Snack Review: Snack Patrol Cheese Jerky

Some words just naturally seem to fit with “jerky.” You know, like “beef.” Or perhaps “turkey.” Heck, even “soy” doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Even vegetarians get cravings for salty bits of high-protein chewing gum now and again.

On the other hand, there are some things most sane people never want to hear directly before “jerky.” “Sofa,” for instance… and I can’t imagine many people would be too anxious to try Cigar Jerky. Then again, most people wouldn’t touch a product called “Cheese Jerky” with a ten-foot pole, either. After all, cheese is basically rotten milk. How would someone go about drying that out and turning it into jerky?

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Snack Interview: Carolyn Wyman, Snack Food Columnist

The staff at Snackerrific appreciates irreverent humor, interesting stories, and above all, honesty when it comes to food and snack reviews. That’s why we’re pleased to welcome Carolyn Wyman, syndicated columnist and author of five food books, including Jell-O: A Biography; Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods That Changed The Way We Eat; Spam: A Biography; and the forthcoming The Great Philly Cheesesteak Book. Her “Supermarket Sampler” column appears in over 100 newspapers nationwide, and she’s been published in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Boston Globe. She spoke with us from her home in Philadelphia.

SN: Besides being a talented and prolific writer, you’re also a self-proclaimed “junk-food fanatic.” How did you meld the two: writing and junk food? Did this evolve or did you set out to write about food from the beginning?

CW: Write about what you know, is a famous and wise piece of writerly advice which I have followed: I grew up the daughter of a newspaper editor (my dad) and a processed food enthusiast (my mom). My mom worked full-time (at a time when a lot of women didn’t) and relied on processed foods to feed her family. More than relied, she loved them. I think she realized she didn’t either have the time or interest or skill to cook as good as Pepperidge Farm or Stouffer’s.

Most people don’t tell you the truth but very few people are willing to admit it. But she was, lucky for me not just personally but professionally because I grew up with an intimate knowledge of how all these processed foods work, how they smell and taste. So when Special K comes out with a new Italian herb cracker like they just did, I can say with some authority, “These are like Keebler’s old Pizza Chips.” Because I ate Keebler Pizza Chips and just about every other processed food that has come down the pike since I was a tot.

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Snack Review: Sweetzels Spiced Wafers

OK, I promise not to make this into another rant about the Good Old Snacking Days. On one condition. You promise to buy some gingersnaps next time you find them.

I am not instructing you to buy Sweetzel’s Spiced Wafers in particular, but that’s not because they aren’t good. They are very, very good. However, they might not be available where you live, since they are a local speciality. As it says on their website:

Over 90 Years ago, we at Sweetzels® revived the colonial Spice and Molasses Cookie by developing a unique recipe for our Spiced Wafers. Fresh baked Spiced Wafers, warm apple cider and a glowing fire have become a favorite Philadelphia Tradition to the welcoming of fall.

They’re now available in other parts of the east and parts of the Midwest, but are apparently still only made in the fall and winter. So you want to go out right now and look for them.

I kind of have my doubts about the 90 year old recipe – the ingredients contain palm oil, which is not a very traditional American baking ingredient. But the important part of the recipe is no doubt the spice blend, and enough molasses to make a difference. These are wonderfully spicy, molasses-y, and not too sweet.

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Snack News: NuggNuts.com from McDonalds

Yesterday, McDonalds announced the unveiling of a new site dedicated to Chicken McNuggets fans. Called Nuggnuts, it’s touted as being an online fan community with a Hall of Fame, a Nuggnuts Pledge, and an online store where fans can buy Nuggnuts merchandise. Apparently, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Chicken McNuggets (oh God, I feel old) and the site is a way to connect fans from around the world. They’ve even got a Nuggnuts Facebook page.

As for me personally, I can’t say I’m a Nuggnut - I don’t eat meat in general, and Chicken McNuggets are no exception. Still, it’s a cute idea, and if you’re a fan, you should head on over and check it out!

• Nuggnuts Website

Snack Review: Tillamook Country Smoker Old-Fashioned Beef Jerky

Most of us rush in and out of gas stations without a second thought. We spend our money, pump our gas, and buy coffee or cigarettes, if we must, to see us through the commute ahead. Focused on the final destination, be it the office, home, or some more pressing errand, who can blame us? Gas station shops are small and often grimy, with a heart-wrenchingly limited variety of cheap, over-processed snacks.

Or so it would seem.

In actuality, gas stations can be great spots to find local goodies and outright oddities. From fresh-baked Amish cookies in the Midwest to pickled eggs in the South and Mexican pastries in L.A., a visit to a gas station provides ample opportunity to glimpse (and smell, and taste) the local culture. Although Jim covered plenty of old favorites in a thoroughly enjoyable, nostalgic and somewhat irreverent Top-10 List of Gas Station Snacks, he neglected one snack seldom seen outside of gas stations.

Dear snackers, I give you… Old-Fashioned Beef Jerky.

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