Review: Quaker Popped Kettle Corn Rice Snacks

Editor's Note:  While the product has stayed the same, Quaker now markets these under a different named and they are now called "Quaker Popped Rice Snacks." The review below applies the same.

In my continuing series of trying out Quaker's Quakes Rice Snacks, next on the agenda was the Kettle Corn variety.  At 110 calories per serving and a tagline promising a sweet and salty crunch, I figure you are getting the best of all worlds.  You can cure your sweet tooth, your need for crunchy foods and the occasional need for something salty with a little bite.  It solves all cravings at once.  Well, let's find out (FYI, I got these on sale at Meijer for about $1.00).

As you can see (hopefully) this was has a shiny, harder outside surface, which is entirely different than the powdery surface of the Ranch flavor.  Also, this one packs a harder, heavier and more solid texture as well.  What is somewhat strange is that these feel somewhat sticky in your hands because of this lacquer-like outside surface.

Textural oddities aside, let's talk taste.  When I bit into this, I did notice a nice, noticeable crunch, which was nice.  So, they've at least accomplished one of their goals in their marketing tagline for the product.  I could taste the sweetness of the corn as well, which was also nice and put this one at accomplishing two of the three promises.

Unfortunately, they failed on the salty premise of the taste though.  I couldn't really taste anything salty in this and that was unfortunate, but not necessarily unwelcome.  A lot of people appreciate the sweet and salty mix in food, but I am not one of them.  I like my foods either sweet or salty, but not both.  The one thing that this Quake did do though was make all the little bits stick in my throat and mouth because of the external stickiness of the snack, so it is necessary to have a drink nearby if you are going to eat these.

Actual kettle corn has a stronger flavor, especially when fresh, but this one did not quite make it as the kettle corn flavoring in this one was close, but not quite there.

Buy It of Fly By It?  This is a toughy.  I like Kettle Corn, but don't want it in my house because I'll destroy the entire bag.  But, since this is a reasonable approximation of kettle corn and also a lower calorie snack, I would say BUY IT..  It's not going to be the greatest thing you've ever eaten, but it is a nice little snack.

BUY IT!!