I forgot Chex mix was something people used to make by heating up Chex cereal with other…crunchy items, I forget what exactly, but a quick web search shows ingredients vary. I never had ever had Chex Mix before. I’m not sure how I missed out on this American classic but this was good time to see what all the hub-bub was about and compare it to it’s Cheez-it counter part.
Chex Mix:
An attractive blend of Chex cereal, mini-melba toasts, square grid and round pretzels and little “bread sticks”. We noticed that there seemed to be a hierarchy of these ingredients. The best part is the Chex squares which had a great toasty flavor and a satisfying crunch. Next best were the pretzels, then the bread sticks and last were the melba toasts which we found to be a little too hard. Overall, it had a nice flavor and a good balance of ingredients.
Cheez-It Snack Mix:
I had high hopes for Cheez-it Snack Mix because Cheez-its are one of my all time favorite foods, but I was really surprised by this. The “seasoning” (flavor powder) was really strong and tart, like maybe the powder used on sour cream and onion chips which totally overpowered and compromised the flavor of the Cheez-it. Ethan said it tasted like they poured vinegar all over it. The mock Chex squares had a flat, dull crunch and were lacking the toasty taste real chex had. The one thing we did like were the mini-melba toast which were light and crisp but that wasn’t enough to reverse the overall disappointment of this product.
Wrap up:
Chex mate! The Chex Mix was the winner of this match, it had a great combination, just the right amount of seasoning and the feature ingredient really shined.
The Cheez-it mix seems like it’s masking the star of the show by overloading it with sour tasting seasoning. Their rip-off chex seem bland and stale, and it just leaves me wanting good ol’ plain Cheez-its.
I do want to add that one guy at work thought there was nothing wrong with the flavor of the Cheez-it Mix so it may just be an aquired taste.
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The only thing I don’t like about the Chex Mix is the nasty sliced-bagel-chippy things they put in it. However, I concede that this is a personal bias, because even though I think they are Filthy Little Things, the rest of my family consider the bagel chips the best part of the mix. *shudder*
Also, I never eat snack bag Chex Mix in a random way. I eat each component separately. First, I separate out all the bagel chips and either give them to my daughter, my wife, my parrots, or my dog (depending upon who’s home at the time.) Then I eat the pretzels, then those little squiggly breadsticks. Then I eat the Wheat Chex, because they are gritty and disgusting. Then, I’m left with the awesomeness of the Corn and Rice Chex, perfectly seasoned, which are my favorite parts (which is why I save them for last) and I OM NOM NOM those happily.
Although this comment probably makes me seem like a psycho, I am otherwise normal.
*left eye twitches*
my mom used to make chex mix when i was a kid – it’s so yummy, there’s soy sauce it in, (or maybe it’s worchestershire sauce) either way, it has salty goodness sprinkled all over.
The bagged chex mix is pretty good. However, it tastes VERY different than the chex mix recipe from the box that you make at home. The homemade stuff tends to be more salty, less sweet. It is made with worcestershire sauce. I would REALLY recommend trying the homemade version–it is incredible!
FWIW, I do double of the seasoning ingredients (butter, garlic and onion powders, worcestershire, etc), because I like more coating on my mix.
We have tried many variations, but I think the best is following the recipe on the Chex Cereal box specifically, but doubling the seasoning is best.
Also, even if you do not like wheat chex as a stand alone (our family is not fond of it), it really brings something to the mix that is missed if left out.
I think Gardettos Snack mix is even better than Chex Mix….The brown Rye chips are my favorite.. There are also pretzels *2 shapes*, little breadsticks and Sesame nuggets which are my least favorite things in the mix… Sesame Seeds=Pleh!
The seasoning is stronger than Chex mix and is oddly addictive.
I am considered the chex mix expert among my family and friends. every year during the holidays (I’m still not sure why I only make it once a year – probably because it’s too addictive!) I make batches and batches of the stuff and we pretty much live off of that and homemade christmas cookies. I agree w/ the previous poster that following the recipe on the chex box is crucial to good flavor. Although I don’t quite double the amounts, I do increase the amount of butter and worcestershire sauce. I also add – the secret ingredient! – a couple of shakes of Tapatio (a mexcian hot sauce). It adds just a little somethin’ extra. For components I use the traditional wheat-rice-corn chex combo, pretzel sticks (the skinny ones) and mixed fancy nuts (no peanuts). The nuts are important since they add a little protein and balance out the carb-fest that defines this snack.
I love chex mix, but I actually prefer the cheese-y chex mix (not to be confused with the cheese-it “snack mix”) Perhaps that is good compromise in the battle of chex (mix) vs. cheese (its)!
I can see these being popular at a social event like a graduation party or something,but definetly not something any one could eat at any given time. XP