Hellman's Mayonnaise (Best Foods, for shoppers in the western US) is the favorite brand of Cooks Illustrated and Cooks Country test kitchens, but for all its good qualities, mayonnaise can add a tremendous amount of fat to a sandwich or a dip. Cooks Country compared four varieties of their favorite mayonnaise brand this month to see if you could cut back on calories by switching to a lower fat version, or whether you're really missing out if you do.

The types taste tested were Hellmann's regular, canola oil, light and reduced fat. Unfortunately, the tasters all really preferred the original, full-fat (9g per each 1-tablespoon serving) variety and said that it provided the best flavor when tasted alone and in a dip. The reduced fat (only 2 grams fat per 1-tbsp serving) didn't have nearly as much flavor, but it still produced a creamy texture in dips.

Since most people don't want their spinach dip to taste like straight mayo anyway, you can save some fat and calories by using one of the lighter mayos in your dips and save the full-fat for when flavor really counts, on a sandwich.

The New York Times tried, rather sadly, to take a sort of road trip with their food section this week. The Sterns, the founders of Roadfood, know what road trips are and they involve more than two hours of driving. Over the last 25 years, they have driven more than 4,000,000 miles of road around the country and eaten more than 72,427. That is some serious road tripping. For a sneak peek into some of their finds, check out this column they did for Conde Naste Traveler that highlights 20 great food finds around the country. It may take more than a day to get to some of these places, but you'll have at least as much fun on the journey as you will at the destination. Hot spots and good eats include:

• Mr. Beef in Chicago, Il
• Cuban sandwich at El Siboney's in Key West, Fl.
• Creamy Grits at the Old Post Office in South Carolina
• Fried Clams at the Clam Box in Mass.
• Chili at the Little Diner in Canutillo, Texas
• Fried Chicken at Bon-Ton Mini Mart in Kentucky