Taste-Off: Toast'em Pop-Ups Vs. Pop Tarts

As a born bargain hunter, I regularly visit a Dollar Tree about six blocks from my apartment. I tend to focus my shopping on basic household products, but occasionally, I grab a 2-liter pop, a cheap bag of chips, or a few canned items.

I have always been satisfied with the quality and taste of these dollar-store food products, so I thought I'd taste test one product I particularly enjoy: Toaster Pastries!

Ah yes, toaster pastries, those fantastic jelly or cream-filled tarts with a crispy crust sometimes covered in frosting.

They can be consumed toasted or untoasted for a delicious breakfast or anytime treat. They are a beloved American snack that almost everyone knows, loves, and grew up eating.

Hell, Jerry Seinfeld even made a whole movie about them earlier this year called "Unfrosted," which, by the way, is hilarious and hugely entertaining despite what some critics have said.

Luckily we aren't judging based upon the back of the box, because the douche-on-the-skateboard is certainly a strike against the bargain item.

I started with Pop-Tarts from Kellogg's, the best-known and most popular version of the snack in the colorful box we all know and love.

The $4.79 package purchased at Jewel is 13.5 ounces and contains eight toaster pastries, with each two-pastry serving containing:

• 400 calories

• 4.5g saturated fat

• 340mg of sodium

• 30g total sugars

The tarts are sweet, crispy, and as tasty as we all remember from childhood. Although they are chewy and frosted nicely, the edges are a bit dry and crumbly, and the texture around the perimeter is unpleasant. Those minor issues are not enough to discourage anyone from chowing down on these treats, hot or cold.

Next, purchased from Dollar Tree: Toast'em Pop-Ups from Flavor Kist, a bargain brand in a similar-looking box designed to remind one of the more popular brands.

The $1.25 package is 10.2 ounces and contains six toaster pastries, clocking in at the following for each two-pastry serving:

• 350 calories

• 4.0g saturated fat

• 290mg of sodium

• 29g total sugars

• no high fructose corn syrup!

The Flavor Kist tarts are softer, a teeny bit larger, and thicker than the more expensive brand, which was surprising. They are very sweet, crispy, and tasty (like the Pop Tarts), but unlike Kellogg's product, the frosting is more even and thick, and the edges are less dry and crumbly.

Similar foil pouches, similar packaging, but the product is definitely different.

Overall, the Toast'em Pop-Ups are a much more pleasant eating experience than the Pop-Tarts (both toasted and untoasted). The fact that they are cheaper is an added bonus.

Yes, there are two more pastries in the Pop-Tarts box, so you are indeed getting more from Kellogg's per package. But even with two more tarts, the $3.54 difference in price between the bargain brand and the name brand does not make up for it.

The surprisingly dry and crumbly edges of the Pop-Tarts were the deciding factors against the Kellogg's item.

I was surprised by these results, and you might be, too.

In the case of Toast'em Pop-ups vs. Pop-Tarts, the cheaper product from Dollar Tree is not only a better bargain but also tastier and slightly better for you than the more expensive product from Jewel.

And yes, obviously, Toast'ems are not good for you. They are far from being "health food," but they aren't quite as bad as Pop-Tarts so I'll keep them on my dollar store shopping list for now.

I'll conduct more of these taste tests soon, so let me know what you'd like me to cover! Email me at nick@nickdigilio.com or leave a voicemail at (773) 417-6948 with your suggestions.

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