Peanut-butter addict says Jif is the pick of the pack

By Leslie Mason

November 1, 2007 | Caution: those with an allergy to peanuts will not appreciate the beauty of this article. Stop reading now.

Forget bread. The staff of life for any down-to-earth college student is peanut butter. It is easily smeared on a sandwich, globbed on a banana, or mixed with honey and eaten with only a spoon as the method of transportation. But which brand of peanut butter provides the best creamy, nutty staple for the most student-friendly price?

I am a peanut butter junkie. I eat a peanut butter sandwich daily. By choice. No exceptions. Thus, I consider myself worthy to accept the task to find the best peanut butter for the world of college students. I intend to end world hunger one poor, starving college student at a time. With the glorious mission to taste-test and evaluate several brands of peanut butter, I went to the first place I could think of: Walmart. Four peanut butter jars and $12.70 later, I was on the way home to grab my spoon and enter the land of milk and peanut butter.

The first jar auditioning for best over-all peanut butter was Skippy, $2.44 per 28 ounces. The initial scoop, always the best, showed promising flecks of dark brown amidst the caramel colored mound. I took a preparatory swig of milk, then allowed my tongue to mull over the protein-packed fantasy. That rapidly became a nightmare. The flecks meant nothing. Instead of a pleasant combination of a sweet and slightly smoky, nutty taste, the peanut butter reminded me of the consistency and flavor of putty. The entire jar, worth about $2.27 at this point, was thrown straight into the garbage to pout over the injustice of a critic.

After getting an untainted spoon, I prayed for the next jar. Adam's peanut butter, while flaunting the fact that its sole ingredient is peanuts, did not look like it held much promise. Half an inch of peanut oil floated over the top of a brick of peanut goo. I stirred with my spoon, and was pleasantly surprised to find how quickly the peanut butter took on a fairly normal appearance. A hesitant lick provided pure joy, and an entire spoonful was quickly devoured. The mound of goo had mixed well and given the peanut butter a gently grainy texture, making the peanut butter more interesting to the palate and preventing the gaggy, choking sensation which thick, overly processed peanut butter can cause. This glorious food item can be purchased for a mere $4.68 for 36 ounces. So worth it.

Suggestion: if you buy Adam's peanut butter, be sure to have some honey at home. When mixed with the correct amount of honey, Adam's tastes almost exactly like the peanut butter in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. This is an excellent achievement for a peanut butter.

After another spoonful of Adam's, I took a condescending taste of the Great Value creamy peanut butter, Walmart's generic substitute for the real deal. I received the 28-ounce jar for only $2.12, but expected to get quality worth much less than that. Surprisingly, this peanut butter will satisfy any peanut butter lover quite well in a pinch. Although this peanut butter is slightly sweeter than most, it's texture is so soft it could be spread across the thinnest piece of warm Wonderbread without disturbing the texture of the bread. Yummy.

Last of the contestants, Jif's lid was removed and my spoon dipped in. I smoothed the peanut butter across the top of my mouth and savored the slightly burnt nut flavor. This peanut butter is thick but smooth, sweet but not overbearing. Jif is the standard by which all peanut butter attempts to live. Although there is nothing unique or shocking to it, when you make a peanut butter sandwich with Jif you get everything you desire. It has the flavor and consistency everyone expects when enjoying a good peanut butter sandwich.

For a traditional peanut butter, Jif at $2.74 for 28 ounces is my pick of the pack. However, for a slightly unique texture and flavor that's well worth the extra cost, Adam's is the peanut butter of the gods. Great Value has a good flavor and texture and is perfect for students on a tight budget, but it wouldn't turn the head of anyone with a true peanut butter fetish. For those looking for the best possible peanut butter for the absolute lowest price, head to Walmart and, yes, buy their brand. Society will still accept you. I only ask you remember one thing from this column: Skippy very, very bad.

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MS