Guest Article by “Ole Blue” Aug 21, 2022.
Good after noon all, this is Ole Blue
I know it’s been awhile, but How about another Sunday Food Comparison Challenge?
Actually this is going to be a two-fold Article; the Old-Man wants to put in his 2¢ worth at the end…
So, let’s just jump right into this.
Canned Store Bought Chili-n-Beans.
“Chili-n-Beans”
Well here ya go; four samples of popular Chili-n-Beans.
I do believe most out there will recognize them all.
So let’s get some Info on each sample shall we?
I purchased all from Safeway here in Aztec (Yes I actually went into the Store with the Old-Man, one of very few dogs that can enter a store around here, after all who’s going to mess with a 120 pound Black Lab and a 250 pound pet Human ?????), Anyways you may find better pricing, but… here we go.
Hormel Chili;
15oz Can, pull-top lid $2.79
Serving Size 1 cup, approx 2 servings per can. So let’s call it $1.40 per serving.
270 calories
9g fat
25mg Cholesterol (Fat)
990mg Sodium (Salt)
31g Carbohydrates
17g Protein
Signature Brand (Safeway);
15oz Can, pull-top lid $1.99
Serving Size 1 cup, approx 2 servings per can. So let’s call it $0.99 per serving.
250 calories
9g fat
30mg Cholesterol (Fat)
900mg Sodium (Salt)
30g Carbohydrates
13g Protein
Stagg Chili;
15oz Can, pull-top lid $2.99
Serving Size 1 cup, approx 2 servings per can. So let’s call it $1.50 per serving.
290 calories
13g fat
30mg Cholesterol (Fat)
990mg Sodium (Salt)
26g Carbohydrates
16g Protein
Wolf Chili;
15oz Can, Need a Can Opener $3.29 on sale for $2.99
Serving Size ONLY ONE SERVING per can, BUT, they did list nutrition per cup.
let’s call it $1.50 per serving (one cup) to make it equal.
360 calories
20g fat
40mg Cholesterol
1000mg Sodium (Salt) OMG, look at the Salt in that can 1670mg in the Can!!!
29g Carbohydrates
16g Protein
Ok, OK, let’s get to the fun part.
“The Samples”
Well here we go, take a good look at those piles of goo.
I’m thinking it’s a good thing we did not toss in a jar of homemade Chili with this Taste-Test.
I placed 1/4 cup of each in a small bowl, don’t think I could get the Old-Man to eat more that a cup total of this stuff.
From the first “Smell” of the Chili they all seemed to be fairly close, the ‘Stagg’ seemed a little spicier from the smell.
A closer “look-see”;
Well the two on the left (Hormel/Signature) seem to be fairly close in the texture, the top right (Stagg) seems to be a little ‘Redder’ from spices and maybe the Beans, the lower left (Wolf) looks like a bowl of paste, honestly, it looks like a can of Refried Beans with some meat in it.
Ok, so we heated them all up in the old Nuke (Microwave) and the Old-Man did the Tasting.
Here is a listing of his thoughts in the same order.
Hormel;
Large pieces of Meat, good sized Beans, few more Beans that the rest
Good consistency/thickness not runny or “to thick”
Meat was cooked firm but not mushy
Did not seem to be over Salty or Sweet
A fairly good medium spice
The Beans were good
Signature;
Good Meat, fairly good sized
Less Beans in the mix, a little more “filler”
The sauce was slightly ‘runny’, a little thin
Medium Salty and not to Sweet
The Spice was good, could be just slightly spicier
Meat was not over cooked, about right
Stagg;
The Meat was a mix, a lot more smaller pieces that large, was firm, not overcooked
Beans were really well done, a mix of two different types and great flavor
The consistency was good, not as runny as Signature, about like the Hormel
Medium Salty
Was a little Sweeter than I like
The Spice was an excellent mix
Wolf;
I had a hard time finding the Meat in this mix, what I did find was medium to small.
I also did have to search for the “whole” Beans, seemed everything was a mush
It was very salty
The Spice was bland; I believe the Salt was hiding the Spice
The consistency was VERY thick; honestly the Chili was almost like a can of Refried Beans with a little (Very Little) Meat tossed in, very Pasty
Ok, for the “Final Answer”;
I liked the Hormel the best.
A lot more expensive than the Signature, but from the Quality and all out flavor, I would recommend it as first place, the all around flavor was pleasant and I did enjoy the Spice (I would/Could add a little more ‘fire’ if I wanted to)
Last place would be the Wolf. For the regular price and the all out (in my opinion) less quality, there is no way I would spend anymore $$$ of the Wolf Brand. I really did NOT like the Paste-In-A-Can texture of the Wolf and it just seemed the Flavor was not there.
Thank you all for reading my “experiments”, hope they help out some.
Life is good being a Dog here on Lighting Point, time, again, for a Nap, this stuff is hard work HAHAHA.
And now a word from the Old-Man.
Good afternoon.
I just wanted to really encourage all of you out there to keep working on that Deep-Pantry and dare I say it, “Preparedness”?
Honestly things are not looking all too good on the Radar focused on the World Stage.
Do a little research on the upcoming events heading our way (NO I’m NOT fear mongering), read about the possible food shortages and price increases expected, HECK just look at the cost of food and fuel now compared to 18 months ago.
And YES we are officially in a Recession, and Inflation is getting worse and worse. What will that $2.79 can of Hormel Chili cost you in a year, 2 years, and 5 years?
Are you Ready/Prepared with a substantial Deep-Pantry.
Thank you ALL for taking the time to read Blues Article, it keeps him off the Street at night HAHAHA
God Bless ya all
NRP&Blue