McCormick Gourmet Organic Italian Seasoning

Are seasonings food? I mean, the FDA says so, and you eat them, but they don't really feel like food. Just practicing for semantics class here. 

This was the only Italian seasoning I could find that listed all the ingredients and none of the ingredients were onion powder. Most of the included herbs are what you'd expect (rosemary, thyme, etc) but it also has "savory", which, despite my 30+ years on this earth, I had never heard of before. Or maybe more likely, I've heard of it but assumed it was a modifier and not the name of an herb. But it is the name of an herb! Genus Satureja. Has 'excellent culinary and medicinal uses'. What are those uses? Is there a supplement I can get my hands on? Questions for another time. I can't really pick out individual flavors here, it's not like skittles. But it has a nice strong herby taste and didn't kill me. Reminds me of the Subway Italian Herbs and Cheese bread (which I haven't had in like, 10+ years), so I guess it's a distinctive and pleasant flavor profile. Would sprinkle on sandwich, wrap, or bread again.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Taco Bell Original Taco Seasoning Mix

This came inside the crunchwrap kit, but since it seems they sell the seasoning 'a la carte', I'll review it on its own merits. It's good! Definitely more "mild" than the usual one I use (old el paso, I think?) and a darker color as well. But no stated cumin or anything else sus, plus I already eat taco bell taco meat, so I felt very allergy-safe with it. And it's good, and covered up any "turkey" flavor in my turkey. I was gonna make tacos for my seminar students who are coming over 'til I found one was veg, so I endorse it for your friends and loved ones!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Kernel Season's Sriracha Popcorn Seasoning

I was a little nervous about this, since the ingredients (vinegar, cayenne, garlic, paprika) are very similar to the Very Nasty Chili Garlic Ben's Rice I had last night. Luckily, they aren't similar. This is just hot sauce-y garlic/salt powder that goes nicely with plain or salted popcorn. I feel I shook on a generous amount but it isn't super strong anyway, just a nice bit of heat and flavor. Maybe I should use even more. A little lime flavor, too. It's not life-changing -- you can probably just use hot sauce to the same (wetter) effect -- but it's an improvement on regular popcorn, and it's a cute little mascot. Aye aye, kernal.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Manitou Trading Company - Truffle Parmesan & Black Garlic Seasoning

Ehh, this was fine. Somehow I had a feeling I wouldn't love this, and the feeling came true. I was hoping this would be like a parmesan cheese mix basically, but instead it was kind of gritty weird tasting powder. Not sure what it would go good with, either. Not chicken and veg, it turns out! But it wasn't horrible, just a bit neutral. Not the point of a seasoning mix though, is it!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Just Add Dip - Classic Guacamole

I definitely like the idea of this packet (add to avo and you have guac!), but the actual reality was a dud. It had a really strong flavor, but it wasn't the garlic/lime flavor I expected, rather it was like a lot of sugar and onion powder and preservatives. I think a plain avocado would be preferable. It did mix in easily though, and maybe I should just use less and add some tomato and onions in. But that defeats the purpose of the "convenient mix"!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends - Poultry Magic

This seems fine, I used it a few times on combos of chicken & veg (peppers, tomatoes, etc). There are definitely herbs in there (parsley? oregano?) plus the usual spice mix flavors (garlic, salt). There's no MSG, not that I really care about that. I thought it tasted fine; nothing earth-shattering but surely better to have this seasoning then to have no seasoning. It went down pretty easy and wasn't too overwhelming. Plus the guy on the front randomly reminds me of a guy from Survivor, so I like that.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Goya Sazonador Total Complete Seasoning

This smells just like the Coriander Lime seasoning I got a little while ago! The commonalities are really just coriander and cumin, so I guess I know what gives off those indian curry vibes. I do like the smell, but ultimately that seasoning didn't pay the taste dividends it could have, so I'm less pumped going into this one. It is a huge container though, and it led me to research MSG as an ingredient, which is apparently not associated with any health problems after all.

I had this on some garden-fresh zucchini, which is not the most delicious possibility (i.e. not tacos or meat), but with a generous amount and a bit of olive oil, actually turned out really well. I should have stopped there, but I added 2 eggs and some pepper to half of it, to make a frittata-esque scramble, and the seasoning didn't mesh well with egg. I ate it, but it was way better with just the veg. So I'm guessing this is good on straight meat, straight veg, and maybe both, but not egg/pasta/cream type things (you probably don't need me to tell you this, but know you know for sure! :D)

Overall
Cost: 8/10 (3-4$ for a generous tube)
Taste: 7/10

Homebrew Pickle Mix - Snappy Apple

So, it doesn't look like this pickle mix is even made anymore, which is a blessing in my opinion. Here's the situation: I don't really like vinegar or pickles, even though I've been trying my best to acclimate to them. But more than that, I really really dislike sweet/savory mixes. Pick one, food! And this was a pickle (ick, so savory ... but also apple (sweet?) so it was very offputting to me. The product itself is fun though, you just put some fruit in a jar and boil the packet with water, vinegar and sugar and then refrigerate it all for at least a day.

It was a super easy process and it seemed to go off without a hitch. The problem I have is more with the idea of pickled apple in the first place. They taste like a sweet and spicy pickle, except also an apple with a little cinnamon/clove added. Pickle + apple pie is not a combo that interests me. So now I have a lot of apple pickles left which I will try to foist on unsuspecting visitors. But at least I tried something new! Bad news: I still have a pineapple and onion pack left, both of which I am dreading. Maybe if I can come up with a larger dish that could incorporate them??? Is there such a thing?? Advice welcome.



Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 3/10

Bell's Seasoning

This is turkey seasoning, which I imagine would be jolly good on turkey (real turkey, not Jenny-O's dumb soy-filled "turkey loin"), or stuffing too. But last night I used it on some chicken breast with a tiny bit of oil, and that was really nice too! I used a pretty hefty amount, because I just shook it out of the box (the packaging seems like it could be improved...), and I was worried it would be way too much, but it wasn't strong at all. Just a nice pleasant "poultry seasoning" flavor. Plus no salt, my boy friends will like that. And the box is cute, and it lasts 1+ year, so that's all good.




Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10

The Spice Hunter - Coriander Lime Global Fusion Rub

This smells REALLY good, like a delicious milky curry. It contains coriander, lime (duh), garlic, cumin, a little salt and sugar, and that's basically it. I applied this liberally to some rice/veg/pork, and it was nice, but maybe I didn't put enough on because it wasn't nearly as strong as I expected. (I used like 2TBSP though!). The flavor I did get was mainly lime and a little bit of garlic and coriander, but nowhere near the intensity you get from smelling it in the jar. Even when cooking, it smelled vaguely good but not that strong. Anyway, if you need a seasoning for some generic meats or something, this is a nice choice, even if it didn't have as much of a pop as I expected. Warning: the container has a scary peanut recipe on it, but there are no nut ingredients in the spice mix!


Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 7/10

Kernel Season's White Cheddar Seasoning

Popcorn do-it-yourself seasoning is a really cute idea, so I was happy to get these. However, the execution was a little bit disappointing. I wasn't sure how much to put on (they don't give you any instruction!) and I put on at first not enough to taste it, and then I think I put on too much (a good 10 seconds of shaking is too much). The flavor was at first not especially good -- very artificial and not very cheesy. I was hoping for something like a snack cracker topping, but this was more like store brand parmesan cheese maybe. Anyway, after I got to eating a little bit more I got accustomed to the flavor and started to enjoy it, so that was all right. I liked to dip the popcorn in the leftover seasoning, of which there was a lot, because of my earlier confusion. Like I said, I think this is a fun and unique idea, so I'd be happy to try other flavors in the future!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Q says: It wasn't good.

Dizzy Pig Tsunami Spin Spice Rub

I overall enjoyed this seasoning - I used it on some pork chops and linguine and it was pretty tasty, although nothing especially remarkable -- tastes a lot like the seasoning I'd normally use on pork chops, anyway. It was very convenient and cooked well, a nice amount of sweetness and not too overwhelming. I might buy this again, even though I sprinkled pretty liberally and so it wouldn't last that long. Nevertheless, it could be the impetus for a good meal!


Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Sun Bird Beef & Broccoli Seasoning Mix

hmm. i ate the whole thing so I guess it must have been alright. My biggest issues were 1. the beef was too tough, which had nothing to do with the seasoning packet and all to do with my buying cheap beef and then possibly overcooking it, and 2. it was very sweet and gingery and liquidy. I did follow the instructions to a T - I used .75 lbs of meat, some broccoli and onions (I actually threw in some mushrooms and carrots too, but I don't think that affected my feelings much) and the precise amount of water and soy sauce. I also made some rice to go along with it. Anyway, at first taste I thought "ugh! this is way too cloying (gingery?) and saucy!" But I let it sit and cool and thicken up for a few minutes and then I started to get into it. The sauce/broccoli combo was OK, but I still think there was too much sauce and it was too...sugary. Nonetheless I might make this again, because it was a pretty simple yet satisfying meal.

Cost: 8/10
Taste: 6/10