"brownie mix" news and stories

Most trade shows are the stuff of, if not nightmares, then at least a sleepwalk from one charmless kiosk to the next. Not so at the 54th Summer Fancy Food Show, where 20,000+ gourmet retailers, restaurateurs, chefs, media folks and plain ol' food fans spend three days chomping their way through a fever dream of some 180,000 specialty foods. The throwback "Fancy" is a bit of a misnomer by now, as there's a very wide slice of products on offer, ranging from swankity wines, oils, cheeses and caviar to humble chewing gums, ketchups, chili seasonings and snack mixes.

Here are my first day favorites from the more wallet-friendly end of the spectrum. More thorough reviews will follow, but I've gotta recover from hauling around a 21lb* shoulder bag of collected samples and press releases first.

While trying out light recipes is fun for those who love to bake, not to mention a satisfying way to know that you're not going to over-do the indulgences because the desserts are lighter/healthier than "normal" recipes, sometimes a boxed mix is convenient. For example, if you are at the home of a friend who owns no baking ingredients whatsoever, a mix with all the flour, sugar, leaveners and flavorings you need can come in handy. Mixes are also reliable, and even if you have a fool-proof favorite chocolate cake recipe, sometimes it's just easy to have a backup on hand.

The final reason to use a mix is that some of them taste good. And this is especially good to keep in mind when the good-tasting ones turn out to be fat free.