Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Wacky World of Walden Farms

As promised, I am dedicating this post to a very extensive review of all of the Walden Farms products that I've tried! And I'll be honest, I've tried a lot of their products, and some of them are DEFINITELY not palatable on their own! That being said, the ones that are good are SERIOUS saviors, as dressings/sauces/etc. can seriously pack on the pounds!


Anyway, in no particular order, here's my review of all of the different products I have tried! (Pull up a comfy chair- the list is long!)


Chocolate Syrup
Verdict: Pretty damn gross. I certainly wouldn't eat it on it's own, though I'm still trying to come up with ways to doctor it up to make it palatable. It has a very artificial taste, and doesn't even really taste like chocolate. As I've found little/no use for it, I'd say skip it.

Pancake Syrup
Verdict: Winner! This just might be my favorite product by Walden Farms. It tastes just like regular pancake syrup! I use it on pancakes, french toast; I use it to bake in any recipes that call for maple syrup, I put it in Greek Yogurt, and it's my secret ingredient in my squash casserole (recipe to come!)

Miracle Mayo
Verdict: Okay, so it's not quite mayo... it has a bit of a garlick-y taste almost, and isn't quite as thick as traditional mayo. So, to spread it on a sandwich in place of traditional mayo, I probably wouldn't; HOWEVER, (and yes, this is a big however!), when combined with other things, this makes a GREAT swap for mayo. For example, mix it with Sriracha hot sauce and you've got yourself some Japanese-inspired Spicy Mayo! Or combine it with a can of tuna (packed in water!) or some shredded chicken to make a tuna/chicken salad. I have a TON of recipes for different healthy tuna and chicken salads- those are to come!

BBQ Sauces
Verdict: Tried them all, love them all. My favorite is probably the original, but this is probably my 2nd favorite of their products (after the maple syrup!) I use it to marinate chicken, dip veggies, I put it on a burger. The possibilities are pretty much endless, though my favorite recipe that uses this stuff is my pulled pork! (Recipe to come!)


Chocolate and Caramel Dips
Verdict: Approach with caution. I personally don't mind the caramel dip on it's own. I'll eat it on a brownie on occasion, though the taste is definitely a little funky. The chocolate dip is pretty much in eatable on its own- it has that funky artificial flavor to it. You could probably bake with this in substitution for a small amount of chocolate syrup, but I don't know that I'd recommend it, and you definitely won't catch me dipping strawberries in it. I have found an interesting use for them though! If you freeze little drops of them on parchment paper, they make a great topping for ice cream! Additionally, when mixed with cream cheese, they make an interesting frosting/cream cheese spread!

 Onion Dip and Chocolate Peanut Spread (yes, they are grouped for a reason!)
Verdict: Save your taste-buds and your money. These are both absolutely AWFUL.


Caesar and Coleslaw Dressing
Verdict: Not half bad, but not quite what they claim to be. I wouldn't exactly call the caesar dressing a caesar dressing, but it has an interesting flavor- same goes for the Coleslaw. I would use the Caesar dressing on certain salads, and I frequently make coleslaw with the coleslaw dressing, but they definitely don't taste exactly like the originals.

Creamy Bacon
Verdict: Actually pretty good! I'm not usually a bacon person, but this has a nice smokey flavor to it, and actually has little chunks of bacon in it! You could definitely marinate meat in this, or it is pretty darn good as a salad dressing as well!


Honey Dijon
Verdict: A little tasteless, but does its job. I wouldn't exactly call this honey dijon. It lacks the flavor of a typical honey mustard; however, if you mix it with a little real dijon mustard it's delicious! I've also been known to mix it with tuna to make tuna salad!
Raspberry Dressing:
Verdict: Pretty darn good! While I was always more of a balsamic vinaigrette person, this raspberry dressing is actually really good! It has a nice, sweet tase- definitely a winner for any raspberry salad dressing lovers out there!

Well, that's everything that I've tried! I'll continue to update this post as I try other products (as I definitely plan to do so!)

How about you guys? Do you have any Walden favorites?


Pin It

4 comments:

  1. the cinnamon raisin peanut spread is really good.
    and the chocolate dip/sauce tastes great mixed with other things!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Aly. I just found your blog and I am methodically reading through every entry!
    Thanks for reviewing so many products...it's very helpful.
    Regarding WF-- I LOVE the BBQ sauces, too! I also like the Honey Dijon dressing when it is accompanied by some veggie bacon crumbles (yummers!)
    The fruit spreads are pretty good (after I give them a good stir and add a ton of cinnamon to the apple butter) when eaten on toast (never on their own).
    I want to try the new caramel sauce. Have you tried it?
    Thanks again for the great blog!
    -kate

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Kate!
    Thank you so much for all of your kind words! I have, in fact, tried the caramel sauce, and it is extremely underwhelming if you compare it to the caramel dip which is one of my FAVs! Again, though, I wouldn't eat it on its own, but dip pretzels, chocolate, or popcorn in it, and you've got a winner! I've still yet to try the fruit spreads, though I highly recommend the caramel dip, not the sauce!

    ReplyDelete