Three Kinds of Peanut Butter

Smooth, chunky and natural styles

With a few exceptions, there are three basic kinds of peanut butter: smooth, chunky and natural (that is, without any hydrogenated fats, which extend shelf life and keep oils from separating out). Within any one brand -- say, Skippy or Jif -- the main difference between creamy and chunky peanut butter lies mostly in texture, not in taste. Still, most reviewers consider creamy, chunky and natural peanut butters separately. (The exceptions include Newsday and The Washington Post, which include both natural and processed brands in separate tastings of creamy and chunky peanut butters.)

Among reviewers, neither of the two other national brands of processed peanut butter (with a couple of notable exceptions) outscores Skippy or Jif. As you might gather from its name, Reese's peanut butter (*Est. $2.40 for an 18-ounce jar) is exceptionally sweet and smooth, which doesn't make it a particular favorite of adult reviewers (unfortunately, Newsday does not include Reese's in its kids' taste test). Cook's Illustrated's testing team does like its "full-bodied" flavor, but says its tasters took exception to Reese's "stiff texture" and "strange color." A roundup by the St. Petersburg Times in 2004 puts Reese's in the top spot, thanks to its "sweet flavor, great texture and nice color." Peter Pan ranks among the top choices in only one roundup -- by Newsday -- and even here, kids rank Peter Pan Creamy (*Est. $2.40 for an 18-ounce jar) behind Skippy Creamy and Skippy Natural Creamy. Cook's Illustrated is less generous, saying Peter Pan "tastes like a peanut-butter-flavored something, not peanut butter."