# Questions about Pop-Tarts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 31, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409 "2023-12-31T15:38:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2024, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/81 "2024-01-02T15:26:46Z")
Buttering PT is damn waste of butter, just why? šŸ˜­ ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/82 "2024-01-02T16:19:20Z")
1. Unfrosted brown sugar cinnamon. 2. Toasted. 3. Buttered. 4. I nibble the edges off of 3 sides and hold the forth in my fingertips. Then I can eat several bites of just the buttered toasted brown sugar cinnamon goodness without the flavor being impacted by the crunchy and dry edges. Itā€™s a culinary masterpiece. (The frosted version is an abomination until The Lord) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/83 "2024-01-02T17:11:15Z")
Rice crispies themselves are not grains of rice fluffed up somehow but are a rice flour material formed into things that look like rice grains. I was not really imagining rice crispy treat things with a fruit filling, which would just be too much sweet, but more like some sort of fruit tempura like product, subtly sweeter in crust than regular tempura but not ultra-gooey sweet. And definitely _not_ ~~frosted~~ glazed. I remember some store brand knock-off that replaced the ā€œfrostingā€ with chunks of turbinado, which was much better than that damn sheet of hard sugar. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2024, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/84 "2024-01-02T22:43:06Z")
Quoting myself for context > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Today I visited my local groc store to fulfill the Pop-Tarts nostalgia jonesing triggered by this thread. > > Of the 23 kinds of Pop-Tarts, only one will fill my square: original unfrosted blueberry. Hah silly person, thereā€™s no way a groc store would carry that boring flavor. They had about a dozen, maybe 15 flavors. Plus a couple flavors of the Bites. But not that one. Nor a shelf tag for it. > > Some e-research suggests Wal\*Mart carries them, but nobody else does, not even mighty Amazon. Whether theyā€™d be in stock at any of my local stores is another question. I could e-commerce them for a $7 charge on a $5 item. Probably cheaper than driving, but always feels stupid. > > Sigh. Great gustatory experiences are never easy. Girded my loins and went to Wal\*Mart today. The Pop-Tarts section was impressively large. But looked like it had been attacked by collection of ADHD vandals. No stack of items was consistently all one flavor or facing the same way. Just a mess. I almost walked out empty-handed then spied one of my prize upside down amidst a stack of unfrosted Strawberry flavors. A quick pass through self-checkout and for $5 US I was the proud owner of 16 genuine unfrosted blueberry Pop-Tarts. Which is probably 15 too many. Opening the box once at home they look smaller than I remember from Ye Olden Dayes, but I was smaller then too. They sure donā€™t fill a toaster slot, although IIRC they never really did. It was entertaining to look at the nutrition panel and see that 1 envelope = two tarts was 25% of the daily allowance for carbs. For diabetic me, one half of one tart is about my usual carb limit per meal, and only if most of the carb isnā€™t sugar. Which in this case it is. So more like 1/4th of one tart is all I _should_ eat at a sitting. Hah! The bodily sacrifices we make for Science! The ingredient list was as scary as the nutrition disclosure. Summarizing a bit itā€™s flour, HFCS, sucrose and \<2% each of 3 seasonings _then_ dried blueberries, then other dried fruits then the usual chemicals. Reading between those lines at most about 1% of a blueberry Pop-Tart is or ever was blueberries. I suppose I should be impressed theyā€™re in there at all. Iā€™ll eat my sample here later; have to recover from my slightly-too carby lunch first. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/85 "2024-01-03T03:06:45Z")
TBH, the best ā€œPop-Tartsā€ I ever had were a gluten-free alternative, before GF became a fad, that had a graham cracker-like crust. Donā€™t think Iā€™ve ever seen them since, but man, they were GOOD! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/86 "2024-01-03T04:33:00Z")
Feel ya, man. I could eat a fourth of one. On a good day. Just enough to piss a person off. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/87 "2024-01-03T04:50:30Z")
Didnā€™t Dave Barry warn that pop tarts in a toaster can catch fire? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/88 "2024-01-03T05:50:52Z")
[Yes he did.](https://www.davebarry.com/misccol/poptarts.htm) I had a Pop-Tart catch fire in the toaster once (old, cheap toaster). IIRC I was able to blow it out. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/89 "2024-01-03T07:34:48Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I saw Alton Brown make them on his show using filling he made. They looked damn good. But no. Thatā€™s not what convenience is at all. It was like 30 steps. > I had thought I could watch it and figure an easier process to make with the grandkids. But I vetoed it. I presume it was this one: > **[Pocket Pies](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pocket-pies-recipe-1952024)** > > Get Pocket Pies Recipe from Food Network Weā€™ve done the rough equivalent to the above, although we subbed out the filling for a much easier hack - we bought premade canned fruit pie filling, which made the net work a whole lot less. Just the pastry dough, fill, crimp and bake. And they were (of course) MUCH better than a PopTart. But even with the hack, it took a good bit of time for something that is junk food. So I think weā€™ve done it a total of 2 times. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/90 "2024-01-03T14:07:43Z")
If you start w prefab pie crust and canned pie filling, itā€™s essentially > Cut dough rectangles, spread one rectangle w goop, pile second rectangle on top, crimp, bake, eat. So not real hard, but still vastly harder than ā€œrip open Pop-Tart package and snarfā€. Although for safetiesā€™ sake Iā€™d sure toast my home-made tarts in a (toaster) oven lying flat, not vertically in a slot toaster. Just in case my crimping technique was bad or the thing slumped more than I expected and got jammed in there. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/91 "2024-01-03T14:39:47Z")
[Butter on a Pop Tart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlsFgDjyePc&ab_channel=Pittato). Iā€™ve never tried it, then again I havenā€™t had a Pop Tart in years. Upthread somebody had lamented the loss of Dutch Apple flavour and those had been my favourites closely followed by Brown Sugar Cinnamon. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/92 "2024-01-03T15:22:52Z")
In order: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Blueberry Cherry (All frosted) Lightly toasted, always break in half Does anyone remember Danish Go-Rounds in the 70s? They were like a Pop-Tart only thicker and oval shaped. They were amazing! Also, I like Toastā€™ems better than Pop Tarts. The Great Value version is really good too. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/93 "2024-01-03T19:33:16Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It was entertaining to look at the nutrition panel and see that 1 envelope = two tarts was 25% of the daily allowance for carbs. For diabetic me, one half of one tart is about my usual carb limit per meal, and only if most of the carb isnā€™t sugar. Which in this case it is. So more like 1/4th of one tart is all I _should_ eat at a sitting. Hah! The bodily sacrifices we make for Science! Damn. I guess that explains why my fasting blood sugar was 119 yesterday morning after having had 4 Pop-Tarts the day before. (2 strawberry frosted and 2 cinnamon and brown sugar.) But it was for SCIENCE! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/94 "2024-01-03T19:43:51Z")
Every diabetic is different, but for somebody whoā€™s not shooting insulin (yet) IMO / IME ā€¦ What you ate 4 hours ago _should_ have no impact on your current or subsequent blood sugar. Cheating just rots your feet, eyes, and other arteries, and hastens the complete death of your pancreas and kidneys. It doesnā€™t increase your fasting number later that day, much less tomorrow. IANA medical anybody, just somebody with 10+ years dealing with DM2 and a lot of reading under my belt. And a lot of finger-sticking plus deliberate dietary management. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/95 "2024-01-03T19:46:19Z")
I was (half) joking. Iā€™m not diabetic yet but Iā€™m warming up in the bullpen. My Dad was. My older brother is. Itā€™s really just a matter of time. A1C has hovered around 5.7 for a couple of years now. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/96 "2024-01-03T19:47:25Z")
This Fan-Favorite Pop-Tarts Flavor Is Back for a Limited Time [https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/this-fan-favorite-pop-tarts-flavor-is-back-for-a-limited-time/ar-AA1mpMQP?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=55e80b59a2614a29bce95f4626ebdeff&ei=11](https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/this-fan-favorite-pop-tarts-flavor-is-back-for-a-limited-time/ar-AA1mpMQP?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=55e80b59a2614a29bce95f4626ebdeff&ei=11) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/97 "2024-01-03T19:47:31Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > A1C has hovered around 5.7 for a couple of years now. That is a perfectly acceptable A1C. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/98 "2024-01-03T19:50:43Z")
Agreed. But if itā€™s steadily climbing that isnā€™t going to reverse itself. Only @Nars_Glinleyā€™s spoon can do that. Itā€™s their call, but theyā€™re probably gonna have to do it eventually, and sooner is easier. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/99 "2024-01-03T19:50:48Z")
Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tarts donā€™t sound very different than Brown Sugar and Cinnamon. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2024, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409/100 "2024-01-03T19:53:58Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > > > A1C has hovered around 5.7 for a couple of years now. > > That is a perfectly acceptable A1Cā€¦ Itā€™s unacceptable enough that my medical provider asked me if I wanted to go on metformin, (although she didnā€™t necessarily encourage it). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-pop-tarts/995409.md?page=6)