Category Archives: Brands

Jul 17 2016
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Bakeries, Brands, Online vendors, Snacks, Truly nut-free

New French Bakery

newfrenchbakery

I wish I could say I’d found a nut-free French bakery, but…I haven’t. What I have found is a nut-free bread company that supplies packaged “take & bake” breads to various supermarkets. So French bakery? Not quite. Useful product, though? Definitely.

New French Bakery doesn’t advertise itself as nut-free, but there’s nothing about tree nuts (or peanuts) on any of the packaging. That doesn’t mean all that much, though, so I sent an email to double-check. Within a day, I received the following reply: “Yes, our facility is tree nut and peanut free.” So that’s that, I suppose.

I’ve categorized New French Bakery as “truly nut-free,” but really, things aren’t so black-and-white. These companies exist on an allergy-friendliness spectrum, and I’d say this one’s probably a bit less nut-free (whatever sense that makes) than a company like Enjoy Life, which requires allergen statements from suppliers, employs batch testing, and is generally defined by its allergy-friendliness. Still, a nut-free facility is a nut-free facility—it’d be silly to expect anything more.

I picked up a bag of the French dinner rolls at Gristedes (the only place I can seem to find these things) and froze them that day, as the packaging recommends. A week or so later, I threw a few into the oven for 12 minutes and ate them with some cheese, and they were all right, but certainly not anything worth getting excited over. Had they not been warm, they would’ve been pretty lame—but warm bread is warm bread, so I couldn’t be all that disappointed.

From what I’ve tried, it seems as though New French Bakery’s bread is, at the very least, a few steps above most of the bread you’ll find at the supermarket—and it’s nut-free, too, which certainly helps its cause. It’ll do in a pinch, and it’ll certainly do if you’re accustomed to being denied bread.

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Jul 11 2016
1 Comment
Brands, Online vendors, Snacks, Technically not nut-free

America’s Best Nut Co.

Southern Homestyle peanuts from America's Best Nut Co

Tree nut–free peanuts are trouble. I’ve written before about how tough they are to find, so I won’t rehash—but suffice it to say that they aren’t easy to come by. In fact, America’s Best Nut Co. makes the only safe shelled peanuts I’ve managed to find in years (and years) of half-hearted searching.

Their website is pretty lean, and they have no email address, as far as I can tell—so I did the unthinkable: I called. The (very, very kind) woman I spoke with confirmed what I’d heard: that they don’t have any tree nuts in their facility, and that their peanuts should be entirely nut-free. Unfortunately, she also told me that their peanuts aren’t sold in any New York stores. Fortunately, though, they are sold online, so—well, I’m eating a handful as I type this. (Literally. One-handed blogging is a slow-going labor of love.)

Shipping was expensive, so in the interest of efficiency (and certainly not because I’m a pig), I ordered three tins: one lightly salted Southern Homestyle, one unsalted Southern Homestyle, and one sea-salted. All three were great, but I liked the lightly salted best, as they were a nice happy medium between the other two. (Duh.) The peanuts themselves taste great, and the salt complements their flavor nicely (rather than covering it up, as it tends to with the sea-salted variety). Plus, unlike the unsalted peanuts, these don’t grow boring after too many handfuls. They’re frighteningly addictive.

The unsalted did have their perks, though. First, they’re a classic—and second, they’re super greasy. These are some oily peanuts (though they aren’t unpleasantly so in the slightest). It’s a nice touch—in my eyes, at least—and it certainly sets these peanuts apart from those you’ll pull out of a shell.

In all, America’s Best Nut Co. is a lovely company that makes some damn good peanuts. My only gripes, really, are that they can’t be found in stores, and that they’re too expensive (for me) to order regularly.

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Jul 02 2016
3 Comments
Brands, Kosher, Snacks, Sweets, Technically not nut-free

Peanut Butter & Co.

A jar of White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter

I spent last Friday on Roosevelt Island. Please don’t ask why; I really have no idea. Around the third hour, though, I ended up at Gristedes, the island’s only real supermarket. (There’s also a deli, a Duane Reade, and a natural market of sorts. For anything else, you have to travel.) None of this is relevant, of course—but Roosevelt Island is Twilight Zone–weird, so…I guess I wanted to mention where I was.

It was there, at that overpriced and poorly reviewed Gristedes, that I finally decided it was time to pick up a jar of this expensive-ass peanut butter.

I hated this stuff as a kid. I really did. I always thought it was gritty, bland, and generally unpleasant—though that didn’t quite stop me from trying every flavor I could find. I’m not sure whether it’s changed or I have, but…something‘s different, because I absolutely love this peanut butter.

A lot of tree nut–allergic people—especially those with a history of reacting to traces—express frustration with finding peanut butter made in a peanut-only facility. I usually eat Skippy (which, as far as I know, isn’t made in a peanut-only facility), but I know plenty of nut-allergic people for whom brands like Skippy aren’t an option, so I figured it was probably worth looking into some other companies.

One of the companies on my list was Peanut Butter & Co. Prior to my Roosevelt Island adventure, I’d sent them an email, and their reply was as follows:

Our peanut butter is manufactured in a facility that only processes peanuts. While many of our other products like jams, jellies, and peanut snacks may not contain tree nuts or seeds in the ingredient list, some are processed in facilities that also process tree nuts and seeds. Please check the label of the individual product you are inquiring about for more information.

Really, that was the answer I was looking for. But given how much I’d hated their peanut butter as a kid—and given that I’ve never seen a jar of it on sale for less than $5—it wasn’t as if I was ready to sprint to the supermarket and pick some up. It comes as no real surprise, then, that I had to be so hungry on such a strange island for this stuff to even begin to appeal to me.

Anyway…I bought some. I chose White Chocolate Wonderful, because white chocolate and I tend to get along pretty well. The jar cost $5.99, which made me sort of angry—but once I got my spoon (okay, finger) in there, all my anger dissolved. It wasn’t gritty or bland like I remembered; instead, it was smooth and flavorful—though not unpleasantly sweet, which I’d expected it to be.

Honestly, it’s really fucking good, and I feel a little bad for spending the last 10 years hating on this stuff. What’s done is done, though. I’ll guess I’ll have to right my wrong by overspending on Peanut Butter & Co.’s peanut butter till I’m sick of the stuff.

Find Peanut Butter & Co. everywhere: Gristedes, Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Duane Reade, Food Emporium, Citerella…and a whole bunch of other places, too.

[Edit: After some further consideration, I’ve decided that Peanut Butter & Co.’s is probably my favorite all-purpose peanut butter. White Chocolate Wonderful, which tastes nothing like white chocolate, but rather which tastes like a standard sweetened peanut butter, is like an upgraded Skippy, and Dark Chocolate Dreams, which is ridiculously rich—like brownie batter, honestly—is perfect for finger-licking.]

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Jun 26 2016
5 Comments
Bakeries, Brands, Kosher, Snacks, Sweets, Truly nut-free

Stern’s Bakery

A few slices of a Stern's seven-layer cake

In the time I’ve spent on this blog, I’ve had a lot of luck finding nut-free kosher bakeries. For some reason, there’s a (relative) abundance of them in and around the city, so I wasn’t exactly surprised when I found out about Stern’s. There’s no such thing as too many when it comes to nut-free bakeries (or nut-free anythings, for that matter)—so of course, I had to give Stern’s a try.

There isn’t much information about Stern’s to be found online. Their factory, located in the very Orthodox neighborhood of Borough Park, is wholesale-only, but their Yelp page led me to believe they had a retail storefront, too. When I went, though, it was nowhere to be found, no matter how many people I asked for directions. Maybe I’m crazy, or maybe it doesn’t exist; either way, though, pretty much every market in the area had a wide array of Stern’s products, so I still managed to make it home with a sizable haul of baked goods—all with the words “made in a nut-free facility” on the packaging.

The first thing I tried (on my train ride home, of course) was a single-serving Confetti Brownie, which looks a whole lot like a Little Debbie’s Cosmic Brownie. At first bite, I didn’t really like it—it was too sweet, and the chocolate tasted too artificial—but the texture won me over, and by the end, I was wishing I had more. The chocolate danish, though, was worlds better. It was moist and thick, with plenty of far-less-artificial-tasting chocolate, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finally: the black and white seven layer cake (pictured above). Somehow, I actually managed to wait until I got home before digging into this one. Honestly, though, it wasn’t very good. It smelled exactly like a Hostess CupCake, and it didn’t taste much better. It was far too sweet, though I think there’s a good chance the regular seven layer cake would have been better, as it doesn’t seem to have as many layers of frosting (or whatever that stuff is—I’m not sure).

Still, Stern’s is a solid option for (nut-free!) packaged baked goods. Their products are better (and probably safer) than anything made by Hostess, Drake’s, or Little Debbie—and though I like Green’s better, Stern’s is certainly a company I’m willing to throw my very inconsequential weight behind.

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Jun 23 2016
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Brands, Kosher, Online vendors, Snacks, Sweets, Truly nut-free

Gerbs Allergen Friendly Foods

Gerbs

I’ll just come right out and say it: Gerbs is a pretty awesome company. Everything they sell is entirely free from the top 8 allergens (plus sesame and mustard, too). It’s all vegan, kosher, and non-GMO, and it’s all free from sulphur dioxide, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, nitrates/nitrites, MSG, and trans fats. Truthfully, I couldn’t possibly care less about any of that—but I do care a whole lot about nut-free seeds, granolas, and dried fruits. As many people seem to be incapable of understanding, seeds are not nuts; they’re seeds, and I can eat them, as can everyone else who’s (just) allergic to nuts. Often, though, seeds come cross-contaminated—especially if they’re shelled—so it can be a real pain to find safe ones.

The same goes for dried fruits. For some reason, they’re almost always made by companies that handle lots of nuts. I tend to really like dried fruits, though, so I’ve been searching—really, really searching—for a safe and reliable source for a while now. Trader Joe’s has some options that work for me, sure…but they don’t have my personal favorite: pineapple rings (the sweetened kind, because I am a child).

Enter Gerbs, the solution to all (well, some) of my problems.

gerbs2

Gerbs carries chocolate products, coffee beans, dried fruits, seeds, grains, granolas, rice, oats, and various snack mixes, all free from the junk (and allergens) mentioned above—so basically, they sell a whole bunch of stuff that’s tough to find. And though their products aren’t available in stores, they are available online, and at (somewhat) reasonable prices, too. [That first link is to Amazon, where a whole bunch of Gerbs products are Prime-eligible. Game-changing, really, for those of us who straight-up refuse to (a) order in bulk or (b) pay for shipping.]

It wasn’t until last week that I finally got around to ordering some of this stuff. I got a pound of lightly salted sunflower kernels ($3.99), and—of course—a pound of sweetened pineapple slices ($7.99). And since my order only weighed 2 lbs, I only had to pay $5.99 for shipping, which would’ve otherwise gone up to $12.99. (Only. As if. Obviously, I placed this order before finding out about the whole Gerbs-is-Prime-eligible thing. Live and learn, I guess.)

To my surprise, the box arrived within two days—and fortunately, I have very little to say, other than that products I received were perfectly fine. The sunflower kernels taste like sunflower kernels—though I’m not sure I’d have labeled them as lightly salted—and the pineapple rings are just what I’ve been wanting. My only (cliché) complaint is that they disappeared far too quickly. I think I’m good on sunflower seeds for a while, though. Apparently, a pound is quite a few servings. (Just in: My eyes are way bigger than my stomach. Who knew? Guess I have some sunflower-seed pesto in my near future.)

Anyway, Gerbs is most definitely a company worth supporting—and their products are definitely worth eating, too. Find them, as I’ve said, on both Amazon (Prime!) and the Gerbs website.

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Jun 14 2016
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Brands, Kosher, Online vendors, Sweets, Technically not nut-free

Fruit Slices

SweetGourmet fruit slices

I used to eat these jelly-based fruit slices all the time as a kid. Who knew they’d be so hard to come by for those who can’t eat nuts? Lots of supermarkets buy them in bulk and repackage them for sale—but they do the same with nuts, so more often than not, the fruit slices you’ll find at Fairway et al. come with “may contain” warnings. Shame. But I’ve really been craving these, so I had to make it happen.

Now, SweetGourmet definitely sells nuts; in fact, they have a whole category on their site devoted to nuts and seeds. But fruit slices aren’t all that easy to find, and I was pretty desperate to get my hands on some—and (for some reason!) I didn’t want to order them from nuts.com, so I decided to give these a try. Their ingredients are as follows:

Sugar, glucose, agar, citric acid, cottonseed oil, egg albumen, natural and artificial flavors, artificial colors (red 40, blue 1, yellow 5 & 6). **Contains: Egg Ingredients. Product information/materials may change.

Not the ideal company for someone with a nut allergy, but hey, fruit slices. So far, I’m around 75% of the way through my box, and I’ve had no issues. I got them off of Amazon, but they’re available straight from SweetGourmet, too. I ordered the middle size (20 oz.), and they arrived within a few days, packaged in a large box with sheets of wax paper separating the layers of fruit slices.

Anyway, they’re pretty good, if you’re into fruit slices (is anybody?). My only complaint is that the assortment is a little lacking. (I’m told it’s very inconsistent and varies a lot by box.) My box had mostly greens, reds, oranges, and yellows—which is unfortunate, because the watermelons and the blue raspberries are the real stars.

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Jun 02 2016
2 Comments
Brands, Online vendors, Sweets, Truly nut-free

See’s Lollypops

A box of See's Lollypops

I used to eat See’s lollipops (I’m sorry—I’m not going to use their spelling) on occasion as a kid, but I had no idea they were nut-free until a random flashback sent me Googling. See’s makes lots of nut products; who would’ve expected them to make these (gourmet!) lollipops in a nut-free facility?

On their website, there’s an allergen information page with lists of the See’s products that are free from from nuts, dairy, gluten, soy, and egg. There’s also a nut-free filter, and their FAQ states that candies marked nut-free are those that “are free of nuts and have been manufactured in a nut-free facility.” So at See’s, nut-free really seems to mean nut-free. Miraculous.

The lollipops are expensive ($18.50 for a box of 30) but truthfully, they’re worth it. Flavor-wise, they’re unlike any other lollipop I’ve ever had—rich, creamy, and never too sweet—and they last for-goddamn-ever, too (both individually and as a box), which makes me feel a little better about the price.

The assortment comes with four flavors: chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, and café latte. They’re all made with butter and heavy cream, and they’re all delicious in their own way, but my personal favorite is the butterscotch (which is the sweetest by far—go figure). It’s super buttery, but not at all in a sickening way. It’s actually pretty salty, too—so in all, it’s perfectly balanced.

Chocolate’s probably my second favorite. The flavor’s closer to cocoa powder than, say, pudding, which took me some time to get used to, but once I got there, I was sold. It tastes a lot like a brownie—not the Betty Crocker kind, but a good one. (An adult brownie, I guess.) It’s very rich, and it has a sort of grainy texture, which I like. And for a lollipop, it’s actually sort of filling.

Vanilla and café latte are my least favorites, but they’re not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Vanilla’s very creamy, which is nice—and it gets a little chewy around halfway through, which is strange, but inoffensive. Café latte is great, I’m sure, if you’re into coffee, but I’m not, so I could probably go without this one. It’s all right—somewhat bitter, and subtly sweet, too—but again: I’m not into that strong coffee flavor. Oh well.

Clearly, though, I’m into these lollipops. I found them at Macy’s in Herald Square (6th floor—you’re welcome), and they’re apparently sold at Lord & Taylor, too. Or, if that’s too much trouble, they’re available online. In any case, they’re certainly worth a try—even if you aren’t a fan of lollipops.

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May 21 2016
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Brands, Snacks, Truly nut-free

Laiki Rice Crackers

laiki (1)

I found out about Laiki on Twitter, of all places. To tell you the truth, though, I was never all that interested. They looked pretty boring—and there are plenty of cracker brands I trust and love. It wasn’t until I happened upon a Laiki display at Westside Market that I decided it probably couldn’t hurt to give them a try. So I laid down the $5 (ouch) and brought a bag home.

Before I gave the crackers a try, I was absolutely convinced they’d suck. I mean, look at them—they look like bad Triscuits. Despite all their good press, I remained unexcited. But I’ll admit it: I was dead wrong. Laiki’s crackers aren’t boring, and they certainly don’t taste like bad Triscuits. They’re light, crispy, and salty; in fact, the taste almost exactly like Bugles (but less sickening, for sure). Plus, they’re not all that bad for you, especially as chips and crackers go. The only ingredients in Laiki’s crackers are rice, palm oil, and salt—nothing more, nothing less. Not bad.

It probably goes without saying, then, that Laiki’s crackers are free from the top 8 allergens (including tree nuts, of course). But they certainly don’t taste allergen-free—perhaps because it isn’t as if Laiki has to scramble to find substitute ingredients. They’re just rice crackers—no ingredient substitutions necessary.

Anyway, these crackers have my full recommendation. Find Laiki’s crackers at Westside Market, Union Market, and various other health-minded stores around the city.

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May 12 2016
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Brands, Kosher, Sweets, Truly nut-free

Free2b Foods

A pack of Free2b caramel cups

Another day, another Whole Foods discovery. This time, it’s Free2b, a company that makes dark and milk chocolate sun(-butter) cups, mint cups, and caramel cups. Think Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but with better chocolate—and, you know, without all the allergens.

As far as I know, Free2b only makes cups, but they’re all free from tree nuts, peanuts, gluten, soy, egg, fish, shellfish, corn, sesame, coconut, mustard, and pea. Note that their products aren’t free from dairy—though apparently they will be soon (and in all honesty, I’m really dreading the transition, as I’ve never had a decent piece of dairy-free milk chocolate). For the time being, though, their cups are really tasty. They don’t have that free-from taste, and I’d probably never have guessed they were so allergy-friendly if I hadn’t read the label. (Yeah, right. When was the last time I had the luxury of not reading a label? Probably right around the time I learned to read.)

Anyway. The chocolate is smooth and creamy, and the caramel, though a bit runny, is surprisingly good. I’m not a huge fan of dark chocolate, so I’ve avoided the mint and the dark chocolate sun cups—but honestly, the caramel alone was enough to sell me on Free2b. Flavor-wise, it reminds me of Vermont Nut Free’s boxed caramels, which is a pretty high compliment in the world of nut-free chocolate. Certainly, they taste much better than I’d expected from a knockoff Reese’s cup.

I tried the milk chocolate sun cups, too, which were also way better than I’d expected. The last time I ate sunflower-seed butter was in my peanut-free elementary school cafeteria, and at that point, I absolutely hated the stuff. But I’ve since found that if you go into the first bite expecting a creamy sunflower-seed flavor (as opposed to a flavor that’s supposed to be similar to peanut butter’s), sunflower-seed butter is actually pretty great. Especially with chocolate.

Hopefully, Free2b’s cups will remain delicious throughout and beyond their split with dairy. For now, though, they have my full recommendation. Find them at Whole Foods or (in large quantities) on Free2b’s own website. But hurry up and get ’em while they’re milky. Unless you’re lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy. Then…well, I guess you should probably wait a little while.

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May 03 2016
1 Comment
Brands, Kosher, Snacks, Truly nut-free

Mary’s Gone Crackers

Mary's Gone Crackers

You know that weird-ass commercial where the guy says he’d eat a piece of bark if you put Sabra hummus on it (…and then starts croaking about “MEAT”)? Well, I think I’ve found him a snack. Hummus and MEAT not included.

I won’t lie: I never (ever) would have bought these crackers if I’d had to trade actual money for them. In fact, I passed on them at Whole Foods last week. And the week before. But the other day, I came upon them once more at NYU’s Sidestein Market, and I have a decent amount of leftover Dining Dollars (an on-campus currency that you pay for along with your meal swipes) that’ll disappear in a few weeks if I don’t spend them, so I figured I might as well give the crackers a try. How bad could they be?

Bad. Really bad. That’s the answer. They could be really, really bad—and I’m not sure whether they are, but I am sure that I could only get through a single bite of a single cracker before I started looking around for something to get its flavor out of my mouth. Alas, it was too late; I was already on the train, with nothing but a pint of ice cream (sans spoon) and, of course, more Mary’s. Shit.

I’d chosen the original crackers over the Super Seed (because I’m not a masochist) but boy, were they packed with seeds. Overall, the cracker tasted a whole lot like burnt seaweed, which definitely isn’t my thing, but which may be yours. You never know, right?

Honestly, I’m probably being a little harsh. In the interest of full disclosure: I’m the type of person who likes Funyuns and Ben & Jerry’s and gummy candies and string cheese and these are…well, they’re whole grain, gluten-free, vegan crackers made with brown rice, quinoa, and flax seeds. So maybe they don’t suck as much as I’d have you believe. Maybe these crackers and I just aren’t compatible. But the fact remains: I’m not going to be eating them.

But in case you’re still interested, Mary’s are safe. According to their various product pages, their products are “manufactured in [their] own dedicated gluten free, dairy free, nut free (except coconuts) facility.” As far as I can tell, this only applies to the crackers, pretzels, and cookies. The MiNiS Graham Bites and THINS Crackers aren’t labeled as nut-free, and the granola bars either contain nuts or come with may-contain warnings. Oh well.

If this post has you drooling—and how could it not?—I have some good news: You can find Mary’s Gone Crackers all over, at Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Food Emporium, and a whole bunch of health food stores.

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