Now that Kraft has quietly slipped its Oreos back on the shelf without the old heart-clogging trans fats, we thought we would test them to see how they fared against a crop of other chocolate sandwich cookies that also are free of the fats (which come from hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils).
Once a staple of processed snacks, trans fats are increasingly being phased out with lots — and sometimes no — fanfare.
Eight tasters recently tried six varieties of trans-fat-free chocolate sandwich cookies (which still contained saturated fat).
Oreos, even without trans fats, won by a margin. Joe-Joe's, from Trader Joe's stores, earned second-place honors, with the Back to Nature brand (purchased at Whole Foods Market) following closely in third.
For the record, though, we also conducted a separate informal — but still blind — test between the old Oreos and the new trans fat-free Oreos. The old Oreo — now virtually gone from store shelves — won by a 2-to-1 majority, with tasters applauding the filling's nice vanilla flavor, smooth texture and, strangely enough, more chocolaty flavor in the biscuit.
People are also reading…
And speaking of Oreos, a new Dunkers oblong version, also minus trans fats, is being introduced; it's ideal for milk-dipping.
Products are scored on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being highest. Prices are based on what we paid for them at the supermarket and may reflect sales or discounts from frequent-shopper cards.
And the winners are:
1. Oreo (7 points. $4.39 per 18-ounce package; about 24 cents per ounce.) "Classic Oreo flavor with a good mix of cocoa and icing." "Yum, where's the milk?" "Ah just right, nice sense of personality."
2. Joe-Joe's (5 points. $2.49 per 20-ounce package; about 12 cents per ounce.) "Candylike filling." "Good chocolate taste." "Very artificial." "Falls apart."
3. Back to Nature (4.6 points. $3.39 per 12-ounce package; about 28 cents per ounce.) "Good but a bit bland." "Wholesome; not too sweet." "Stale filling." "Very sweet." "Little chocolate taste."
Others tasted:
4. Country Choice Organic (4.4 points)
5. 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods brand, 3.6)
6. Newman's Own O's (3.3)