stories:
Supertaster
I Paid: $3.69 for 12 rolls (prices may vary by region)
Healthy Mini Pizza Roll Adventure
Ostensibly wholesome pizza snacks
Why even try to make a healthy mini pizza roll? It’s a challenging proposition, this idea of fusing mini egg rolls and good old American pizza into something we can eat without feeling terrible. But apparently somebody thought there was gold in them thar hills.
Pizza Munchees are pizza rolls with a whole-wheat-based wrapper and soy cheese, and contain less salt and fat than their non-health-food competition. When weighed against Totino’s Cheese Pizza Rolls, they have marginally fewer calories but a better ratio of calories from fat per serving (45 out of 180 rather than 70 out of 200) and no saturated or trans fats versus 2 grams of each in every Totino’s serving.
This isn’t surprising, as the damn things are designed to be healthy. What is a little more unexpected is that they’re competitive on the taste front. Conventional pizza rolls use such low-quality cheese that soy cheese isn’t markedly less enjoyable; it’s just a different, lighter experience. Pizza Munchees do suffer from an almost tortillalike wrapper that could be crisper, but they also deliver a pleasantly profound oregano kick. Totino’s rolls are crunchier and more pizzalike, but the low cheese quality and overall greasiness work against them.
All in all, Pizza Munchees perform ably, particularly considering they’ve got one hand tied behind their back.
I eat these for lunch all the time, although they are $4.99 at Kroger in Dallas....
I probably am going to be thrown off Chow for saying this (don't do it - Iove Chow) - but this review sucks. What is the serving size of these "healthy" things? How nutritious are they? Why would we eat them versus a really great slice of pizza? Are they a snack or a meal?
You must be getting paid to write these reviews from the manufacturer.
Lisa
http://www.snacksnoop.com
I just threw up in my mouth a little
Lisa, why does a favorable review have to equal being bribed? As to whether they're a snack or a meal, they're exactly whatever a standard box of pizza rolls are. I see nothing wrong with this review. As to your other questions, you'll have to actually read the box by yourself.
Shortribsfordinner - the reason why I think they were bribed is because CHOW does a phenomenal job of supporting people who love to cook and eat. I don't see how this review -with its lack of info and its processed food - does this. It just seems so inconsistent.
Lisa
http://www.snacksnoop.com
<<You must be getting paid to write these reviews from the manufacturer.>>
Lisa: Unclench, girl. If the reviewer was being bribed, wouldn't you expect him to write a glowing review, not this "They don't suck as much as Totino's"?
When my 13 yo kid comes home from school, I'm not going to whip him and his buddy up a fresh pizza. It's a nice idea tto have some halfway decent snacks in the freezer that they'd probably prefer anyway. (Or maybe your kids run home to a crisp organic salad or some fresh fruit.)
Junescook - I believe it would be much easier to have pizz asauce and cheese on hand and make a "mini" pizza on an english muffin. It would probably be cheaper - taste a lot better and be just as fast to make better for him. Also, you can adjust how much fat, salt, etc. he is getting by adding less or more cheese. Convenience snacks are convenient but they lack taste, nutrition, and (on average) have too much salt and fat.
Lisa
http://www.snacksnoop.com
This column is devoted to convenience foods. If you want to promote your agenda, why not just be upfront about that rather than making slanderous accusations? Better yet, take your agenda elsewhere.
Jim M - You know I did make a slanderous accusation - and the author of this post hasn't come on here to discuss why he chose these pizza rolls to review. There is nothing in his column to suggest that food manufacturers aren't paying him to write these reviews. When I receive a free sample for my blog, I post that I received it and that no other compensation was given for my review. Where is that here? As far as my agenda - I'm not hiding my agenda at all. I think that these snacks are not healthy - and the reviewer didn't do his job - and this is a public forum that I can join until CHOW says otherwise. Despite your desire that I hit the road - I am going nowhere.
Lisa
http://www.snacksnoop.com
none of these reviews are ever helpful. he never reviews anything i would want to eat. and for somone named supertaster, he does alousy job at describing what he tastes. this feature does nothing for chowhound.
Hey everybody,
Thanks for all the kind words. For what it's worth: I pay for the food reviewed in this column, and am then reimbursed by CHOW.com. As for why I chose them -- the idea of trying to do a healthy version of one of the inherently least healthy snacks imaginable struck me as interesting.
Best Regards,
James Norton
Hey James, have you tried Amy's pizza snack things? They're actually pretty good.
Supertaster delivers what it promises:
"What's new? What's great? What's weird? Our columnist samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. Tasting stuff first so you don't have to." There's no promise of discovering healthy choices, upscale offerings, or gourmet delights.
For the record, I'd rarely choose to eat the stuff James' reviews, but I do find his writing amusing, and generally informative on the terms he sets out.
If someone's looking for healthy choices, a 'search' button is never far away, and YMMV is always a good watchword on the 'Net, whether here on Chow or elsewhere.
James -- how would someone suggest an item for a future column?