Category Archives: New Products

Popchips Addiction

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Yes, I have one. But that’s not a bad thing. Not when Popchips are all natural, not fried, have no trans fat, and zero saturated fat (well, except for the wonderful cheddar cheese version that has a pittance).

Never heard of Popchips? Get thee a bag now (about $1.50 for a 1-ounce one). The San Francisco product, which debuted a year ago, is now available in nearly 3,000 retail stores in the Western United States including Safeway, and Whole Foods. A 1-ounce serving has 120 calories, compared to 160 calories for the same serving of Ruffles Original.

Made with potatoes, organic white corn and whole grain brown rice, the Popchips are made using heat and pressure. The resulting chips are light and crispy in texture. They come in nine flavors, including new “salt and pepper” (with a subtle seasoned taste); and “sea salt and vinegar” (the bold vinegar tartness tickles your nose the second you open the bag). Whatever flavor you choose, you’ll be hard pressed to eat just one.

Your Chance To Try the Most Delicious Fruit Ever

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Mangosteens in the shell (back) and peeled (foreground)

That’s what mangosteen has been called. Until this year, the only way to try the fresh tropical fruit was to travel to Southeast Asia, where it originated; or to get your hands on others grown in Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture once banned the importation of mangosteens and other fruits from Thailand because of the concern that they might harbor fruit flies that could infect citrus trees in the United States. Thailand, though, agreed to irradiate its shipments (a method that kills pests with radiation). The first shipments now have arrived in the United States, just at the peak harvest season of the fruit.

You’ll pay a dear price for them, too. At 99 Ranch markets, the tangerine- to orange-sized fruit with a dark purple exterior are $8.99 a pound. And finding them is not always easy, either. At 99 Ranch in Cupertino last week, I came up empty-handed. But my trip to the 99 Ranch on Hostetter Road in San Jose a few days later netted me the goods.

So are they really the most amazing fruit you’ll ever taste? I was dubious. I had tried frozen mangosteens in the shell from an Asian market, and wasn’t impressed. I also had tried a mangosteen juice beverage that was just ghastly.

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Facebook Users Can Win Free Potato Chips For A Year

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All you have to do is keep an eye out for when a special Death Valley temperature gauge that monitors the desert heat reaches 120 degrees. The first five Facebook users who notify Kettle Foods when it does will win free chips for a year. Just don’t tell your cardiologist.

It’s all part of Kettle Foods’ debut of its newest potato chip flavor, Death Valley Chipotle. Crispy, fiery, smoky, and quite tongue-tingling, the chips also will help a good cause. Kettle Foods will donate $1 to the Death Valley Natural History Association for every Facebook user who downloads the special Death Valley temperature gauge. The non-profit association brings city kids to parks so they can experience the beauty of nature. Click here to find out more about the Facebook application.

The Death Valley Chipotle chips, in 5-ounce ($2.99) and 9-ounce ($3.29) bags, are available at Cost Plus Markets, and by clicking here.

First Taste of A New Ghirardelli Chocolate Bar

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Ghirardelli’s newest flavor of chocolate bars and mini squares is just hitting the shelves: Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Filling.

Thanks to a high-placed secret source in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory (we’ll call him Willy Wong-ka), we got a sneak preview. So will it give  Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups a whipping? I’ll use my patented scale of 1 to 10 lip-smackers, with 1 being the “Bleh, save your money” far end of the spectrum; 5 being the
“I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if it was just there, I might nibble some” middle-of-the-road response; and 10 being the “My gawd, I could die now and never be happier, because this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth” supreme ranking.

Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Filling: What I tried was one of the mini squares. It’s a very thin milk chocolate wafer with an equally thin layer of very creamy peanut butter inside, along with a few tiny, crunchy bits of peanut. Whereas a Reese’s cup gives you a wallop of homey, satisfying, dense peanut butter, the Ghirardelli’s is more subtle, perhaps a tad more elegant in taste. It’s hard to top a Reese’s, but the Ghirardelli’s is pretty darn good. Rating: 7.

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