How do off brand snacks stack up?

Whenever I walk down an aisle at the grocery store, I'm tempted to try one of the many off brand snacks that seem to collect at the bottom of the shelf. Even though the packages and names often look like they were put together by a 3rd grade class on a sugar high; the low price is enough to grab my attention. Despite the obvious price draw of these snacks, I'm worried that they'll taste like the rejects from a high school Home EC class!

Thankfully, Second Rate Snacks, a new blog dedicated to determining the quality of off brand snacks has come to the rescue. The site pits name brand snacks against their cheaper off brand cousins to see if there is a clear winner. Recent reviews include several college staples including ramen noodles, mountain dew and Jell-O! As a ramen noodle aficionado I was excited to see that Cup Noodles beat out instant lunch for top ramen meal! How couldn't I get behind a product that can't be bothered to include "of" in its name?

Despite being only a few months old, Second Rate Snacks has an impressive catalog of reviews ranging from deserts to pseudo meals. The comparisons include the most important snack qualities such as taste, texture, aroma and appearance. After browsing the site and reading up on chips and cookies I'm ready to go find cheap, yet tasty snacks the next time I go to the store.

What are your best and worst off brand snack experiences?