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The Guardian
09-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Australian supermarket chicken nuggets taste test: from ‘mushy' and ‘yuck' to ‘super good'
What makes a good chicken nugget? Ahead of this taste test, I put a call-out on Instagram asking this question. Dozens of messages essentially said the same thing: real chicken flavour, evenly textured meat and a crisp exterior. Though a handful suggested I make my own, most understood the assignment: the appeal of a chicken nugget lies not in Nara Smith-ing it but in its convenience, especially during school holiday chaos. To that end, on the first day of winter break, I rounded up good friends, compliant siblings (including a 34-year-old nugget connoisseur-sister who still orders kids' meals) and their respective children to rate frozen supermarket offerings for their overall appeal, their texture and flavour. Nuggets were cooked in an oven according to their packet instructions, but the consensus was that almost all the nuggets needed longer cook times. The battered nuggets, which came out on top, tended to stick to the baking paper, and some tasters felt that an air fryer would definitely produce a superior crispiness. With 10 testers under 10, we learned fast that kids under seven are a little remiss in their paper scoring (lots of 10s and even more zeros, often for the same nugget) but great at verbalising feedback, so I prioritised their audible reactions and the scores of older children and adults as I pulled together the results. Just as we were wrapping up, one child went screeching through the kitchen yelling 'I NEED WATER'. I felt the sodium levels too, palming the leftovers off and declaring I'd be fine never seeing another chicken nugget again. My sister, meanwhile, sent me a picture of a small bowl of nuggets the very next day, with the message 'Chicken Nuggets for life'. Steggles Tempura Chicken Dino Snacks, 1kg, $13.50 ($1.35 per 100g), available at major supermarkets Score 7.9/10 It's easy to assume that these came out on top simply for their novelty. A cheer went out as they were brought to the table – surprising since we were six varieties in at that point. One little tester proudly declared she'd had three by the time I'd scouted everyone else's reaction. Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Younger kids declared them 'really soft and nice' and 'super good'; older kids said they were 'just right' in both texture and flavour. The adults concurred, finding they had a 'crispy outside', 'delicious and tender' inside and an overall 'taste and texture that was consistent'. Their listed ingredients have one of the highest percentages of chicken (not breast) at 52% and a tempura coating of 26%. Could it be the shape? It's possible, one tester said, that the dino shape contributes to an exterior that is crispier in some parts and softer than others, making the overall experience a little better. Farmwood Chicken Breast Tempura Nuggets, 1kg, $9.29 ($0.92 per 100g), available at Aldi Score: 6.7/10 Across many of the nuggets we tried, we found the exterior texture and flavour weighted a nugget up or down more than the inside flavour and texture, which was relatively consistent no matter the brand. These budget versions from Aldi are a case in point: though three of the adults found they had a gummier inside than the other tempura varieties, they still ranked highly for inside taste, and exterior taste and texture. While some of the batter came off during baking, younger testers gave them a thumbs up on the whole, with one noting their taste and 'good exterior'. A similar ingredient makeup to the top scorer (52% RSPCA-approved chicken breast, 27% tempura coating) likely helps. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Steggles Tempura Chicken Nuggets, 1kg, $13.50 ($1.35 per 100g), available at all major supermarkets Score: 6.6/10 These are essentially the same as their dino counterparts, with only a small variation in the ingredients (49% chicken and 30% tempura), yet testers found them 'soft' and 'bland' on the inside, with a superior outside thanks to their 'crispy texture'. One tester said the tempura layer tasted 'bread-like' and felt 'thin', which could suggest the dino shape theory has legs (pardon the pun). Ingham's Chicken Breast Nuggets Tempura, 1kg, $11 ($1.10 per 100g), available at all major supermarkets Score: 6/10 These were my pick of the bunch, but other tasters found the inside to be better than the outside, describing them as 'well-seasoned' and 'peppery and salty'. But they were short on the crispy exterior that makes a nugget what it is. Despite their lower chicken content (48%) these nuggets are made from chicken breast, with a much-lower tempura coating of just 22% that allows the taste of real chicken to come through. Woolworths Chicken Breast Crumbed Nuggets, 1kg, $9 ($0.90 per 100g), available at Woolworths Score: 5.9/10 Adult testers found these to be 'crumbly' or 'sandy' in texture, but found their inside taste and texture redeemable: 'flavourful' and 'soft'. Younger testers were overwhelmingly negative, blaming a 'no flavour inside taste' for their rejection of a second or third bite. On checking the ingredients after the taste test, these had a whopping 41% crumb coating, but the highest percentage of RSPCA-approved chicken breast at 59%. Their ingredient panel was also more specific than many, naming flavours like paprika and cumin over the more abstract 'seasoning'. Coles Crumbed Chicken Nuggets, 1kg, $11 ($1.10 per 100g), available at Coles Score: 5.1/10 Younger testers described the inside of these nuggets as 'weird' and 'not nice'; older ones as 'eggy' and 'bland'. The outside fared a little bit better: although some described the exterior as 'too crumbly', others found it to be the best in flavour. They do their job on a basic level, tasting sufficiently chicken-adjacent with a crispy enough outside, though coming out overall as kind of 'mid'. Farmwood Chicken Nuggets, 1kg, $6.49 ($0.65 per 100g), available at Aldi Score: 3.3/10 At 25c cheaper per hundred gram than the nearest competitor, these tied for lowest-cost nuggets. Their results were divisive. Some praised their 'good taste' and 'nice crumb', but one tester went so far as to say they should go 'in the bin'. It was the 'mushy' texture that let them down, with one person saying: 'If you'd told me these were made of potato, I would have believed you.' Black & Gold Australian Chicken Nuggets, 500g, $3.25 ($0.65 per 100g), available at independent grocers Score: 0.9/10 Although tied for first place on low price, this was the only variety I spat out. Testers also concluded they 'felt sandy', 'tasted horrible', were 'too hard' and had 'no flavour'. They have the lowest percentage of chicken at just 34% (and not specifically chicken breast), which I suspect affects the flavour. The rough, uneven crumb, noted as soon as they came out of the oven (and inferred when they were removed from the freezer), can't help.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Will a food dye ban make your favorite treats taste different? We put Froot Loops to the test.
Pickles. Sports drinks. Your favorite breakfast cereal. Artificial food dyes are lurking in a lot of stuff — but that's about to end. Earlier this spring, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a ban on petroleum-based artificial food dyes (including Red Dye No. 40), which would go into effect in 2027. According to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll of 1,597 U.S. adults conducted in April, 65% of Americans support such a ban. According to 26% of the respondents, losing artificial food dyes would 'affect the taste or quality' of certain food items that traditionally contain them — things like Mountain Dew, Doritos, M&Ms and Froot Loops — for the better, while 10% think it would 'make them worse.' (Another 34% thought there would be no change, and 31% were unsure.) So ... which is it? We wanted to see if people could actually tell whether a food item contained artificial food dyes or not. Enter a blind taste test comparing traditional Kellogg's Froot Loops sold in the United States (which contain Red 40, Yellows 5 and 6 and Blue 1), Canadian Froot Loops (which come in a box boasting 'no artificial colors, same fruity taste' and get their color from turmeric, fruit and vegetable juice concentrate and other natural sources ) and a dye-free alternative from Aldi, the chain known for its use of plant-based colorings. Did our testers taste a difference? Here's how it played out. We recruited four testers from our New York City offices: Yahoo News Reporter Katie Mather, Yahoo Finance Video Producer Jo Santangelo, Yahoo News Director of Social Media Marianna Brady and Yahoo Finance Senior Health Care and Business Reporter Anjalee Khemlani. Each tester was blindfolded and given three bowls of cereal to sample — American Froot Loops, Canadian Froot Loops and Aldi's Millville Fruit Rounds. They tried them in different order and gave their honest reviews and best guesses about which was which. (You can watch the video here.) The Aldi Fruit Rounds, which are free of artificial flavors and colors, preservatives and corn syrup, tasted a little different from our testers' childhood memories of Froot Loops. But they scored highly for tasting somehow 'more wholesome,' says Brady. Mather and Khemlani were convinced that Canadian Froot Loops were the real American deal. To be fair, they're effectively identical to the U.S. version of the cereal, minus the dyes. 'This is really good,' Mather says. '[it] reminds me of being a kid and being so excited to have like seven bowls of this before going to school.' Khemlani picked up on the sweetness and said the Canadian cereal 'has to be the American one.' The U.S version actually had Santangelo convinced that it was the 'alternative' (Aldi-sourced) brand, because it seemed less sugary. Mather and Khemlani also detected the fruity nostalgia of the flavors they knew from their youth. In the end, only one person correctly guessed which cereal was the American one. And nobody could agree which version tasted best. Mather summed it up after her blindfold was removed and she saw the cereals she'd tried: 'The colors don't make any difference. [Each] tastes exactly like my spoonful of whatever colors I ate the last time.' On their own, artificial food dyes are designed to have no negative flavors. Dyes may not be entirely flavorless, but they're usually added to foods in small enough quantities that there's no detectable change to the taste, Marion Nestle, a New York University professor emerita and a leading food activist, tells Yahoo Life. But that doesn't mean those colors don't affect how we perceive the taste of food. 'We eat with our eyes,' says Nestle, who is also working on a book called Sugar Coated, which explores nutrition policy through an examination of her exhaustive collection of cereal boxes. It's not just smell and taste that 'make food attractive, but bright colors [too] — and people, particularly kids, really like them,' she adds. In fact, after General Mills tried producing a version of its cereals (including Trix) without artificial dyes in 2016, sales plummeted. The company reversed course the next year. Is that reason enough to leave the bright colors alone? No, says Nestle. As noted by RFK Jr. and the FDA, studies — including a small but influential 1980 paper — have suggested a link between behavioral disruptions and problems, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in kids and artificial dyes. It's difficult to establish that dyes alone are a major cause of ADHD or behavioral problems, but there's enough evidence to result in bans in Canada, California public schools and, now, the United States generally. Plus, according to Nestle, 'There's no reason to keep them; they're just cosmetic and have no safety or taste function.' Ditching them won't solve the bigger issue with cereals like Froot Loops, however, says Nestle. 'Kids shouldn't be eating them anyway, and [banning] the color additives isn't going to change that — they're still ultra-processed cereals,' she says. 'I'm all for getting the color additives out of the food supply, but it is not going to make America's kids healthier again.'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Will a food dye ban make your favorite treats taste different? We put Froot Loops to the test.
Pickles. Sports drinks. Your favorite breakfast cereal. Artificial food dyes are lurking in a lot of stuff — but that's about to end. Earlier this spring, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a ban on petroleum-based artificial food dyes (including Red Dye No. 40), which would go into effect in 2027. According to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll of 1,597 U.S. adults conducted in April, 65% of Americans support such a ban. According to 26% of the respondents, losing artificial food dyes would 'affect the taste or quality' of certain food items that traditionally contain them — things like Mountain Dew, Doritos, M&Ms and Froot Loops — for the better, while 10% think it would 'make them worse.' (Another 34% thought there would be no change, and 31% were unsure.) So ... which is it? We wanted to see if people could actually tell whether a food item contained artificial food dyes or not. Enter a blind taste test comparing traditional Kellogg's Froot Loops sold in the United States (which contain Red 40, Yellows 5 and 6 and Blue 1), Canadian Froot Loops (which come in a box boasting 'no artificial colors, same fruity taste' and get their color from turmeric, fruit and vegetable juice concentrate and other natural sources ) and a dye-free alternative from Aldi, the chain known for its use of plant-based colorings. Did our testers taste a difference? Here's how it played out. We recruited four testers from our New York City offices: Yahoo News Reporter Katie Mather, Yahoo Finance Video Producer Jo Santangelo, Yahoo News Director of Social Media Marianna Brady and Yahoo Finance Senior Health Care and Business Reporter Anjalee Khemlani. Each tester was blindfolded and given three bowls of cereal to sample — American Froot Loops, Canadian Froot Loops and Aldi's Millville Fruit Rounds. They tried them in different order and gave their honest reviews and best guesses about which was which. (You can watch the video here.) The Aldi Fruit Rounds, which are free of artificial flavors and colors, preservatives and corn syrup, tasted a little different from our testers' childhood memories of Froot Loops. But they scored highly for tasting somehow 'more wholesome,' says Brady. Mather and Khemlani were convinced that Canadian Froot Loops were the real American deal. To be fair, they're effectively identical to the U.S. version of the cereal, minus the dyes. 'This is really good,' Mather says. '[it] reminds me of being a kid and being so excited to have like seven bowls of this before going to school.' Khemlani picked up on the sweetness and said the Canadian cereal 'has to be the American one.' The U.S version actually had Santangelo convinced that it was the 'alternative' (Aldi-sourced) brand, because it seemed less sugary. Mather and Khemlani also detected the fruity nostalgia of the flavors they knew from their youth. In the end, only one person correctly guessed which cereal was the American one. And nobody could agree which version tasted best. Mather summed it up after her blindfold was removed and she saw the cereals she'd tried: 'The colors don't make any difference. [Each] tastes exactly like my spoonful of whatever colors I ate the last time.' On their own, artificial food dyes are designed to have no negative flavors. Dyes may not be entirely flavorless, but they're usually added to foods in small enough quantities that there's no detectable change to the taste, Marion Nestle, a New York University professor emerita and a leading food activist, tells Yahoo Life. But that doesn't mean those colors don't affect how we perceive the taste of food. 'We eat with our eyes,' says Nestle, who is also working on a book called Sugar Coated, which explores nutrition policy through an examination of her exhaustive collection of cereal boxes. It's not just smell and taste that 'make food attractive, but bright colors [too] — and people, particularly kids, really like them,' she adds. In fact, after General Mills tried producing a version of its cereals (including Trix) without artificial dyes in 2016, sales plummeted. The company reversed course the next year. Is that reason enough to leave the bright colors alone? No, says Nestle. As noted by RFK Jr. and the FDA, studies — including a small but influential 1980 paper — have suggested a link between behavioral disruptions and problems, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in kids and artificial dyes. It's difficult to establish that dyes alone are a major cause of ADHD or behavioral problems, but there's enough evidence to result in bans in Canada, California public schools and, now, the United States generally. Plus, according to Nestle, 'There's no reason to keep them; they're just cosmetic and have no safety or taste function.' Ditching them won't solve the bigger issue with cereals like Froot Loops, however, says Nestle. 'Kids shouldn't be eating them anyway, and [banning] the color additives isn't going to change that — they're still ultra-processed cereals,' she says. 'I'm all for getting the color additives out of the food supply, but it is not going to make America's kids healthier again.'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Will a food dye ban make your favorite treats taste different? We put Froot Loops to the test.
Pickles. Sports drinks. Your favorite breakfast cereal. Artificial food dyes are lurking in a lot of stuff — but that's about to end. Earlier this spring, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a ban on petroleum-based artificial food dyes (including Red Dye No. 40), which would go into effect in 2027. According to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll of 1,597 U.S. adults conducted in April, 65% of Americans support such a ban. According to 26% of the respondents, losing artificial food dyes would 'affect the taste or quality' of certain food items that traditionally contain them — things like Mountain Dew, Doritos, M&Ms and Froot Loops — for the better, while 10% think it would 'make them worse.' (Another 34% thought there would be no change, and 31% were unsure.) So ... which is it? We wanted to see if people could actually tell whether a food item contained artificial food dyes or not. Enter a blind taste test comparing traditional Kellogg's Froot Loops sold in the United States (which contain Red 40, Yellows 5 and 6 and Blue 1), Canadian Froot Loops (which come in a box boasting 'no artificial colors, same fruity taste' and get their color from turmeric, fruit and vegetable juice concentrate and other natural sources ) and a dye-free alternative from Aldi, the chain known for its use of plant-based colorings. Did our testers taste a difference? Here's how it played out. We recruited four testers from our New York City offices: Yahoo News Reporter Katie Mather, Yahoo Finance Video Producer Jo Santangelo, Yahoo News Director of Social Media Marianna Brady and Yahoo Finance Senior Health Care and Business Reporter Anjalee Khemlani. Each tester was blindfolded and given three bowls of cereal to sample — American Froot Loops, Canadian Froot Loops and Aldi's Millville Fruit Rounds. They tried them in different order and gave their honest reviews and best guesses about which was which. (You can watch the video here.) The Aldi Fruit Rounds, which are free of artificial flavors and colors, preservatives and corn syrup, tasted a little different from our testers' childhood memories of Froot Loops. But they scored highly for tasting somehow 'more wholesome,' says Brady. Mather and Khemlani were convinced that Canadian Froot Loops were the real American deal. To be fair, they're effectively identical to the U.S. version of the cereal, minus the dyes. 'This is really good,' Mather says. '[it] reminds me of being a kid and being so excited to have like seven bowls of this before going to school.' Khemlani picked up on the sweetness and said the Canadian cereal 'has to be the American one.' The U.S version actually had Santangelo convinced that it was the 'alternative' (Aldi-sourced) brand, because it seemed less sugary. Mather and Khemlani also detected the fruity nostalgia of the flavors they knew from their youth. In the end, only one person correctly guessed which cereal was the American one. And nobody could agree which version tasted best. Mather summed it up after her blindfold was removed and she saw the cereals she'd tried: 'The colors don't make any difference. [Each] tastes exactly like my spoonful of whatever colors I ate the last time.' On their own, artificial food dyes are designed to have no negative flavors. Dyes may not be entirely flavorless, but they're usually added to foods in small enough quantities that there's no detectable change to the taste, Marion Nestle, a New York University professor emerita and a leading food activist, tells Yahoo Life. But that doesn't mean those colors don't affect how we perceive the taste of food. 'We eat with our eyes,' says Nestle, who is also working on a book called Sugar Coated, which explores nutrition policy through an examination of her exhaustive collection of cereal boxes. It's not just smell and taste that 'make food attractive, but bright colors [too] — and people, particularly kids, really like them,' she adds. In fact, after General Mills tried producing a version of its cereals (including Trix) without artificial dyes in 2016, sales plummeted. The company reversed course the next year. Is that reason enough to leave the bright colors alone? No, says Nestle. As noted by RFK Jr. and the FDA, studies — including a small but influential 1980 paper — have suggested a link between behavioral disruptions and problems, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in kids and artificial dyes. It's difficult to establish that dyes alone are a major cause of ADHD or behavioral problems, but there's enough evidence to result in bans in Canada, California public schools and, now, the United States generally. Plus, according to Nestle, 'There's no reason to keep them; they're just cosmetic and have no safety or taste function.' Ditching them won't solve the bigger issue with cereals like Froot Loops, however, says Nestle. 'Kids shouldn't be eating them anyway, and [banning] the color additives isn't going to change that — they're still ultra-processed cereals,' she says. 'I'm all for getting the color additives out of the food supply, but it is not going to make America's kids healthier again.'
The Sun
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
The supermarket ice cream that's identical to Magnum – and it's 46% cheaper too
A SUPERMARKET ice cream has come out joint top with Magnum in a blind taste test - and it's 46% cheaper. M&S' chocolate sticks shared the crown for best Magnum-type lolly in a recent Which? taste test, with an overall 82% score. 1 The posh retailer's own-brand version, which comes in a pack of three and costs £2.40, scored highly with shoppers in terms of sweetness and strength of chocolate flavour, as well as vanilla flavour. The chocolate sticks were some of the most expensive own-label ice creams included in the taste test, at 80p per lolly, but still came in 46% cheaper than the branded Magnum ones. Magnum's classic ice creams also scored 82% overall among blind taste testers. Shoppers loved the well-balanced sweetness, vanilla flavour and indulgent creamy texture of the classic hot weather treats. However, at £3.50 for a pack of three, they came out the priciest of all the ice creams tested. Lidl 's Gelatelli Classic ice cream sticks came third in the Which? taste test, with a 79% score. The pack of six, costing £2.85, was well-liked by tasters who said they had just the right sweetness, creaminess and vanilla flavour. They were also one of the cheapest ice creams in the round-up, costing just 48p per lolly. Aldi Gianni's milk chocolate ice creams came in fourth with a score of 77%. A pack of four costed £1.69. Shoppers weren't so impressed with the texture of the ice cream on these though and some said it wasn't creamy enough. Shopping discounts - How to make savings and find the best bargains But at just 42p per ice cream, they offer a decent quality budget-friendly option, especially if you don't have a Lidl near you. Iceland 's Belgian milk chocolate Majestics also scored 77%, with a pack of four costing £2. Tasters said the ice creams looked great and creamy, but nearly a third said they were too sweet. How the other supermarkets scored Waitrose 's milk chocolate sticks scored 74%, with tasters liking them overall but almost half saying the vanilla flavour was too weak. Shoppers can buy a pack of three for £2.25 (75p per ice cream). Morrisons ' classic milk chocolate amour sticks, costing £2.25 for a pack of three (75p each), scored 73%. Half of the tasters thought the ice cream wasn't creamy enough but otherwise they fared well. Asda 's milk chocolate coated ice creams received a score of 72% with most people happy with the sweetness and strength of chocolate flavour. Customers can pick up a pack of three for £2.10 (70p per ice cream). Tesco 's milk chocolate ice creams also scored 72% with tasters, but just over half thought the vanilla flavour was too weak. A pack of three is priced at £1.39, or 46p per ice cream. Co-op 's dipped milk chocolate vanilla ice creams scored 69% in the taste test - a pack of three costs £2.10 (70p each). Tasters said the ice cream on these wasn't creamy enough and the chocolate wasn't chocolatey enough. Jessica Carson, Which? food and health editor, said: "Cooling down with a delicious ice cream on a hot day is the stuff that summer holidays are made of, so having a box full in the freezer is bound to please - whether you are entertaining or you've got kids. "While the Classic Magnum wasn't beaten in our test, one supermarket brand matched it and a bargain alternative from Lidl wasn't far behind - and is less than half the price." How to save money on summer essentials SUNNIER days and warmer weather will leave many of us wanting to kit out gardens and outdoor areas. Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to get a great deal on summer essentials… It pays to know how to bag big savings on the likes of hot tubs paddling pools, egg chairs and outside bars. Many retailers have flash sales across entire ranges – often this ties into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends. Sign up to the mailing lists of your favourite brands and you'll be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too. Keep a close eye on the specialbuys at Aldi and middle of Lidl drops which drop a couple of times a week and usually mean great value seasonal items such as beach gear and paddling pools. If you are not in a hurry to buy an item, try adding it to the shopping cart and leaving it for a couple of days. Sometimes big brands will try to tempt you into the sale by offering you a discount. Always check if you can get cashback before paying. It's especially worth using sites such as Topcashback, Quidco and app Jamdoughnut when buying bigger ticket items such as garden furniture as you'll get a nice kickback. In other news, including pickled onion and Bisto. .
