Graham crackers have been a mainstay of the American pantry since 1829, when Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister, got here up with the eponymous complete wheat cracker. The unique crackers had been with out fats, sugar, and salt, and the cardboard-like concoction was meant to discourage immoral ideas—and really, very completely different from the sweetened graham crackers we all know and love at present, fortunately for us. They’re important in s’mores and, when crumbled and tossed with butter, make wonderful crusts for cheesecakes and dessert bars. Additionally they make an awesome snack (one which our ultramarathoning editor, Rochelle, swears by for carbo-loading). However not all graham crackers are made the identical.
Critical Eats / Amanda Suarez
To search out the easiest graham crackers, we tasted seven completely different manufacturers you’re prone to discover on-line or at your native grocery store. We sampled every with out figuring out which graham cracker was which, and after our editors tasted their approach by way of seven completely different crackers, we tabulated the outcomes and topped an general winner we’d be completely satisfied to carry to our personal campfires, plus one different worthy contender.
Critical Eats / Amanda Suarez
The Standards
A very good graham cracker ought to have a touch of earthiness from complete wheat flour; it ought to style comparatively healthful, with out reminding you of sawdust or cardboard. It ought to be properly crisp and durable, however not so robust that it’s tough to interrupt simply together with your enamel. There ought to be a delicate sweetness; notes of honey, molasses, or vanilla are welcome, however shouldn’t be overpowering. Graham crackers ought to be simply thick sufficient to sandwich a s’extra, however not so thick that they’re unattainable to chunk into.
The Contenders
- 365 Natural Honey Graham Crackers
- Annie’s Natural Graham Crackers
- Bowl and Basket Sugar Honey Graham Crackers
- Favourite Day Honey Flavored Graham Crackers
- Honey Maid Graham Crackers
- Nabisco Grahams Unique
- Wegman’s Honey Graham Crackers
Total Winner
Nabisco Grahams Unique
Our editorial director, Daniel, thought these tasted “traditional,” and described them as “ethereal and crisp.” Equally, our affiliate editorial director, Megan, thought these had a “stable graham cracker texture” and had been “properly crispy.” Our senior social media editor, Kelli, detected a “trace of warming spices,” which doubtless got here from the molasses. Although Megan discovered them barely bland, she appreciated that they weren’t too candy. “It’s fantastic! It wants marshmallows and chocolate,” she wrote. However then once more, don’t all graham crackers?
Runner Up
Favourite Day Honey Flavored Graham Crackers
Our editors loved the honeyed notes of those crackers; Daniel as soon as once more thought these tasted “traditional.” Although Kelli loved the flavour of those crackers, she discovered them a bit too crumbly: “I took a chunk and the entire cracker disintegrated onto my shirt.” Different tasters, nonetheless, appreciated their crispiness.
In Conclusion
Except for one model, which tasted stale and had a burnt aftertaste, many of the graham crackers we tried had been fairly good. Our winner, Nabisco Traditional Grahams, was the one model we tried that didn’t comprise honey; the crackers are as a substitute sweetened with each sugar and molasses. All different manufacturers contained sugar and honey and/or molasses.
Critical Eats / Amanda Suarez
As a result of graham crackers are normally a vessel or an accompaniment for different sweets—both as a crust or a automobile for s’mores—the standard of the cracker you utilize is probably not as vital as the standard of the components you pair with them, resembling your pie filling or chocolate and marshmallows for s’mores. Should you’re planning on cooking or baking with graham crackers, you’re prone to be glad with whichever model you select. Should you plan on consuming the crackers on their very own, although, you may want a extra flavorful cracker to snack on, like our winners, Nabisco Traditional Grahams and Favourite Day Honey Flavored Graham Crackers.
Our Testing Methodology
All style checks are performed with manufacturers fully hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A could style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. That is to forestall palate fatigue from unfairly giving anyone pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets rating the samples for numerous standards. All information is tabulated and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter in an effort to give us probably the most neutral illustration doable.
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