Quick List - Best Treat From Each Continent

 Here's a quick list of the best candy from each and every continent.

Quick List - Worst Black Licorice Treats

 Here's a quick list of the lowest rated black licorice treats I've ever reviewed on candycritic.org.

Quick List - The Best Licorice Treats

 Here's a quick #list of the best licorice treats that I've ever reviewed on candycritic.org.

Ranking Nuts Part 2

This is the second part of my exploration and attempt to find the best and most versatile nut in the world. Each time I take 3 nuts and give them a score, as well as some explanation about why they scored the way they did. 

Today I've decided to start with the almond.

On their own:

It's funny, but Almonds are a go to snack nut in my household, but I don't think I would rank it as one of my favourite nuts. We go through giant Costco sized bags of these nuts regularly and they hold the position of having the largest jar in our available nut collection. While I don't think they're a favourite, they're always good to have around. I really enjoy them toasted with no salt, but every now and then a flavoured one comes around that really makes me happy. I'll give it one point.

Nut Butter:

Allison (my wife) loves Almond butter, particularly if she can find it crunchy. I'm okay with it, but honestly I find the flavour to be a little too smoky. This is another nut butter that I can't ever remember having with jam or on bread for any reason. It's okay with a bit of chocolate, but honestly not one of my favourites, so no points here.

In Chocolate:

Almonds and chocolate are a match made in heaven. The key to combining chocolate and almonds is to keep your almonds whole (or at the very least large pieces). The crunch you get from an almond works really well with the dense soft texture of chocolate. Some of my favourite chocolate bars have full almonds in them and I would never turn down a chance to eat one. Two points for this.

In Sugar Candy:

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think in many cases sugar candy and almonds work well together. First of all nougat with almonds is fantastic. Also, there's a Korean company called HBAF that makes a candy coated almond that's out of this world. In fact they make several flavours of candy coated almonds that are all great. They also layer on the sugar pretty thick. I can't say I've ever had a hard candy with almond, but I'm kind of convinced that it would work. I'll drop a point here for the almonds.

In Other Cooking:

This is one area that I can't really remember a great way to eat an almond. I'm sure it might work as an ingredient in a stuffing maybe, but I'm not entirely convinced the texture would be great. Cookies are okay with almonds, but mostly when they're sliced super thin. Maybe almond flavouring might be good for some baking, but I don't think that's really in the spirit of this competition, so no points here.

Total Almond Points : 4

Next let's look at the Brazil nut.

On their own:

This is going to be a rough one, but I feel like the Brazil nut might only squeak by here. Don't get me wrong, I like eating Brazil nuts, but I just feel like the main reason I like eating them is because they're a fairly uncommon nut. I don't know if I've ever seen a bag of just Brazil nuts available at a grocery store. When they're in mixed nut selections they're rarely the predominant nut. Honestly I can't really ever picture myself eating more than a few of these at any sitting. I'll give them a 1, but mostly because I feel like they're not going to score well in this competition and they deserve something.

Nut Butter:

I feel like a common theme in this article when talking about Brazil nuts will be that I've never seen the Brazil nut any other time then with a bag of mixed nuts. So when it comes to nut butters, I can't say I've ever seen a Brazil nut butter before. I'm also fairly certain that it wouldn't be that great. So no points.

In Chocolate:

I think once in my life have I eaten a Brazil nut covered in chocolate. I believe it was at a fancy chocolate shop and I seem to remember it being not that great. Coating a Brazil nut in chocolate seems like an idea you might have to try it, but not because you think it's going to work flavour wise.

In Sugar Candy:

There are few nuts that work covered in sugar candy. While again, I haven't ever tried a Brazil nut covered in sugar candy, I can't imagine that it would taste very good.

In Other Cooking:

Nope, can't think of any time I've eaten a Brazil nut in cooking. I can't even remember having eaten them in a cookie or cake. No points.

Total Brazil Nut Points : 1

Last one today, will be the walnut.

On their own:

The walnut is going to a get a point for eating on its own, so don't worry. I will however say that I much prefer them toasted with the shell removed. I also might be a bit of a snob here, but I like good quality walnuts over anything lower quality. Low quality walnuts are the worst. They often have an astringent flavour and the number of times I've found bits of that hard membrane shell like stuff in cheap walnuts is astounding. One point here.

Nut Butter:

I think I've had walnut butter once, and it didn't really work. The biggest problem with walnut butter is it tastes a little astringent, the same flavour you get with low quality walnuts. I also find that the flavour of walnuts is too subtle for a spreadable butter. No points here.

In Chocolate:

Chocolate and walnuts can work really well together, but I can't say that they're my favourite nut to blend with chocolate. The problem with walnuts is that the texture can be a little soft for some chocolates. The flavour can also at times be a little too subtle, so too much chocolate overwhelms it in some cases. One point for walnuts and chocolate.

In Sugar Candy:

Other than maybe nougat, I can't think of any time where I've seen walnuts in a sugar candy situation. I can't even remember having a lightly sugar coated walnut. I feel like the subtle flavour and soft texture just wouldn't work very well.

In Other Cooking:

Baking with walnuts is a pretty common thing for me. My favourite banana bread recipe is full of them, and so are my brownies. With savoury foods it might work in some cases, but I can't really think of too many recipes that call for them. On point for the baking.

Total Walnut Points : 3

Rating Nuts Part 1

Besides chocolate and sugar, nuts are probably the most common ingredient in most snacks and treats. The fun thing about nuts is they make for great ingredients, but you can also eat them on their own as well. Having said that, not all nuts are equal in all situations. So I've decided that I would look at each nut (some might not be technically nuts so include the words legume and maybe seed as well) and decide which is the best nut of all. Some might rank higher in some categories, but the eventual goal is to find the king of the nuts... now that just sounds wrong.

I've decided to start with the cashew.

On their own:

I feel like cashews are really an acquired taste. When I was a kid I hated them, but as an adult I love having a handful of these nuts whenever I can. They do come in many forms, raw, toasted, toasted and salted as well as even candy coated. I'm not a huge fan of raw cashews, but every other kind is okay with me. I'll certainly give these a point for eating on their own.

Nut Butter:

Cashew butter is fine, but it's not one of my favourite butters. I don't think I've ever gone beyond sampling it as a butter on its own, in that I don't buy it to spread on my sandwiches regularly. I'm sure there are some people who love it, but it's not really for me, so no points as a spreadable.

In Chocolate:

Cashews are fine in chocolate, but I find that the texture is a little too soft. Since chocolate is already a dense, but also kind of soft texture, the texture of the cashew is fine but nothing amazing when it's covered in chocolate. The flavour of the cashew can come through in some cases, but you have to ad a lot of cashews to balance out most chocolates. So while I don't hate it, I don't think I'll give it a point.

In Sugar Candy:

I can only assume that cashews don't really work with sugar candies because I honestly can't think of a single instance where I've tried it. So while it might not be fair, since I've never tried it, I can only assume that other than a thin sugar coating or dusting of sugar, cashews don't really work in sugar candies.

In Other Cooking:

This is where the cashew shines in my book. A stir fry or even a curry with cashews can be spectacular. There are some cultures where the cashew is one of the best ways to thicken and flavour up a savory dish. Also, there's nothing like roasting cashews on a pan before cooking a warm dish to really get your senses going. I'll give it two points in this category.

Total Cashew Points : 3

Next let's look at the pistachio.

On their own:

Pistachios have always been one of the fancier nuts in my opinion. While I know there are parts of the world where they're very common, they always seem a little fancier than other nuts. They're also one of the only nuts where I feel like the shell makes them better. I've had pistachios in just about every form, from raw to salted and toasted and each one of them is spectacular. Although I will admit that salted and toasted is the best. They easily get a point, maybe even two on their own.

Nut Butter:

While I'm sure pistachio butter has been around for a very long time, it's only recently become very popular with the creation of the Dubai chocolate bar. I'll be honest, I'd never really thought about it before, but recently I've given pistachio butter a try and I've really enjoyed it. The butter tends to be best when it's not salted, and it also makes for a great combination with other spreads (particularly anything with chocolate). A point here for sure.

In Chocolate:

I think the paragraph above says it all. Dubai chocolate bars have really brought the pistachio to the forefront candy bars. I will admit however that most chocolate I've tasted with whole or pistachio pieces hasn't been amazing. I think the key is to really load your chocolate up with the stuff, and maybe in a concentrated form (pistachio butter). A point here for sure.

In Sugar Candy:

Much like the cashew, I can't think of any time that I've tried pistachios with sugar candy. I think I might have had a pistachio flavoured candy, but that fits into the same category as pistachio ice cream, something I'm not a huge fan of. No points here.

In Other Cooking:

I think pistachios work okay as a coating on meat, in particular chicken. I'm also sure it might work in some sauces, but I can't really think of any sauces that I've had recently that have obvious pistachios in it. While it might work, I don't think I can give them a point for cooking right now.

Total Pistachio Points : 4

Last one today, the macadamia nut.

On their own:

The macadamia nut is a tough one to rank. It's probably the nut that I've eaten the fewest of, but it's not because I don't like it. Flavour and texture wise it's fine, but it's very rich in flavour and very expensive price wise. The texture of the macadamia nut is a little weird in that it's both soft and hard at the same time. The flavour is distinct, but I don't like it enough to pay the extreme cost every time. I'll give it a point, but not two.

Nut Butter:

I can't say that I've ever tried a macadamia nut butter before. While it might be tasty, I would imagine that it would be super rich and would make a nut butter and jam sandwich feel like a super heavy meal. I might change my mind, but for now no points.

In Chocolate:

This might be one of the best ways to eat a macadamia nut, but mostly because it's a way to enjoy the flavour and not eat too many. I've had some nice macadamia nuts in fine chocolate and I think that's how it works best. Definitely a point here.

In Sugar Candy:

At this point I'm not sure why I put this category as I can't once again think of a single great use of macadamia in a sugar candy. Zero points.

In Other Cooking:

This will probably be the most controversial of all of my scores, but there are several ways that macadamia nuts work really well in cooking. Adding them a stuffing is good, but adding them to cookies is amazing. This nut ranks as one of my favourite nuts to ad to cookies, so for this reason alone I'm going to give it one point.

Total Macadamia Points : 3

Quick List of the Best Marshmallow Treats

 A quick list of the best #marshmallow treats I've ever #reviewed on candycritic.org. It's a bit of an accomplishment since I'm not a huge fan of most marshmallows.

Quick List - The Most Disturbing Candy Package Characters

 A quick list of the most disturbing #characters depicted on candy packages out of the all the treats I've reviewed on candycritic.org.

Quick List - The Most Artistic Candy Packages

 A quick list of the most #artistic candy and snack packages out of the all the treats I've reviewed on candycritic.org.

Quick List - My Favourite Characters On Candy Packages

 A quick list of my favourite characters featured on #candy and snack packages. At least out of the all the treats I've reviewed on  candycritic.org.

Quick List - My Favourite Candy Packages

 A quick list of some of my favourite candy packages from all of the treats that I've reviewed on candycritic.org.

Quick List - Worst Kit Kat Bars

 My favourite candy bar (according to candycritic.org) is a Kit Kat bar, but not all Kit Kat bars are great.

What I Order - Part 3

Whenever I go to fast food restaurants I’m often presented a difficult choice. Do I order the new or special food items that’s available or do I go with the food item I know and love.  I got to thinking about this, and it made me wonder what is my go to order at most fast food restaurants. Obviously I have different choices depending on the restaurant, but I think each and every restaurant has a go to item for me. I’m not saying it’s the best item or the most popular. I’m just saying that this is the flavour I associate with this restaurant, and maybe you might have something else.

So here’s part three of my choices. Keep in mind that I haven’t included a few fairly popular restaurants, and that’s mostly because I’ve either never eaten there, or at the very least haven’t eaten there in the last 3 years. There also might be a few restaurants that you don’t know about, it could be because I’ve been living in Asia for the last few years so there are a few that are only common in this part of the world. I’ve only done fast food restaurants, which I describe as places were you either commonly get takeout (pizza mostly) or places that require a tray.

Pizza Pizza

Pizza Pizza is a chain from Canada that has a jingle that used to get stuck in my head all of the time. When it comes to a regular order I would often go for deluxe (pepperoni, green pepper and mushrooms) or pineapple, ground beef and mushrooms (it’s weird I know, but it tastes good). The thing about Pizza Pizza is you have to luck out on the location when you order. In my youth I would often walk to a specific location for pickup, just so I could choose which location made my pizza.

Popeyes 

I don’t actually have a history with Popeyes chicken. I think it might have been around when I was a kid, but it was never a choice I would make. As an adult however I’ve developed a taste for their chicken sandwich. I don’t want it spicy or with any “extras”. Their plain chicken sandwich is probably the best chicken sandwich available anywhere. 

Shake Shack

My go to order at Shake Shack is often leads to regret. The regret is that I’ve eaten way too much rich and heavy food. I go for a Double Shack Burger with cheese, cheese fries and a milkshake. The milkshake flavour might vary, but I’ll either go for their specialty shake or a chocolate shake. I’ve actually never regretted the specialty shakes, except for the fact that I’m truly stuffed/sick at the end of the meal. The same goes for the cheese fries.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell gets a bad reputation. The key to enjoying Taco Bell is to know what you’re getting into. If you expect the finest Mexican cuisine, you’ll be very disappointed but if you expect Taco Bell you’ll be fine. My go to order used to be a couple of simple soft tacos, however I’ve since changed/upgraded to the Crunch Wrap Supreme. It’s a very complicated disk filled with just about everything Taco Bell has to offer in one blissful meal.

Wendy’s

This is a little complicated. My most common order at Wendy’s is the Dave’s double combo without onions. I often forget to ask for no onions, so you’ll often see me picking them off. This all goes out the window however if they have the bacon mushroom melt available. The fact that this very messy burger is not a staple on their menu makes me extremely sad. I would actually go to Wendy’s more often if the offered the bacon mushroom melt all of the time.

What I Order - Part 2

Whenever I go to fast food restaurants I’m often presented a difficult choice. Do I order the new or special food items that’s available or do I go with the food item I know and love.  I got to thinking about this, and it made me wonder what is my go to order at most fast food restaurants. Obviously I have different choices depending on the restaurant, but I think each and every restaurant has a go to item for me. I’m not saying it’s the best item or the most popular. I’m just saying that this is the flavour I associate with this restaurant, and maybe you might have something else.

So here’s part two of my choices. Keep in mind that I haven’t included a few fairly popular restaurants, and that’s mostly because I’ve either never eaten there, or at the very least haven’t eaten there in the last 3 years. There also might be a few restaurants that you don’t know about, it could be because I’ve been living in Asia for the last few years so there are a few that are only common in this part of the world. I’ve only done fast food restaurants, which I describe as places were you either commonly get takeout (pizza mostly) or places that require a tray.

Lotteria

Lotteria is a brand that I first tried in Japan, so I assume it’s Japanese, but I could be wrong. I’ve had really mixed results when it comes to Lotteria, particularly since recently I’ve only ordered it in places (outside of Japan) that have regular beef shortages. The biggest problem I’ve found as of late is a lack of availability of many products, most notably anything with beef. So my go to at Lotteria is often their chicken sandwich, but only because it’s often the only thing available.

McDonald’s

This is a tough one since I’ve been eating at McDonald’s my entire life. When I was a kid the cheeseburger was my go to, but as soon as I was able I transferred to the Big Mac. I would say that the Big Mac remains my go to, however I occasionally will get into the Filet-O-Fish for a while. I know that it’s one of the least popular sandwich at McDonald’s, but I just love it. I also can’t eat anything at McDonald’s without getting their french fries.

MOS Burger

MOS Burger is another Japanese (I assume) chain that seems to be spreading into other parts of the world. This is also one of the most unique items on this list as I don’t really go for their regular burgers very often. My one go to item is the yakiniku rice burger. The highlight of this burger is the fact that the bun is actually made up of compressed sticky rice (and not bread). The beef filling works really well with the rice as well, it’s like eating a nice teriyaki meal in one sandwich. The one fault of this burger is that it almost always comes insanely hot (temperature wise) and so I have to wait a few minutes before taking my first bite.

Pizza Company

If you ever want to read an interesting story about the founding of a company, check out Pizza Company. When I’m in (or living in) South East Asia, it’s my pizza of choice. My go to pizza here is also unique as I’ll almost always go for whatever gimmick pizza they’re offering, and they offer some amazing choices. Some of note are the cheese volcano pizza (with a mini cheese volcano on each slice) and the cheeseburger pizza (with mini cheeseburgers baked into the crust). The gimmicks don’t always work, but they’re always fun to try.

Pizza Hut

Since this list is specific about what I love about this chain for take-away, and not eating in restaurant, I have to say that their deluxe (pepperoni, green pepper and mushrooms) is my go to pizza. I will often also include extra cheese as well. I also almost always go with the deep dish pizza as they seem to do it best when it comes to chain restaurants.

Quick List - The Oldest Candies I've Reviewed

 A quick list of the oldest candies I've reviewed on candycritic.org, with a few caveats. 

Quick List - Best Airport Candy

 It took a lot of math, but here's my list of the best treats you can find at your local (or international) airport.

Quick List - The Worst Candies For Each Letter of the Alphabet - V-Z and Numbers

 A quick list of the worst candies from each letter of the alphabet. This time we're going to be checking out V through Z and numbers.

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

Quick List - The Worst Candies For Each Letter of the Alphabet - Q-U

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

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

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.

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

Quick List - The Worst Candies For Each Letter of the Alphabet - G-K

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

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