Supermarket Sampler: Highs and lows of 2008

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang and Carolyn Wyman

Published December 30, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Most Americans will remember 2008 as the year the economy tanked, we elected our first black president, and Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer broke up and then got back together again.

We Supermarket Samplers, on the other hand, see 2008 as the year the microwave became a steam machine, canned spaghetti and beef stew got put into spiffy new pouches and Betty Crocker remarketed dehydrated potatoes as an 80-calorie snack.

In this, our special end-of- the-year column, we hit on the highs and lows of a year's worth of new-food tasting and, finally, the winner of our annual Golden Shopping Cart Award.

Double forks down

* Muir Glen Chef Inspirations Organic Soups. These boring, not very filling soups with organic meats would "inspire" nothing but derision from any decent chef.

* Tropicana Coastal Groves Lemonade. An all-natural product that seemed fake and contained none of real lemonade's vitamin C.

* DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen For One. Microwavable, single-serve pizzas that denigrate both of these good brand names.

* Jell-O Singles Instant Pudding Mix. Single-serve pudding mix is a great idea, but these products didn't sit well with us, literally or figuratively.

* Ronzoni Bistro Pasta Meals. Pouched dishes that will seem good only to people whose idea of a bistro meal is Chef Boyardee.

* Betty Crocker 80-Calorie Potatoes. Home version of school- cafeteria rehydrated mashed potatoes.

* Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Flatbread Sandwiches. Proof that the refrigerated meal kit works much better with lowbrow pizza and hot dogs.

Bonnie's favorites

* Celestial Seasonings Organic Whole Bean Morning Thunder and French Roastaroma Coffee. Celestial Seasonings successfully broadened its hot-drink business with these good-tasting, fair- trade, organic coffees in resealable bags.

* Tropicana Pure Valencia Juice. This single-variety juice tastes so good you'd swear you were in an orange grove drinking it.

* General Mills Gluten Free Rice Chex. Barley malt came out and molasses went in to make this one of the few reasonably priced mainstream cereals that can be enjoyed by the millions of Americans with celiac disease.

* Miss Vickie's All-Natural Chips. Frito-Lay wisely bought this line of all-natural snack chips but then stupidly discontinued its most delicious and nutritious variety (Nine-Grain).

* Alexia Sweet Potato Julienne Fries. Good-tasting, nutritious fries from the freezer.

* Kahiki EasyCrisp Vegetarian Egg Rolls. As if egg rolls this crisp in the microwave weren't impressive enough, these are also low in fat and calories, devoid of unpronounceable ingredients and taste good.

* Phillips Steamer Creations Steamed Spiced Shrimp. Restaurateur Phillips applies the microwave steaming technology to shrimp. Just heat and eat.

Carolyn's favorites

* Duncan Hines Oven Ready! Homestyle Chocolate Chip Brownies. Duncan Hines moved the no-cleanup, ready-to-bake dessert category from the refrigerator to the freezer.

* Minute Ready To Serve! Fully Cooked White and Brown Rice Cups. Sixty years after Minute Rice was invented, the company has finally produced a natural-tasting rice that can actually be made in a minute.

* Sara Lee Frozen Cheesecake Bites. The entire cheesecake experience in a remarkably modest 20-calorie bite that can be eaten straight from the freezer.

* Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Honey Bee Ice Cream. The best new Haagen-Dazs flavor since the trend-setting Dulce de Leche.

* Jack Link Flamin' Buffalo and Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Nuggets. Boneless chicken chunks in a convenient, ready-to-eat pouch.

* Healthy Choice Asian Inspired Cafe Steamers. The Five Spice and Sweet Sesame varieties best most Chinese takeout in taste, price and nutrition.

* Stove Top Stuffing Quick Cups. These single-serve microwavable cups make it easy to eat stuffing every day - and are tasty enough that you'll want to.

* And now, the winner of our 19th annual Golden Shopping Cart Award: Ore-Ida Steam n' Mash Frozen Cut Russet and Sweet Potatoes.

Bonnie: For decades I've been asking for food manufacturers to process foods in a way that wouldn't require adding myriad flavor enhancers and artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners.

Finally, it seems that the food companies are listening. Ore-Ida's new Steam n' Mash Frozen Cut Russet and Sweet Potatoes are one commendable example. This product, designed to be steamed in the microwave, contains only potatoes, salt and a sequestrant (a needed additive that's generally recognized as safe to keep the potatoes from discoloring).

These taste like the real potatoes that they are, with the sweet the more healthful of the two. A 1-cup serving of Steam n' Mash Sweet Potatoes provides 90 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 40 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, or similar to freshly cooked.

Carolyn: Like instant mashed, Steam n' Mash takes almost all the work out of making mashed potatoes. But unlike instant, they have real potato taste and texture. (At least the Cut Russet and Sweet Potato varieties do. This line also contains Garlic-Seasoned and Three Cheese varieties that neither Bonnie nor I recommend.)

But Steam n' Mash Cut Russet and Sweet are to mashed potatoes what the electric dishwasher is to washing dishes by hand: a time-saver - and therefore a lifesaver.

Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian and professional speaker. Carolyn Wyman is a junk- food fan and author of Better Than Homemade (Quirk).

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