Anyone who's ever met me knows that I take my peanut butter really seriously. Serious like I eat it every single day, sometimes twice a day, in all different forms. So clearly, I have some pretty strong opinions on what kind of peanut butter I think is the best. But because not everyone always agrees with me that creamy Jif is the way to go, I was really curious to see what kind of peanut butter would actually win in tasting experiment. So I took it upon myself to arrange a peanut butter taste test at a Spoon Fordham chapter meeting, featuring pretzel rods and all the peanut butters that you can buy within walking distance of Fordham. So without any further ado, here's Spoon Fordham's definitive ranking of what peanut butter is actually the best.
7. Justin's Almond Butter
Ok, I take full responsibility for this ranking, because I was trying to be sneaky. While you can't purchase Justin's Peanut Butter on Fordham's campus, you can find this almond butter at P.O.D. I was curious to see if people would be able to tell the difference, and the answer was a resounding yes. The almond butter scored reaaaaaalllllly low, because my taste testers were not pleased about the non-peanut-y flavor and the texture-- because it's all natural, it requires vigorous stirring. However, if you're in the market for an almond butter, this option is still pretty good!
6. White Rose
I'm going to be honest with you: this peanut butter was disgusting. It's the cheapest brand you can find at the local grocery store, and it had absolutely no taste of peanut butter at all. In fact, the only person who rated it above a 1 admitted that she doesn't even like peanut butter, so she liked it BECAUSE it didn't taste like peanut butter. Somehow it wasn't salty enough OR sweet enough, and it had an alarmingly chemical taste. This one is gonna be a no from us, dawg. Apparently, your peanut butter is not the place to save money by going store brand.
5. Peter Pan
The biggest comment on this peanut butter is that it is utterly mediocre. There was nothing absolutely wrong with it, no strange lingering aftertastes or odd textures, but it just didn't live up to what we want our peanut butter to taste like. If this is the only brand that you have access to, it will do in a pinch, but if it's at all possible, we'd recommend looking a little harder for a better variety.
4. Smucker's
Smucker's just so happens to be the peanut butter brand that Fordham dining provides for students in the cafeteria, so I gathered up a bunch of the single serve packages and included them in this taste test-- after all, this is probably the peanut butter that we're eating the most frequently. This peanut butter got pretty mixed reviews, because as one taster put it, Fordham has "corrupted our taste buds." Because they eat it every day, most of our tasters noticed that they actually like Smucker's peanut butter more than they initially thought. However, those of us who didn't like it said that it's a little too sweet and a little too soft-- not ideal, but a very respectable candidate.
3. Skippy
Our third best peanut butter is one that I've held many debates about in my time. While I'm a Jif girl and always will be, some people swear by Skippy, and these two were separated by a few meager points. Some people chose Skippy as their overall favorite, claiming that it perfectly balances the peanut flavor that you need with a little sweetness that makes it perfect with fresh fruit. However, other tasters took issue with Skippy being TOO sweet, so it seems this one just comes down to personal preference and whichever peanut butter that you're used to. Whichever way you swing, this peanut butter is a good candidate for sure.
2. Jif
MY FAVORITE!! I was really glad to see that my personal fav peanut butter did so well in this taste test. Tasters commented on its smooth texture and ideal combination of sweet and salty, making the peanut the star of this butter. After seeing these results, it's safe to say that I'll remain a Jif girl from now until forever.
1. Peanut Butter and Co.
I wasn't mad that this peanut butter won first place in this contest. Peanut Butter and Co. is known for making its butters with pure, all-natural ingredients that are absolutely delicious. Most of our tasters chose this as their absolute favorite, commenting on the pure peanut-y taste. Even though it might be slightly pricier than some of the other options on this list, Smooth Operator is worth it. And if you're feeling a little more adventurous with your peanut butter, feel free to try one of the many flavors that Peanut Butter and Co. offers, from Dark Chocolate Dreams to Cinnamon Raisin Swirl (a personal favorite).
So, there you have it: Spoon Fordham's ranking of all the peanut butter brands available around our campus. What you choose to do with this VERY powerful information is up to you-- feel free to stick with your all-time fave or branch out and try something new! Either way, be sure to eat a little peanut butter this week: in a new recipe or just in its simple peanut-y goodness.