Chicken Breasts

Overview:

In a society obsessed with weight, it is not surprising that boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a standard in many home kitchens. No fat, no fuss, and, unfortunately, no flavor. We've come up with countless recipes to add zip to these otherwise boring birds, but we never stopped to look at the chicken itself. Is there a difference in flavor among the popular brands? Do terms like "organic," "free range," "natural," or "kosher" have any real bearing on the quality of the meat?

To find out, we gathered six brands of boneless skinless chicken breasts, broiled them without seasoning, and had 20 tasters sample the chickens side-by-side. Among the contenders were one kosher bird, two "natural," and one "free range." The remaining two were just plain "chicken."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines "natural" as "a product containing no artificial ingredients or added color and [that] is only minimally processed," with a "process" being something that "does not fundamentally alter the raw product." In the case of chicken, it means that the bird was given no antibiotics or hormones and was fed a vegetarian diet. "Free range" means exactly what it says: the birds are not confined to small cages but are allowed to roam freely. Some people find that this excess motion yields tougher meat, but our tasters did not find this to be the case.

The only kosher bird in this tasting won points for its superior flavor, acquired by means of none other than salt. Koshering involves coating the chicken with salt to draw out any impurities; this process, similar to brining, results in moist, salty meat (for this reason we do not recommend brining kosher birds). Last-place (and lowest priced) finishers were downgraded for poor texture and unnatural flavor. Tasters were also put off by the brash yellow color of the birds.

In the end, it seems that more money can buy you a better bird and, many would argue, a better-for-you bird (kosher birds are also all-natural and contain no hormones or antibiotics). As for lower-priced supermarket staples and store brands, a cheaper price can indicate a lower-quality product.

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Product Tested		Price*
Highly Recommended
	Columela Extra Virgin Olive Oil Our favorite premium extra-virgin olive oil from a previous tasting, Columela is composed of a blend of intense Picual, mild Hojiblanca, Ocal, and Arbequina olives. This oil took top honors for its fruity flavor and excellent balance. Tasters praised its big olive aroma, big olive taste with a buttery flavor that is sweet and full, with a peppery finish. One taster said: Its very green and freshlike a squeezed olive. Another simply wrote: Fantastic.	$19 for 17 oz
Recommended
	Lucini Italia Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasters noted this oils flavor was much deeper than the other samples, describing it as fruity, with a slight peppery finish, buttery undertones, and a clean, green taste that was aromatic, with a good balance. It has the flavor that some good EVOOs have, said one admiring taster.	$19.99 for 500 ml ($39.98 per liter)
	Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil Virtually tied for second place, this oil was deemed round and buttery, with a light body and flavor that was briny and fruity, very fine and smooth, and almost herbal, with great balance. Good olive flavor. I could smell it and taste it, approved one taster. In a word, pleasant.	$17.99 for 750 ml ($23.98 per liter)
Recommended with Reservations
	Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil A clear step down from the top oils, tasters noted overall mild flavor and very little aroma, with only a hint of green olive and a hint of spiciness at the end. In pasta, it was initially not complex, but gradually bloomed in your mouth. Overall, it was worthy of a second bite.	$12.49 for 750 ml ($16.65 per liter)
	Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil While some tasters found this oil sweet and buttery with medium body and slight spice at the end, others complained that it had zero olive flavor and was so floral its almost like eating perfume; still others noted a bitter aftertaste. In pasta, it was extremely mild to the point of being boring.	$10.99 for 750 ml ($14.65 per liter)
	Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil Comments: The best comments tasters could muster were mild and neutral. Some liked it on pasta (though one called it Snoozeville), but complaints were myriad: metallic, soapy, briny, hints of dirt. Carped one taster, I cant imagine what is in here, but they have a nerve calling it EVOO.	$13.99 for 1 liter
	Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil Comments: While some tasters called this oil mild and smooth, others found it thin, greasy and not very interesting. I bet the cooking water had more olive flavor, speculated one taster; could be canolait is so bland, mused another. A few noted an objectionable aftertaste that was soapy, chemical or mentholthink	$9.99 for 473 ml ($21.12 per liter)
	Botticelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil While a few tasters liked this potent oil, others said they detected mushroom, rotten walnuts, a Band-Aid wrapped in a cherry blossom, and a quality that was downright medicinalTriaminic, anyone? Several deemed it overpowering and musky, with a rank, off-flavor. Tastes not like olives but like the armpits of olive laborers, shuddered one.	$10.99 for 1 liter
Not Recommended
	Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil Italy, Greece, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Cyprus, Morocco, and Syria Comments: Nothing remarkable herejust greasy, no flavor, summarized one taster. Where did the olive go? said another. This oil was judged to have a kind of rancid aftertaste that was reminiscent of not only soil, tree resin, and ammonia and grass, but even kitty litter smells and a set of sweaty hockey pads.	$10.99 for 750 ml ($14.65 per liter)
	DaVinci Extra Virgin Olive Oil Although this oil won top place in a previous tasting, because olive oil is an agricultural product, it can differ from year to year. This time, tasters found it washed out and muted, if nice, in a totally bland and unremarkable way. Tasted plain, objections ranged from insipid, with no real complexity to tastes like EVOO mixed with vegetable oil.	$17.99 for 1 liter
	Star Extra Virgin Olive Oil Origin: Spain, Italy, Greece, and Tunisia Comments: Boring and not very complex, this oil came across as plastic-y and industrial; some hint of olives, but it fades quickly. Tasters identified off-flavors that were unpleasant, dirty, like rubber and metal, with a sour aftertaste, or at least a bit funky, with a strange taste that was spicy, but in a motor oil kind of way. One simply wrote, Blech.	$11.99 for 750 ml ($15.99 per liter)