Before scrolling down, think to yourself for a moment. Uncrustable. It’s an odd word to use to describe a food product, right? What could it be? I’ll save you the guesswork.
Yes, apparently making PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY sandwiches is too much trouble for parents in today’s go-go world. What they need is for someone else to make the sandwiches, freeze them ahead of time, ship them across the country wrapped in plastic and cardboard where they can be kept safely fresh in a supermarket freezer, hurried home (so they don’t thaw!) by said parent (who is too busy to spend 15 seconds making a fresh sandwich, but apparently has time to do their own grocery shopping and locate this product in the frozen foods section?) and then withdrawn from the home freezer when the time is right (weeks or months down the line, because obviously if the need was for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch tomorrow, they’d just make a fresh one, right?).
From their site:
Simply keep them in the freezer, then pack them in your lunch in the morning. By lunchtime, Uncrustables® are thawed and ready to eat.
Smuckers found a need that didn’t exist, and provided a solution. Or maybe I am wrong and there are millions of school children opening their lunchboxes each day saying: “Oh man, my PB&J is stale AGAIN!”?
If you still aren’t swayed, take a look at the ingredients:
- BREAD:
- ENRICHED UNBLEACHED FLOUR
- WHEAT FLOUR
- MALTED BARLEY FLOUR
- NIACIN
- REDUCED IRON
- THIAMIN MONONITRATE
- RIBOFLAVIN
- FOLIC ACID
- WATER
- HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
- YEAST
- PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL
- CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF:
- WHEAT GLUTEN
- SALT
- DOUGH CONDITIONERS - MAY CONTAIN ONE OR MORE OF: (apparently they aren’t sure which ones they used)
- DIACETYL TARTARIC ESTERS OF MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES (DATEM)
- MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES
- ETHOXYLATED MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES
- SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE
- CALCIUM PEROXIDE (which is used as an oxygen fertilizer and “For all practical purposes calcium peroxide is insoluble in water” according to wikipedia)
- ASCORBIC ACID
- AZODICARBONAMIDE
- L-CYSTEINE
- YEAST NUTRIENTS - MAY CONTAIN ONE OR MORE OF
- MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE
- CALCIUM SULFATE
- AMMONIUM SULFATE (also commonly used as a fertilizer)
- CALCIUM PROPIONATE (MAINTAIN FRESHNESS)
- CORNSTARCH
- ENZYMES (WITH WHEAT)
- PEANUT BUTTER:
- SELECT ROASTED PEANUTS
- DEXTROSE
- VEGETABLE MONOGLYCERIDES (FROM PALM OIL)
- SALT
- STRAWBERRY JAM:
- STRAWBERRIES
- HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
- CORN SYRUP
- SUGAR
- PECTIN
- CITRIC ACID
- POTASSIUM SORBATE ADDED AS A PRESERVATIVE
Thankfully, strawberries are the first ingredient of the jam! Sadly, the next three ingredients are sugar. Has anyone ever tried these? Word on the street is they taste like PB&J without the bread. Heavy on the jelly.
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Bllluuuuccckkkkk!!
However, I am slightly surprised that their peanut butter lists sugar “only” as the second ingredient. Last time I checked several of the highly marketed brands of peanut butter available at the local grocery store actually list sugar as the first ingredient.
Besides being a foodstuff of questionable value, Smuckers tried to get a patent on said crustless concoction, specifically, the crimping method. Thankfully, that one was rejected: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050409/news_1b9smucker.html although they still hold a patent (purchased from the inventors, I assume) covering the object itself.
While searching for this tasty patent morsel, I came across another site listing a few reasons why these ‘untouchables’ shouldn’t be eaten: http://propercourse.blogspot.com/2007/08/uncrustables.html Spoiler alert: “They taste vile.”
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District has been serving these “sandwiches” at my high school in Homer, Alaska and several of us are questioning their nutritional value. They contain few organic ingredients, except for peanuts, vegetable oil, salt, and molasses. Refined sugar is the third ingredient; and the sandwich also contains grape jelly, high fructose corn syrup, and corn syrup. Several of us are researching the additives, WE ARE CONCERNED!
The way you speak of Uncrustables, you make it sound as if they are the direct spawns of Satan, himself.
The fact is, Uncrustables taste better than your typical PB&J Sandwich, they make much less mess, and they are convenient. I went canoeing with 8 friends, and we decided to stop and eat. Guess what we had! Uncrustabes, granola bars, and water. It was (at least moreso than many meals) healthy, easy, convenient, and quick. We didn’t need to go through with bringing peanut butter, jelly, bread, knives, plates, or anything. We had it there in front of us. Done.
Consider alterative arguements before making your own.
Ryan, I did consider the alternative arguments before making my own. All of your arguments revolve around the consumer convenience of Uncrustables, which is hard to refute. They are designed to be convenient for the consumer. (Their environmental convenience however, cannot be defended)
This blog has nothing to do with the convenience of food. Our march towards food convenience is what got us into the mess we’re in, where consumers can call Uncrustables (a product with roughly 38 ingredients, 5 of which are sugar, and more than a dozen that are basically chemicals) “healthy” with a straight face, while condemning those who suggest otherwise.
Ryan, Love your comments. My kids were introduced to uncrustables at school and were touting them as “hot lunch.” Because the kids liked them my wife started buying them for after school snacks since I guess she figured they were a little healthier than a cookie- that was until I went shopping with her and found out how expensive they were. I am a tight wad and put an end to that. As a dad I had every complaint you posted plus the fact that bread is square and not round - I’d love to know what smuckers does with the krust and the rest of the soft bread my kids would have eaten….
Anyways, I invented my own device where I could make my own sealed crustless sandwiches that would satisfy my kids smaller stomachs and allow me to make them healthier sandwiches. I call it the Krustbuster and so far parent love it cause they can use the undisturbed crusts in croutons casseroles and stuffings and there are no sharp edges so kids can use it. Did I say I made it dishwasher safe ? It also doubles as a container that keeps the sandwich fresh and unsmushed in their lunch sack so the apple and milk can’t attack the sandwich. It ends up as soft and fluffy as the minute you made it. Oh and also did I say it works great on any bread not just enriched unbleached flour breads
Also I had a 55 year old biker email me and tell how much he loves to make his pre-made sandwiches with the Krustbuster and he packs them full of good protein. He says its the only way to eat a peanut butter and honey without the honey running down his hands while biking.
Try a healthy tuna fish Krustbuster- Smuckers would never attempt to freeze that.
I’ll send you a free one if you’d like to review it.
I have to say, I am in love with the PB and honey wheat uncrustables and I am in my twenties. I can’t make a sandwich for less than the 210 calories that an uncrustable has, and it tastes amazing. Unfortunately, most of the stores around my house stopped selling the honey wheat flavor, so I’ve been without my delicious lunch for months. I love Darren’s comment about his crustbuster, I am curious about how to make a sandwich with the honey without it getting everywhere. How did you make this crustbuster and where can I get one myself?!
Murph, check it out: http://www.krustbuster.com/
Murph,
For bike rides I use a wheat Grandma Sycamores bread, Skippy Peanut butter, spread on both sides of the bread, ( for long rides the peanut butter acts as a barrier to the honey so it doesn’t soak into the bread ) glob some honey in the middle of the first piece - ( There’s a thick white honey that tastes awesome that you can spread on ) put the top piece on and put it in the krustbuster- push down and it cuts the crust off and seals it into a square pocket sandwich. I can then freeze them the night before or make it fresh if I have time.
You can see a animation of the utility on our front page at Krustbuster.com and there is a independent review done on it by a NBC station in Atlanta. The link is on our front page under Krustbuster in the news.
There are also some actual step by step instructions under Sandwich ideas on the website. After getting the kids off this morning my wife didn’t have time to cook an egg for her egg sandwich so she threw an egg in the Kupbuster (cooks a square egg in a microwave like mcdonalds but a lot healthier ) and put it between two pieces of bread and she was out the door to the gym in about a minute.
You can order the Krustbuster direct from my website or there are a lot of gourmet kitchen shops that carry it all over like Spoons and Spice. I know that Bed Bath and beyond are testing it in some stores.
The two new sandwiches I will be posting on the website soon are a what my kids call “dad’s famous hot dog pocket sandwich and dad’s famous sweet cream cheese french toast. Good luck on your quest for some great sandwiches.
Yeah, I’m a little irked at WXIA . . . I submitted the Krustbuster for their “Try it before you buy it” segment many, many months ago. Then never even got an email that they’d chosen to try it! I’m glad they liked it though!
I’ve been pondering one for months. I’ve even taken the first steps to buy it . . . but always get nervous when IE “warns” me that the certificate doesn’t match, etc, and put it off (again). At some point I’m going to have to ‘give in’ and take the plunge.
I love the idea of making an entire loaf’s worth at a time and freezing them to grab, as needed, to thaw in my daughter’s lunchbox. I can control what goes in them, and thus feel a lot better about them too.
I think that the end of the world is nigh. If these products ever hit Australian soils, I’m boycotting them.
For the kids researching the food additives, go to http://www.fedup.com.au
Thanks so much for this post. I was just going to review this product for my own site (Smuckers Uncrustables) and thought I’d read what others are saying. I like how you break out all of the ingredients. It is a price we pay isn’t it - we want convenience and then wonder why we are a fat nation and have so many diseases. We want it now and really don’t care what they put into it to make it that way.
Darren - I would love to review your Krustbuster on my site but there is no way to contact you on your site - no email me. Feel free to contact me instead. Sorry TheReluctantEater for “borrowing” your site for just a sec but thanks and thanks again for the post.
Oh and in your defense, this IS your blog right? So what people read IS your opinion and if they don’t like if they can always go to the 100 zillion other blogs out in the Blogosphere. Don’t you just love it when someone comes to your blog, reads what you have to say and tells you that you shouldn’t have that opinion. Duh, that is why we setup a blog in the first place - to tell OUR opinion
Thanks Sweetie! Come back and let us know when you’ve reviewed it on your blog.
I am putting it up tomorrow with a link to your post here. Actually, Smuckers is giving away 20,000 coupons for these things tomorrow (http://www.smuckers.com/promotions/uncrustables/) - my job is just to tell the world they are free
But I like what you said so I give the readers the option to find out the truth from you. Thanks for your site.
Hey i was just reading about these. I don’t buy them for my kids due to the fact that i can just make them PB&J sandwiches quickly and easily ..for wayyy less money. I did like the fact that the edges were sealed though so i purchased a tool to seal them. It must be like the “krustbuster” mentioned above. I don’t know what mine is called..i got it at a pampered chef party thing. Just thought i would throw out some extra possiblilies if you decide to get one of these neat lil gadgets!!! I bought some pie crust (dough) and filled with apples and toasted peacns and im making mini sealed pies. (kinda like hostess…only fresher and tastier!) i’ve also done it with pizza dough and filled with sauce and cheese..for mini kid friend calzones. I love it!!!
I’m not a kid, but I love Uncrustables! They are delicious! I can not make homemade PB&J that tastes good…. seriously, that’s how lousy of a cook I am. And all because a parent packs these for their kids doesn’t mean they are lazy or a bad mom. Geesh.
I don’t see what the problem is with this product. It’s convenient, so what? I make my own macaroni and cheese from scratch, make my own syrup for our whole wheat pancakes, I make our juice with a juicer, we eat granola and yogurt, turkey bacon, veggie burgers, raw vegetables and fresh fruit….and I buy Uncrustables. It’s a convenient snack, not a complete diet…so why does it matter if it’s not 100% goodness by (who’s?) standards.
Just because a person buys these convenient products doesn’t mean they are lazy or their kids are overweight and unhealthy. My children have little body fat, lead an active life and eat anything from corn dogs to sushi to asparagus. Heck, while I was grocery shopping today, the cashier commented on how healthy we eat. Guess what else was in our basket….Uncrustables! Just because a person buys these pre-packaged products doesn’t mean it should be stereotyped into an ‘unhealthy lifestyle’ like previous posters have suggested.
Good point Suzanne. I’m curious though…it seems like you make an effort for them to have really healthy food, why does Uncrustables get an exception? Part of my mockery of this product is that they took one of the easiest foods you could possibly make, and made it “more convenient”. This tiny time savings has created a ton of negative effects that are basically passed along to society as a whole: extra energy required to refrigerate, extra garbage for our landfills and the people eating them: you took a product that at it’s simplest is peanuts, fruit and bread and turned it into 40 ingredients.
I understand why you would take offense to some of the things said in this post, but it’s the same as asking someone who recycles, walks to work, and has solar panels on their roof why they drive a Yukon. You definitely get points for all the other great stuff you do.
And this blog tries to be about 100% goodness, that’s why products like Uncrustables get bashed.
Why do you have such a problem with the ingredients? If you were to make a regular PB & J out of similar bread, peanut butter, and jelly it would have almost identical contents.
I get these for the convenience. I don’t eat them often, but if I am in a rush in the morning it’s easy to grab one, and it’s healthier (and cheaper) than buying whatever I can find around work. Also, I live alone and do not eat much bread. If I were to buy the individual ingredients for PB & J most of the bread would go bad before I could use it.
I would agree that the majority of Americans are lazy and unhealthy when it comes to food. However, these are much healthier than most easy frozen foods, and much more tasty.