The Best Food Products Of This Year | Mishry Top Picks

This year has been unpredictable and no one knew what the next day had in store for any of us. For most of the year, we were working from home, which meant that our reviews took place over video calls that stretched for hours at a time. While we will miss waking up at 8:55am for a 9:00am meeting, we are eagerly looking forward to things going back to normal. From some of the most viral and biggest food trends to awesome new food products, we reviewed them all, and have curated a list of the best home and kitchen products we reviewed this year that will make your home and grocery shopping much easier. From snacks and beverages to health food and handy kitchen tools and appliances, here are Mishry’s Top Picks – Best food products and more.

Most of us associate popcorn with truckloads of butter and a generous sprinkling of salt, never chocolate. Well, that’s about to change thanks to the Nutty Tuxedo Popcorn by 4700 BC Gourmet Popcorn. We were in for a pleasant surprise when we tasted these deliciously crunchy popcorn. The perfect balance of caramel, chocolate and sea salt turned this into an absolute favorite among us. So, if you’re looking for small gifts to take to someone’s house, or for something different to snack on during a movie night, grab onto a box of these Nutty Tuxedo Popcorn by 4700 BC Gourmet Popcorn. You’re going to love it.

Nescafè has been a go-to coffee brand for a lot of people around the world. But, with so many artisanal and international brands launching in India, it was time that Nescafè upped their game. And so they did! Nescafe’s Gold Blend has a beautiful and intense aroma that we loved. We tried this in different ways, using different recipes. We used it over two weeks to make coffee, cold coffee, iced coffee in dairy and non-dairy options and loved it in all ways.

Let’s start with the obvious. We were not expecting fries from a brand associated with Ayurvedic products to be this crisp and tasty. The Patanjali Frozen French Fries won us over with the fact that they were so crunchy. Unlike some brands we reviewed, these were not hollow on the inside and cooked evenly. The only downside about this product is that it is not available at regular grocery stores easily.

Last year, when we reviewed the Vahdam Teas’ Turmeric Spiced Tea, we loved it immensely. So when we got our hands on some more flavors by the brand, we had to try them. We reviewed a lot of products by Vahdam this year and out of all those, the Chamomile Mint Citrus Green Tea won us over. The subtle flavors of mint and chamomile complement each other beautifully. Moreover, the aesthetically-designed pyramid shaped tea bags gave ample space to the tea leaves to expand and release maximum flavor. Even though we could not taste any citrus flavor, we really liked how the mint did not dominate, and chamomile’s mild presence could be felt.

This year gave way to a lot of turmeric and tulsi-based products including haldi doodh. The West might be discovering ‘turmeric latte’ lately, but we have been sipping on haldi doodh for ages. Amul and Mother Dairy both launched their versions of turmeric milk and we compared them in our review to see which one tastier and comes closest to what we’d find at home. The Amul Haldi Doodh won in our review for the sheer fact that it tasted better and had a balanced level of sweetness. Moreover, the haldi content was also more in Amul in comparison to Mother Dairy. On the other hand, Mother Dairy haldi milk was more like butterscotch-flavored milk and it did not deliver on the ‘haldi doodh’ promise. During our review, we noticed that both brands do not mention the curcumin levels or the type of haldi used, which should have been written on the label. Especially because these products are being marketed as immunity boosters.

Yummsy is a Delhi-based startup that offers a range of granola bars, ladoos and muesli. Their products revolve around the idea of using natural, wholesome ingredients and they do not use any preservatives or artificial flavors, which is always a big plus when we review products. This year, we reviewed the Yummsy Granola Muesli and 6 variants of their Granola Bars. We reviewed the Choco Nutty Amaranthus Bar, Fruity Granola Bar, Berries Granola Bar, Choco Berry Amaranthus Bar, Seeds Granola Bar and Power Granola Bar. All these bars are gluten-free and have no added sugars. The sweetness in these granola bars comes from ingredients such apricots, currants, raisins, berries and honey. Different textures and layers of flavors made these granola bars a favorite at the Mishry HQ.

There’s not much you can complain about when weekdays at work include pizzas. We took six of the most popular and easily available pizza sauces in India – Veeba, Dr. Oetkar, Wingreens, Kissan, American Garden and Del Monte. Our review process was divided into two stages: A raw tasting-session and tasting the sauce in a pizza. We chose a basic cheese pizza recipe to test our pizza sauces as we did not want the additional veggies or meat. After eating several batches of cheesy, crisp pizzas we found out that the pizzas made using our Top Pick – Veeba Pasta & Pizza Sauce were the most flavorsome. They had a lovely herby-tomato taste that we were looking for. We also liked and recommended the Wingreens Farms Pizza and Pasta Sauce for its flavor.

No desi-Chinese meal is complete without a spicy Schezwan Chutney and if you find the correct one for your homemade meals, you feel as if you’ve hit the jackpot! For us, it was the Ching’s Secret Schezwan Sauce. We used it to cook a variety of desi Chinese dishes such as chilli paneer, chilli mushrooms, honey chilli potatoes and even used it as a dip with momos. This is a spicy sauce with a mild sweetness that fades away as soon as it hits the back of your tongue. Give this one a go if you love cooking ‘Chin-jabi’ meals at home.

Kadhas (a concoction made using immunity-boosting and soothing herbs and spices) are often called bad-tasting and associated with cold and cough. We sipped a lot of kadhas this year due to the pandemic. Some kadhas were too strong for our liking but the Dabur Honitus Hot Sip Ayur Kadha emerged as one of the tastiest and warming kadhas. From the mild sweetness and the ginger-pepper kick, the Honitus Hot Sip Kadha did give us mild relief from a sore throat. A cup of this kadha during winter will give you much-needed warmth.

DIY cooking kits to make gourmet meals at home are all the rage in the West and are fast becoming the in-thing in urban India as well. Makery is a Delhi-based startup, co-founded by siblings Tarika Khattar and Rishiv Khattar. Some of the dishes the DIY kits are available for, and listed on their website, are jackfruit saraman curry, spicy mapo tofu, some salads, and more. We reviewed the Khao Soi DIY Kit and found the quality of ingredients to be phenomenal. The recipe instructions that came with the kit were easy to follow and precise. The Khao Soi was lip-smackingly delicious and we would go back for this in a second.

Survarna Haldi, also known as boodhi haldi, is a type of haldi, which has the highest levels of curcumin and is a known immunity-booster. Grown in the hilly parts of Uttarakhand, suvarna haldi takes about 18 months to cultivate whereas commercially-grown haldi only takes 6 months. The Haldi Vita Drink Mix is made using suvarna haldi and has a distinct kachi haldi-peppery aroma.  When we tasted the Haldi Vita with a glass of warm milk, we loved the mild cardamom and jaggery flavors. An ingredient list and detailed labeling are always loved at Mishry, making Haldi Vita Drink Mix one of the best food products of this year.

A cold winter evening paired with piping hot jalebis, dunked in a bowl of chilled rabri. Ah, bliss! Rabri, though it is easy to make at home, is time-consuming and not everyone has the patience to start making this from scratch at home. When ill-timed cravings beg for a home-style dessert, a cup of Amul Rabri can be quite satisfactory. When we saw the pack, we were a tad bit underwhelmed and even upon opening the pack, it looked unappetizing. But you know how the saying goes ‘never judge a book by its cover’, and that completely applies to Amul Rabri. This dessert-in-a-cup mimics the flavor and consistency of a homemade rabri. The sweetness levels, the malaidaar consistency and the wholesome flavor were absolutely loved. We could not stop eating this!

Banana chips are not a snack that you stop after eating just one. But most industrially-packed banana chips can feel heavy, coat your palate after eating only a handful. We could not stop eating the organic banana chips by Looms & Weaves and finished the 400-gm bag within 2 days. No kidding! Unlike most banana chips we find in the market, the Looms & Weaves Banana Chips are cut horizontally instead of the small round discs. The texture of the banana chips was crunchy and chewy in bits and pieces. The banana flavor was not lost while deep frying, nor could we taste any overpowering tones of coconut oil.

The basic rule of a keto diet is to have a low-carb diet with the inclusion of good-for-you fats. Ketofy is a Gurgaon based brand that specialises in products manufactured for specific diets and health requirements. The set of ingredients used in the Ketofy Choco Fudge Cookies were impressive and included a whole lot of seeds like watermelon, sunflower, chia and flax. These cookies also contain urad dal that is also used to make dal makhni. The fat comes from cocoa butter and rice bran oil which are much healthier alternatives to the otherwise used palm oil. The dark bitter chocolate flavor is intense and is unlike any other chocolate based cookie you can find in the market. The sweetness in the cookie comes from erythritol, a low-calorie sweetener. That being said, the Ketofy cookie is a premium product and does not fall under the category of an everyday cookie. This can prove to be an excellent accompaniment with your evening coffee when a small snack is much needed.

Gouri’s is an Indian brand that offers a range of healthy and handmade snacks. This year we tried two products from Gouri’s and fell in love with both of them. The Gouri’s Natural Energy Bars made using palm jaggery and honey are wonderfully chewy and have no preservatives. Similarly, the orange and dark chocolate energy bites also have no preservatives and we could taste almost all the ingredients mentioned on the pack. We highly recommend both the products by Gouri’s for the sheer transparency of labels and the wonderful quality of ingredients used.

Frozen food seldom hits the spot, but when it does, it becomes a staple in your kitchen. McCain’s Super Wedges have that potential. These potato wedges were thick, uniformly cut and had their skins on. Nailing the texture of the potatoes can be a bit tricky, but the McCain Super Wedges are fluffy and soft on the inside and super crispy on the outside. These can prove to be an excellent side dish with rustic homemade burgers and sandwiches.

Two terms to describe the chicken momos by Prasuma – Delicate wrappings and juicy fillings. We reviewed these during the lockdown when eating street food was a distant dream and we all were missing momos dearly. The Prasuma Original Chicken Momos helped bridge the gap of street style momos during the lockdown and became an instant hit amongst the team. We also tried their pork momos and loved them equally.

Sleepy Owl Coffee (Dark Roast, Cold Brew) promises and delivers quality and convenience. As simple as that. No messy drips, or coffee grinding, just dunk it in water and let it brew overnight. Longer the brewing hours, stronger the coffee. We really liked how convenient it is to brew this coffee anytime, anywhere. You don’t need fancy appliances to make this. The strength of the coffee is really impressive and does not feel acidic or bitter. We will surely be going back for this one.

Say goodbye to your stainless steel colanders because this collapsible colander that we reviewed this year is going to hog the limelight in the kitchen. In times where storage is always a problem, this is surely something you want to add to your kitchen. We used this to wash different types of vegetables and fruits, and drain pasta and noodles in our review lab. The plastic and silicone body, the sliding handles and the push down tray is all worth the switch.

In a year that included washing, scrubbing and sanitising our hands, groceries and fresh produce, the ITC Nimwash – Vegetable & Fruit Wash, was a much appreciated product. We used the ITC Nimwash for over a week to wash our fresh produce and saw that our fruits and vegetables were visibly cleaner, brighter and fresher.

We picked 7 brands of sandwich makers of both varieties – Cut and seal (four triangles) and the grill-type to test which brand has the best sandwich maker in India. After making sandwiches with more than two large loaves of bread we found that Cello Grill and Sandwich Maker is the best griller sandwich maker in India because it made super toasty sandwiches and sealed the edges properly. The title of the Best Four Triangle Sandwich Maker (Cut And Seal) was given to Philips Sandwich Maker because the sandwiches made using Philips were the most toasty, and the edges sealed well. Both these sandwich makers have a cord winder and a push down button. If you are planning to buy a sandwich maker, read our detailed review to find out which sandwich maker is suitable for your home.

This year forced most of us to re-learn how to mop our homes and manage without domestic help. That is when smart mops became all the rage! During our 6-week long testing phase of the mop, we noticed that it is extremely easy to use and maintain. Unlike when you mop the floor with a regular poocha, this does not require sitting down and eases your back. Moreover, it’s much more hygienic as you do not have to squeeze out the water with your hands. The in-built wringer in the bucket helps with the process and is extremely easy to use and clean.

Some imagined flying cars this year, some imagined self-cleaning homes. We imagined an automatic yogurt maker. These past few months, we got a lot of requests to review one, so we purchased the hottest-selling one online. Even though almost no one in India would imagine that you would need a machine to set homemade curd, this automatic yogurt maker is a major game changer. This handy, tabletop appliance consistently gave us thick curd every time for over two weeks in our review lab. We didn’t have to heat up the milk and our yogurt/curd was always well-set and in a given frame of 7-9 hours. No matter how cold or warm it was outside, this automatic yogurt maker gave consistent results which we LOVED!

The food industry is an ever-evolving space and we are introduced to new food products constantly. At Mishry, it is our goal to present you with unbiased reviews of food trends and new food products that can help make your grocery shopping much easier. Our list of the best foods, best new drinks and best new snacks, appliances and kitchen tools is here, hoping to make your kitchen a much more loved space. Which one of these from our list of best food products have you tried and loved so far? Let us know in the comment section below.