Keeping your freezer well-stocked with frozen apps is a smart move. It allows you to entertain in a pinch or enjoy a tasty snack any time you want. And Costco is famously heavy on the frozen section, with plenty of tempting options to fill your cart with every time you shop. But they aren’t all the same. In fact, there is one that you really should not waste your own precious freezer space on.
Chowhound’s own Katie Melynn recently took a look at several of Costco’s apps and ranked them from best to worst, evaluating frozen and fresh apps for the best crowd pleasers. It’s no surprise that West End’s delicious Mediterranean Style Chicken Skewers topped the list, but you may be surprised (and perhaps a bit disappointed) to hear that Foster Farm’s Mini Corn Dogs rounded out the list at the very bottom.
Who doesn’t like corn dogs? They are tasty creations of sweet and savory goodness that take a classic American favorite, hot dogs, and encase them in crispy-on-the-outside and soft-on-the-inside slightly sweet corn breading. The result is a burst of flavor with a satisfying crunch to boot. To top it off, you can add any number of delicious dipping sauces to suit your fancy and give your meal some extra flair. Corn dogs are kid pleasers every time, and adults get a kick of nostalgia. Make them mini and you’ve got a sure-fire winner for parties, or so you would think.
The reason behind the ranking just may surprise you
The Foster Farms Mini Corn Dogs corn bread batter coating is flavored with honey, giving them just the right amount of sweetness to balance out the savory flavor of the little hot dog inside. The problem is, they’re impractical. These little dogs are bite size, so they are actually an ideal finger food. And you can get as creative as you want with your dipping sauces (this flavor-packed Mississippi sauce is a surprise that no one will be expecting), so they are a great way to add flavor to your appetizer spread.
But they have the tendency to be a bit messy, making them less than ideal for more upscale parties. The mini versions lack a stick that commonly comes in the full-size variety, so they are ideally eaten with your fingers, and you’ve got to get your hands a bit messy in order to enjoy them. To make matters worse, the design itself is slightly flawed — the little dogs are rounded with no flat surfaces, making them prone to slipping and sliding right off a plate while someone is walking around a party mingling with others. If you really want to serve corn dogs at your party, you might want to consider a full-sided homemade version (which is surprisingly easy when you use the Mason jar hack) and save the Foster Farms mini versions for a snack for the kids.
