Candy In The Media - Japanese Candy Commercial Tells A Brilliant Story

Good storytelling transcends language, this series of Japanese candy commercials tells a story with twists and turns that will make you giggle with delight.

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It's Monday so that means we have a new episode of Monday Morning Breakfast Thoughts and a new review - Butun Antep Fistikli

I love pistachios, I have great memories of eating them as a kid. For some reason I preferred the red pistachios as a kid, although today I'm not sure why. In fact I'm not really sure why they make red pistachios at all. This new review is full of pistachios, but for certain reasons it just doesn't work. That makes me sad because I really wanted to love this bar.

Click here to find out why this pistachio bar didn't work for me.


This week's episode of Chris's Monday Morning Breakfast Thoughts is all about cartoons,  food courts, Tim Horton's coffee cups, and the BANANA CAM!!!

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

And check out our Patreon page to find some exclusive content and help support our site.

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Candy In The Media - Dog Eating Popcorn

At first I thought I that I wouldn't like this video, then after watching  it for 10 minutes on a loop, I realized that it was amazing.

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It's A New Episode Of Junk Fud On The Raod!

In this episode Allison and I talk about our recent trip to Finland. However, we per-recorded this episode in Finland, and we even have some special guests with us from Finland.

Make sure to check out our old episodes  of Junk Fud  On the Road here.

And you can always follow on Facebook and Twitter too.

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It's The Latest Breakfast Thoughts, And A Slightly Disapointing Review - QBZ "Warheads"

Every so often I write a review and I get into a weird head space, this is a prime example of that. I'm not saying that this review is not legitimate, or at least as legitimate as a candy review can be. I'm just saying that I approached this review from a different angle, and it may or may not affect the outcome of my opinion.

Click here to find out why this review is a little weird.

We have another episode of Chris's Monday Morning Breakfast Thoughts, a show that I really have to come up with a name that's easier to say. On average it takes me 3 tries to get the introduction right because I keep messing up the name of the show. Please, if you have a better name, let me know.

If you want to keep up with what we're doing, make sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Also be sure to follow us on Instagram, because that's what the kids are doing these days.

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Candy In The Media - Epic Cake Machine

This is part invention, part art installation, and part dance routine, but it ends in cake, so it's also wonderful.

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Something Smells Like Dinner... Oh It's You.

Have you ever dreamed of smelling like a slow cooked roast beef? It doesn't appeal to me, but Allison would probably appreciate it.

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It's A New Episode Of Chris, Why Would You Eat That?!!

In this episode, Chris tries out three different mysterious drinks. We really should come up with a new show about trying drinks and give it a better name.

Follow us on Twitter or Facebook and let us know of anything you think might make for a good episode of Chris, Why Would You Eat That?!!

Also follow us on Patreon to find out when we're making new episode and for an early preview.

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It's Time To Eat Pancakes And Post A New Review! - Tim Tam Fingers

This week's new review got me in a bit of a mood. Recently someone complained that some of the treats posted on Candy Critic weren't technically candy. I decided that in retaliation, I would post something that's in a very grey area of this debate, and complain about people telling me that some of the things I review aren't candy.

Find out what I thought of these Tim Tam Fingers, and what I think about people's complaint that some of my reviews aren't technically candy, here.


When I thought up the idea of the Monday Morning Breakfast Thoughts, I thought that I would just eat a bowl of cereal and talk about whatever crossed my mind at the time. We're up to the third episode and I've only eaten cereal once. I like the idea of variety for breakfast, I just don't know if I can keep it up.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out what we're working on and what's coming up.

If you want to know even more about our projects, as well as participate in a few, follow us on Patreon.

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Candy In The Media - VR Meets Japanese Candy

I've always been a fan of VR technology, however I think this machine might have taken the VR exspirience one step too far.

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A Little Help With My Lunch Please

I'm not saying that I need this grilled cheese toaster all the time, I need it right now... to make my lunch.

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Our Latest Experiment Is All About Cracker Jacks

In our latest experiment we tried to make homemade Cracker Jacks. Strangely enough it worked, fairly well. Below is a quick version of our recipe along with a few changes we think might make it a little better:

-  Heat your oven to 250 degrees.

-  Mix 8 cups of popcorn with 1 cup of roasted peanuts (maybe make it half a cup of peanuts if you'd like).

-  Take 1/4 of a cup of salted butter and melt it in a pot. Then add 3/8 cups of brown sugar, 1/4 cup corn syrup, 1 tablespoon molasses, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Whisk them together and heat them up till they reach 250 degrees (use a candy thermometer).

-  Take the sugar mixture off the heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and whisk them all together.

-  Poor the sugar mixture into a large bowl over the popcorn and peanut mix.

-  Mix everything up until the popcorn and peanuts are covered (careful it gets hot).

-  After it's all mixed up lay it out on a baking sheet with a silicon baking liner (or you can grease it).

-  Put it in the  oven for 10 minutes, then toss the mixture. repeat this until the mixture has been in the oven for 30 minutes (my original recipe suggested 50 but my oven is small and very hot so I went for 30 instead).

- Take the mixture out of the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes.

-  Break the popcorn and peanuts apart and consume.

-  Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to check out some future experiments.

- Follow us on Patreon to help support us and get a bunch of extra content.

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It's A New Greek Review And Another Episode Of Monday Morning Breakfast Thoughts

There are certain candies that I've eaten a hundred times and continue to eat, but still haven't reviewed. There are many reasons why this happens, but for the most part I think it's just because I think I've already reviewed it. This new review is the perfect example of a bar that I've eaten a million times, but never posted it on candycritic.org. Fortunately I (or sometimes it's you guys) caught this discrepancy, so it's time to analyze this Ion bar.

Click here to check out this classic Greek chocolate bar.


Also, don't forget to check out our latest episode of Chris's Monday Morning Breakfast Thoughts. This  time we decided to go for the fruit instead of the cereal for breakfast (we also talk a bit about junk food and candy).

Make sure to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to keep up with what we're doing.

If you follow us on Patreon you get early previews of everything, including a look (and possibility opportunity to buy) some new merchandise we're working on.

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Candy In The Media - Watching Them Make Chocolate Coins

Chocolate coins  are one of the strangest chocolate forms if you think about it.

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A Look At The Irelands - Part 3 Of Our European Adventure

I'm going to do something very unpopular, something that has been the subject of tension for years, and even cost people their lives. I'm going to write about Northern Ireland and Ireland in the same article.  Culturally I can see some differences between the two countries. There's no doubt that there are differences and ask any citizen of either country and they'll explain those differences. The problem I found is that the food is very similar. In fact I had to do some research to find out where some of the food I ate actually came from.

 

Take Tayto's for example. Tayto's are a brand of potato chips (or crisps as they’d call them) that no one else in the world except those who live in Ireland (north and other) have ever heard of. That's a shame, because they make a mean bag of chips. They're not the best chips I've ever eaten, but they're pretty good. The most amazing thing about these chips is how popular they are in Ireland. When we landed in Belfast, it seemed like the entire airport was sponsored by the potato chip company. According to one of the posters on the wall of the airport, Tayto's Cheese and Onion flavoured chips account for more than half of  the chips sold on the entirety of Ireland (both sides of the border I assume). I assumed by this huge presence in Belfast that these must be a Northern Ireland thing.

As it turns out, Tayto's are actually made in Ireland (the south), but you'd never have guessed that in the north. The north also had a huge amount of Cadbury products available. This was no surprise as Northern Ireland is a commonwealth country, and every commonwealth country I've ever visited is loaded with Cadbury treats. I thought that maybe this is something that would disappear once we visited the south, but no, lots of Cadbury all over the place. I found the same thing with grocery stores, and fast food places as well. I couldn't find one single difference between either Ireland when it came to food.

I would say the only difference I found between these two countries food wise was beer. It's more that I would say Ireland has an obsession with Guinness beer. At the very least it's something they truly celebrate/push on tourists. This is most obvious in Dublin, but every tourist stop we visited in Ireland (not the north) had some kind of Guinness trinket. Every truck stop had a whole section dedicated to buying Guinness merchandise. I didn't see that much up in the north, so maybe that's the great divide.

It makes me happy though, these are two countries that have a very bloody history. There's a lot of differences that these two countries will always have, and a history that can never be erased. But it's good to know that there are areas they can agree on, small things that remind them that although they've fought a war, they can still be in agreement upon. On either side of the border they can agree, cheese and onion Tayto's are pretty good.

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It's Not A Cookbook

This book, Food and Drink Infographics: A Visual Guide to Culinary Pleasures, looks like the perfect food information source for those of us who are more visually inclined.

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A Look At Finland - Part 2 Of Our European Adventure

 

 Finland is a place that has a strange connection with me. I actually have a lot of people in Finland that I consider friends. These aren't just friends I've made on the internet, these are people that I've met in the real world. I've always wondered why I have such a connection with Finnish people, but after visiting recently it's started to make sense.

I've never traveled anywhere in the world where I didn't enjoy at least one food item that they're well known for. Finland on the other hand gave me so much great food that I don't even know where to start. In fact I've written this introduction 5 times already because I just didn't know what to begin with.  I guess I'll  start with my introduction to Finnish treats, and it's a good one.

  

Fazer is a company that makes a lot of different food items. They make baked goods, candies, but they're most famous in my mind for their chocolate. The good news is that they're famous for their chocolate for good reason. I'd tasted Fazer chocolate before this trip, so when we decided to go to Finland, getting some Fazer chocolate was top on my list. What we discovered on this trip is that Fazer has so much to offer, and I could write a whole website dedicated to reviewing just Fazer products. It can vary from breads and candies, but it also includes some amazing baked goods and hand made chocolates sold at their cafes. Yes, Fazer has cafes in Finland.

Best of all, in Helsinki is "the” Fazer Cafe, the flagship store. It's also the  place where Karl Fazer started making his chocolates in Finland in 1891. The cafe does not disappoint, and if you're a fan of Fazer (and you should be) this is a place worth visiting.

While Fazer is a great thing to try in Finland, it's not the only thing. Allison being the carnivore that she is managed to try reindeer in many forms, including something called a reindeer snowball that's basically cheese and reindeer, two of her favourite things. Allison also fell in love with the breads in Finland (and the bread used in the reindeer snowball is the perfect example why). Bread is an interesting thing, many cultures have bread as being an important part of their food. Bread however isn't simple, so many cultures have their own take on bread, and Finland is no different. The "average" bread in Finland is a dense bread often filled with whole grains. These breads are generously slathered in butter and often eaten with cheese and meats.

The bread that blew me away though is something from the north, something called Karelian pasty. The best way to describe it is to say it looks like a squashed baked potato, but has the consistency of a very soft flat bread. They're often filled with a porridge (rice being my favourite), but it's what you put on top that blew my mind. Finnish egg salad may look typical, but the minute you bite into it you know it's a game changer. Rather than using mayonnaise as the bonding agent, people of Finland use butter. If you're keeping score, that's a lot of butter, but it works so well. It's super rich, but isn't as greasy as you'd think it would be. This is likely because of the properties of the Karelian pasty. They seem to work so perfectly together, and just thinking about it makes me crave just one more bite.

The final things I want to talk about when it comes to Finnish food is berries. This country is obsessed with berries, and they're very specific about what kind of berries they love. The obsession is all about wild berries, and there's a huge variety of berries to choose from. Growing in the forests of Finland are everything from wild raspberries, to the elusive cloudberry. The later is a treasure that when mixed with a special baked cheese can change the way you feel about berries all together. Apparently the location of cloudberries in the wild is such a closely guarded secret that it's only passed down from one generation to another. So if you want to pick your own cloudberries, you're going to need to marry a Finn.

While I say this about many of the places I visit, Finland is truly a great place for any foodie to visit. There is a huge variety of food to choose from, but best of all it makes you feel good. Everything they love to eat comes from home. Even when you buy it in the store, it feels like it was made at someone’s house. If you get the chance that I did, to eat at someone's home, you'll understand why this works. Finnish food is casual, but most importantly it's comfortable.

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We Got S'more Candy To Review And A New Show

We'll start today off with our new review. It's for a packaged s'mores treat, and I spend most of the review wondering if it's at all possible to make a treat that actually matches the pure joy of real s'mores. It's a tough thing to re-create, but candy companies keep trying.

Click here to read how this candy stacks up to real s'mores.

Also this week we're premiering our new YouTube show called Chris's Monday Morning Breakfast Thoughts. A show were we take a look at what's happening this week on candycritic.org and within the candy world in general. Let us know what you think of the new show, and we also welcome suggestions for what we should eat for breakfast.


Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to find out what we're doing every day.

You can also follow us on Patreon to get early previews and exclusive videos, and why not follow us on Instagram as well, you won't regret it.

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Candy In The Media - It Shouldn't Be Hard, But It Is

Most people look at cheesies (or Cheetos)as a simple snack, but actually they're very complicated, and almost impossible to make at home.

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A Look At Estonia - Part 1 Of Our European Adventure

 

Estonia was a bit of a surprise food wise. I wasn't expecting to not enjoy the food in Estonia, but I also wasn't expecting  to enjoy it so much either. I didn't expect to find a theme restaurant that worked so well, and I wasn't expecting to find one of the most creative chocolate shops either. I also wasn't expecting to learn so much about the areas food history.

The food history in Estonia (Tallinn in particular) is right on display. There are two areas of history that seem to be front and center in this town in general and with food. The oldest is the medieval period, and this is ever present when you're walking through the old town part of Tallinn. There are all kinds of restaurants and snacks available that help you get a sense of what it might have been like a long time ago in Tallinn. Most obvious are the many people selling nuts and snacks on the street in small carts, they really give you an old timey feel. There are also several restaurants around town that show off traditional cooking, however none pull it off as well as the Olde Hansa.

 

The Old Hansa appears at first to be more of a gimmick than a real restaurant, but it really does both so very well. While you can't deny that it's a little gimmick like to have all the staff pretend that it's the medieval period, there are so many other reasons why this restaurant's theme works. First of all the minimal lighting really sets the mood. Most of the light from the restaurant is candle light, and most of the visible decorations are traditional, even the utensils are traditional. The really unique thing about this restaurant though is the food, it's not modern food dressed up to look old. Apparently the restaurant's chefs spent time researching what would have been the traditional food at the time. They serve this food the way it may have been served, and really spent a lot of time perfecting these details. While I'm sure the hygiene is much better than it would have been, there was something about the flavour of the food that really put us in the mood.

After the medieval period, the most noted time in Estonia is the period when the country was occupied by the USSR. There are many areas of life that were greatly affected by the occupation of Estonia, and the food was no exception. One of the interesting stops to check out is the Hotel Viru. This functioning hotel used to house one of the most important spying areas of the KGB. It was one of the only hotels in the USSR to allow foreign guests, and not wanting to appear poor, it was one of the hubs of fine food in the area back then. The restaurants and bars were some of the finest in the entire USSR empire. There are stories of the cakes that were sold at this hotel being used as currency, and that three cakes could get you a sofa. Today, the grocery store in the mall at the base of the hotel still sells the same cakes.

Another place that really tells a story about the USSR period in Tallinn is the Chocolate Museum in Chocolala (a great candy store with a museum attached to it). This museum is a great place to learn all about the history of sweets in Estonia, and tells the story of this country before, during and after the occupation. There are great collections of old packages and lots of information about how this country's candy evolved and changed. Best of all this museum is housed in a great modern chocolate shop that has some pretty unique sweets to try. They're liberal with the samples, and if you can I recommend trying the chocolate covered reindeer moss (it's not that great, but it's really unique).
Estonia was a very surprising place for us.

When we were planning our trip, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find enough content to write about the food in this place. After the first day I knew that this wasn’t going to be a problem at all. You don’t often come across a city where the food history is so well preserved and presented.

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