Tasters' choice
| • | Comparing the fast-food offerings |
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
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| Various fast-food takeout items were compared in a tasting at the Advertiser offices. Quiznos' Turkey Lite sandwich, below, got high marks from a dietitian but not much interest from other tasters.
Photos by Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser |
The Fast Food Four Fork Award went to Jack in the Box's Asian Chicken Salad — and not the fat-heavy version, either, but the stripped-down model made with a light balsamic-vinegar dressing (as opposed to the standard Asian Sesame type) and without the delicious but calorie-heavy fried won ton and toasted almond garnishes.
Graphic designer Chad Asuncion of Makiki praised the salad for its lightness and nutritional value. "It had just the right amount of taste in the dressing," he wrote on his comment sheet, noting that this was the view of "a predominant meat eater." Stella Bernardo of Waikiki, who works in our online operation, liked the substantial portion size. A restaurant manager, Anne Ramos of Mililani, noted its good value as a lunch entree (the approximately 18-ounce salad sells for $4.99). Lisa Ching of Pearl City said Jack in the Box was kind of out of the way for her, but she would drive to get this salad.
We asked a panel of nine tasters, including a dietitian, a restaurant manager, a low-carb dieter and a bunch of average eaters, to rate 10 dishes based on taste and texture, nutritional content and overall appeal. Tasters had access to the nutritional information for each of the items but were instructed to consider the fat, salt or carb quotient only if that normally plays a role in their food-buying decisions. They were also asked to cut the grilled or roasted sandwiches a little slack — even with a team of three doing quick food pick-ups, it was impossible to keep the food at the perfect serving temperature. Another issue tasters considered was whether the item, along with an appropriate drink, would be sufficient to satisfy a lunch-time appetite.
The bottom line: Did you like it? Would you order it again?
Our focus this time was on national fast-food chains, and we were looking particularly at dishes for which nutritional claims have been made — dishes characterized by the chain as low-carb or low-fat or as healthier choices than the typical burger and fries or fully loaded sub sandwich. We looked for chains that have been in the news lately for adding lighter menu items and we limited ourselves to five outlets (tasters can only handle so much food at a sitting!).
Not included in our calculations were a new light adult Happy Meal that McDonald's has been test-marketing (available here starting tomorrow), or the roasted chicken entrees that KFC will roll out Monday. We'll get to those when they become available.
Another salad, McDonald's Grilled Chicken California Cobb Salad with Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette (10.5 ounces, $4.89) came in second, with a three-fork salute from the tasters but a bit of suspicion on their part as well. They found it hard to believe that a 10-ounce salad containing a generous piece of grilled chicken plus crumbled cheese and egg and minced bacon could have just 270 calories. Dietitian Nicole A. Kerr was counting on her fingers and poking through the salad to estimate amounts of ingredients and couldn't make it add up: A boiled egg is nearly 80 calories. Three ounces of grilled chicken is more than 150 calories. An ounce of blue cheese is 100 calories. That's 330 calories without the greens, tomatoes or bacon bits, she said. Calls to McDonald's to question the nutritional breakdown had not been returned by press time.
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| "It was the best nutrition-wise. Low saturated-fat content, good source of protein and fiber, satisfying and filling."
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Subway's Mediterranean Salad ($3.99) with feta, chicken, tomatoes, various vegetables and greens, received some favorable comment, taster Ramos noting that "although the salad came pre-dressed, the greens held up." (It is possible to order the salad with dressing on the side.)
The harder the fast-food chains tried to mimic traditional burgers and other entrees, the less the tasters liked it. Veggie burgers from McDonald's and Burger King rated poorly. The BK Veggie Burger ($2.49), struck several tasters, oddly, as resembling saimin in flavor — salty, vaguely fishy with the texture of a wet noodle. The barbecue sauce on the McVeggie Burger ($2.79) came in for universal criticism. Neither of the dishes was in anyone's top three.
The BK Fire-grilled Chicken Baguette is an example of a pet peeve of tasters: food that's difficult to eat. The mini-loaf of sourdough-type bread stuffed with grilled onions and peppers and chicken in a tangy sauce sounded good. But it was difficult to cut or bite into without all the ingredients squirting in different directions. Even Asuncion, who liked the flavors of this sandwich and gave it three forks, said it had "the incorrect bread-to-chicken ratio — increase the size of the chicken or reduce the size of the bread and this sandwich is a go."
Wraps and pockets have become popular as a way to reduce carbs while keeping proteins in place, but only one of these — Jack in the Box's Chicken Fajita Pita ($3.19), introduced some time ago — did well in the tasting, coming in third with a two-fork rating. One taster, mortgage banker Jeff Wang of Honolulu, liked Quiznos' Oven-Roasted Turkey on Toasted Flatbread ($3.79) for its toasted taste and ultra-low 8.5g-carb rating; Quiznos' boasts of having more low-carb choices than other fast-food chains.
Dietitian and fitness counselor Kerr was the only one to give four forks (or, indeed, any forks) to Quiznos' Turkey Lite on wheat bread ($4.99). Taster Wang, who found the sandwich rather plain, asked why. Her answer: It was the only truly whole-wheat item (others were part whole wheat, part white flour) — and whole wheat offers fiber and promotes a sense of fullness. She liked that the turkey was thinly sliced and accented with a simple herb dressing.
"It was the best nutrition-wise," she wrote on her judging sheet. "Low saturated-fat content, good source of protein and fiber, satisfying and filling."
As she dashed out the door for her appointment with a client, Kerr summed up her thoughts on fast food — "healthy" or not. Many fast-food sandwiches, wraps, tacos and such are too easy to gulp down in a few bites, especially if you're driving and your attention is elsewhere. During the time lag between consuming the food and getting the fullness message from the brain, many people are tempted to keep eating even though they really have gotten sufficient nutrition and bulk already. These foods are often calorie-dense — that is, lots of calories for the size — and so not filling, especially if they're gulped.
Her advice: Sit down to eat (and not behind the wheel). Choose foods, like salads, that take time to eat. Chew and savor. You'll naturally eat less.
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A taster's comment: "Very light, full of taste. Makes me want to keep on eating."
— Jeff Wang, Honolulu |
* With low-fat balsamic vinaigrette, without won ton strips or almonds
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A taster's comment: "Chicken was quite meaty, a substantial serving, good combination of greens, blue cheese, tomatoes."
— Stella Bernardo, Waikiki |
*But tasters questioned the calorie count. With Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette
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A taster's comment: " 'Ono, moist, good value and good nutritional value, too."
— Hale Cauton, Makiki |
Comparing the fast-food offerings
Items in the Fast Food Fork Award tasting:
McDonald's McVeggie Burger on a whole wheat bun with barbecue sauce (350 calories, 8 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 0 grams cholesterol, 1,490 milligrams sodium, 47 grams carb, 9 grams fiber, 11 grams sugar, 24 grams protein)
McDonald's Grilled Chicken California Cobb Salad with Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette (salad: 270 calories, 11 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 145 milligrams cholesterol, 1,060 milligrams sodium, 9 grams carb, 3 grams fiber, 33 grams protein), (dressing: 40 calories, 30 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 grams cholesterol, 730 milligrams sodium, 4 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams fiber, 0 grams protein)
Jack in the Box Chicken Fajita Pita (315 calories, 9 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 65 milligrams cholesterol, 1,080 milligrams sodium, 33 grams carbohydrate, less than one gram fiber, 4 grams sugar, 22 grams protein)
Jack in the Box Asian Chicken Salad (with Asian Sesame Dressing, won ton strips and almonds, 595 calories, 32.5 grams fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat, 25 milligrams cholesterol, 1,315 milligrams sodium, 58 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams fiber, 29 grams sugar; without strips or almonds but with Asian Sesame dressing 375 calories, 17.5 grams fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 25 milligrams cholesterol, 1,265 milligrams sodium, 41 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 27 grams sugar, 14 grams protein; with low-fat balsamic dressing, 185 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 25 milligrams cholesterol, 1,085 milligrams sodium, 27grams carb, 4 grams fiber, 17 grams sugar, 13 grams protein)
Subway Atkins Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap (480 calories, 27 grams fat, 9 grams saturated fat, 95 milligrams cholesterol, 1,340 milligrams sodium, 19 grams carbohydrate, 11 grams fiber, 3 grams protein)
Subway Mediterranean Chicken with Greek vinaigrette: (370 calories, 26 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 55 milligrams cholesterol, 1,110 milligrams sodium, 14 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams fiber, 23 grams protein)
Burger King Fire-Grilled Chicken Baguette (380 calories, 4 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 45 milligrams cholesterol, 1,450 milligrams sodium, 56 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 7 grams sugar, 31 grams protein)
BK Veggie sandwich with mayonnaise (380 calories, 16 grams fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 5 milligrams cholesterol, 930 milligrams sodium, 46 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams sugar, 14 grams protein)
Quiznos' Turkey Lite on wheat bread (340 calories, 6 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 19 milligrams cholesterol, 52 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 24 grams protein)
Quiznos' Oven-roasted Turkey Toasted Flatbread Sandwich (n/a, except 8.4 grams carbohydrates)
Source of nutritional data: chain Web sites
