Every Sunday, my family enjoys a stack of freshly made pancakes with crisp, streaky bacon and plenty of maple syrup. While I always make pancakes from scratch when I’m cooking for my family of three, that’s not practical when I’m hosting a large breakfast or brunch gathering. I’ll whip up a few make-ahead items—think sheet-pan bacon or a quiche Lorraine—then pop some frozen pancakes into the oven. The question is: Which ones are worth buying? 

To find the best frozen pancakes, our editors taste-tested six widely available brands. We baked each according to the package directions, then sampled them in random order without knowing which was which. We then tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, along with two other worthy contenders.

The Criteria

Whether homemade or store-bought, pancakes should be light and fluffy, with a tender crumb—not dry, dense, or rubbery. They should taste balanced: A hint of sweetness is welcome, but they should be neutral enough to pair with maple syrup, honey, whipped cream, or fresh fruit. They should also be well-seasoned but not noticeably salty. Though baking powder and/or baking soda are essential for leavening, there shouldn’t be so much of either ingredient that the pancakes taste soapy or metallic.

Overall Winner

365 by Whole Foods Buttermilk Pancakes

Our associate editorial director, Megan, was very enthusiastic about these pancakes. She loved that they were “mild but not overly sweet,” and thought they had the best texture of all the pancakes we tasted. “Fluffy, almost like homemade,” she noted. Similarly, our editorial director, Daniel, thought these tasted like “real” pancakes—high praise for a frozen, ready-made product. These were also our associate editorial director, Amanda‘s, favorite. “Nice little butter taste,” she noted. Our visuals editor, Jessie, thought these were “on the dryer side,” but still decent. While these were the clear favorite overall, our former senior social media editor, Kelli, found them too dense for her liking, and our associate culinary editor, Laila, thought they were plain and a bit dry. Nothing a little maple syrup can’t solve, though! 

Runners-Up

Stop & Shop Buttermilk Pancakes

Everyone picked up on the sweetness here, and it wasn’t unwelcome. “Nice and maple-y, definitely on the sweeter side,” Amanda wrote. “Fluffy with a hint of maple syrup,” Kelli noted. “I like the sweetness, but they’re a touch salty.” They were slightly too sugary for Jessie, who acknowledged that those with a sweet tooth would probably enjoy them. While Daniel and Kelli enjoyed the texture of these pancakes (Kelli described them as “nice and creamy”), other tasters, including Laila, found them slightly too chewy.

De Wafelbakkers Buttermilk Pancakes

“A hint of sweet, a hint of salt. Very standard,” Kelli wrote. Jessie appreciated that these pancakes had some structure and weren’t mushy, with a mild flavor that would make it good for pairing with toppings. Amanda agreed: “A very nice neutral taste.” On the opposite spectrum, Laila found them a touch too salty. Overall, though, our editors thought these pancakes were balanced, nicely seasoned, and, as Daniel noted, had “good” flavor.

The Contenders

• 365 by Whole Foods Buttermilk Pancakes
• Bluey Pancakes
• De Wafelbakkers Buttermilk Pancakes
• Eggo Buttermilk Frozen Pancakes
• Stop & Shop Buttermilk Pancakes
• Trader Joe’s Silver Dollar Pancakes

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Most frozen buttermilk pancakes are made with similar ingredients: water, flour, sugar, eggs, salt, baking powder and/or soda, and some form of buttermilk, whether liquid, powder, or solids. When paired with an alkaline ingredient, such as baking soda, buttermilk helps leaven baked goods and pastries, giving them their fluffy texture. Buttermilk’s acidity also brings a pleasant tang and helps tenderize gluten, resulting in flavorful pancakes with a softer bite.

Many of the frozen pancakes we tasted contain high fructose corn syrup or invert syrup, sweeteners that help keep baked goods soft and moist. De Wafelbakkers Buttermilk Pancakes and Stop & Shop Buttermilk Pancakes—our two runners-up—contain high fructose corn syrup and invert syrup, respectively. Our winner, however, does not contain either and is sweetened with cane sugar. 

Our winners and runners-up all contain malted barley flour or malted barley extract. As I touched on in my easy hot chocolate recipe, malting is the process of drying, sprouting, and toasting grains, which transforms the grain’s starches into more complex sugars and its proteins into amino acids. This gives malted products—including flour, milk powder, syrup, and extract—their rich, nutty flavors. When incorporated into beverages or desserts, malt often adds savory depth and earthiness, making for a more delicious result than products made without. 

Overall, our editors thought frozen pancakes made with malted products were more flavorful, and preferred those that they deemed balanced and not cloyingly sweet. While the 365 by Whole Foods pancakes were our clear winner, we’d be more than happy to warm up either of our runners-up in a pinch.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.

Vanilla is the backbone of almost every American dessert. Its floral, caramel-like flavor is at the center of desserts like crème brûlée and pound cake. In something like Chocolate Sheet Cake With Brown Butter Frosting, vanilla extract underpins the deep flavors of the cocoa while enhancing the nutty flavor of the frosting. In our Summer Berry Stovetop Crisp, it adds a warming flavor to the tangy fruit.

There’s a lot to consider when choosing what type of vanilla to buy: Should you go with vanilla paste, powder, or extract—maybe even a whole bean, or the lesser-known ground vanilla? Madagascar, Tahitian, Mexican? Single or double-fold? Should you make your own vanilla extract?

Each format and geographic origin has its own unique characteristics. The provenance of the vanilla pods (and their correspondingly unique variety) will determine some of their flavor. Ground versions have a more intense flavor by volume than extract—as do vanilla pastes, to a lesser degree. Double-fold vanillas are twice as concentrated as single-fold, making for extracts with a darker color and more intense flavor and aroma.

In a pinch, vanilla extract can be used as a substitute for paste and powder (and vice versa), according to vanilla paste evangelist and senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic. A significant difference, she says, is that vanilla paste will leave flecks of vanilla bean in the finished product. Seeing those vanilla bean flecks can sometimes Jedi mind-trick people into thinking they’re tasting more vanilla flavor. Of all these options, vanilla extract is usually the most affordable (which is why it’s the format often specified in recipes). Imitation vanilla, made from synthetic vanillin, is even more affordable and can be used as a 1:1 substitute, but it won’t provide the same roundness of flavor as a pure extract.

So, in a grocery store rife with options, which pure vanilla extract is the best for your baking? We conducted a blind taste test of 13 brands to determine the most flavorful, aromatic vanilla extract you can buy in stores or online.

How we picked the products

We started our search for the best vanilla extract by polling Bon Appétit staff for their preferred brands. Unsurprisingly, the question sparked a flurry of responses and lively debate. We also scoped out familiar grocery store brands, such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods’ 365, and scanned other vanilla extract taste tests to see which brands are often included and which get overlooked.

We excluded double-fold and alcohol-free vanilla extracts, as their formulations would be markedly different from the standard extracts commonly used in most recipes. We didn’t test multiple single-origin vanillas from brands that made several, reasoning that the generics would be more affordable and easier to find. Finally, we also excluded imitation vanillas, which—although they have their place in recipes like confetti cake—are ultimately a different ball game than true, pure vanilla extract.

How we set up our taste test

Ostensibly, one could taste vanilla extract on its own—but that’s not really advisable. It’s much easier to detect the unique aromas and flavors in a vanilla extract when it’s diluted in a neutral-flavored base, like full-fat milk or a sugar-water solution. To that end, we tasted each vanilla extract in a glass of chilled whole milk at a 2% dilution: 1 teaspoon of extract in 1 cup of milk.

I always keep a bottle of cranberry juice cocktail on hand. This sweet-tart beverage comes in handy for all sorts of drinks, whether you’re drinking it straight, mixing it into punch for a dinner party, making Cosmopolitans, mixing up nonalcoholic spritzers, or whipping up a vodka-cranberry. The question is: Which brand is worth buying?

To find the best cranberry juice cocktail, our editors taste-tested four widely available brands. Rather than tasting unsweetened cranberry juice, we opted for cranberry juice cocktails, which typically contain cranberry juice concentrate, water, and a sweetener. We chilled and poured each into cups, then sampled them in random order without knowing which brand was which. We then tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, as well as another worthy contender that we’d be happy to keep at home.

The Criteria

A great cranberry juice cocktail should be both tart and sweet. It should be tangy enough to make you pucker, but it shouldn’t be intensely bitter or astringent. (If it is, you may have picked up 100% cranberry juice.) It should be clear and scarlet—not murky or brown. It should also be pleasantly sweet without being cloying, and it shouldn’t taste sour or artificial. 

Overall Winner

Langers Cranberry Juice Cocktail

This cranberry juice cocktail edged out our runner-up, thanks to its slightly tangier flavor—likely the result of added citric acid. “I like the cranberry flavor here! It makes you pucker a little,” wrote our senior social media editor, Kelli. Our associate editorial director, Megan, and our editorial director, Daniel, enjoyed the tartness of cranberries. “On the sweeter side, but balanced,” wrote our visuals editor Jessie, who thought the flavor was great. Our associate culinary editor, Laila, found it a touch too sour, but appreciated the cranberry-forward profile.

Runner-Up

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail

This cranberry juice cocktail shared a similar flavor profile with the winner, although some tasters found it to be a bit diluted-seeming. “Very thin. But I guess that’s what you want?” wrote Kelli. “Sour, sweet, kinda watery,” wrote Jessie. Others thought it had a noticeable tartness, but liked it overall. “This is the tartest of the bunch, but I really don’t mind that,” wrote Megan. “Noticeable astringency, which I like,” said Laila, who also observed that it had fewer apple-forward notes than the rest of the line-up.

The Contenders

• Langers Cranberry Juice Cocktail
• Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail
• Simply Cranberry Cocktail
• Tropicana Cranberry Cocktail

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Most cranberry juice cocktails are made with filtered water, cranberry juice concentrate, sugar, and natural flavors. Other common ingredients include ascorbic acid and/or citric acid. Ascorbic acid, which is the chemical term for vitamin C, helps preserve both flavor and color by preventing oxidation and browning, while also adding mild tartness. Citric acid, which occurs naturally in citrus fruits, brings sourness and gives the juice a sharper, more immediate tang. Vegetable concentrates, often derived from carrots and beets, are sometimes used to give the drink a more vibrant, appealing color. 

Cranberry juice concentrate is produced by pasteurizing and reducing fresh, filtered cranberry juice into a thick, syrupy liquid. It’s typically frozen for storage, then thawed, diluted with water, and sweetened to make a juice cocktail.

Our winner, Langers Cranberry Juice Cocktail, is made with filtered water, cranberry juice concentrate, natural flavors, and citric acid. Our runner-up, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail, is made with ascorbic acid rather than citric acid and includes vegetable concentrate for color. Overall, our editors preferred Langers for its tangy, bright flavor—though the differences between our winner and runner-up were pretty minor.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.

Canned chili is an ideal meal for a long, arduous backpacking trip. I remember reaching for these trusty cans of beans and meat during childhood visits to Olympic National Park in Washington and Yosemite National Park—far better, in my opinion, than the freeze-dried chili packets commonly used by backpackers (though those come in handy if you’re trying to reduce the weight you’re carrying on your back). While homemade chili is unquestionably my preferred way to enjoy the dish, sometimes the canned version is necessary for trips like this, or simply for ease and convenience. The question is: Which brand is worth buying?

To find the very best canned chili, our editors sampled six different brands that you’re likely to find at your local grocery store and online. We opted for classic canned chili with beans and ground meat—primarily beef and pork, though the Trader Joe’s brand contains ground turkey. We heated each chili according to the package directions, spooned it into bowls, and sampled them in random order, without knowing which was which. After eating our way through many bowls of chili, we tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, along with two worthy contenders that we’d be happy to bring on a camping trip.

The Criteria

Great meat-and-bean chili should have a robust, meaty flavor. There should be a rich, complex chile profile, with balanced fruity, hot, and slightly bitter notes. The beans should be tender, creamy, and intact, and the meat should be bite-size. The chili should be well-seasoned without being overly salty. A touch of sweetness and acidity is welcome, but it shouldn’t be cloying or overly tart. The sauce should be thick and smooth enough to cling to the ingredients without being gloopy or thin.

Overall Winner

Wendy’s Chili With Beans

Though this chili wasn’t a hit with all our editors, it still earned above-average marks for flavor and texture. “Good chili texture,” wrote our associate visuals director, Amanda, who thought the flavor was OK but found it a bit too sweet. Similarly, our associate culinary director, Laila, appreciated some of its sweetness but felt it needed a touch more salt to bring out the flavor of the beans. Our visuals editor, Jessie, liked that the chili wasn’t too starchy or thick, and I appreciated the uniform sizes of all the ingredients. Our editorial director, Daniel, found this one quite tomato-forward, a flavor profile that he didn’t mind but that didn’t line up with his ideal for chili.

Runners-Up

Hormel Chili With Beans

“Tons-o-beans (not a complaint),” wrote Daniel, who liked the texture of this chili but found it slightly one-dimensional in flavor. Jessie thought its flavor was mild, but liked that the beans were fully cooked and firm. Amanda thought the beans could have been more flavorful and wished for more variety in the ingredients in this bean-heavy blend. “Cumin-heavy and very warm,” wrote Laila, who did appreciate the subtle note of oregano in this “basic” chili. Meanwhile, I liked the heft and heartiness the abundance of beans brought to this thick chili.

Wolf Brand Chili With Beans

“Very creamy beans, which is nice, but kind of saucy without a ton of chunks,” wrote Daniel, who also noted that he wished the chili had more acidity. Jessie described it as “very saucy” and noted that it had the fewest whole beans—something people who don’t love beans might prefer. Amanda thought it was well-spiced; she picked up on paprika, a strong meaty flavor, and even notes reminiscent of Tabasco. “Seasoning is assertive—more earthy and strong than warm,” wrote Laila, who wished the chili had more warming spices.

Contenders

• Armour Chili With Beans
• Hormel Chili With Beans
• Stop & Shop Canned Chili With Beans
• Trader Joe’s Turkey Chili With Beans
• Wendy’s Chili With Beans
• Wolf Brand Chili With Beans

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Canned chili is a complex product with a surprisingly long ingredient list. Most brands use a similar base: beef or other meat, cooked beans, onions, water, spices such as onion powder and paprika, and some form of tomato—whether purée, paste, or diced. Nearly all canned chilis include thickeners and stabilizers, most commonly modified cornstarch, corn flour, or soy flour, typically making up less than 2% of the total product. These additives give the chili its characteristic thickness. Some brands also contain yeast extracts, which contribute savory, umami depth.

Our winner, Wendy’s Chili With Beans, contains beef, beef broth, kidney and pinto beans, tomato purée, diced tomatoes, onions, spices such as onion powder and chili pepper, celery, and green bell peppers. It contains lactic and citric acids for tang, as well as thickeners, including cornstarch, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum, for consistency. Notably, Wendy’s includes beef tallow and smoke flavor, ingredients not found in the other chilis we tasted, which add body and help round out the chili’s sweet, salty, and acidic elements.

The two runners-up—Hormel Chili With Beans and Wolf Brand Chili With Beans—use a blend of beef and pork, a choice that amplifies meatiness and richness. Both contain fewer emulsifiers and stabilizers than Wendy’s. Wolf Brand, in particular, includes whole rolled oats, an unusual thickener that contributes both body and texture. Like Wendy’s, it also contains beef broth, which provides additional depth of flavor.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.

Fries are a classic side for burgers, steak, and even California burritos. While it’s certainly possible to make your own fries at home, there’s no denying the ease and convenience of frozen fries. (In fact, McDonald’s fries start frozen, too.) All you have to do is open the package, toss them into the oven or air fryer, and voilà: hot, crispy, golden brown fries. The question is: Which brand is worth buying?

To find the very best fries, our editors sampled 10 different brands that you’re likely to find in the freezer aisle of your local grocery store. We opted for classic hand-cut style fries—no shoestring fries or British chips here! We cooked each fry according to the package directions, then sampled them in random order without knowing which was which. After snacking our way through many, many potatoes, we tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, as well as two worthy contenders that we’d be happy to snack on again.

The Criteria

Great fries should be golden and crisp on the outside, with a soft, fluffy interior that tastes unmistakably of potatoes. Salt is essential—the fries should be seasoned enough that you’d be happy to eat them on their own, without any ketchup or other condiments. They should be satisfyingly crisp but not brittle, and should be able to hold their shape for at least as long as it takes to eat a whole serving. They should be thick enough to have a good balance of crispy exterior and fluffy interior, but not so large that they resemble potato wedges.

Overall Winner

Grown in Idaho Hand-Cut Style Fries 

These fries had the strongest potato flavor of all of the ones we tested, which our editors appreciated. “Excellent fries—definitely ones I’d buy again,” wrote our associate culinary director, Laila, who praised their well-balanced seasoning. “There’s a weirdly cheesy flavor here, but then again, the fry is also very potato-y,” wrote our editorial director, Daniel, who also found them decently crispy. Our senior social media editor, Kelli, liked the seasoning and the fact that the fries had a bit of potato skin, which makes them slightly rustic and more homemade seeming. Meanwhile, our visuals editor, Jessie, enjoyed the savory flavor and crisp texture. Our associate visuals director, Amanda, was the only taster who thought the texture was a touch too soft: “A lil squishy but not mad at it.”

Runners-Up

Kirkand Signature Extra-Crispy French Fries

Some of our editors couldn’t stop raving about these fries, especially their outstanding texture. “It’s crispy! It’s salty! There’s even skin. It’s everything I want in a fry!” wrote Kelli. Daniel appreciated the “slurry’d starchy exterior,” and associate creative director, Sabrina, enjoyed that the fries had what she describes as a “gritty” (in a good way) texture, which reminded her of the version at Popeyes. Most tasters liked the salt levels, although Laila wished there was a bit more to help enhance the potato flavor.

Sonic Frozen Fries

These frozen fries were the skinniest of the contenders—closer to shoestring than hand-cut—but they made a strong impression on our editors. Most editors called them the crispiest fries of the bunch. “Crisp and skin on, yes please!” wrote Kelli, further cementing her status as a skin-on fry lover. Jessie didn’t think they were salty enough, but still enjoyed them, while Amanda thought they were well-seasoned. Meanwhile, Laila appreciated the potato-forward flavor of these fries, but found them a touch too dry; they did not have the soft, fluffy interior she looks for in exceptional ones.

Contenders

• Alexia House Cut Fries
• Grown in Idaho Hand-Cut Style Fries
• Jesse & Ben’s Classic Sea Salt House-Cut Fries
• Kirkand Signature Extra-Crispy French Fries
• McCain Extra Crispy Classic Fries
• Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fast-Food Style Frozen Fries
• Sonic Frozen Fries
• Strong Roots Crispy Skinny Fries
• Trader Joe’s Handsome Cut Potato Fries
• 365 by Whole Foods Market Straight-Cut Fries

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Most frozen fries are made with potatoes, neutral oil, salt, and a combination of starches. The products our editors liked the most typically include functional additives—such as leavening agents, crisping aids, and stabilizers—that help the fries brown more evenly and stay crisp after cooking.

Our winner, Grown in Idaho Hand-Cut Style Fries, is made with skin-on Idaho potatoes, a blend of vegetable oils that the label says may include canola, palm, soybean, or sunflower, and a mix of starches, including potato, corn, tapioca, and rice flour. It also includes dextrin, a starch-derived carbohydrate often used to boost crispiness in fried foods, and dextrose, a form of sugar that promotes browning. Xanthan gum, a thickener that helps the ingredients adhere to the surface more evenly, is also listed.

Our two runners-up—Kirkand Signature Extra-Crispy French Fries and Sonic Frozen Fries—have nearly identical ingredients: Both include the same base of potatoes, oil, and starches (corn and tapioca), along with rice flour, salt, dextrin, and xanthan gum.

Meanwhile, our lowest-scoring frozen fries only include potatoes, oil, and sodium acid pyrophosphate, a color-retention agent. Notably, they omit the key starches and crisping agents found in our editor’s favorite fries. While fries with minimal ingredients can still taste good, the most reliably crisp frozen fries use a few more ingredients, including starch blends and other additives that give each fry its signature golden, crackly exterior.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.

Anchovies aren’t shy, but that’s what makes them great. Wonderfully briny and particularly savory, these tiny fish pack potent flavor. They play a starring role in dishes like Caesar Salad, enriching the creamy dressing with a deep umami taste. In pantry-friendly recipes like Anchovy Pasta With Garlic Breadcrumbs, they blend seamlessly with other staples to become greater than the sum of their parts. Often, they’re relegated to the shadows: the secret ingredient that makes…well, most things taste better.

Anchovies and other tinned and jarred fish, as we know them, date back to 1795. In desperate need of shelf-stable foods to feed his armies, Napoléon Bonaparte offered a reward of 12,000 francs to anyone who could invent a new method of food preservation. As cookbook author Anna Hezel writes in Tin to Table, “Nicolas Appert rose to the challenge, and spent the next fourteen years figuring out how to preserve prepared foods by heating them inside glass jars, and sealing those jars against intruding microbes.”

But before they’re canned, jarred, or tinned, anchovies—a term that encompasses more than 140 species of fish—swim the ocean in large schools. While many commercially available fish are farmed, anchovies are primarily sourced from wild schools across the globe, from Peru to the Mediterranean. Fishermen use enormous nets to catch big bundles of these various species before processing them.

Where would this baked pasta be without its anchovy cream sauce? Nowhere.

Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

Because of anchovies’ naturally high concentration of fat, which can oxidize and spoil if not addressed, it’s critical to start the curing process soon after they’re caught. Producers must dispatch and clean the anchovies before layering them with salt, where they’ll rest for up to 12 months. Curing breaks down some of the fish’s proteins, tenderizing the fillets in the process.

At this stage, the anchovies can be packaged with the salt they were cured in, or they can be rinsed, deboned, filleted, packed into tins or jars, and covered in oil. We prefer anchovies packed in 100% extra-virgin olive oil, but any culinary oil can be used for this process.

Many people think of cured anchovies as a shelf-stable product. But, while the salt curing kills harmful bacteria, it doesn’t eliminate all microbial activity. This is all to say: Refrigerate your anchovies, people. And as you use the oil from the tin or jar, top off the container with more oil so the fish remain completely submerged until you’ve made your way through each and every one.

How we picked the products

A myriad of anchovy tins and jars line grocery store shelves these days, but which brand of anchovies is the best? We sampled nine brands of this pantry power player to find our favorites.

I’ve never bulked in my life, so the whole protein-packed world feels as foreign to me as the cult fandom behind Love Island. Still, I know a delicious and nutritious bar when I see one. I often snag a few bars before daylong hikes, high-intensity fitness classes, and marathon afternoons at the office. In recent years, protein bars have become a fixture of the checkout aisle: Rows of shiny bars in every flavor and protein level imagination sit alongside candy and gum, daring you to add one to your basket. The question is: Which are worth buying?

To find the very best protein bars, our editors sampled 26 different brands that you’re likely to find at your local grocery store or online. We focused on bars with at least 10 grams of protein, cutting each into quarter-inch cubes and sampling them in random order without knowing which brand was which. After snacking our way through a dizzying number of bars, we tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, as well as four worthy contenders that we’d happily reach for when we want a nutritious snack.

The Criteria

While protein content matters, it’s just as important that the bars taste good. A good protein bar shouldn’t taste like protein powder, which can give bars a dry, chalky, and faintly bitter flavor with an odd milky aftertaste. Chunky add-ins, such as nuts or rice crisps, and flavorings, including vanilla and chocolate, can help mask the taste. But when overused, flavorings—natural or not—can result in cloying sweetness or an artificial edge.

Overall Winner

Trader Joe’s Chewy Chocolate & Peanut Butter Protein Bars

“Nutty and salty-sweet. I like!” wrote our senior editor, Genevieve, who gave top marks for its flavor and texture. Similarly, our associate culinary editor, Laila, enjoyed the light, crisp textures of puffed rice and its peanut-forward flavor. Both our associate visuals director, Amanda, and our senior social media editor, Kelli, praised the crunchiness of the protein bar, which stood out in a sea of dense (and at times mushy) contenders. Our editorial director, Daniel, preferred it over most others, since it contained “noticeable whole ingredients.”

Runners-Up

• GoMacro MacroBar, Dark Chocolate + Almonds
• Grab1 Protein Bar, Peanut Butter & Oat
• NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel Protein Bar
• Quest Double Chocolate Chunk Protein Bar 

Though our editors didn’t enjoy these protein bars quite as much as our winner, they still thought the four below were solid choices and would be happy to eat a full bar on the go. 

Best Protein Bar for Candy Bar Lovers: NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel Protein Bar

This bar divided our tasters but hit a sweet spot for those craving a salty-sweet, candy bar-like snack. “Minty?” wrote Daniel, who found the overall flavor OK. Both Genevieve and Laila thought it was a touch too salty for a protein bar, but found it paired nicely with the chocolate. Texture-wise, Kelli liked that it was “not too chewy,” and Amanda enjoyed its crunchiness.

Best Protein Bar for Those Who Like To Chew: GoMacro MacroBar, Dark Chocolate + Almonds

“Yes, I would eat a whole one,” wrote Kelli, who praised its slight chew and chocolate flavor. Laila also enjoyed this bar’s mild sweetness and the flavors of coffee and dates, adding that she’d happily eat a whole bar.

Best Crispy Protein Bar: Grab1 Protein Bar, Peanut Butter & Oat

This bar’s texture was far better than its flavor. Our editors, however, would still eat a full one. “Crunchy and airy, with a crisp bite—likely from crisped rice,” wrote Laila. Both Genevieve and Amanda enjoyed its crispiness as well. Still, most editors agreed it was way too sweet, and Laila thought it tasted too much like vanilla.

Best Protein Bar With 20 Grams of Protein: Quest Double Chocolate Chunk Protein Bar 

This product has nearly double the protein of most protein bars. While extra protein usually comes at the expense of flavor or texture, this bar struck a happy medium, and most of our editors thought this was just fine. “I could probably eat a whole bar,” said Amanda, who was a fan of its fudginess. Meanwhile, Kelli described the texture as “fine.”

The Contenders

• 365 by Whole Foods Market Chocolate Chip Energy Bar
• 88 Acres Banana Bread Pumpkin Seed Protein Bar
• Aloha Organic Plant-Based Bar, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Balanced Tiger Protein Bars, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
• Barebells Protein Bar, Chocolate Dough
• Clif Bar, Chocolate Chip
• Fulfill Protein Bar, Chocolate Peanut Caramel
• Genius Gourmet Protein Bar, Chocolate Dream
• GoMacro MacroBar, Dark Chocolate + Almonds
• Grab1 Protein Bar, Peanut Butter & Oat
• Kellogg’s Special K Bar Protein Bars, Brownie Batter
• Kirkland Signature Protein Bars Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Kirkland Signature Soft & Chewy Granola Bars
• Mezcla Puff-Crispy Bar, Peanut Butter Chocolate
• Misfits Plant-Based Protein Bar, Caramel Fudge
• Nature Valley Protein, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Protein
• NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel Protein Bar
• Power Crunch, Peanut Butter Fudge
• Pure Protein Bar, Chocolate Peanut Caramel
• Quest Double Chocolate Chunk Protein Bar
• Quaker Protein Bars, Peanut Butter & Chocolate
• RXBAR Protein bar, Peanut Butter Chocolate
• Think High Protein Bar, Chunky Peanut Butter
• Trader Joe’s Chewy Chocolate & Peanut Butter Protein Bars
• Trader Joe’s Energy Bar, Chocolate Chip
• TRUBAR Protein Bar, Oh-Oh Cookie Dough

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

With so many different protein bars available, it’s no surprise that there was plenty of variation in the products we tried. Some brands naturally increase the protein content of their bars by incorporating ingredients such as soy crisps, oats, nuts, and seeds, while others rely on protein powders. These protein powders are generally made with a blend of whey, milk, or soy, with each bringing its own distinct flavor. Our winners and runners-up are generally packed with plenty of good stuff—oats, nuts, and dried fruit—to mask the less pleasant flavors of protein powder.

Peanuts, whether as whole nuts, flour, or butter, are in many of our top picks. Peanuts not only add protein but also contribute a satisfying saltiness that balances the sweetness of the bar. Our winner, Trader Joe’s Chewy Chocolate & Peanut Butter Protein Bars, features a combination of peanuts, soy protein crisps, and semisweet chocolate. One of our chewiest runners-up, the GoMacro MacroBar, is predominantly made with brown rice syrup, almond butter, and a proprietary protein blend. Of all the runners-up, Quest’s Double Chocolate Chunk packs the most protein. The brand lists a protein blend of milk protein isolate and whey protein isolate as its very first ingredient. 

Most bars use binders—such as cocoa butter, sugar, agave, brown rice syrup, and/or maltitol—to hold the ingredients together and enhance flavor. Our editors preferred bars that rely on cocoa butter, nut butters, and natural syrups, such as agave or brown rice syrup. Conversely, bars that are heavy on sugar substitutes (also known as sugar alcohols) or palm oils were less popular, as they can give the bars an artificial sweetness or a greasy finish.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.

The prompt for this taste test sparked wild debate across our team, particularly around what cheese belongs on burgers to begin with. After two hours (!) of back and forth (we are nothing here at Serious Eats if not unfailingly thorough), we…didn’t even reach a consensus. How could we have slept soundly that night knowing we’d declared American cheese—the gummy-but-meltier option—correct? How could we have shown our faces in the kitchens the next day had we instead ratified cheddar—the objectively better-tasting but inferior-melting selection—as the winner?

So we didn’t. But because Kenji did this exercise with American cheese quite some time ago and because we all just wanted to eat a fair amount of cheese, we went the cheddar route. Little did we know, it wouldn’t be an entirely American cheese-less day. 

You know the shtick: The SE team pulled together eight brands of cheddar cheese slices you’re likely to find in your local supermarket and methodically, empirically, scientifically! tasted its way through them all in a quest to identify the very best one to put atop all your forthcoming cheeseburgers. We had a blast! We needed to take a few deep breaths and a few long walks! We all took a lot of grease-tinged pictures of piles of cheese!

(I have no skin in this game; I love cheeseburgers, but I sat in the corner taking meticulous reaction notes and enjoying three slices of what ultimately became Genevieve’s strawberry rhubarb pie. Enjoy!)

The Criteria

Cheddar cheese for cheeseburgers needs to be tangy and sharp. Like, sharp and distinct enough that you could eat it as a standalone snack without having to wonder what you just ate. It should also be just salty enough that once you’re done with said snack, you shouldn’t immediately need water—you should just kinda want a few sips. 

The addition of heat should not mitigate the integrity or flavor of the cheese (see: slices should converge to evenly coat the patty; it should not create any kind of sideways cheese drippings that require you to remove a hand from your burger to catch or clean). Proper meltability also means there are no non-melted sections of the slice that eat dryly. Mid-slice stretch is important, too! A few bites per burger should yield a fine, thin string of cheese that breaks gently of its own accord. Finally, there shouldn’t be much slick cheese grease. Grease is best as a patty’s thing! We added two slices of each cheese to each burger for the best gauging of flavor and meltability. 

While we didn’t ultimately include a color criterion, we just for funsies verbally agreed that orange cheddar felt more correct in this context.

Overall Winner

Tillamook Sharp Cheddar

The only cheese among the contenders to be unanimously described as having a “distinct cheddar flavor.” Some called it “nice,” others called it “very nice,” one called it “really nice,” and so on and so forth. In fact, Daniel declared, if flavor is most important to you when choosing a cheddar for cheeseburgers, Tillamook’s should be your top choice. Jake whooped when he learned it’d been his top pick. He is to Tillamook cheddar as Genevieve is to Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream, I suppose.

Runner-Up

Kraft Singles Sharp Cheddar

Listen. Just listen! These slices sat there and took endless admonishment from the team before a single member had even taken a bite. “Psh,” they scoffed. “We know exactly what this is,” they huffed. “OBVIOUSLY KRAFT AMERICAN CHEESE SINGLES,” they pooh-poohed. They then promptly gave the stuff near-top numbers for both flavor and meltability. They took note of the glorious, thick coating and its unequivocal nostalgic yumminess when paired with meat, all while attempting to disqualify the cheese’s participation in the ranking because they were so convinced it really was an American cheese entry snuck in. Maybe it was? (It’s not quite, but it’s not not. Kraft cheddar goes a little heavier on whey and has fewer preservatives than its American counterpart childhood dream-stuff does. Daniel says this doesn’t matter.) Regardless, ya know, if color or congealment over time had been a consideration, you’d be reading a different set of rankings.

The Contenders

• 365 by Whole Foods Market Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices
• Applegate Naturals Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices
• Boar’s Head Vermont White Cheddar Cheese Slices
• Cracker Barrel Wisconsin Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar
• Kraft Singles Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices
• Sargento Creamery Sliced Cheddar Cheese
• Stop & Shop Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices
• Tillamook Farmstyle Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Our winner contains just four ingredients: cultured milk, salt, enzymes, and annatto (a food coloring derived from achiote that is frequently used to give orange cheese its color). Our runner-up, on the other hand, has a bevy of preservatives and flavor enhancers, including maltodextrin, lactic acid, and sorbic acid. All this to say: Though our editors prefer cheddar slices that have a distinct cheesiness and tang, they aren’t immune to the charms of processed cheese with great meltability. 

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets ranking the samples for various criteria. All data is tabulated and results are calculated with no editorial input in order to give us the most impartial representation of actual results possible.

A few sources claim to have invented the hamburger. Some trace its origins to Roman times, based on Isicia Omentata, a dish of minced meat and spices formed into a patty and fried. Hamburgers might also be a direct descendant of Hamburg steak, a puck of minced beef brought to the US in the late 19th century by emigrants from Hamburg, Germany. And Louis Lassen, of Louis’ Lunch, in New Haven, Connecticut—more than a century old and still in operation—is said to have created one of the first iterations of the burger as we know it today in 1900: a patty between two slices of bread.

Although we love a lacy-edged smash burger and other carefully crafted burger recipes, sometimes life happens and you need a whole bunch of burgers for a crowd of hungry people—quickly. That’s when frozen burgers come in clutch. No, you won’t be able to control the quality in the same way you might be able to with a homemade patty, but you can zhuzh your burgers with caramelized onions, and upgraded ketchup with tahini. Throw in a few great sides (we have baked bean recommendations; frozen french fries too), and you’ve got a party.

You’ll find a variety of frozen burgers in your grocery store’s freezer section, but which brands are the best? We put nine burgers through our latest taste test to find out.

How we picked the products

To determine the list of frozen burgers we’d test, we combed through Reddit threads, YouTube reviews, and other tastings to determine which brands should be on our list. We avoided riffs like bacon burgers, and excluded upgrades like frozen Wagyu burgers. Instead, we stuck to classic beef burgers that were widely available in the US, and sold in traditional sizing (no sliders—sorry, White Castle fans!) to standardize our testing.

In addition to our selection of frozen burgers, we tried a couple of refrigerated burgers to see how they compared (you can always freeze them when you get home, right?). Although we decided they ultimately fall into their own category, we named one a wildcard favorite.

How we set up our blind taste test

Before our tasters arrived in the test kitchen, we cooked each patty from frozen in a skillet with a bit of neutral oil according to its package directions. When the patties were sizzling and browned on both sides, we transferred them to a labeled sheet tray. After a short rest, we cut them into bite-sized pieces. Tasters gathered around the anonymized burgers to try a piece of each before discussing its merits (or flaws).

How our editors evaluated

Our tasters said their criteria for a great frozen burger hinged on texture. They wanted a frozen burger that was at least somewhat comparable to a handmade patty. Its texture should be loosely packed, not dense. The burger would also have to be juicy, something dry and cardboard-like just wouldn’t do.

Although all of our burgers were cooked on the stove and went into the pan frozen—we even stashed the ones purchased in the refrigerated section in the freezer overnight—our tasters hoped for a patty with a fresh, beefy flavor. The burgers should be well-seasoned, with a just-grilled quality. Any traces of freezer burn or other off-flavors were immediate no’s.

The all-around favorite: Philly Gourmet Pure 100% Beef Patties

Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero