It’s airy, cube-like, and orange: the GIANT CHEETO. I recently came across this freak of the potato-chip world at my local grocery store, and was intrigued enough by the idea to purchase a bag. The package itself didn’t really offer any additional information as to what I would find inside; apparently the marketing group thought the words “giant” and “Cheeto” would serve as sufficient clues.
In the safety and privacy of my own kitchen, I ripped open the bag and found…GIANT CHEETOS. Well not really. In my mind, a Giant Cheeto would look the same as a standard Cheeto, only bigger. The standard Cheeto is a tube-style item, either a plain tube (the puffed version) or a twisted tube (the crunchy version). Giant Cheetos are a completely different shape: a cross between a cube and a sphere perhaps, since they are squarish with rounded corners. Why not just go with the regular sphere, I wonder. Maybe there is some kind of patent infringement with the once popular Planter’s Cheese Ball.
At least we can agree that the Giant Cheeto is in fact giant. It’s a little bigger than a ping-pong ball, and my child could barely put it inside his mouth and then chew it up normally. No need to worry about ounces, I checked the portion size and it revealed that you need only to consume eight of these at a sitting. Yikes! So I ate one. And I must say, the Giant Cheeto has design flaws that made the culinary experience somewhat unpleasant.
First, SHAPE & SIZE: The shape dictates that you must pop the whole thing in your mouth whole, since biting it would result in a snowstorm of Cheeto dust fluttering down over you. You get the usual cheese (or maybe cheeeeez) flavor when it first hits your tongue, but as soon as you start chewing it turns to a sensation more like eating a handful of those styrofoam packing peanuts---tasteless and filling. It almost seemed to be expanding in my mouth as I tried to chew it and swallow. Again, no worries about exceeding the recommended serving size: I doubt you could eat eight at one sitting, period.
Second, RATIO OF OUTER COATING TO INNARDS: Similar to the Atomic Fireball candy, the Giant Cheeto has too much flavorless ‘innard’ in relation to the flavorful ‘outside skin.’ This is less of a problem for the Atomic Fireball, since once the hot outer coating burns off, you at least have a plain sugary ball to suck. With the Giant Cheeto, the outer cheese immediately melts away and you are left trying to chow down the tasteless inner core. I suppose this is the reason the previously-mentioned Planter's Cheese Ball was only about the size of a large marble.
The little kids thought these were fun at first, but even they stopped after a eating a few units (probably the Giant Cheetos expanded in their tiny child-stomach immediately). And now the bag remains in the pantry, half-full, while the household does battle over who gets the last Pringles in the can or the Nacho Dorito crumbs. Will the rest of the Giant Cheetos get eaten before they go stale? Or even more curious, how will we be able to tell when they are stale?
These may not be around for long, so get some soon if you dare. Hopefully the Giant Cheeto doesn't signal the beginning of a new age in snacking---Ranch-flavored mini-Cheetos, anyone??
In the safety and privacy of my own kitchen, I ripped open the bag and found…GIANT CHEETOS. Well not really. In my mind, a Giant Cheeto would look the same as a standard Cheeto, only bigger. The standard Cheeto is a tube-style item, either a plain tube (the puffed version) or a twisted tube (the crunchy version). Giant Cheetos are a completely different shape: a cross between a cube and a sphere perhaps, since they are squarish with rounded corners. Why not just go with the regular sphere, I wonder. Maybe there is some kind of patent infringement with the once popular Planter’s Cheese Ball.
At least we can agree that the Giant Cheeto is in fact giant. It’s a little bigger than a ping-pong ball, and my child could barely put it inside his mouth and then chew it up normally. No need to worry about ounces, I checked the portion size and it revealed that you need only to consume eight of these at a sitting. Yikes! So I ate one. And I must say, the Giant Cheeto has design flaws that made the culinary experience somewhat unpleasant.
First, SHAPE & SIZE: The shape dictates that you must pop the whole thing in your mouth whole, since biting it would result in a snowstorm of Cheeto dust fluttering down over you. You get the usual cheese (or maybe cheeeeez) flavor when it first hits your tongue, but as soon as you start chewing it turns to a sensation more like eating a handful of those styrofoam packing peanuts---tasteless and filling. It almost seemed to be expanding in my mouth as I tried to chew it and swallow. Again, no worries about exceeding the recommended serving size: I doubt you could eat eight at one sitting, period.
Second, RATIO OF OUTER COATING TO INNARDS: Similar to the Atomic Fireball candy, the Giant Cheeto has too much flavorless ‘innard’ in relation to the flavorful ‘outside skin.’ This is less of a problem for the Atomic Fireball, since once the hot outer coating burns off, you at least have a plain sugary ball to suck. With the Giant Cheeto, the outer cheese immediately melts away and you are left trying to chow down the tasteless inner core. I suppose this is the reason the previously-mentioned Planter's Cheese Ball was only about the size of a large marble.
The little kids thought these were fun at first, but even they stopped after a eating a few units (probably the Giant Cheetos expanded in their tiny child-stomach immediately). And now the bag remains in the pantry, half-full, while the household does battle over who gets the last Pringles in the can or the Nacho Dorito crumbs. Will the rest of the Giant Cheetos get eaten before they go stale? Or even more curious, how will we be able to tell when they are stale?
These may not be around for long, so get some soon if you dare. Hopefully the Giant Cheeto doesn't signal the beginning of a new age in snacking---Ranch-flavored mini-Cheetos, anyone??