Red Vines vs. Twizzlers - vote and be heard!

[Blackhawk]

As a kid, shoestring licorice (not that red gunk) was more about being fun than being particularly tasty.

[mori]

I actually don't think I've had Red Vines. In doing a search, it seems like they originate in California? I'm assuming then the Twizzlers plant in Hershey, PA intercepts any of those trucks headed to NJ and destroys them without prejudice.

I don't think I've ever seen them. I thought they were those nasty red shoestring things that tried to pass as candy. Which, for some reason, still exists.

I had an uncle back in the 70s that was some sort of food/candy salesman. Every time he would visit we would get pounds of shoestring licorice. Evidently was not a good seller so it was dumped on family. And that was all the candy we ever got unless it was Halloween. It pretty much cured the entire family of ever eating licorice again. Since I was very young at the time I will still partake in a Twizzler ever so rarely in the last decade or so but as far as I know my older siblings has ever eaten licorice again.

[gbasden]

(And red vines and twizzlers are both disgusting.)

Neither of them are as vile as licorice.

[Blackhawk]

...said Bizarro.

[em2nought]

Still can't believe you heretics chose either of these over Swedish Fish.

[Carpet_pissr]

Yuck. Not a fan. It’s the texture.

[naednek]

Still can't believe you heretics chose either of these over Swedish Fish.

my 2nd favorite non-chocolate candy

[gbasden]

Swedish fish are awesome and I would choose them over either red vines or twizzlers for sure.

[Carpet_pissr]

Yuck. Not a fan. It’s the texture.

Edit: I do love Trader Joe's more natural version of Swedish Fish, though (various colors, and much better texture and flavor). Those things are delish.

[em2nought]

Still can't believe you heretics chose either of these over Swedish Fish.

my 2nd favorite non-chocolate candy

I might be missing out! What non-chocolate candy is your actual favorite? My sister is a "Good & Plenty" but that doesn't do it for me.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I might be missing out! What non-chocolate candy is your actual favorite? My sister is a "Good & Plenty" but that doesn't do it for me.

Jelly Babies, for these are the candy of Time Lords and champions:

[naednek]

Still can't believe you heretics chose either of these over Swedish Fish.

my 2nd favorite non-chocolate candy

I might be missing out! What non-chocolate candy is your actual favorite? My sister is a "Good & Plenty" but that doesn't do it for me.

RedVines

[em2nought]

Never even heard of Jelly Babies, and I don't recall seeing Red Vines, which I agree are better than Twizzlers, in ages.

[Kraken]

Never even heard of Jelly Babies,

[Anonymous Bosch]

Never even heard of Jelly Babies…

Not entirely surprising, unless you happen to be familiar with classic Doctor Who:



Because Jelly Babies are best known as British candy, and sadly still aren't widely available at most U.S. retailers (though they are available via Amazon, and are well worth trying at least once).

[Zaxxon]

Maybe now we can come together and acknowledge the true champion of non-chocolate candy?

[Anonymous Bosch]

Maybe now we can come together and acknowledge the true champion of non-chocolate candy?

Sorry, but you're utterly incorrect; Sunrise Fruit Slices are corn-syrupy, artificially-flavoured riffraff in comparison to the aforementioned splendiferous and objectively superior Jelly Babies (seriously, don't knock 'em 'til you've tried 'em!):

[Zaxxon]

Look at you, bringing artificial flavoring to a Red Vines vs Twizzlers thread as though it's a bad thing.

[em2nought]

Never even heard of Jelly Babies…

Not entirely surprising, unless you happen to be familiar with classic Doctor Who:



Because Jelly Babies are best known as British candy, and sadly still aren't widely available at most U.S. retailers (though they are available via Amazon, and are well worth trying at least once).

Except that I lived in Scotland for three years so you'd think I might have come across them. Dr. Who I never was a real fan of, but I do like the Daleks.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Look at you, bringing artificial flavoring to a Red Vines vs Twizzlers thread as though it's a bad thing.

Heh, granted, but this is partly why Jelly Babies are, indeed, the superior candy of Time Lords and champions. Suffice to say, once you try 'em, there's an unmistakable improvement and difference in both taste and texture, because almost every ingredient is perfectly comprehensible and non-synthetic:

[Zaxxon]

I'll see if I can find some.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I'll see if I can find some.

Amazon tends to be the simplest and most reliable option for bona fide British Bassetts Jelly Babies. Though if you're fortunate, you may be able to find 'em more affordably priced from a local confectionery store (especially if they happen to produce their own candy, and Jelly Babies are one of their available items).

[Blackhawk]

I might be missing out! What non-chocolate candy is your actual favorite? My sister is a "Good & Plenty" but that doesn't do it for me.

Jelly Babies, for these are the candy of Time Lords and champions:

I will offer my support in favor of Jelly Babies as the superior option to gum drops/fruit slices/gummi-whatevers. I'd get them more often if they weren't so damned expensive to get in the US (they're three or four times as expensive as if you bought them off of the shelf in the UK, unless you can actually find them in stock at a place like British Food Shop.

[em2nought]

I'll look for them in Marshalls which appears to have all sorts of exotic food items, but not fond of the Shortbread cookie brand at Dollar Tree after taste testing tonight.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I will offer my support in favor of Jelly Babies as the superior option to gum drops/fruit slices/gummi-whatevers. I'd get them more often if they weren't so damned expensive to get in the US (they're three or four times as expensive as if you bought them off of the shelf in the UK, unless you can actually find them in stock at a place like British Food Shop.

True.

If you're not averse to home cooking, you could instead make home-made Jelly Babies using a suitable silicone candy mould, which would be significantly more affordable. Here's a recipe from the author of a Whovian-themed cookbook for preparing home-made Jelly Babies that seems relatively simple and straightforward:

Hey, Whovains! Do You Want (To Make) A Jelly Baby?

[Blackhawk]

Interesting, thanks.

I do wish I lived in a place with non-American food stores nearby. I've been dying for some bangers & mash, but I haven't been able to find the right sausages in ages.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Interesting, thanks.

I do wish I lived in a place with non-American food stores nearby. I've been dying for some bangers & mash, but I haven't been able to find the right sausages in ages.

If you're looking to make authentic home-made bangers and mash, look for a sausage with a high meat content (80%+) and you can't go too far wrong. Also, a coarsely-chopped sausage ought to come close to replicating an authentic British Cumberland-style sausage, so long as it has a sufficiently high meat content. Finding a local butcher or Farmer's Market that ideally make their own sausages typically provides the best option. You can often get a good deal too, if you buy in bulk. Then simply freeze what you don't use. Most butchers take considerable pride over their sausages, so the quality tends to be significantly better than grocery store offerings. If you explain your predicament, they'll typically be glad to help you out, and even make you a small custom batch.

[Blackhawk]

Oh, I know. The problem is that nobody around here wants sausages that aren't the kind Grandma made, so nobody carries them.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Oh, I know. The problem is that nobody around here wants sausages that aren't the kind Grandma made, so nobody carries them.

Are you at all familiar with Kroc's Butcher Shop? Because they're described as an old school butcher's shop in your locale, where "Service and Quality is our #1 goal." Which ought to be precisely the type of establishment that could hopefully help you out.

[Blackhawk]

Oh, I know. The problem is that nobody around here wants sausages that aren't the kind Grandma made, so nobody carries them.

Are you at all familiar with Kroc's Butcher Shop? Because they're described as an old school butcher's shop in your locale, where "Service and Quality is our #1 goal." Which ought to be precisely the type of establishment that could hopefully help you out.

It's one of the places I checked last time I had the craving. It isn't that there aren't any butcher shops, it's that there's no market for many products. People around here are locked into the Midwest 'home cooking' foods, and tend to avoid everything else.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Oh, I know. The problem is that nobody around here wants sausages that aren't the kind Grandma made, so nobody carries them.

Are you at all familiar with Kroc's Butcher Shop? Because they're described as an old school butcher's shop in your locale, where "Service and Quality is our #1 goal." Which ought to be precisely the type of establishment that could hopefully help you out.

It's one of the places I checked last time I had the craving. It isn't that there aren't any butcher shops, it's that there's no market for many products. People around here are locked into the Midwest 'home cooking' foods, and tend to avoid everything else.

Have you specifically asked whether they'd be willing to help you out by simply producing a small custom batch of coarsely-chopped, high meat content (80%+) sausages? Because one would think a self-described "old school" butcher's shop where "Service and Quality is our #1 goal" ought to be amenable to the idea, even if what you are requesting isn't necessarily something they would ordinarily keep in stock and available, being untypical of Midwest-fare 'home cooking'. After all, much of the skilled service an old school butcher shop provides comes from performing secondary butchery, i.e. boning, trimming, and other preparation of the primal cuts they offer.

[Blackhawk]

Oh, I know. The problem is that nobody around here wants sausages that aren't the kind Grandma made, so nobody carries them.

Are you at all familiar with Kroc's Butcher Shop? Because they're described as an old school butcher's shop in your locale, where "Service and Quality is our #1 goal." Which ought to be precisely the type of establishment that could hopefully help you out.

It's one of the places I checked last time I had the craving. It isn't that there aren't any butcher shops, it's that there's no market for many products. People around here are locked into the Midwest 'home cooking' foods, and tend to avoid everything else.

Have you specifically asked whether they'd be willing to help you out by simply producing a small custom batch of coarsely-chopped, high meat content (80%+) sausages? Because one would think a self-described "old school" butcher's shop where "Service and Quality is our #1 goal" ought to be amenable to the idea, even if what you are requesting isn't necessarily something they would ordinarily keep in stock and available, being untypical of Midwest-fare 'home cooking'. After all, much of the skilled service an old school butcher shop provides comes from performing secondary butchery, i.e. boning, trimming, and other preparation of the primal cuts they offer.

I asked if they had them, but didn't ask for custom work. I didn't even know that was a thing.