Usually when I review a product I write one post for one product. I am mixing things up a little bit today. I am going to include 2 products in one post. I know! Things are getting all crazy over here at Gluten-free is Life. Today is cracker day at Gluten-free is Life. I have 2 different brands of crackers to review today. Glutino and Hol-Grain.
I will start with Glutino because alphabetically, “G” comes before “H”. 🙂 Glutino makes 4 different kinds of crackers – original, vegetable flavor, cheddar flavor & multigrain flavor. Today I am reviewing the original. These crackers are very close to the gluten-filled Townhouse or Ritz crackers that I remember. Jon has also sampled them and said “Whoa! These taste just like regular crackers!” He is spreading peanut butter on them and making them into peanut butter sandwich crackers as I write this review. This product gets an A+.
Hol-Grain Crackers are crackers that are made from brown rice with a touch of salt. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that there isn’t much that I don’t like. I like food in general and I am fairly easy to please. Well, brace yourselves. This product was horrible. Horrible, as in going back to the store and I am asking for a store credit or my money back. I had such high hopes for these crackers! I wasn’t turned off by the ingredient list – only brown rice & salt. I eat rice cakes with those ingredients in them daily. The cracker was not appealing to look at; there was no crunch. They almost tasted stale. I didn’t even finish one of the crackers. I hesitate to write a review like this, but I hate to see anyone else waste their money, especially in this economy, on a product that is not cheap ($4 – $6/box). Has anyone else tried these? Did I just get a bad box?
Other good gluten-free crackers are Blue Diamond Nut Thins and Mary’s Gone Crackers. If you made me choose a favorite, it would be between the Glutino & Blue Diamond Nut Thins.
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December preview: “A Cookie A Day“. I will be sharing a cookie recipe a day during the month of December. In order to keep my life from being completely nuts, I am going to do weekdays only. Still, that will be 23 cookie recipes for you all to check out! I love holiday cookies and am hoping to try some fun new recipes this year to add to some old favorites.
Filed under: Family, Gluten-Free, Gluten-free Products |
My son and me, November 2000. This is before we were gluten-free/diagnosed Celiac.
Gluten-free is Life 
de-lurking, because your review of the hol-grain crackers made me giggle. we’ve been eating those for years. maybe they’re an acquired taste? i like them spread with almond butter or hummus, and we have found that if you put vanilla frosting on them, they taste EXACTLY like those wafer cookies with the filling that i will never eat again. 🙂 that said, they do have a consistency that is kinda like…cardboard. but it’s good cardboard! heehee!
LOL!! My son loves those wafer sugar cookies! I got some a couple weeks back made by Schar and they were really good.
Maybe those crackers are an acquired taste. I was shocked that I didn’t like them, b/c really there isn’t much I don’t like. I think in the almost 4 years I have been gluten-free, I can count on my hands the number of things I didn’t like.
I haven’t tried the Hol-grain cracker but I do love the Glutino and Blue Almond Crackers. Crackers are one of my favorite food before and now after being diagnosed. Thanks for your honesty.
You are welcome. I am glad that I can help navigate a sometimes confusing and expensive market. I know that everyone has different tastes, as can be seen by Sara’s post above. This is my opinion.
Now we need a GF Club Cracker! Maybe I can make them? I haven’t ventured into homemade crackers yet.
The Hol-Grain Crackers are HORRIBLE!!!!! I remember they were one of the first GF products I bought 5 years ago and I seriously think they are the reason I went off the gluten free diet (back in my STUPID denial days). I could not fathom having to eat stuff like that for the rest of my life!! I think I drank about 5 gallons of water to get the taste out of my mouth 🙂 I still have nightmares… I am only kidding but they are pretty bad. Kuddos to you for posting on this! The “revolution” has begun 🙂
http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/2009/11/10/its-my-buddy-gluten-free-dee-of-udis-on-the-news/
We really like Ener-g’s crackers, they have plain and onion flavor. They taste A LOT like a saltine cracker. We use them for peanut butter crackers and cheese and crackers.
Heidi
Heidi….
I’ll have to see if I can find the Ener-g crackers at Raisin Rack. Always good to have another option if one is one sale.
Hi there! I’ve just found your blog and am excited that I did! I’ve been experimenting with a gluten free diet for the last couple of months. The blood test for celiac was negative, but I think I am sensitive to gluten because I have been feeling much better.
I haven’t tried those crackers. I really like Blue Diamonds nut and rice crackers…
Hi! Thanks for reading! 🙂 Glad you are feeling better.
I hate those crackers too. Take them back!!! Ugh!!!
Renee,
Yes, they are going back. I think I will get another box of the Glutino in their place.
We’ve tried the Hol-Grain crackers, and we did not like them at all. My 2 year old ate most of them, but she eats almost anything…
Jenn,
Funny what 2 year olds will eat, huh? LOL!
Kim
You’re not alone in being rather horrified at how the Hol-Grain crackers tasted. Honestly, I was only diagnosed with celiac this summer… and when I tasted these I nearly burst into tears at the thought that THIS was what I was “doomed” to eat forever. I’m not sure how just two ingredients can be so horribly mangled. I’ve been reading your blog for a bit now, and I wanted to say that as a person just figuring this all out – I really rely a lot on more experienced people like you being honest about products. So thank you, and know you’re helping a lot of folks as they try and figure out this new life path!
Jenna,
Thanks for reading and for your nice post. I am glad that I can help people. I remember what it was like when I first started this diet & how frustrated I was at times.
Kim
A cookie a day recipe?!? I’m on board for that! 🙂
Oh yeah, my son was very excited when he heard. He is happy to be living here (well, at least for today). 😉 LOL!
Thank you for the reviews! it is so hard to spend money on GFree things only to find they are terrible… Who can afford that? Next can you review breads? I hate baking cuz I have a toddler who needs constant attention… But GFree bread is like $6-8 a tiny loaf!
You are welcome! I can review breads. I have some favorites and will work on a post this weekend. Thanks for the suggestion. 🙂
Whoa, those HolGrain crackers are a blast from the past. When I was diagnosed with Celiac in 1981, that was about the only gluten-free cracker around. I remember eating HolGrain and peanut butter “sandwiches” after school in the 80s. Yes, I definitely think they are an acquired taste. I also remember them going stale quickly, so maybe you did get a stale package.
As for the Glutino crackers, the cheddar ones are awesome. I always buy a box of these before a trip. They are my favorite.
Wow! I had no idea there were around then.
I have yet to try the Glutino cheddar crackers. I need to do that soon.
Kim