Brand/Off-Brand: Pop Tarts vs "Toaster Pastries"

One of the few things I like almost as much as good food is a good deal.  When I go to the grocery store sometimes this inclination leads me to buy the similar but cheaper grocery store knock-off brand rather than the name brands we all know.  To say the least I usually come out with mixed results.  I wanted to start a new semi-regular feature here on the blog where I explore some of these choices and how they turn out.  Let's kick things off with Blueberry Frosted Pop Tarts vs Blueberry Frosted Marsh Foodclub "Toaster Pastries".

The infamous "toaster pastry".

First off let me start by saying I know that either of these items shouldn't really be considered "good eats", but I'm often in a hurry in the mornings and God help me I like them so let's all agree to get past it.   The first thing I notice when comparing the two is that visually they look about the same.  The pastry of the generic might be a little lighter in color and the icing may not be spread as uniformly but otherwise so far so good.  When I take a bite of each one I notice the biggest difference.  The flavor of the filling is more or less the same, but there seems to be less of it in the "toaster pastry".  Also the pastry part itself is a lot more dry and crumbly.  It all adds up to an unpleasant texture that is really off putting.  The worst part of Pop Tarts are the corners where there isn't a lot of the filling and with the generic brand there seems to be a lot more of that sort of area in each pastry.

Until my food writing/blogging career takes off and I'm guest judging on Top Chef (no foams or gelees on my food please) I'm going to have to continue to save a buck here and there.  However tempting the "toaster pastries" may be at almost a buck less per package I've decided I'll go ahead and get Pop Tarts.  We can save the buck somewhere else.....like maybe on something my girlfriend likes...just kidding sweetheart.