Peanut Butter Blind Taste Test

For anyone who’s familiar with my eating habits, it should come as no surprise that I’d conduct a thorough investigation to unmask the best peanut butter ever. I’m literally, and please excuse the pun, a peanut butter nut. I like it stirred into oatmeal for breakfast, I like it spread on a banana for a snack, I’m a sucker for Ramen noodles w/ a side of PB&J, I sneak it into dinners like Build-Your-Own Thai Lettuce Wraps, Mole Enchiladas and other Southeast Asian, Indian, and African inspired dishes. And I’ve always got a jar, usually two, at home and in the office for spoonful-by-spoonful snacking. So I decided to put on my lab coat, enlist some help, and get down to business to discover the best peanut butter ever via a blind taste test.

About the style of peanut butters tasted:
I only tested peanut butters that are both smooth and blended (not separated.) When you eat as much peanut butter as I eat and you make messes like I make messes you’ve gotta stick with the no-stir kind of peanut butter - the jars where the peanuts and oil are NOT separated. Decoagulating the separated kind has been known to result in some dastardly spillage, and The Sistaster does not think highly of oil slicks in the kitchen. So this study mostly eliminates “natural” peanut butters. Personally, I don’t discriminate between chunky and smooth but to limit my variables I thought it best just to test smooth peanut butters since the flavor, color, texture, and nuttiness factors would be easier to judge without the actual nuts present. I chose a selection of peanut butters that I hope are widely available to the average pb consumer.

Peanut Butters Tested (in alphabetical order):

Jif Creamy
Peter Pan Creamy
Reese’s Creamy
Skippy Creamy
Smart Balance Omega Peanut Butter
Whole Foods “Whole Kids” Organic Smooth

Tasting Technique Used
I blindfolded the jars of peanut butter (see image below), not the tasters, and asked the tasters to sample and evaluate each peanut butter based on the following criteria: color, texture, nuttiness, and flavor. Tasters were then asked to order each jar based on overall preference. Water and table crackers were provided for palate cleansing.

Thank you to my tasters:
Thank you dear Tasters, from the bottom of my peanut-butter-sticky heart. I knew I had the right crew for the job as this bunch dips (single dips only, thank you, Ali, PCU and lbCake frown on double-dipping) into our communal jar of peanut butter as much as I do. Thank you Ali from the Valley, Park City Utah, and Poundcake. Your professionalism and seriousness in regards to tasting this snack food are astounding, your comments astute, and the pride you take in your work obvious (See photo of Ali’s Peanut Butter Palette below.)

The Results (Drum roll…..):
Here I list the peanut butters (least to best) according to average overall rank with comments from the Tasters:

6. Reese’s Creamy (ave. rank 0.75 / 6.00)
Color: light brown
Texture: matte and thick
Nuttiness: not much peanut flavor
Flavor: sweet, “not rich”, not much taste, “blah”

5. Smart Balance Omega Peanut Butter (ave. rank 1.50 / 6.00)
Color: medium brown by very oily
Texture: oily, (“greasy,” “slimy”) but not creamy
Nuttiness: nutty but not like peanuts
Flavor: “earthy,” “soy flavor,” “fishy,” “slightly off taste” healthy taste, less sweet. “Good for sandwiches.”

3. Skippy Creamy (ave. rank 2.00 / 6.00)
Color: darker brown
Texture: smooth
Nuttiness: “not much”
Flavor: sweet, “candy-like,” “clings unpleasantly to the tongue”

3. Peter Pan Creamy (ave. rank 2.00 / 6.00)
Color: deeper color
Texture: more granular
Nuttiness: not very peanuty
Flavor: “caramely,” “burnt,” “tastes like a dessert,” “like candy”

2. Whole Foods “Whole Kids” Organic Smooth (ave. rank: 4.75 / 6.00)
Color: medium brown, butterscotch
Texture: “shiny,” slightly wet but thick and smooth, “sticks on tongue”
Nuttiness: “real peanut taste and aftertaste”
Flavor: “rich flavor” but with a nice peanut taste, “punchy”

1. Jif (ave. rank: 5.25 / 6.00)
Color: light brown, “matte” with dark specks
Texture: very smooth
Nuttiness: nutty!
Flavor: “nice sweet/salty combination,” “buttery,” “taste lingers,” “biggest taste” not as sweet as the others

Summary:
A big thanks to Poundcake for bringing in the Whole Foods Kids peanut butter (ranking #2 on our list.) This one hits all the sweet spots: it’s reasonably easy to locate (most large cities have Whole Foods nowadays), it’s creamy, peanuty, delicious, and “natural.” Hoorah! Tastier, but without the “natural”, is the perennial favorite Jif (#1 rank). Jff tastes just like what peanut butter should taste like, it’s the quintessence of PB, I’d say: good sweet salty balance, yummy peanut taste and doesn’t have the tongue-coating fattiness of some of the other brands. Now, if you live in the country and you’re local grocer is out of Jif then Peter Pan or Skippy are fair, but noticeably lesser, substitutes. And unless you’re gonna die without a scoop of peanut butter, avoid Reese’s – you’re better off with a real Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup or a Snickers Bar (packed with peanuts.) And regarding Smart Balance Omega 3, give it a whirl. It’s not terrible, it just doesn’t taste how you’d expect peanut butter to taste. If you’re expecting a soy butter you’d be better prepared.

In conclusion, I’m basically just grateful that I now have 6 jars of pb kicking around for me to dip into. I’d love to hear some comments on your own favorite peanut butter brands and uses.

I <3 PB 4ever,

Vanessa

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 6th, 2006 at 5:44 pm and is filed under Taste Test. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.