Canned Bananas?

 I feel like there are some foods that don't belong in a can, bananas might just be one of them.

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You Need Facts And You Love Snacks

 If you want to learn some really fun facts about the snacks you love, make sure to pick up my comic series called Snack Facts.

You can pick up every single issue (separate or in one collection) at candycritic.org/snackfacts/ or on Amazon.

Sugar Free Review

 

I always find reviewing sugar free products to be a bit of a challenge. The problem I have is weather or not I should include the fact that they're sugar free. My findings are that most sugar free treats and candies aren't as tasty as their sugar filled counterparts. However, I have come across some sugar free treats that are pretty good. Maybe they're not as good as the original, but they're still pretty tasty. So when I write the review, should I talk about the fact that they're sugar free, should I compare them to the sugar filled version, what should I do? The other question is, do I mention the various sugar substitutes and various chemicals? These questions really challenge me when I'm writing a review for a sugar free treat, what do you think?

Check out my latest sugar free review.

2000 Reviews

 This week I crossed a pretty big milestone, 2000 reviews on candycritic.org. That seems like a lot of candy for one person to have eaten in a lifetime. Since this is such a big moment, I thought that I would share a few statistics and facts about these reviews that I’ve written over the years.

How many people have written these reviews? - Basically one person, but there are a few side notes worth mentioning. I have had a few people contribute to some of these reviews, and on occasion you might even see people’s names being dropped. However I can safely tell you that I’ve tasted each and every candy reviewed on this site and my words are the ones describing them. 

First review - The first review I ever wrote for candycritic.org was for a gum called Sand Hill Bubblegum. It was kind of the inspiration for the site. I discovered this gum at a store near my art school. At the time we had an assignment in school to create a website on any topic we choose. I thought it would be fun to create a website where I talked about candies that I’ve tasted (because I had just tried this unique treat). After that I just kept adding more and more reviews.

Highest Review - This is probably the most common question I get when people find out I have a site dedicated to reviewing candy. The highest reviewed treat is a British Kit Kat bar. I could go on and explain why it has such a high review, but instead I’ll just let you read it yourself.

Lowest Review - What often follows when I tell people the highest ranked candy is what’s the worst candy I’ve ever reviewed. It should be noted that the worst candy isn’t the worst tasting thing I’ve ever had in my life. After all, flavour is just 1 of the 3 scores I give a candy. The worst candy I’ve ever reviewed scored so low because it was boring and bland, rather than gross.

Treat with the most versions - I almost feel like there would be no candycritic.org if there wasn’t a Kit Kat bar. Kit Kat is not only the highest reviewed treat, but it’s the treat that I’ve tasted the most varieties as well. As of the posting of this article, I’ve tasted 89 different versions of Kit Kat treats.

Continent with the most reviews - It only makes sense that the continent where I’ve reviewed the most treats is the continent where I was born and also where I started this site. Of the 2000 reviews 860 of them are treats from North America. A few people have also been wondering why I don’t separate candies by country instead of continent. The main reason is that there are several candies where it’s really hard to pin down where they originated. A few treats are claimed by several countries and the last thing I want is an argument on that subject.

Type of treat most reviewed - The most common type of treat that I’ve reviewed is candy bars with 623 reviews. One thing worth noting about the candy bar section is the fact that I use the words “candy bars” to describe them. I used to use the words “chocolate bars” but I found that there were a few bars, like Eat More, that didn’t fit that description since  they didn’t have any chocolate. I decided to update the name and it’s allowed for more treats to fit into that category, although most do have chocolate.

Writing 2000 reviews has actually changed the way I feel about some foods. It’s also taught me a few things about food, cultures and even science. Here’s a few random things I’ve learned or that have changed about me since starting this site.

I tolerate licorice a bit more, I don’t love it, but I understand why people love it.

I’m a little better with spicy foods, much like the licorice. I'm not a fan of spicy foods yet, but I’m no longer the total wimp that I was.

I’ve discovered that chocolate and onions don't really work together. I used to have a theory that everything can be improved with chocolate, then I tried the Tayto Milk Chocolate Bar "with Cheese & Onion Crisps" and realized that onions just don’t work. I’ve talked to a few chocolatier since making this discovery and each has suggested that they want to try and make it work. I have yet to hear from any of them.

This Corn Is Steaming... But Not Mad

 This is a small basket of corn steaming from a street vendor just outside of Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon.

Want to see where all of the 10 Second Kitchen's took place, check out our Candy Map.

Pick Up Blue Orchid

 I've made a comic, it's called Blue Orchid, and it's pretty fun.

Pick up everything Blue Orchid right now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon here or here.

Classic Candies From Around The World

It's funny, if I was to ask you what you might consider to be a "classic" candy, I'm betting there are several people around the world who would disagree. For example, this latest review from Japan is a true Japanese classic candy, yet many of us have only learned about it recently. If you want some better context (particularly for you Americans), it's only been recently that most of the world has learned what an Almond Joy bar is, and many people have never tried Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Check out my latest classic candy review.

Quick List - The Worst Candies For Each Letter of the Alphabet - L-P

 A quick list of the worst candies from each letter of the alphabet. This time we're going to be checking out L through P.

Check out all my review for every letter of the alphabet right now at www.candycritic.org/alphareview.htm