Snack Facts Is Here!

Ever wondered where your favourite snacks came from?

Snack Facts is a fun comic that follows Barbara and Sir Francis Sweetums as they uncover the surprising history behind some of the world's most popular treats.

Grab your copy at candycritic.org/snackfacts/ or on Amazon.

Purple Isn't Always Grape

When I was kid, if you handed me a purple potato chip I would have assumed that it was grape. I don't think there were many purple coloured treats in the world that weren't grape. I'm not sure if times have changed, or if I've just seen more of the world, but I'm seeing more and more purple in the snacking and treat world all the time. Probably the most popular purple flavour that's out right now is ube, a popular flavour that I believe came from the Philippines. But Japan also has some pretty impressive purple potato treats too.

Check out my latest purple potato treat review, this one's from Japan.

Candy Technology We Never Think About

 

Recently while enjoying a bag of peanut M&Ms I realized that stamping the “M” on each and every of these oddly shaped candies must be an incredible challenge. The peanut M&Ms are the most challenging of all M&Ms to print on because each and every peanut M&M is shaped differently. This is the nature of the peanut inside, it cannot be controlled (or so I imagine). So while chomping on my peanut M&Ms I stared in amazement at how many of these treats actually had the famous stamp on them. I will note that there are a few with no stamp at all, and also a few with partial stamps too.

This got me thinking about how difficult it is to do certain tasks while making candy and snacks. It made me think about the dedication some candy scientists and engineers must be for small detailed aspects of making treats. The stamps on the M&Ms are completely not necessary, but yet it seems like they put a great effort into putting them on, even when the natural shape of a candy and chocolate coated peanut wants to make it extremely difficult.

I’ll be honest, I have no idea how the M&Ms peanut stamp machine works. If given the opportunity I’d love to see it in action in person. I’m also going to eat the rest of these M&Ms with a little more care, inspecting each and every stamp on each and every M&M. I’ll feel a little sad when it doesn’t have a stamp, but feel great pride for the candy makes with every stamp I see. Each time I see a stamp that’s only partially on, I’ll wish them better luck next time.

It’s also a good time to think a little more about the treats we eat. From what I understand puffed corn snacks like cheesies are super challenging to make. I also can’t imagine how one layers wafers and chocolate so thinly as you find inside a Kit Kat bar. Even getting the well sliced potato chip or perfectly formed gummy can’t be easy. I may not know how they do it, but I think I’m going to stop a slow down when I’m snacking and pay a little tribute to the brilliant scientists and designers of the candy world.

Candy Experiment - Twix Copies Taste Test

 Taste testing some Twix alternatives from Tunisia to find out if you really need the real thing.

Treats and Beasts!

 What do you get when you mix amazing animals with delicious treats?

Treats and Beasts!

This colourful alphabet book takes readers on a journey from A to Z, introducing a new beast and treat combination on every page.

Whether you’re learning your ABCs or just love fun animal adventures, this book is sure to bring a smile.

Pick up your copy today: 

bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts/

Also available on Amazon 

Toasted Marshmallow Flavour?

I've said it before on this site a few times, but I'm not a huge marshmallow fan. There are a few exceptions to this rule, I often enjoy them when their an ingredient in a dessert, I've tasted a few handmade marshmallows that are pretty good, and I love them toasted. In the last few years I've seen a trend where toasted marshmallow has become a flavour, rather than a way to eat a marshmallow. I've sampled treats and ice cream that claims to taste like a slightly roasted marshmallow and weirdly enough, it works. I'm not really sure what gives these treats a toasty flavour, but it often actually tastes like a toasted marshmallow. It's not often that this kind of flavour trickery works for me, but toasted marshmallow seems to work almost all of the time.

Check out my latest toasted marshmallow review, with s'more added flavours as well.

10 Second Kitchen - Ribfest Ottawa

 Slathering on some barbecue sauce and showing off their ribs at the Ottawa Ribfest in Canada.