic pudding vat always seemed similar to what eventually became the chocolate fountain you see in the Golden Corral commercials, so I (wisely) stayed far far away.

Either way, my friend was somewhat insulted by my dismissive attitude on the higher qualities of pudding, so in order to better educate myself, I picked up a few samples at the supermarket.


Sample 1: Jello Chocolate Flavor

If the winner was determined based on on how many ingredients it has, then this is number 1. I count about 20 ingredients for the Jello brand! The flavor is pretty subdued, but at least it's not overpowered by fake chocolate taste. 5/10

Sample 2: Snack Pack Chocolate Flavor

Despite having been refrigerated for several hours, the pudding wasn't even remotely cold. Bad sign? Maybe they could use it as an insulating material in aerospace technologies?


Even though the Snack Pack has a shorter ingredient list than the Jello brand pudding, the taste is still overpowered by a distinct fake chocolate flavor. Maybe it's the Carrageenan? 4/10

Sample 3: Swiss Miss Chocolate Flavor

Basically tastes about the same as the Jello brand. 5/10

Sample 4: Zen Chocolate Flavor

This brand was actually pretty decent and is closest to what "real" pudding tastes like. It's made with almond milk and is soy/dairy/gluten free. Aside from our friend Carrageenan, the ingredient list doesn't seem to have any other long and unpronounceable names. 7/10

After trying a whopping four cups of pudding in a sitting, I'm pretty much ready to avoid pudding for another decade. In the meantime, does anyone want some free pudding cups? (Hope my co-workers like this stuff.) The store wouldn't let me buy them one at a time and at this point I really REALLY don't want to eat any more pudding.