Andy Capp's Cheddar Fries Bag

When one of our staff shoppers spotted this at a local convenience store - she knew we would want to sample them in our test kitchens. These are not chips - they are corn and potato 'fries' - kinda like thin straight cheetos or something. Andy Capp is a thin man and we should have known that being he is loaded all the time he wouldn't know a good fry snack from a nasty one. He should have sobered up before he put his mug on this line of bagged snacks made by Con-Agra. Bland, stale and just plain boring was the consensus of those here who took place in the sampling. They were thin and full of air in the middle. Also, it was another one of those products that has 99 cents printed on the bag, but the store has them stickered at 1.29. As mentioned before, we here at the FPT believe in the honor the printed price policy. Disappointing.

Snickers Charged Bars - Limited Edition

We found these limited time flavor Snickers bar on sale at 3 for 99 cents and wisely purchased 12 at that price. Upon returning back to the FPT test kitchens, Donny (long time staffer) ate 3 of these guys, then layed out on the couch and passed out for 2 hours. He said they tasted a little different than normal Snickers - but where was the 'kick' they advertise?

New Charbroiled Steak Sandwich at Carl's Jr. - The FPT Staff Review

One of our staffers was at Carl's Jr. the other morning getting us a bag of the Big Country breakfast burritos when she noticed this new offering. Knowing full well we would want to try this, she asked the counter person if it was available - as it was 10:00 am - the answer was yes. For the price of 4.99 ala carte - this sandwich is a winner. The photos above speak for themselves. This was a nice cut of meat - no chewy spots or toughness - on nice bread with the onion ring toppers. An excellent idea to offer up an affordable and decent cut of beef in a take-out/drive-thru restaurant. We fully endorse this new menu item at Carl's Jr.

Frodo in Florida Steps Up With Spaghetti

Our friend Frodo from Florida has once again emailed in a media blitz showcasing his recent adventures cooking spaghetti: "used contadina tomato products since it has an italian lady on it so it must be more authentic. also i added ground beef to the recipe because meat sauce is king. even though i like to cook, funny enough this is my first time making the sauce from scratch (well, it's not really from scratch). it was a fine sauce" He followed this recipe here: cookeatshare.com recipe link

Tai Pei Frozen Chinese Food Micro Boxes

Our purchasing staff had noticed this item before - as it comes in the unique packaging of a to-go box from a chinese restaurant. The box is rather clever, however....this is not a FPT pick of the week. As you can see in the photos the portion is tiny and it was just plain bland. Purchased on-sale for 1.99 - even more frustrating if you paid the full price of around 3.99. The staff here has chosen to stay away from the "Tai Pei".

The Bird Is The Word: Magnum's Huge Thanksgiving Smoked Turkey

Picture speaks for itself here.

Coming Soon: True Story Behind The Unusual Food Photos Found Below

Soon, one of our regular readers/writers will be explaining in depth the meaning of and the intense preperation process of this culturally important foodstuff icon. Please check back here soon. BONUS MIDDLE O' THE NIGHT CONTEST FIRST PERSON TO POST A COMMENT HERE SAYING ANYTHING THEN SEND AN EMAIL TO FATPRIDER@YAHOO.COM INCLUDING YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS WILL NEED FOR SENDING PRIZE: 2 FREE 'PREMIUM' DRIVE-THRU MENU ITEM COUPONS GOOD LUCK WHOEVER GETS HERE AND GETS IT DONE FIRST!

Canadian Supreme Court Rules That Obese Get Second Seat Free As-Needed

The high court of our neighbors up north has mafe a landmark decision that could have effects worldwide. "One-person-One-fare" is the policy that will allow for those in need of extra space be provided such space at no extra cost to them. This policy allready exists in Canada for public transportation and the staff here is pleased to see it reach the airlines industry in Canada.

A So-Called Chicken Strip From KFC

On a recent visit to the Kentucky Fried Chicken near the FPT test kitchens one of our staffers purchased a chicken strips combo box. None of the so-called strips were anywhere near what we consider to be a 'strip' in size and shape. One of the 'chicken pieces' was very unusual as photos show. This thinng measures in at app. 3" tall and the shape is most unusual as the photo shows. Nuff Said.

"Breakfast As Big As Our Burgers"-The Big Country Breakfast Burrito From Carl's Jr.

Carl's Jr. has introduced a mighty big breakfast burrito to their menu. The 'Big Country Breakfast Burrito' is a stand alone full meal. This burrito delivers on their new ad campaign "Breakfast As Big As Our Burgers" The Big Country Breakfast Burrito has eggs, sausage, ham, bacon, hash brown nuggets, shredded jack & cheddar cheeses with sausage gravy in a warm, flour tortilla. If you look closely at the photos above, you can see they even folded the tortilla properly so that the fillings do not out as you eat it. Something other places seem to always overlook. The staff here loved the generous amount of gravy inside - excellent compliment to the other fillings. Basically, this burrito is like an entire breakfast plate rolled up nicely inside a tortilla. The FPT staff here usually purchases food items on the premise "always buy two" if you wanna get full, this is an exception.

Reader Chris Norton's Hard Boiled Egg Parade Continues Its March

Thanks from the FPT staff to regular Chris Norton. He sent us another nice picture of his egg platters. We especially like the presentation on this one as well as the fancy countertops.

Beaver Brand Horseradish Sauce: Extra Hot Means Extra Hot

The staff recently opened up a bottle of Beaver brand horseradish here in the FPT test kitchens labeled as "extra hot". We were looking not only for overall quality but how they define extra hot as well. Beaver brand nailed their claim. This sauce is not only of great quality but actually extra hot as well. You can also get this in a normal hot variety as well. Upon further research we found this company makes a whole bunch of sauces - which we plan on trying one by one. If anyone is familair with any of these please email us with your experience/review:

• Coney Island Hot Dog Mustard
• Cranberry Mustard
• Cream Horseradish
• Deli Horseradish
• Deli Mustard
• Dijon Mustard
• Honey Mustard
• Honey Mustard Mayonnaise
• Jalepeno Mustard
• Seafood Cocktail Sauce
• Seafood Tartar Sauce
• Spicy Stone Ground Mustard
• Sweet Hot Mustard
• Wasabi Horseradish
• Yellow - American Picnic Mustard
• Chinese Hot Mustard
• Dijon Garlic Mustard
• Dusseldorf Mustard
• Extra Hot Horseradish
• Ground Garlic Cloves*
• Hawaiian Pineapple Mustard
• Horseradish Dijon Mustard
• Kosher Beet Horseradish*
• Kosher Hot Horseradish
• Maui Onion Mustard
• Olde English Hot Mustard
• Russian Mustard
• Wasabi Mustard
• Wasabi Powder
• Whipped Horseradish

From The Eastern U.S.: Etathed Reviews Hardee's New Little Thick Burgers

Since our FPT test kitchens are located on the west coast of the USA, we asked one of our regular contributors to try out Hardee's new "Little Thick Burgers". Don't let the name fool you - these 'little' burgers are 1/4 pounders. His report: I ordered the 1/4 little thick burger as it comes, no extra fixins or anything like that. I wanted to test this burger in its original form, (minus tomato mind you, as i never touch those things). This is indeed a quality fast food burger. In comparison to other fast food 1/4 lb offerings this burger seemed to be much thicker than the rest on the market. I think this is what sets this burger apart, its true to its name, this is a THICK burger. It also had a very good flavor that i can only described as "Just Grilled." I believe this burger costs $1.99 and i would say it is worth it. But more important, 2 are well worth $3.98.

Foodstuff Alert: Crunchy Mozzarella Cheetos - Limited Time Only!

By dumb luck one of our staffers noticed these new Mozzarella Chrunchy Cheetos - and we could not be more pleased. These crunchy style Cheetos are excellent with a bold taste and go well with most flavors of Powerade. However, these are a limited time only offering as stated on the top of the bag so get a bag while they are still around.

Our Reader Chris Norton's Special Hard Boiled Peppered Egg Coins Platter

Chris sent along thse photo taken of the cooking and presentation of his hard-boiled peppered egg coins. With not much information from him on this platter - we asked him to say a few blurbs to which he replied: "Its the right thing to do, and a delicious way to do it" "sometimes i put them on salad but i've gotten so lethargic these days as i wither away" "feeds me. 2 eggs"

The FPT Tries: Frozen Dwight Yoakam's Chickin' Lickin's Chicken Fries

On a recent shopping excursion we came across these unique frozen chicken fries endorsed by Dwight Yoakam and made by Bakersfield Biscuits. There were two other items in this line - macaroni and cheese stuffed somethings and something else unusual - thats all we remember. Not a large portion here - but they were easy to microwave and while they easily passed our basic standards test, we would not give them a 5-star foodstuff rating. These scored a 3.5 out of 5. We include the price in this grading scale and at 99 cents as marked on the packaging - its a decent spent dollar. On a sidenote - we actually paid $1.29 for these from Walgreen's. We did not notice this until we had allready purchased them or we would have protested. One thing that really gets under the skin of the Fat Pride Times is truth in packaging. We will be doing an official complaint to the location these were purchased from.

Foodstuff Flashback: A 1940's Era Carl's Jr. Drive-Thru Hot Dog Stand In Los Angeles

FOODSTUFFS FLASHBACKS POST #9 IN A 7 PART SERIES One of our staffers was inside a Carl's Junior picking up lunch for our meeting when he spotted this snapshot in time framed by the restroom doors. This drive-thru hot dog stand was at the corner of Florence & Western in Los Angeles and at the time was considered 'modernized'. Named Carl's at this time - the same organization would eventually run the Carl's Jr. locations you see today.

Florida's Frodo Vegetable Soup Preparation Media Explosion!

Our friend Frodo in Florida spent this weekend making up a big batch of his legendary vegetable soup, and as always he has provided us with fantastic media of the big event. Frodo obviously takes his soup making to another level this time around and he chose the perfect time of year to remind of us how great soup can be on a fall day.

Dr. Pepper & Guns N' Roses Make Good On Free Soda For Every American Promise

Dr.Pepper is making good on a 'hedge' promise to give every American citizen a free bottle of soda if Guns N' Roses released their long-awaited "Chinese Democracy" album before the end of 2008.

The new album, the bands first in 15 years will be released on November 23rd. Keep that date handy if you want your free 20 ounce bottle of Dr. Pepper - as you must visit their official website - http://www.drpepper.com/ - and register for a free coupon on that exact day.

The staff here at the FPT is predicting multiple crashes for servers that host their official webpage. Thanks to regular reader Tom Sawyer for passing this info our way.

Name This Meal Contest: The First Close Answer Wins Prize

The meal shown being prepared in the FPT test kitchens is a rather unusual one. So for this contest we will declare the first guess that is 'close' by our standards to be the winner. Prize being free burger coupons sent via snail mail to you. Use the comments link below to enter.

Clue: one of the ingredients is not commonly served with the others involved.

The Monster Breakfast Sandwich From Carl's Jr. Meets The FPT Staff

One of our staffers brought a few of these big boys into the FPT test kitchens yesterday. This is one mean breakfast sandwich. Sporting 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, 2 kinds of cheeses & sourdough bread it will fill any belly it enters.

Price is around 3.00 to 3.50 depending on loction - but this sandwich is stocked with enough goodness to equal well over 2 sausage mcmuffins with cheese which would hit you for 4.00.

This sandwich just tastes better than the options from other drive-thrus as well.

5-Star Choice

Reader Spots Distressing Food Packaging and Labeling Information

The staff here at the FPT is always keeping an eye out for mis-leading labeling regarding quantity of foodstuffs. Our regular contributor Etathed has sent us this breaking food news that he spotted for us:

From MSN Money's Michael Brush:

"Slammed by the skyrocketing costs of agricultural goods and energy, many companies are quietly shortchanging their customers by putting a little less into bags, jars and boxes.

"We are tightening our belts," PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi said in a company conference call last week. PepsiCo recently reduced the amount of Tropicana orange juice you get in a large container by 7%, from 96 ounces to 89 ounces. Bags of Doritos, also made by PepsiCo, have been trimmed by as much as 2 ounces.

PepsiCo is not alone in subtly cutting size as a substitute for raising prices. Kelloggs, General Mills, Unilever, Wm. Wrigley Jr., and Proctor & Gamble have quietly trimmed the amount of cereal, ice cream, chewing gum, paper towels and toilet paper you get.

The New Doritos Collisions: Pizza Cravers and Ranch Flavor Review

This review just in from one of our loyal readers, Chris Norton:

"I liked them overall - tastebud confusion can occur but the surprise is delightful. I would call them the feel good chip of the fall."

Still No Winner In The "Guess The Crawfish Crate Weight" Contest

Last month we ran the contest to guess the weight of the crawfish inside the shipping container in the photo above. We had many responses but none were on the money. This time we are offering a hint: "the answer is very easy to find".

Good Luck! Winner gets coupons for free burgers via mail.

Use the 'Comments" link below to post a guess.

The Best Hot Sauce You Can Buy: Pico Pica

Pico Pica is something that we have taken for granted over the years and it is time to acknowledge this hot sauce as the standard to which all others should be measured against.

It has been around since 1937 and is now available in other markets besides the Southern California areas where it is bottled in the city of Wilmington.

It does come in two temperatures - regular and hot, with the hot being a true 'hot'. It has a flavor similar to an enchilada sauce and it goes well with many foodstuffs. We recommend you try a bottle out and enjoy the ride.