Nutrisystem Turkey Hot Dog

When I think weight loss, I think hot dogs.

Our first item is the Nutrisystem Turkey Hot Dog, a hot dog in a box that doesn't require refrigeration.  I did a double-take at that.  Even the best hot dogs are kind of sketchy -- do you really trust one that has been sitting on a warm shelf for weeks?

Given the size of the box you might think you were getting a five-pack, but no.  There's just a single lonely dog in there.  On the bright side, you are cheerfully informed that the hot dog is "Perfectly Portioned for Weight Loss".

Price:  $0.25

Don't be fooled by the sticker on the box.  Our store was having a 4-for-a-dollar sale on certain Nutrisystem food items.  Imagine how little it will cost to fill your cupboard with these puppies!  For what it's worth, I also tried the Nutrisystem Butter Popcorn (funky) and Snack Mix (pretty normal) along with a product I'll review next week.

What's in there?  Would you eat it?

Preparation Time: 30 seconds

Thankfully the hot dog comes in an air-tight plastic wrapper.  It's too much to hope that it will be fresh, but at least there's a chance it won't be fatal.  Rip it open, pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds and you'll have... a warm hot dog.  The instructions tell you to "Enjoy on a small whole grain roll (not included)".  Why stop there?  Why not "Enjoy on a small whole grain roll with chili made from grass-fed beef and a salad of organic vegetables washed down with a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade (not included)". 

Notable Nutrition: There are only 80 calories, which isn't bad.  Still, I'm a little wary of any meat that has more fat (6 grams) than protein (5 grams).

Taste: It smelled weird coming out of the plastic, but after heating it, sticking it in a piece of bread and dumping some ketchup, mustard and relish on it it really wasn't much different from most hot dogs I've had.

Verdict: I expected a lot worse.  5/10 stars.

Welcome

When you introduce 8,236 new food products a year¹, some of them are bound to fail.  Perhaps they have a radical new taste the public isn't ready for, or they're an odd twist on an old favorite that doesn't catch on.  Cheap ingredients might do them in.  Or maybe they're just plain weird.

This blog is a celebration of food products that didn't make it.  They haven't been seen in mainstream supermarkets for weeks.  Before disappearing from the store shelves entirely, they count off their last days in discount stores.  If you actually like any of them you better stock up -- it's unlikely you'll ever see them again.

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¹ I totally made that number up.