A question for the Letsrun oldtimers -- did Oreos taste any different pre-1997 (made w/ lard) or '97-'06 than today?

that was only 20 years ago. A child can and often does eat Oreos. You must think anyone over 24 is a geezer. That's dumb.

Not just Oreos, McDonald's used to cook their fries in beef fat (does that mean the nuggets were cooked in it too...no wonder they were so much better when I was a kid).

Bad Wigins wrote:

that was only 20 years ago. A child can and often does eat Oreos. You must think anyone over 24 is a geezer. That's dumb.

A 24 year old would be utterly useless for this. No 24 year old would be able to remember the distinction between something he ate at age 3 - 4, and something he ate in the last 5 - 10 years.

Given that Oreos are technically over 100 years old, a geezer who ate lard-based Oreos for multiple decades may remember it well enough to actually taste the difference if he were to try it today.

100 years? Who needs Twinkies. How is that even legal

Bring Back the 880 wrote:

Not just Oreos, McDonald's used to cook their fries in beef fat (does that mean the nuggets were cooked in it too...no wonder they were so much better when I was a kid).

Don't forget the old school McDonald's apple pie. Now that is the real tragic loss.

Seyta wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

that was only 20 years ago. A child can and often does eat Oreos. You must think anyone over 24 is a geezer. That's dumb.

A 24 year old would be utterly useless for this. No 24 year old would be able to remember the distinction between something he ate at age 3 - 4, and something he ate in the last 5 - 10 years.

Given that Oreos are technically over 100 years old, a geezer who ate lard-based Oreos for multiple decades may remember it well enough to actually taste the difference if he were to try it today.

This 35-year-old geezer remembers them being better. IMO they were best in the middle period when they contained large quantities of trans fats.

Early on McDonalds used shelf stable BEEF TALLOW for all their frying

Bring Back the 880 wrote:

Not just Oreos, McDonald's used to cook their fries in beef fat (does that mean the nuggets were cooked in it too...no wonder they were so much better when I was a kid).

Damn the brits wrote:

Oreos were made w/ lard till 1997, when an anti-lard health fad implored Nabisco to replace the pig stuff with trans-fat. T'was this way from till 2006, when yet another nutrition revelation caused Nabisco to make the switch to vegetable oil. Oreos are now fully vegan.

Reading Rejectrunner's thread led me to try an oreo today for the first time in 12 years (2005). I sensed a noticeable difference in taste from the overweight days of my youth -- gone is the wholesome, mouth-filling, subtely sugared fatty goodness. These iconic chocolate sandwiches now taste splenda-esque, low-fat, and artificially sweet. Almost makes me miss trans-fat.

To LR geezers -- did oreos taste any different pre '97, when they were made w/ lard, than they did during the trans-fat era or today?

I remember when this happened, and yes it tasted very different. I thought the change happened more around 1998-2000. Anyways, I stopped eating them because I didn't think they were as good. And I still don''t eat them as much as I used to before the switch. Before the switch I was killing double stuffeds

A long time ago they tasted sinfully delicious because my parents would not let me gorge on them.

Seriously, who eats cookies primarily for the taste? (aside from the high calorie combination of fat and sugar). What runners are eating cookies primarily for taste?

I doubt there are any cookie gourmets reading LRC.

you used to be able to get high quality drugs in food (cocaine in coke, lard in oreos etc.) and you would become addicted.

then they would change the product and you either remained addicted for other reasons or you had already moved on to harder stuff. (like pork rinds or real buttercreme frosting)

Remember that it is NOT true that if the furnace is hot enough, anything will burn.

they still live in my mind wrote:

Bring Back the 880 wrote:

Not just Oreos, McDonald's used to cook their fries in beef fat (does that mean the nuggets were cooked in it too...no wonder they were so much better when I was a kid).

Don't forget the old school McDonald's apple pie. Now that is the real tragic loss.

It's a national disgrace. This "healthy" baked pie crap is useless. I want the fried pies back.

Yes they taste very different. I remember they were thicker and creamier but less sweet.

I wonder when the switch was made from sugar to HFCS, that makes a big difference too.

It's not just a taste issue. Today's oreos have lost their dunkability. So sad. Hardly worth getting out of bed in the morning any more.

You also have to take into account that human beings' taste buds evolve as they get older. When I was young, I could gorge on candy all day long and not feel bad about it. Today, that same candy tastes almost sickeningly sweet. My point is - maybe we will remember old Oreos more fondly because our taste buds were more attuned to sweetness in our younger years.

That said, I do love me some Oreos, both now and in the past.

I think they taste the same.

One thing that has gone downhill is Orange Julius. They used to be thick; now, very watery.

I'm older than everyone on here. And I can't remember a damned thing.

I remember when Nutter Butters were made with real splooge.

Dunk Master wrote:

You also have to take into account that human beings' taste buds evolve as they get older.

Right answer.

Beyond that, most of the super-successful food formulas are constantly being tested and reformulated. The cookie 20 years ago won't taste like the current cookie. Consumer food preferences change.

Whoever complained about the Oreo losing its dunkability, it's because it's a far more shelf-stable product now that does not break easily in the package.

BTW, the stuff used to cook french fries once upon a time is naturally shelf stable, self-preserving.

Damn the brits wrote:

Oreos were made w/ lard till 1997, when an anti-lard health fad implored Nabisco to replace the pig stuff with trans-fat.

Lard is also a trans-fat.