For Canned Pasta, Spaghetti-O’S Rule
We’ve all heard about people stockpiling freeze-dried food and military-style MRE’s in anticipation of Y2K computer problems come the new year.
But in an emergency, we figure we’d be better off with something a little more familiar — like, say, canned noodle-and-meat mixtures.
At least, that’s the excuse we gave to The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel for serving them a couple of new canned pasta products: rigatoni with meat sauce from Chef Boyardee’s “Homestyle” line, and Italian-style noodles and beef from Nalley’s “Meals for Now” assortment.
Just for fun, we tossed in some Spaghetti-O’s - but not just any Spaghetti-O’s. These were Spaghetti-O’s 2000 with meatballs, which have tiny 2’s mixed in with the little O’s. (Et tu, Uh Oh?)
Much to our surprise, the Spaghetti-O’s swamped the competition despite concerns from a few tasters about what exactly goes into those millennial mystery meatballs.
The Boyardee, billed as “for more `grown-up’ tastes,” struck most panelists as greasy and mushy - definitely kid food. And the Nalley’s offering had an overwhelming spice character (anise, perhaps?) that rendered it virtually inedible. Maybe it will have mellowed by Y3K.
Interestingly enough, all three pastas were priced exactly the same, which we assume was caused by a computer glitch at the store.
Of course, no survival rations are complete without a little something sweet for dessert, although you want to make sure you can stretch the supply.
Or, at least, that was our excuse for feeding panelists a trio of bite-sized chocolate chip cookies. We pitted a toffee version from Famous Amos, an old brand newly available in stores around here, against the high-profile Chips Ahoy! and the low-fat Snackwell’s.
(Heartwarming holiday interlude: Wally Amos, who had been forced out of the company he founded amid financial difficulties, has been brought back as spokesman by the new owners, Keebler.)
Despite some mixed reviews, the Amos cookies were a clear favorite over the smaller, crumblier Chips Ahoy and the even tinier, crisp-but-bland Snackwell’s, which certainly carry a big price tag for such a small cookie.
Must have something to do with all the money they spent trying to replace those defective chips.
Franco-American Spaghetti’Os 2000 With Meatballs
Price: $1.29 for 14-3/4 ounces, or 2 (1-cup) servings.
Nutrition: 260 calories (38 percent fat calories); 1,150 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “Tastes pretty good, but the meatballs make you wonder.” - Rich Clemson
“You can never be too old for this one - but enough with the millennium marketing!” - Beverly Smick
Chef Boyardee Homestyle Rigatoni
Price: $1.29 for 15 ounces, or 2 (1-cup) servings.
Nutrition: 250 calories (36 percent fat calories); 1,200 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: **
Value: ***
Comments: “Not really food but comforting somehow. I like it.” - Karen Buck
“This should not touch adult lips. Definitely kid food. The noodles are too soft and the sauce is greasy. Not what I’d call pasta.” - Tina Johnson
Nalley Meals For Now Italian Style Herb Noodles and Beef
Price: $1.29 for 15 ounces, or 2 (1-cup) servings.
Nutrition: 170 calories (21 percent fat calories); 990 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: *
Value: **
Comments: “The noodles are limp, the meat is bland, the sauce is runny and the alleged spice flavor is overpowering.” - Mike Connelly
“The classic case of trying to make something it isn’t. One last time, people: Adding more and more Italian spices does not make something Italian.” - Skip Hubbard
Famous Amos Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Price: $3.29 for 16 ounces (about 64 cookies).
Nutrition: 130 calories (42 percent fat calories); 115 milligrams sodium per 4-cookie serving.
Taste: ***
Value: **
Comments: “The chips are large and actually melty. Good flavor - nice treat.” - Ann Finke
“It’s so disappointing to expect a chocolate chip cookie and to eat this poor substitute for the real thing.” - Beverly Smick
Chips Ahoy! Munch Size
Price: $3.29 for 17 ounces (about 90 cookies).
Nutrition: 160 calories (45 percent fat calories); 150 milligrams sodium per 6-cookie serving.
Taste: **
Value: **
“Good chocolate taste, crumbly, fine texture. They don’t look baked, and there’s no real cookie aroma.” - Vicki Deschaine
“This is the disappearing cookie! It’s on your plate, you pick it up and put it in your mouth and - alakazam! - it turns to dust, although you chew in vain expecting to get some satisfaction.” - Skip Hubbard
Snackwell’s Chocolate Chip Bite Size Cookies
Price: $2.39 for 7-1/2 ounces (about 90 cookies).
Nutrition: 130 calories (28 percent fat calories); 160 milligrams sodium per 13-cookie serving.
Taste: **
Value: *
Comments: “How adorable - they’re like little craft-sized cookies you could make earrings out of or use to decorate picture frames. Nice and crunchy, quite sweet, but they don’t taste like much.” - Catherine Lunt Greer
“Inky, dinky, icky pellets of what? And bad chocolate to boot.” - Karen Buck