Snack Review: Twisted Grandma Buttery Garlic Goodness Pretzels

About a month ago, Caitlin, our lovely editor here at Snackerrific, asked if I’d be interested in reviewing Twisted Grandma Pretzels. Interested? How could I not want to review something with that name? Anything with the name “Twisted Grandma” had to be unique.

After confirming my interest, I ventured to the company website. I hoped it would whet my appetite with all manner of out-there flavors. I was disappointed to find that, at that point, the pretzels only came in one flavor - Buttery Garlic Goodness.

“Buttery Garlic Goodness are the original Twisted Grandma pretzels,” read the description. “We combine a rich, buttery flavor with roasted garlic and our secret blend of spices. The result is perfection!” Garlic fan that I am, the description set my mouth watering. Yet for a supposedly “twisted” Grandma, it seemed awfully limiting to offer one flavor, and no matter how fabulous it sounded, the garlic flavor wasn’t exactly cutting-edge.

Admittedly, the logo’s Grandma, with her spiky blond hair and siren-red lipstick, looked more extreme than most. According to the website’s info, T.G. is based on a real Grandma from Eveleth, MN. I wondered why she hadn’t yet cooked up a batch of five-alarm tabasco pretzels… or, better yet, a chocolate-espresso flavor!

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Snack Review: Medora Snacks

With the harried and hectic lifestyle demanded by the modern world, just finding time to eat feed yourself can be a luxury. Sitting down to eat with the family? That’s a pipe dream for most of us. Still, those of us blessed-slashed-cursed with others who depend upon us for sustenance (kids, husbands, Manorexic boyfriends, etc.) like to know that everyone is properly fed. All too often, that means frequent trips to the drive-through, Chinese takeout, or - when all else fails - bags of chips or cookies.

With all of the recent media attention paid to childhood obesity, it’s only natural for a parent to feel guilty about feeding greasy, preservative-packed snacks to his or her family, and to wish for a healthier alternative that’s just as easy. Enter Rockville, NY-based Medora Snacks. Medora (literal translation = a Mother’s Gift) has a noble mission:

“To bring to the world wholesome, great tasting snacks made from the very best, all-natural ingredients. To be true to our brand values of delivering better-for-you snacks that mothers can feel good about eating and sharing with their family and friends.”

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Snack Review: Terra Kettles Chef-Inspired Flavors

Okay, when you read this review’s title, how many of you asked yourselves “what the heck is a Terra Kettle?” Believe me, if I hadn’t seen the name on a package, I would have wondered the same thing. The image that springs immediately to mind is some mythological Greek god, hovering over a cauldron as he summons the elements to shape the developing Earth. It would also make a great name for a post-apocalyptic, time-traveling Hollywood blockbuster. I can imagine the tagline, spoken during the trailer in the booming, omniscient voice of that guy who always seems to do the honors: “Terra Kettle: Can they destroy the Earth before it destroys itself?”

As you see above, Terra Kettles are neither the lore of ancient societies nor another sign of Hollywood’s impending demise. “Terra” simply refers to the brand; longtime producers of creative chips made from all sorts of root vegetables. Craving yucca, yams or ruby taro along with your spuds? Terra serves ‘em all up, deep-fried, crisp and super-salty. “Kettles” are Terra’s cutesy abbreviation of “Kettle-cooked Potato Chips”. I’d tasted kettle corn, but didn’t recall tasting kettle chips, which gave no reason enough to try Terra Kettles. That, and the store sold them in two creative “chef-inspired” flavors I’d yet to see elsewhere in a potato chip. As you all know by now, I’m oddly attracted to “different” - okay, obscure to downright bizarre - flavors in my snacks.

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