Kraft Chive Bagel-fuls: The Experiment

August 29, 2008 | Reviewer: Jess

Photo of Kraft Chive Bagel-fuls Price: Free to me, $4.00 to you, depending on gas prices
Serving: 1 Filled bagel, 2.5 oz.
Servings per package: 4
Calories: 200 per serving
Fat: 8%, 5g
Cholesterol: 5%, 15mg
Sodium: 9%, 220mg
Protein: 7g
Carbohydrates: 10%, 31g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Sugar: 4g
Weight Watchers Points: 4 Points

Kraft says: A bagel and cream cheese all in one. The warm, golden crust and soft, chewy texture of an authentic bagel wrapped around a center of cool and creamy Philadelphia cream cheese.

Jess says: I feel strongly about the bagel. When I studied abroad in Italy the two things I missed most were bagels and To Go coffee. On a rumor that there was an American baker who lived in Florence and made bagels I took an hour walk to a small section of Florence. There were bagels. I had three. Furthermore, I’m Jewish, so bagels are my culture. If you never had a Jewish deli bagel, then you might not know happiness. I’m just saying.

So, given my bagel background, I saw the Bagel-fuls about at my Giant and didn’t know what to think. For one, it looks nothing like a bagel. I looks like either a confused twinkie or a over-fed breadstick. For second, it was in the refrigerated case and in my experience bread gets weird in the fridge. BUT, I often crave bagels for breakfast while at work, but I never have the forethought to bring in cream cheese and/or a pack of bagels. And at like $3 for the pack, that’s less than a dollar for breakfast and they keep for about two weeks (more if you keep them in the freezer). This long shelf-life is good because then you don’t have to feel like a gluten glutton for eating 4 bagels in one week, as I hear that bagels are carb-festivals of wide-assness. I love, love, love bagels, but I know that I can’t afford new jeans. Luckily Abi got the company to send me Bagel-fuls for free! I was excited to learn that the Bagel-fuls are filled with Philadelphia cream cheese (as if there really is any other kind).

So, there are four instructions on the box about preparing your Bagelful. I will now describe and review all four (over the course of a week, not in one day, just to be clear):

1) Grab and go from refrigerator
Assumption: right temperature for cream cheese, wrong temperature for bread.

Actual: In fact the cold bread wasn’t too bad. Definitely edible. The bagel texture is much more bready than bagely, but overall the right portion for breakfast. I love a lot of cream cheese and I could have used more a larger cheese to bread ratio. This is actually one of the big benefits of the bagel: their good condiment surface area. Overall much better than I thought. Totally cheap, carby and breakfast-able.

2) In the toaster from the refrigerator
Assumption: Right temperature for bread, wrong temperature for cream cheese

Actual: The toasting makes this bread much better. Still not fully a bagel taste, but truly a bread-bagel hybrid (breadgel?). Yet the toasting makes it feel more like a comfort food. And due to weird insulating properties of the breadgel, the cream cheese stays fairly cold. Amazing! Definitely better toasted than grad and go. High five to Kraft Bagel-fuls engineers for nailing this amazing feat of proper distribution of breakfast temperatures.

3) In the Microwave from the refrigerator
Assumption: Wrong temperature for cream cheese; microwave makes bread weirdly chewy.

Actual: Bread is fine, but the cream cheese becomes warm and awkward. Did you know that cream cheese could be awkward? I didn’t until I put the Bagelful in the microwave. I don’t recommend this preparation method.

4) In the Microwave from the freezer
Assumptions: frozen cream cheese; weird bread

Actual: Oh the magic powers of the Bagel-ful! In the micry the bread gets soft and warm while the cream cheese stays cold! Truly amazing bread insulation technology! I still prefer it slightly toasted over all the preparation methods. But if you want to space out your Bagelful consumption, this is a totally workable option, to my complete surprise.

Either way, if you like bread and cream cheese and are in the market for a fast breakfast, Bagel-fuls might just be for you. If so, buon Bagel-ful a voi!

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