Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Review of Schar's gluten-free products

While browsing Sprout's gluten-free section the other day, I found a section with Schar's products. These are German products, although they have a US-based headquarters in New Jersey. I had heard of them years ago, but it's just been a few years that they were readily available and the first time I have seen them in the store. I don't usually order food online so I was waiting for it to make it to the stores.

First up, Table Crackers. The photo on the package looks fabulous, making me imagine biting into a crispy Saltine cracker just like the old days. They are a little bigger, but break it in half and it's about the size of a Saltine. Unfortunately, that's as close as it comes to tasting like a Saltine. As far as crackers go, this one doesn't have too much of a strong taste and that's not always a bad thing. Saltines don't have much taste either if you think about it. That helps with whatever you top it off with. These are better than Ener-G crackers, thicker, crispier and a little tastier, but not as good as a Saltine. I love the crispy crunch of these and they are strong enough to hold up to cheese and other toppings. I'll buy these again since I won't be eating a Saltine soon, but I prefer Glutino crackers. (review to follow)

Next up, the Vanilla Wafer cookies. Now, I'm already a big fan of Glutino's Lemon Wafer Cookies. They are always in my fridge for a sweet treat. I assumed these would be just as good, but vanilla. Not really...they have a funny aftertaste that lingers after the cookie is gone. It is nice and crispy and light, just like a wafer should be, but it's not even close to Glutino's precious lemon wafers. I won't be buying these again.

Finally, Schar's has a Ladyfingers. These are quite large and the photo on the package is what attracted me. They are perfect for tiramisu, or so the package states. The picture looked so good, I had to try them.

This cookie was a pleasant surprise and is light, fluffy, airy and surprisingly not too sweet. It pairs perfectly with a cup of tea since is not overpowering or too sweet. I haven't tried the tiramisu yet, but the package has a lot in there so I still have some left to give it a try. I will definitely buy this again since I love having 1/2 of one at night with my tea. It doesn't feel like cheating or eating too much...just right.

5 comments:

Sara (from Saving for Someday) said...

Thanks for taking the difficult challenge of trying these for all of us. I saw these but passed them up b/c of the 'unknown'. I'll be needing to make some tiramisu in a few weeks so I'll use these based on your recommendation. We'll see if anyone else notices.

comma girl said...

Great, and I hope it works out. And if you need any help, I would be happy to try it for you!

Anonymous said...

I like the Schar table crackers. They lack the salt of a saltine, but I think they are great when you want a simple cracker with a piece of cold meat or cheese, and good with chili. Fairly tasteless but sometimes you need that in a cracker. I haven't tried Glutino, but I will.

Jennifer said...

That first picture had me excited! I miss Saltines.

comma girl said...

Thanks, guys. I'm happy to try anything new. More and more great things come out all the time. glutino is more like Ritz, although just in texture. I like the Cheese and Plain varieties.

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