Al Sicherman
Columnist | Tidbits
Al Sicherman writes the Tidbits column for the Taste section. He is a retired columnist for the Star Tribune.
Recent content from Al Sicherman
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More Fiber One
Mr. Tidbit was out of town for a few days recently and, as is his custom, browsed the aisles of a few grocery stores for products he hasn't yet seen at home. Particularly, as always, he checked to see whether there were any new Fiber One products from General Mills, as he prefers getting his fiber from things like pancake mix and toaster pastries instead of barley, peas, beans and broccoli.
Nov 4, 2009 -
Itty-bitty brownies
Two new Pillsbury items caught Mr. Tidbit's attention this week. To be clear, these are items from the baking-products (flour and mixes) part of Pillsbury, the part that was spun off from the baked-products (frozen and refrigerated) part of Pillsbury when General Mills bought all of Pillsbury but had to sell the baking-products part to International Multifoods, which more recently was acquired by J.M. Smucker. (With a name like Smucker, it has to be not General Mills.) So these two are (Smucker) Pillsbury products, not (General Mills) Pillsbury products. Clear?
Oct 28, 2009 -
Pudding on the Ritz?
It has been all of three months since Mr. Tidbit's most recent discovery of a new version of Ritz crackers, so they're overdue, right? (Mr. Tidbit was getting worried.)
Oct 21, 2009 -
Granola again
About two years ago, General Mills' Nature Valley cut through all the "chewy," "crunchy," "sweet & salty" and other granola-bar code words, removed all the oats and such, and produced Roasted Nut Crunch bars. Not granola, just nuts plus sugar, corn syrup and salt: It's nut brittle. Pretty good, too.
Oct 14, 2009 -
Tidbits: Enough soup, already!
The world of major-brand soups has been mushrooming (so to speak), and Mr. Tidbit fears he has fallen behind.
Oct 7, 2009 -
Thin, flat, half-empty
Nabisco's latest is another version of Wheat Thins crackers. It's Wheat Thins Flatbread, long rectangular crackers (with a sprinkling of grains other than wheat), in Tuscan Herb or Garlic & Parsley flavors. Mr. Tidbit has several things to say:
Sep 23, 2009 -
Meat patty?
Banquet, ConAgra's line of inexpensive frozen dinners, now offers a Cheesy Smothered Meat Patty Meal. That's right, the thing next to the mashed potatoes is a "meat patty,".
Sep 16, 2009 -
Ocean Spray oatmeal?
Mr. Tidbit almost giggled when he saw new Ocean Spray instant oatmeal. What were the Ocean Spray folks thinking? Instant oatmeal is a market in which Quaker has a total of 27 (yes! 27!) varieties, in six categories: regular, lower sugar, high fiber, heart health, weight control and organic.
Sep 9, 2009 -
Tidbits: It's all what?
Mr. Tidbit has spoken before about the use of brand names on a variety of products unlike the originals. Velveeta, for example, is not a particular cheese blend but a name that Kraft can and does use on any of its cheesy offerings (such as Velveeta Shells & Cheese).
Sep 2, 2009 -
Pom-pom pull-away
Mr. Tidbit expected merely to guffaw at the latest entry in the "me-too" now-with-pomegranate sweepstakes. (Among fruits you might actually have heard of, pomegranates have one of the highest levels of probably good-for-you antioxidants -- more even than blueberries.)
Aug 26, 2009
