Best plain bagels? We toast the house brands

Wheaties may be the breakfast of champions to some, but to Store Brand Scorecard, the real breakfast of champions is a fat, doughy bagel. (That may explain why I look more like Jack Black than Michael Phelps.) No other breakfast item is so simple to make (toasted or not, either way it's easy) and still so filling, making it the meal of choice if you're running late to class, or for us graduates, to work.

But who says a convenient bagel can't also be cheap and tasty? Store Brand Scorecard sampled Thomas bagels and three store-brand varieties from a big box store, grocery store and mini market, to find the best bagel for your dough. All products were purchased on Sept. 18 in the Chicago-area. Prices are subject to change.