APRIL/MAY 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 31PRODUCT TASTINGRECOMMENDEDHeinz
Yellow Mustard
Price: $1.99 for 14 oz
($0.14 per oz)
Sodium: 60 mg
Comments: We liked
this mustard’s “nice
sweetness” and “good
acidity,” which gave it
“some zing,” as well
as its smooth texture
and “old-fashioned,”
“iconic” fl avor. As one
taster noted, it “tastes
like classic mustard on a
ballpark hot dog.”French’s Classic
Yellow Mustard
Price: $3.19 for 20 oz
($0.16 per oz)
Sodium: 55 mg
Comments: Our run-
ner-up had many of the
characteristics we liked:
a “hint of sweet” and
“acidic bite” combined
with a “creamy texture.”
Some tasters detected a
slightly “earthy,” “herby”
fl avor when tasting the
mustard plain, but it
was less noticeable on
pigs in a blanket.Koops’ Original
Yellow Mustard
Price: $5.95 for 18 oz
($0.33 per oz)
Sodium: 60 mg
Comments: Overall,
we liked this product’s
thicker texture, which
was “a little coarser,”
with a “grainy” consis-
tency. It also had an
“acidic” bite that paired
nicely with food, though
tasters deemed its
mustard fl avor “neutral”
and “nondescript.”Woeber’s
Yellow Mustard
Price: $1.30 for 16 oz
($0.08 per oz)
Sodium: 80 mg
Comments: Not every-
one liked this mustard’s
“very vinegary” fl avor,
but some loved its
tartness and thicker
consistency. Tasters
compared it to both
pickles and brined ol-
ives, but some thought
it was too “sour.” It also
had a “thick and grainy”
consistency.Gulden’s
Yellow Mustard
Price: $2.50 for 12 oz
($0.21 per oz)
Sodium: 55 mg
Comments: Some
tasters thought this
“punchy” mustard had
an “earthy aftertaste.”
The “herbal taste” was
evident even on pigs in
a blanket, but overall
we liked this product’s
“sharp and tangy”
“dill pickle fl avor” and
“smooth,” “creamy”
texture.Annie’s Organic
Yellow Mustard
Price: $3.99 for 9 oz
($0.44 per oz)
Sodium: 50 mg
Comments: Tasters
picked up on “funky,”
“musty” notes, but
overall this mustard’s
fl avor was deemed
milder and “missing a
little complexity.” Most
tasters also liked the
silky texture, but some
found it “foamy.”Boar’s Head
54% Lower Sodium
Yellow Mustard
Price: $3.39 for 9 oz
($0.38 per oz)
Sodium: 25 mg
Comments: The only
yellow mustard available
from Boar’s Head, this
low-sodium product had
more heat than fl avor
and was sharper and
thicker than the others.
Tasters described it
as “sharp” and “more
viscous,” like whole-grain
mustard.IN THE CONDIMENT world,
yellow mustard is often considered the
Robin to ketchup’s Batman, relegated
to a supporting role on burgers and
hot dogs. But it’s much more than a
sidekick. Yellow mustard’s pungency
and relatively low spice level make it
highly versatile, ideal for adding tang
and fl avor to hot dogs, potato salad,
barbecue sauce, marinades, salad dress-
ings, and more.
When we heard that our favorite
yellow mustard from our last tasting
had been reformulated, we decided to
retest. We selected seven top-selling,
nationally available products, priced
from $0.08 to $0.44 per ounce. We
included a low-sodium mustard from
Boar’s Head since it was that brand’s
only yellow mustard. We tasted each
mustard plain and on pigs in a blanket.
Mustard seeds are a cool-weather
crop. Canada is the world’s largest pro-
ducer, so most mustard manufacturers
use seeds grown in Canada. According
to the Canadian Grain Commission, the
regulatory agency tasked with grad-
ing mustard seeds, three seed types
are grown in Canada: brown, oriental,
and yellow (sometimes referred to as
white). Brown and oriental seeds are
used in spicier mustards, and yellow
seeds—fl avorful but with less heat—are
used in yellow mustard. (Of note: This
condiment’s sunny color doesn’t come
from the seeds, which are a more muted
hue—it’s from the addition of turmeric.)
The seeds become prepared mustard
through a straightforward mechani-
cal process. The ingredients (typically
mustard seeds, water, vinegar, salt,
and spices) are stirred together and
then milled between two large stones.
According to Allen Sass, president of
Wisconsin Spice, the largest miller of
mustard seeds in the United States,
milling serves two purposes: It extracts
mucilage (a thick, gelatinous substance)
from the seeds, and it combines all the
ingredients. Once milled, the mixture
is bottled.
Mustard is often paired with fatty
meats, as its characteristic tang can
help cut the richness. Some products
tasted more acidic, while others were
more subdued. We examined ingredi-
ent labels and noted that some of the
mustards added relatively more water
and others more vinegar, but this
wasn’t the full story. Experts told us
that vinegar can have diff erent concen-
trations, so quantity didn’t necessarily
explain why certain mustards were
tangier than others. And while some
tasters appreciated the tartness, the
majority preferred mustards that were
mellower, with a moderate acidity that
didn’t dominate other fl avors.
Our two favorite mustards had sweet
notes that nicely balanced their acidity.But there were no signs of sugar in
their ingredient lists or nutritional in-
formation. These mustards did include
“natural fl avor,” whereas most others
didn’t. This is a catchall term
used by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration, and
food manufacturers don’t
have to specify which natural
fl avors they use. These
mustards’ ingredient lists
also included “spices,” which
don’t have to be disclosed
either. It’s possible that these
unspecifi ed ingredients
contributed to a mustard’s
perceived sweetness.
Among the products in our
lineup, sodium levels ranged
from 25 to 80 milligrams per serving,
with the former being the low-sodium
option from Boar’s Head. While none
of the mustards tasted strikingly salty or
underseasoned, this low-sodium prod-
uct fell to the bottom of our rankings, as
tasters found it less fl avorful, spicier, and
sharper than a typical yellow mustard.
Flavor was most important to our
tasters, but they considered texture,
too. A mustard’s texture is determined
by the mill’s grind settings: the distance
between the two stones that crush and
grind the mustard seeds. As Sass told
us, “The further away the stones are,
the less mucilage extracted (and coarserproduct); vice versa when stones are
close together.”
One product’s grainy, thick texture
reminded us of whole-grain mustard;
water wasn’t listed as an
ingredient. Sass told us
that mustard without water
(with only vinegar as the
liquid) would be expected to
have relatively more solids
(mustard seeds), which could
make it thicker. On the op-
posite end of the spectrum,
an “ultrasmooth” mustard
seemed aerated and foamy
to some tasters, which might
have been due to processing
conditions. According to
Sass, yellow mustard seeds con-
tain approximately 30 percent protein,
and processing them aggressively can
lead to aeration.
The majority of tasters found all
mustard textures acceptable, but our
favorite products had a moderately
creamy texture and enough body to
cling nicely to pigs in a blanket. Our
winner, Heinz Yellow Mustard ($0.14
per ounce), hit all the right notes for
both texture and fl avor. It was “smooth
in texture and taste,” with “some zing”
and a “hint of sweetness.” Its “good
old-fashioned mustard fl avor” conjured
up images of ballparks. As one taster
said, “It tastes like mustard should.”Yellow Mustard
Mild but not dull, this ballpark and backyard classic punches up everything
from hot dogs to salad dressing. by Emily Phares
Hold the ketchup.Our Favorite