After spending more than two decades in development, a mandarin hybrid that some fruit experts are calling "the best thing they've ever eaten in the world of citrus" is now on the market, albeit in limited quantities.
When Gmitter joined the Florida faculty in 1985, he discovered his predecessor's experimental citrus groves had been destroyed. Only a block's worth of trees remained, and most of those were "ugly to look at and horrible to eat." But among the duds, he found a tree growing superb orange fruit. He and his colleagues used that tree to create the university's first-ever cultivar.
Since citrus breeding is slow going, the introduction of new varieties is relatively rare. But Peter Chaires, executive director of the company that holds licensing rights to the Sugar Belle, says the fruit could mark the start of a citrus golden age.
"This is the first one out of a long pipeline," Chaires says. "We have some interesting things coming, including an easy-peel mandarin. We'll see varieties for fresh consumption, varieties for the juice market and a lemon-lime hybrid."
The revamped product is now using red beet juice, purple cabbage, cocoa powder, paprika and turmeric to replace the artificial ingredients that had been flavoring and coloring the wafers for years.
We told you Thursday about the seven-patty Burger King Windows 7 Whopper, but now you can see the price of eating this special one-week-only promotion to celebrate the launch of Microsoft Windows 7 in Japan.
CheapAssGamer bought two of the burgers in Akihabara, Japan, and did their best to down 'em. Check it out in the video above.
Crispycone, the snack slowly finding its way into U.S. markets, has caught the attention of Stephen Colbert, who both sang its praises while demonizing the food in a recent "Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger" segment on his show, "The Colbert Report."
"Crispycones you are the greatest food in the world!" Colbert said in the Oct. 15 episode. "Which is why I'm giving a wag of my finger to Crispycones."
We were skeptical at first when Vinturi decided to market a white wine aerator along with the red-wine one we've loved. At $39.95, it is the same size, with seemingly only a different color band than the original.
The company says this Vinturi wine aerator is devised with white wine in mind -- giving the vino more air than its red counterpart.
In an unscientific study, our handful of testers found that white wine poured through the new Vinturi white wine aerator did taste better than those poured into a glass and through a red wine aerator.
(Sara's pick) Vinturi White Wine Aerator
We were skeptical at first when Vinturi decided to market a white wine aerator along with the red-wine one we've loved. It was the same size, with seemingly only a different color band than the original. The company says this one was devised with white wine in mind -- giving the vino more air than its red counterpart. In an unscientific study, our handful of testers found that white wine poured through the new aerator did taste better than those poured into a glass and through a red wine aerator. We're convinced.
(Sarah's pick) Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix
Vosges' famous bacon, sea salt and chocolate candy bars are crushed into pieces and mixed in with this fluffy pancake mix for the ultimate breakfast -- or heck, anytime meal.
(Kat's pick) Texas Sassy Hell of a Relish
We're longtime fans of Texas Sassy's incredibly versatile sweet, sour, spicy Pickle Sauce and this foray into relish adds a solid crunch to the formula. The pickled jalapenos and julienned carrots are dynamite stirred into a chicken or tuna salad, sprinkled over garden greens, topping a burger, or just eaten with a fork straight out of the jar.
(Sara's pick) Roth Käse Moody Blue
Blue cheese -- we love it. Smoke -- also a passion. Combine the two and you get Roth Käse's Moody Blue, a smoked blue that at first blush might sound odd, but tastes like you've entered the pearly gates of fromage heaven.
(Sarah's pick) Barely Buzzed Flavored American Cheese
Here's cheese that will make your mouth go "wow" with a rind coated in a grind of espresso beans from South America, Central America, and Indonesia. It pairs perfectly with wine and even better with coffee.
(Kat's pick) Vosges Naga Haute Glace
This may be the best ice cream we've ever had. Consider it a turbo-creamy kulfi with a rich custard base melded with an ear-warming curry blend. Compound that with the light crunch borne of delicate coconut shards and you might not be able to tell bliss from brain freeze.
(Sara's pick) India Tree Peppermint Crunch
These light and natural peppermint flakes from India Tree -- known for its delicate cake and cookie sugars -- are sure to add a delicate flavor to a holiday cake or cupcake.
(Sara's pick) Koppert Cress Pepquiños
After all the hullabaloo about the tiny melon known as the pepquiño, we finally got to taste one and found it to be as crunchy, light and refreshing as a cucumber but packed within a fruit the size of a grape tomato.
Visit KoppertCress.com$5.25/4 ounces (available later this year)
Sara Bonisteel
(Kat's pick) Betsy's Blue Cheese Straws
We've sampled many a cheese straw in our day and this savory, sharp, crumbly rendition is by far the most memorable. They're a staple of Southern entertaining and Betsy's of Millbrook, Ala., relies on a generations-old family recipe to deliver the buttery goodness. They're a treat as-is or crumbled atop soups, salads and casseroles.
(Sara's pick) French Market Food's Quaducant
Quail, check. Duck, check. Pheasant, check. All are present in this new offering from Louisiana's French Market Foods. Those who like the turducken are bound to enjoy this new Frankenstein of the food world.
Available at FMFoods.com this fall; $49.99/6 pounds
Leftover pizza is all good and well -- until you realize there's no room in the fridge for a bulky box that accommodates but a couple measly slices. But eco-friendly GreenBox has revolutionized the container, in a version that condenses into smaller sizes, breaks off into individual serving plates, and, best of all, is made from 100-percent recycled paper.
William Walsh, 38, came up with the idea back in his college football years. Fitted in a body cast after having broken his femur, he and his friends were watching the game one Sunday when a friend dripped pizza grease down his shirt. In typical college fashion, Walsh and his roommates "would basically use disposable plates since no one would wash the dishes," he says. "There was a pizza box on the table and I ripped it up and threw everyone in the room a plate. The room got really quiet and my friends were like, 'You need to do something with this!' "
Pepsi's recently released iPhone application Amp Up Before You Score has raised eyebrows as it purports to help users score dates.
The application, tied to Pepsi's new Amp energy drink, breaks women into 24 category types -- like bookworms, cougars, marrieds and actresses -- so users can "study up quick with a cheatsheet on the stuff she's into, with lists, links and some surefire opening lines."
Jezebel calls the Pepsi iPhone app "completely unacceptable and ridiculously offensive."
When Slashfood saw these cute 8-ounce cans of limited-edition Halloween flavors, we had to try them. Every year Seattle's Jones Soda puts out four flavors suitable for trick-or-treaters -- and this year, they're tempting us with Buried Pomegranate, Spooookiwi, Candy Corn and Lemon Drop Dead.
We cracked open each so you don't have to. See how they stack up after the jump.
Red velvet cupcakes, smoothies and "Wendy's-inspired shakes" were found by the Fast Food Maven on Wednesday. The paper's Fast Food Maven uncovered the sweets and drinks at two California locations -- Buena Park and Tustin.
But don't go looking for these mystery desserts at your local Taco Bell outpost quite yet -- they may not even make it to the menu nationally. "The company doesn't comment on products in development," Rob Poetsch, a spokesman for Taco Bell, told Slashfood on Friday.
Starbucks is now ready on demand. The coffee giant expanded its empire Tuesday with VIA, its version of "Ready Brew" instant coffee. Available in Colombian roast or bolder Italian roast, the packets of powdered coffee are sold in packages of three for $2.95.
After two decades of development, Starbucks is so certain consumers will like it that it's pitting VIA up against its whole-bean coffee, asking consumers if they can taste the difference.
"I think it takes great courage for us to take our brand name -- which we value more than anything in the world -- and put it on an instant coffee," CEO Howard Schultz said at a Starbucks VIA Ready Brew launch event Tuesday. "That's not a move of desperation, that's a move of confidence and the fact that we know this coffee will pass the test of time."
Back in March, Slashfood did a taste test and we were "pleasantly surprised" by the flavor. More recently, we did a side-by-side comparison and found the results to be similar. There's no doubt that a freshly brewed cup of coffee takes the cake, but after a recent instant coffee taste test (that we're still recovering from), we would be more than happy to sip VIA.
Find out where VIA is available and how you can get a free sample after the jump.
A new sweetener is muscling onto store shelves already saturated with pink, blue and yellow packets.
SUSTA is the latest sugar substitute to hit store shelves with what developers call a proprietary blend of "inulin fiber, fructose, natural flavors, botanical extracts, vitamins, minerals and probiotics." At 5 calories, SUSTA claims its sweet punch from orange-peel extract.
But its inspiration came the Newton way -- with an apple.
Hardee's is having startling success with a humble Appalachian lunch meat long considered too provincial for nationwide tastes, and nobody's more surprised than the fast-food chain's top brass.
"We were concerned it would be too regional," Executive Vice-President of Marketing Brad Haley says of Hardee's new Oscar Mayer Fried Bologna Biscuit. "But sales have increased every week we've had it."
While bologna is a staple of lunch counters and school cafeterias across the South, Hardee's found inspiration for its menu item at a few roadside diners that sandwiched grilled bologna between biscuit halves for breakfast. For Hardee's, the preparation stood seductively close to the final meat frontier.
"We've done virtually every other meat you can think of on a biscuit," Haley concedes. "We've had country ham, chicken, pork chops, smoked sausage. We even had turkey."
Last week, Slashfood reported that Abel Gonzales planned to best his fried-food record at the State Fair of Texas with a concoction that shuddered even those with the most hardened of arteries -- Deep-Fried Butter.
The dish -- which comes in four flavors: original, garlic, cherry and grape -- took top honors on Monday when fair officials gave it the Most Creative nod in the Big Tex Choice Awards.
"It's similar to having a dinner roll with a lot of butter," Sue Gooding, a spokeswoman for the fair, told us last week. "It's very good."
One fast food chain won't even make you get in the car to enjoy fried fare.
Burger King announced Tuesday that it is teaming up with ConAgra FoodsLamb Weston to launch a line of microwaveable Burger King-branded crinkle-cut french fries nationwide this fall. It seems now, you can "have it your way" in the comfort of your own home.
Burger King's microwaveable seasoned crinkle-cut fries, dubbed "King Krinkz" will be the first product in the line to hit stores, including Wal-Mart, in early September. King Kolossalz extra-large crinkle-cut fries and King Wedgez seasoned potato wedges will be released shortly after the King Krinkz hit stores.
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