DH and I love gnocchi. I keep saying I'm going to have a go at making them myself, but working full time forces me to be stingier about what I choose to spend my time on. I found a packaged gnocchi we like at Trader Joes's, but about 50% of the time, that shelf is empty. DH just called me from the Dollar Store and said they have Caputo brand gnocchi and wanted to know how many he should buy. Never heard of that brand, so checked Amazon to see if there were any reviews. I saw only one review and it was short and sweet - "Tastes like Play Doh". I called DH and told him to just buy one so we could give it a try. Just wondering if anyone here has heard of this brand, tried it, and what they thought of it. I know it won't be as good as homemade, but how might it compare to other brands you may have used?
But have you EATEN Play Doh before? That would be the real test.
"----But have you EATEN Play Doh before? That would be the real test."
That got me thinking. :-)
dcarch
Here is a link that might be useful: Playdough or gnocchi recipe?
Donna, Caputo is a local Chicago grocery store, family owned. There are two brothers that tookover from their father.
Dad started with a cheese store that grew very nicely and branched into stores. He is succeed by his sons, Angelo and Joseph. Each brother has a series of grocery stores bearing their name. Nice stores with an Italian background and good produce. They sell many items under their name, from pasta, deli items, oils, vinegars and cheeses. Many are imported from Italy.
The original cheese operation is still around and the variety boggles the eyes and nose. We go there often. I believe that Angelo now runs it as the name has changed from Wisconsin Cheese Corp to Caputo's cheese. They supply many groceries and deli shops in the area.
So, I would send DH back to the Dollar store and grab more.
Here is a link that might be useful: Angelo's website
Part of kid culture is to dare each other to eat Play-Doh, so, yeah, most kids have. Plus, most flavor nuances are actually in smell rather than on the tongue. I can attest (having been dared) that Play-Doh, a number of decades ago, tasted pretty much like it smells, though maybe saltier. They've changed the colors, but I doubt they've changed the rest of the ingredients much. :) It still smells the same, though fresher because of improvements in packaging.
The frightening thing is that hipster places serving ironic foods have started serving "Playdough" as an ice cream flavor! Really. I don't know if it actually tastes like Play-Doh. Most of the descriptions talk about the bright colors. Many have cookie bits or cookie dough chunks in them for the "dough" part.
I am not a hipster.
Re packaged gnocchi, even the very best aren't going to consistently have the fluffy pillowiness that make gnocchi so terrific. They can be good enough as a dumpling, since you're not going to make your own. I'd also check what kind of additives and stabilizers they have. Even if Caputo is the very best, is the lot that made it to the 99 Cent store top quality? Or is it the stuff that's still edible, but maybe got stuck in a truck somewhere, and they sold it off cheap so they wouldn't have to worry if it were still up to their standards?
Gnocchi is basically bland and needs to be sauteed and browned with butter to truly shine. We buy Suns of Italy brand.
True I brown mine with butter and garlic powder serve them hot with melted butter a touch of fresh basil and parsley
DH made some this week. While the water was heating for the gnocchi, he cut up some bacon and fried it with some sliced onions. Cooked the gnocchi and drained it, then added it to the bacon and onions. Turned off the burner and hit it with about half a cup of half and half. The residual heat and the starch from the gnocchi made the half and half all but disappear, leaving a thin smooth coating on them. It was quite yummy.
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