- 7 hours ago
Rhett & Link put their taste buds to the test in a blind tasting challenge all about childhood food favorites. In this episode of Taste Off, the longtime friends sample classic kid-approved staples alongside modern versions of nostalgic favorites, including Chef Boyardee Spaghetti & Meatballs, Uncrustables, dino nuggets, Kraft Mac & Cheese, and more. As they try to guess which foods are the original childhood classics and which are the newer takes, Rhett and Link share their honest opinions, relive favorite memories, and debate whether the foods they grew up with still hold up today. With plenty of surprising reactions, nostalgic stories, and playful banter, they discover which childhood favorites stand the test of time—and which modern versions come out on top. Rhett & Link's children's book, 'Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers' is out now.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I can go by sight on this one.
00:01This is old school. This is craft, baby, right here.
00:05I think that's Amy's.
00:07Oh! Not Amy's!
00:09Hey, listen!
00:10Amy's! Who is Amy, dude?
00:14Amy! Amy!
00:15Amy, I knew you were somewhere around!
00:17Amy and Annie in the building!
00:20Wow.
00:27As a kid, I was a pudding man.
00:29Yeah, I can attest to that.
00:30Pudding boy.
00:31I was a gummy guy. Still am a gummy guy.
00:34Yeah, we're not in a world of Dunkaroos anymore.
00:37We live in an ingredient household.
00:39And what does that mean? It has ingredients?
00:41Their snacks are like raw nuts and seaweed squares.
00:46Yeah, actually, we had that at our house as well.
00:48I feel bad for my kids.
00:55Okay, all right, so we got some Cheerios.
00:58And you're telling me that they've updated Cheerios?
01:01I mean, Cheerios, there's a lot of iterations on Cheerios.
01:04These are shiny.
01:05You've got whole wheat.
01:05You've got honey nut.
01:06These feel a little bit boring over here.
01:08This is like baby stuff.
01:10Put this in a bag and give it to a baby.
01:12These are not honey nutted.
01:14They are just sweetened.
01:16Yeah, there's something going on there.
01:18What's happening over here?
01:19These are.
01:20Now these are nutty.
01:22And they're honey.
01:23So whatever these Cheerio knockoffs are, let's see if they're better with milk.
01:28Why are you making such a mess?
01:29I'm trying to get in the milk.
01:31They do get better with milk.
01:34I'm coming around to new school.
01:36We're saying this is new school.
01:38Yeah, for sure.
01:39And this is absolutely honey nut Cheerios.
01:41I don't know what these are.
01:43Maybe they have protein.
01:44But I think I like them better.
01:45It doesn't have the depth of the honey in the nut.
01:48So I'm preferring the nostalgic original.
01:51And I am...
01:52Maybe it's just because I like new things, so I'm gonna choose the new school one.
01:56How are they different?
01:57Tell us we're wrong.
02:02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:04There we go.
02:04So we got the classic honey nut Cheerio, one of the best cereals of all time.
02:11And then this thing.
02:12I didn't know that I would fall for Cascadian Farms.
02:15You knew that it wasn't this.
02:17Okay, organic.
02:18It's got whole grain.
02:19I like that.
02:20It's got fiber.
02:21I need that.
02:21I'm happy that I have preferred the thing that is more for me.
02:26You know, I've embraced my age and how my body is changing.
02:31He's just wrapping up puberty.
02:37Okay.
02:38Mac and cheese time.
02:39I can go by sight on this one.
02:41This is old school.
02:43This is Kraft Baby right here.
02:44Kraft Baby?
02:45I know that color.
02:46Because of the yellow, this is a little pallid.
02:50It's got a lighter pallor.
02:51I think I can tell you what that is before we even taste it.
02:54I think that's Amy's.
02:55Would you be impressed if I'm right?
02:57No.
02:59You know, that hurts a little bit.
03:00Takes me back to babysitters slapping down the bowl, saying,
03:04you better eat this before my soap operas come on,
03:07because I'm sending you out into the yard.
03:09Let's try this one.
03:10I feel confirmed in my speculation.
03:13We should have tasted this one first.
03:15I think we'd be enjoying it more if we hadn't tasted something
03:17that was so much better over here.
03:19That's not bad.
03:20What do you think that they're adding over here?
03:22They're adding less cheese.
03:23Yeah, the word natural's probably on the box.
03:27This isn't cheese.
03:28Let's just be clear.
03:30Yeah.
03:30This is cheese product.
03:32Look, you made a mess again.
03:33I just wanted to know.
03:35I'm so sorry.
03:36Let me get that for us.
03:37I think we're on the same page here.
03:39This is the Kraft.
03:40Classic.
03:41And it's better.
03:42Nostalgic.
03:43Can't be beat.
03:44We're guessing this is Amy.
03:45We think.
03:46We hope.
03:51Oh!
03:52Not Amy's.
03:53Annie's.
03:55It's Annie, dude.
03:55No, that's what I meant.
03:56You know that's what I meant, Amy.
03:58Annie.
03:59Who is Amy, dude?
04:01Amy is who Annie became in my mind.
04:03There is no Amy.
04:04Hold on.
04:05Let's do this.
04:05Here's what we're gonna do,
04:06because me saying Amy and Annie kind of looks the same.
04:09I'm just gonna say Annie a whole bunch,
04:12and then you can put it back in over the edit.
04:13This is Annie's.
04:15That's definitely Annie's.
04:16Annie's.
04:17Annie's.
04:18Annie's.
04:18Annie's.
04:18I think you went lower.
04:19Annie's.
04:21Don't do any of that, please.
04:22Please do all of that.
04:23I think that's...
04:24Annie's.
04:25We're guessing this is Amy, dude.
04:27So these noodles are grass-fed.
04:29Uh-huh.
04:29So they line up the noodles,
04:31and then they line up the grass,
04:32and then they come back the next day,
04:33and the grass is gone.
04:35And the noodles are plumper.
04:36Nowhere does it say real cheese.
04:38It says macaroni and cheese sauce.
04:41Since 1937.
04:43Again, if it ain't broke, don't ante it.
04:47So no artificial flavors.
04:49You're right about that.
04:50No synthetic hormones.
04:51That's marketing for you.
04:53And then the final bullet says not enough cheese.
04:57Right there.
05:02Oh.
05:03Oh, the chef.
05:04You think the Chef Boyardee is in the house?
05:06The chef has arrived.
05:07These are completely different experiences.
05:12Different.
05:12This meat has been bald.
05:13This meat has not been bald.
05:15This one is juicy.
05:17And I would...
05:18Am I gonna use the term runny?
05:19That looks good.
05:20This is gonna be nostalgic,
05:21which counts for something.
05:23The meatballs...
05:24Have you ever noticed a thing about a Chef Boyardee meatball?
05:26It's not round.
05:27It's like the chef came and patted them all on the head,
05:30because they were all doing such a good job.
05:32It made them a little bit flat on the top and the bottom.
05:34Have you noticed that?
05:34Well, that's how you know it's organic.
05:36We're both just eating a meatball.
05:38Oh, that's how you start.
05:38Then you go back in.
05:39You roll.
05:40And the chef does not let any individual noodle be longer than four inches.
05:45That's his rule.
05:46Just get it like that, and you don't have to worry too much.
05:48This is so soft.
05:49Everything is, like, so mushy.
05:50It's almost pudding.
05:51It's almost pudding.
05:52I'm not gonna say where that comes from,
05:54because I don't think any makes that.
05:57They're following the four-inch rule.
05:59Okay.
06:00Respect.
06:00There's more spices.
06:01Like, the chef didn't put any extra spice.
06:05He just did salt, pepper, tomato sauce, and said,
06:07we're done.
06:08These people over here, they did oregano.
06:10Thyme.
06:11Other Italian spices.
06:12This tastes like really good leftovers.
06:15Especially the way that the sauce is all mixed into it.
06:17I'm a fan of mixing...
06:20Why do you keep doing this?
06:20...the sauce.
06:21Sorry.
06:22I hope the chef isn't watching,
06:23because I do not prefer his meal.
06:26Mm-mm.
06:26This is tepid at best.
06:28This one tasted more like...
06:30Something you might make.
06:31...at-home spaghetti meat sauce.
06:33You cannot make this.
06:34You would fail.
06:35You cannot recreate this.
06:37You need lots of machinery.
06:39It is so shelf-stable.
06:42I mean, you could build a shelf out of it.
06:45You could.
06:46I'm gonna keep eating this,
06:47because it's better.
06:48We know it's Chef Boyardee,
06:49and we know this is better.
06:50We're on the same page today.
06:55All right, so we know that's Chef Boyardee.
06:57Let's just see it.
06:57Let's see that one first.
06:59All right.
06:59There he is.
07:00Look at us.
07:01Nailing this.
07:02No artificial flavors, preservatives, colors.
07:04I will say, they haven't changed the recipe.
07:07It's a box.
07:08It's Trader Joe's.
07:09Oh, look at you, Trader Joe.
07:12Spaghetti with meat sauce from Trader Joe's.
07:1427 grams of protein.
07:16Made in Canada.
07:17This is a tray.
07:18Yeah, they do a good job over there at TJ's.
07:20Canadian spaghetti.
07:22I hate to admit, it's better.
07:23I love to admit that it's better.
07:31Uncrustable has a doppelganger?
07:33Yeah, and it's that one.
07:34But let's taste the original.
07:36Oh, my God.
07:38Again, it's beautiful.
07:39It's smooth.
07:40You see how smooth that is?
07:41It's an alien sandwich.
07:43I just want to nibble the edge.
07:45I'm not gonna watch you do that.
07:46I'm gonna take a full-size bite.
07:49That hardened little smushed crimped edge.
07:53Oh, man.
07:54I love it.
07:55Wow.
07:56I don't know if you can improve upon that.
07:57Peanut butter on both sides of the bread creates a pocket
08:03so that the jelly doesn't permeate one side of the bread
08:07and make it all grapey.
08:09Look at that.
08:09That looks like the mouth of a moray eel.
08:12Look at that.
08:12Open it.
08:14Can I make out with it?
08:15No.
08:16I wouldn't want to.
08:17Okay.
08:18This right here.
08:18Oh, God.
08:19This is so good.
08:19Put them in the freezer, then put them in your pocket.
08:21I'm gonna make a prediction here.
08:24I don't believe that this is a packaged good.
08:26I believe that this is from a kit.
08:28Oh.
08:29These are actual pieces of bread that were purchased,
08:32and then this was crimped.
08:34The crimping is weak.
08:35What do you mean by that?
08:36Crimping ain't easy.
08:37But if you're gonna do it, you need to do it right.
08:41Oh, God.
08:41Listen.
08:42This is so much better.
08:43Oh, it is?
08:44What a crimp sucks.
08:45And look how, I mean, it's bloated as all get up.
08:48Yeah, because it's filled with fresh, actual peanut butter and real jelly.
08:52That's good.
08:53Completely homemade.
08:54Made behind the black curtain over there.
08:56It's all one unit.
08:58You know what I mean?
08:58This is two individual pieces of bread that came together in Holy Union.
09:02Yeah, but this bread is, this is an entity.
09:07Oh, yeah, okay.
09:08This is, like, from the gods.
09:11It came down, and it was already like this.
09:14Like, no one did this.
09:15It's like a snowflake?
09:16It's like a snowflake.
09:18Yeah.
09:22Yes.
09:23Yeah, it's a kit!
09:24It's a kit!
09:25Yes!
09:25Look, nothing beats this!
09:27Put it in the freezer!
09:29Well, hold on.
09:30Do you know the thing that beats that?
09:31This!
09:32No, sir!
09:32As I've been establishing.
09:33Uh-uh-uh!
09:34If you have actual taste buds that are functioning,
09:37and some level of discernment, this is definitely a better taste.
09:40Now, there's more nostalgia with that, and the fact that it comes in a package
09:43does make it very convenient, and it's very good.
09:45But if someone else is making them both for you, and it just shows up on a table,
09:49this, my friends, is better.
09:51Don't listen to the man.
09:52Just because he's big and hairy doesn't mean he's right.
09:55Can I have this?
09:56Can I have this?
10:02Oh, we got some Tostino's pizza rolls.
10:06Tostino's over here.
10:08I'm biting that in half.
10:09Confirming.
10:10Just to show you all of that manufactured goodness.
10:13Mm-hmm.
10:14These are folded, Link, like a little package of mail.
10:17What is that?
10:18Look, it's like an envelope.
10:19Like somebody who didn't want to pay extra postage, but had a lot of things to say.
10:22It's like a weird fortified communion wafer.
10:25The flavor's not bad, though.
10:27I mean, I would attend this service.
10:28If their communion had whatever that pasta orange stuff is in there.
10:33But it's definitely not a Tostino's.
10:35The interior of the updated ones is better in my mind.
10:40Here's the main problem with a Tostino.
10:41If you take a bite of it, without fail, you will see that the inside forms a pocket.
10:47It separates from itself.
10:48This one, you take a bite, and it's filled to the brim every single bite.
10:53That's the kind of thing that I appreciate.
10:55But the taste is bland.
10:56This only works in a religious setting.
10:59So we're saying these are the Tostino's?
11:01Yep.
11:01And I don't know if I'm saying that right.
11:02I think these are close, but I think I'm gonna go with the original,
11:05because the outside is just so nice.
11:11Amy, Amy, Amy, I knew you were somewhere around.
11:15We were getting that Amy vibe.
11:17Amy, I can feel your presence.
11:19Amy and Annie in the building.
11:22Wow.
11:22Now I feel bad.
11:23I think I like Amy's better.
11:25No S except in the N.
11:27I said it right, and then I started saying Tostino's and all this stuff.
11:30Yeah, Tostino's.
11:31Even the box looks retro.
11:33Amy, I'm sorry for calling you Annie,
11:35and I'm sorry that I didn't sense your presence.
11:37I'm not sorry, because I didn't like that.
11:44Sauces.
11:44These are gonna be nuggets.
11:46We got sauces for the nuggets.
11:47Oh, we got dino nuggets.
11:49And these are dino nuggets.
11:50This is the T-Rex, and then we've got a Stegosaurus over here.
11:54This is the first round where I'm not immediately confident,
11:57because I didn't have a lot of experience with this,
11:59but I think these are the original ones,
12:01because they're not as elongated.
12:03Let me take this one.
12:04This is the new one, and they wanted to be longer,
12:07so they could say that, so they could claim that.
12:10These are so much better.
12:11Oh, wow.
12:12Why are these so much better?
12:13Well, the breading has a lot more seasoning.
12:16You can actually see it in there.
12:17You can see some pepper.
12:18These dinosaurs are just so sad.
12:20Very sad.
12:21And lonely.
12:22Do we think that the tastier dino nugget is the update?
12:27Yes.
12:27It has to be, right?
12:29I believe that.
12:30For the first time, I am going against nostalgia, I think,
12:34because these are clearly superior.
12:36Yeah.
12:37These are the original.
12:37These are the new ones, and they're better.
12:39Mm-hmm.
12:45Purdue versus what?
12:47Greener Purdue?
12:48Oh, yeah.
12:48These are the original dino nuggets.
12:50And then, oh, those are organic.
12:51Organic.
12:52Simply smart.
12:53And they're lightly breaded.
12:54They also have a lot more flavor.
12:57Now, seasoned.
12:57They could say that.
12:59Yeah, these are so much better.
13:00Kids don't like seasoning, though, you know?
13:02Kids, you put too much pepper on something, and a kid says it's spicy.
13:06Kids.
13:07Can't trust them.
13:10I don't think we agreed today, Link.
13:11I think I, more often than not, preferred the updated version.
13:14You, more often than not, prefer the old-school version,
13:16so I think we're gonna have to fight.
13:18Everything I know I learned from dino nuggets,
13:20so I think I'm switching sides to the updated versions.
13:24Okay.
13:24Thanks for watching.
13:25This is Rhett and Link, signing off.
13:27Until next time.