By Scott Nyerges on January 15, 2010 in
Slashfood.com likes Skippy, Whole Foods peanut butter
Editors at Slashfood.com sample a whopping 35 peanut butters, rating them on a scale of 1 to 5 for taste, mouth feel, spreadability and general appeal, as well as providing basic nutrition information. Findings and reviewer comments are presented in a slide show, which is easy to read but appears to be ordered randomly -- we had to wade through nearly every single slide before coming across the top-ranked Whole Foods 365 Crunchy Peanut Butter (*Est. $3 for 18 oz.), while the lowest-ranked Better 'n Peanut Butter (*Est. $6 for 16 oz.) appears in the second slide in the show.
The Whole Foods peanut butter earns top marks in all but one category (it receives a score of 4 for spreadability), with editors saying, "This is how PB should taste -- like peanuts!" Slashfood.com editors also review Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter (*Est. $2.40 for 18 oz.), Skippy Super Chunk Peanut Butter (*Est. $2.40 for 18 oz.) and Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter (*Est. $3,20 for 16 oz.), all of which made our list of Best Reviewed peanut butters back in 2007. Curiously, Skippy Super Chunk earns the very same score as the Whole Foods 365 peanut butter, with editors saying it "tastes like real peanut butter," yet it isn't named a favorite. They rate Skippy Creamy slightly lower, saying it's merely "standard" and "a bit salty," while Smucker's scores no better than a 2 in all categories ("too smooth and runny").
Skippy and Smucker's tops at Cooking Light
The two Skippy peanut butters fare better in a four-product review by Cooking Light magazine. Editors at that publication taste 16 peanut butters, narrowing them down to four favorites and then baking batches of peanut butter cookies with each before choosing an overall winner. Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter takes the cake (or, in this case, the cookie) as the best peanut butter overall, with editors saying it "makes the perfect peanut butter sandwich" and mixes well in dips, dressings and baked goods. Meanwhile, Skippy Super Chunk ties with Jif Extra Crunchy (*Est. $2.60 for 18 oz.) as the best crunchy peanut butter. Our only criticism of this review? Editors don't discuss the other 12 peanut butters they considered before settling on the four best.
Real Simple goes natural with Smucker's, Santa Cruz
Processed peanut butters like Skippy are sometimes criticized as unhealthy because they contain hydrogenated fats, emulsifiers that prolong a peanut butter's shelf life and keep its oils from separating from the ground peanuts. As we point out in our full report, natural peanut butters are more healthful than processed peanut butters, but are also more expensive, have a shorter shelf life and need to be mixed before serving, which not all consumers like.
We found a couple of sources that review natural peanut butters, including Real Simple magazine, which discusses six such spreads in three categories: creamy, chunky and unsalted. In the creamy peanut butter category, Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter finishes second to Santa Cruz Organic Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter (*Est. $5.50 for 16 oz.), which is "nice and rich, without being too dense," according to one reviewer. Interestingly, in the chunky peanut butter category, Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter finishes ahead of Santa Cruz Organic (*Est. $5 for 16 oz.), earning praise for its "addictive toasty and roasty flavor." In the unsalted category, Joseph's Sugar-Free Creamy Valencia Peanut Butter (*Est. $3 for 18 oz.) takes top honors.
PeanutButterBoy.com likes peanut butter. Period
We found a few other reviews that are less critical, but nevertheless offer more insight into peanut butter preference. One of the more amusing sources is PeanutButterBoy.com, a website run by Nick Strand, a self-described peanut butter obsessive and cooking enthusiast. Strand has reviewed dozens of peanut butters, among them Whole Foods 365 Creamy Peanut Butter, which he describes as his "new favorite peanut butter" and the creamy version of Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter, described as a "good standard peanut butter." The website isn't particularly well organized, so you'll have to dig for reviews, but if nothing else, PeanutButterBoy.com will give you a good idea of just how many peanut butters there are available.
Our opinion
Much like our recent blog post on the best pasta sauce, there seems to be little reason to recommend peanut butters other than those that made our Best Reviewed list a few years ago. However, if you've tried Skippy or Smucker's, it's worth checking out the reviews at Slashfood.com and PeanutButterBoy.com to find a new peanut butter.