I taste tested 13 Canadian chocolate bars to determine the nation’s best – and worst. Which Canadian chocolate bar scored a golden ticket – and which left me still looking for Mr. Goodbar?

Taste TestsBrian FrancisAugust 1, 2025Food Comments

Best and Worst Cottage Cheese

Can cottage cheese stand on its own merits? Will it always be the yawn-inducing third cousin of more dynamic cheeses, like Gouda, Pecorino and Cheez Whiz? And which brand is best?

Taste TestsBrian FrancisMay 8, 2025Food Comments

Best and Worst Potato Chips

I’ve never met a potato chip I didn’t like. For me, chips count as one of the four food groups, alongside chocolate, Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk, and macaroni salad.

Taste TestsBrian FrancisJanuary 29, 2025Food Comments

Best and Worst Pandoro

Back in 2021, I did a panettone taste test with my Italian mother-in-law. It continues to be one of my most popular posts. Clearly, the world needs this kind of in-depth journalism.

Taste TestsBrian FrancisDecember 3, 2024Food Comments

Best and Worst Store-Bought Chocolate Chip Cookies

When it comes to cookies, nothing beats the classic chocolate chip. (Although my heart will always belong to Pirate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies.)

Taste TestsBrian FrancisSeptember 12, 2024Taste Tests Comments

Best and Worst Store-Bought Potato Salad

In my family, you can always count on someone bringing a potato salad. (Or, as my mom called it, “pah-day-dah” salad.) Creamy and chunky, potato salad is the classic accompaniment to split hot dogs, charred hamburgers, and lukewarm beer.

Taste TestsBrian FrancisJuly 25, 2024Food Comments

Best and Worst Store-Bought Butter Tarts

When it comes to Canadian icons, butter tarts are right up there with Casey and Finnegan. But for something so simple, butter tarts can go so wrong. Too sweet, too much crust, too gummy, the list goes on.

Taste TestsBrian FrancisMay 29, 2024Food Comments

Best and Worst Jarred Salsa

Some people like to dance salsa. Me, I like to eat salsa. I put it on Crispy Minis, in my scrambled eggs, and, of course, on tortilla chips. But I’ve never given much thought to different brands of salsa.

Taste TestsBrian FrancisApril 11, 2024Food Comments

Best and Worst Shortbread

Scotland has gifted the world with many treasures, including the Loch Ness Monster, stuffed sheep stomach, and the voice of Sheena Easton. Scotland has also given the world shortbread.

Taste TestsBrian FrancisDecember 12, 2023 Comments

Best and Worst Halloween Candy

As a kid, I don’t know what terrified me more at Halloween time: Getting too close to an open flame in my polyester costume, crossing the street at night while wearing a plastic mask with two tiny slits for eyeholes, or peering into strangers’ houses and seeing their unfortunate home decor choices.

Taste TestsBrian FrancisOctober 12, 2023Food Comments

Best and Worst Foods at the C.N.E.

Every year, people make a big deal about all the freaky food available at the Canadian National Exhibition. Fruit Loops-crusted hot dogs. Tater Tots with whipped cream. Chocolate-dipped pickles rolled in feta, then covered with caramel sauce and sauerkraut. .

Taste TestsBrian FrancisAugust 22, 2023Food Comments

Best and Worst Boxed Macaroni and Cheese

Long considered to be a Canadian national dish, Kraft Dinner has been a staple in many households since it was first introduced in 1937. During my childhood, it was part of a balanced meal once you added the ketchup (vegetable) and a cut-up boiled wiener (protein).

Taste TestsBrian FrancisJuly 2, 2023 Comments