Supermarket sampler: Progresso Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang and Carolyn Wyman

Published August 19, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Progresso Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs

* Plain, Italian Style

* $2.49 per 8-ounce box

Bonnie: The results of this testing were delicious. Was it the old-time cooking method or the new crispy crumbs? I think a bit of both.

Panko bread crumbs have a coarser texture and crispier crunch than traditional American ones, and that was apparent in this taste test. They also contain similar ingredients to make-your-own crumbs from crustless bread, with 110 calories, 2.5 grams of total fat and just 50 milligrams of sodium per quarter-cup of the Plain. The Italian Style contains an additional 20 calories, 3.5 grams of fat and 350 milligrams of sodium.

Carolyn: Panko bread crumbs are also not as finely ground as regular and so lend a crunchier texture. At least that's the hype behind these new ones from Progresso, which I tested by making chicken cutlets in my usual fashion - by dipping some boneless chicken breasts in egg and then rolling them in these crumbs. The cutlets made with the Italian Style bread crumbs were particularly tasty without being too salty, as traditional Italian bread crumbs can be.

DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen for One

* DiGiorno Traditional Crust (Pepperoni, Supreme, Four Cheese), DiGiorno Thin Crispy Crust (Pepperoni, Supreme, Grilled Chicken & Vegetable), DiGiorno Garlic Bread Crust (Pepperoni, Supreme, Spinach & Tomato), California Pizza Kitchen Regular (BBQ Recipe Chicken, Four Cheese) and California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust (Sicilian Recipe, Margherita)

* $2.99 to $3.29 per 5.5-ounce to 10.2-ounce frozen pizza

Bonnie: I'm not a frozen food fan, but I've been known to rave about some varieties of both DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizza. The former for its delicious rising crust; the latter, for its crisp crackerlike crust and decent pizza nutritionals. So is it any wonder I was looking forward to trying DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen's new For One pizzas?

Although both lines are microwavable, I also tested these in a conventional oven to give them every advantage. Both ways they were inedible: The dough was neither like regular rising-crust DiGiorno or fresh pizza, nor crisp like a CPK or a brick-oven pizza, and the toppings were mediocre - no flavors stood out.

And these aren't really "For One." They have way too many calories and too much fat and sodium to eat in a single sitting. That's up to 850 calories, more than two-thirds of the daily recommended limit for fat, up to 80 percent of the saturated fat limit and up to 60 percent of the sodium. That would only be suitable "for one" lumberjack or wildly growing teenage boy.

Carolyn: These new microwavable, single-serve versions denigrate both these good brand names.

The DiGiorno name, in particular, used to be synonymous with rising crust but is now being put on all sorts of unexceptional pizza. Based on the very mushy, bready texture of its crust, I'd say the tradition referred to in the Traditional Crust variety is the school cafeteria.

I don't often make blanket statements, but I will here: It's not possible to get good pizza from the microwave. Even preparing these pizzas in the regular oven (as per the box directions) didn't help much. Which leads me to my second blanket statement: If a frozen pizza box doesn't feature the words "rising crust," don't buy it.

Altoids Creme De Menthe, Dark Chocolate Dipped Creme de Menthe Mints

* $1.99 to $2.49 per 1.76-ounce tin

Bonnie: As a chocolate mint lover, I looked forward to trying these new Creme de Menthe Altoids - especially the dark chocolate-covered ones. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Although the dark chocolate coating is delicious, the mint is not. It's curiously strong, but with an even more curious note of milk of magnesia.

This new flavor tastes nothing like its namesake peppermint-flavored green or white liqueur. If you like another flavor of mint Altoids, stick with those.

Carolyn: How many mint Altoids does the world need? I think the three offered before these two new Creme de Menthe flavors were enough.

The Dark Chocolate Dipped Creme de Menthe mints have the same problems as Altoids' chocolate-covered cinnamon, ginger and peppermints: They must be chewed, don't last as long as regular Altoids and are not as refreshing.

Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian. Carolyn Wyman is author of Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods That Changed the Way We Eat (Quirk). Each week they critique new food items.

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