I grew up with health food store peanut butter. The kind that is essentially just ground peanuts and a little salt, where the oil rises to the top and either has to be stirred in or poured off before you can make a sandwich. I was always envious of my friends who had jars of Skippy or Jif in their cabinets (our peanut butter had to be stored in the fridge so that it didn't go bad). These days I now prefer the peanut butter I grew up with, loving the flavor of the nuts and salt without any added sugar or fats. The folks over at AOL Food threw themselves on sword of bad food and tasted 35 different jars of peanut butter in order to find the very best of the best. Their winner was Whole Foods 365 Brand Crunchy Peanut Butter. I'm not a huge fan of crunchy peanut butter typically, but hearing that a collection of reliable foodies determined that it was the best of the bunch makes me curious to give it a shot.
Okay folks, what do you think? Did the AOL Food testers get it right? What's your favorite peanut butter?
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-11-2008 @ 10:07AM
calamari said...
Put the jar of natural peanut butter upside down on your counter for a couple days before you first open it and stir it. Gravity will redistribute the oil more evenly, and once it's stored in the refrigerator, it doesn't separate much.
You want to do this because natural peanut butter is so much better than the sugar-loaded kind... but I've never noticed that much difference among natural brands.
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2-11-2008 @ 11:44AM
Bear Silber said...
I have never met a peanut butter that didn't like. Probably one of my favorite things in the universe.
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2-11-2008 @ 11:46AM
Melissa said...
JIF CREAMY, there is none better for me or my family.
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2-11-2008 @ 12:23PM
Rachel said...
mmmmm....peanut butter....where's my spoon?
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2-11-2008 @ 12:39PM
Ellen Slattery said...
I'm apparently on the same wavelength as the AOL Food peeps, at least in terms of peanut butter: my favorite is the Creamy 365 Brand - cheap yet delicious!
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2-11-2008 @ 1:18PM
Lindsey said...
I don't think I could turn down any peanut butter. It's one of my very favorite flavors on Earth.
Has anyone tried the flavored peanut butters, such as the chocolate or banana flavored ones? They aren't too shabby, either.
Nothing better than a PB&J with some tater chips stuffed inside.
Mmmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmmmm!
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2-11-2008 @ 1:23PM
Silver_Potato said...
I've moved on to Almond Butter now but still keep jar of peanut butter to feed my dog. That never gets old.
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2-11-2008 @ 5:29PM
Ryan said...
"Moved on" to almond butter? What are you trying to say? Peanut butter is only suitable for dogs to eat? Almond butter costs about five times as much, but I doubt it tastes five times as good.
I like Teddie's crunchy peanut butter. Just peanuts, nothing else. I can still go for store brand smooth every now and then.
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2-11-2008 @ 6:13PM
Lulu said...
REESE'S! REESE'S! REESE'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't stand Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or anything ELSE Reese's ... but their PEANUT BUTTER!!!!!
In the past, I tried Peter Pan (ick), Skippy (ick) and several natural styles (ick) and I stettled on creamy Jif. Then one day, Reese's appeared on the grocery shelves. HELLO! Great taste, mouth feel, salt/sugar balance ... PERFECT!
I might try 365, but I'll ALWAYS love Reese's.
The AOL survey gave it a very high rating as well.
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2-11-2008 @ 9:09PM
Janis said...
Skippy Natural:)
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2-12-2008 @ 10:14AM
Annie said...
Definitely Jif, although I use Nutella on lots of things, too. (Of course Nutella isn't peanut butter, it's a hazelnut spread with skim milk and cocoa!!)
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2-12-2008 @ 6:47PM
JanT1053 said...
Extra Crunchy Jiff!!! America's Test Kitcken did a taste test and Skippy came out on top...I bought a jar...big mistake...I'm back to Jiff :)
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2-12-2008 @ 10:24PM
Amanda said...
Trader Joe's Sunflower Butter is the shizzle!
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4-01-2008 @ 8:12PM
Bill said...
Love the Peter Pan Honey Roasted Peanut Butter, but since the recall, I haven't been able to find it :(
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5-08-2008 @ 12:07AM
Nick said...
I disagree! My favorite by far is Trader Joe's creamy peanut butter. It's also the cheapest. Besides, who you gonna believe, AOL or The Peanut Butter Boy =).
- The Peanut Butter Boy
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5-08-2008 @ 12:08AM
Nick said...
Although perhaps the crunchy is better than Trader Joe's crunchy and the critics really prefer to have a texture in there. I think Whole Foods is in on this...
- http://www.peanutbutterboy.com
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