What the Health Magazine
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The Guinea Pig: I try, you buy
by Amanda Waltz, blogger
Over the course of doing this blog, I’ve realized something—I never do store brands. And why not? They’re just as good, if not sometimes better, than name brands. They’re cheaper. What’s not to love?
So for this peanut butter edition, I’m going into unexplored retail territory and reviewing a quality Wegmans brand product.
Wegmans Natural – Creamy Peanut Butter, 16 oz for $3-4
Here’s the deal - I don’t like peanut butter. I was that kid in elementary school who ate turkey sandwiches with mayo. To this day, I rarely crave a PB and J, so if I think this peanut butter is tasty, then it must be exceptional.
Besides this peanut butter, Wegmans has a diverse line of all-natural and organic products to choose from. They offer an organic option, but I went with the conventional creamy variety. That choice makes the review doubly difficult because, if I had to eat peanut butter, I prefer crunchy.
Like with most unhydrogenated peanut butters, the oil separates and makes for an unappetizing sight. After a bit of stirring, though, it does start to look like the average, everyday jar of Jif. But the similarities end there.
The texture has a less silky, gritty quality. As for taste, it’s definitely . . . peanut buttery. However, I found it to be unusually dry. It was the only time spreading something on toast actually made it harder to eat. Plus, it has to be refrigerated, making it a hassle to get a quick bite. You can barely eat it off the spoon. Not that you should, ’cause that’s gross.
The Verdict: Not this time, store brand.
For next week, we’ll try something a little different. All-natural soda. Look forward to it!
Amanda, I’m sorry to hear you’re not a fan of peanut butter to begin with– must’ve made this post rough, but that much funnier for me as a reader.
For all those who are PB-lovers, however, I have to recommend another store-brand product: Wegmans Organic Peanut Butter. I buy creamy all the time, and I love it because it has a nuttier flavor than I can find in Skippy or Jif brands. Fair warning– it is thicker, so it spreads slower (like this “natural” product), but it doesn’t need refrigerated. A happy medium. Spread it thick on whole wheat toast with honey drizzled on top, and you are golden.
Looking forward to reading more!