I did my first big food shopping trip at Wegman’s today, since my local SuperFresh is closing down. It’s always fun to explore a new grocery chain and learn what exciting things they stock that other stores don’t, like expensive caviar (!!!) and fresh fish displayed in the open. Luckily my wallet told me to stick to the essentials this trip, so I bought things like orange juice and looked over everything else.
One thing that caught my eye was the peanut butter section and these two jars of Peter Pan(R) Peanut Butter. Or at least one of them is peanut butter: the other is natural peanut butter spread which, the label notes, does not need stirring.
Don’t they both spread?
Having had the detestable experience of stirring a jar of natural peanut butter, this caught my eye. The label ingredients are less on the natural version, suggesting that it is closer to peanut butter in its “from the nut to the jar” state., without many more additives like high fructose corn syrup or trans fats. The calorie and fat content seemed the same on both labels, and so was the price.
Peanut butter is a growing section of the store, and there are at least a half-dozen brands trying to get noticed. Peter Pan has come through in spite of past problems which shut down production for a time, and I have never found another brand I like as much. Having said that, I think there are too many choices on the shelf: creamy and crunchy still dominate, but now one can also choose honey, low-fat, low sugar and organic.
When I think of the word “spread,” I think of those watery butter products that dampen one’s toast and seem to add little flavor. I had not inventoried my peanut butter needs, but once I do, I will be trying this product and reviewing it herein for the sake of imparting helpful information to readers who might want to know. It sounds like a great idea, so if it spreads on my bread and tastes good, we’ll have a winner.
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