Bruce's Sweet Potato Pancake and Waffle Mix: Product Review

When my family goes on camping trips with our pop-up trailer, one of the main concerns I have is to find food items which are nutritious and easy to prepare. The packages the food comes in must take up as little space as possible. On a recent camping trip, I wanted to find an alternative to the boxed pancake mix I have bought in the past. I purchased two packets of Bruce's Complete Sweet Potato Pancake and Waffle Mix to try out.

This pancake and waffle mix is produced by Bruce Foods Corporation with plants in North Carolina and Texas and general offices in New Iberia, Louisiana. The corporate website is brucesyamsbrand.com.

Package and Serving Sizes

Because Bruce's Sweet Potato Pancake Mix comes in plastic coated paper packets, I was able to fit the packets into small otherwise empty places in my food hamper.

Each six ounce packet is supposed to make four to six pancakes with diameters of 4-1/2 inches. I was able to make a maximum of nine pancakes with two to three inch diameters, a size which was easier to flip on my small cast iron frying pan.

Nutrition

Each packet of sweet potato pancake mix has the claim to be "low in saturated fat and cholesterol" and certified by the American Heart Association. For every half cup of dry mix, there are 210 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. The fat likely comes from the buttermilk and soybean oil listed among the ingredients. This product has no cholesterol and no saturated or trans fats when prepared.

You would expect a product containing sweet potatoes to be high in Vitamin A. Every two pancakes made from Bruce's Sweet Potato Pancake Mix yield 15 percent of the daily value of vitamin A and thiamine for a 2000 calorie diet. One serving also provides 10 percent of the daily requirements of niacin, iron, riboflavin and folic acid.

Changes to the Packet Directions

The two grams of fiber in one sweet potato pancake can be supplemented by adding ground pecans to the batter. Blueberries or sliced strawberries can also be added to enhance the flavor and nutrition value. I followed the directions on the packet and used water to make the batter. On my next camping trip, I am going to try using a mix of water and orange juice or water and milk to increase the vitamin C (none when prepared with water) and protein content (four grams when prepared with water).

I discovered that preparing the mix with the recommended amount of water (3/4 cup) created a stiff batter, more like the consistency needed for muffins or quick bread. I added a little over one cup of water to make thinner pancakes.

The package directions already indicate that you should oil the cooking surface before each pancake is made. Changing the ingredients you add to the mix might make the product stick more so oiling the pan may be more important. I used a non-stick cooking spray before pouring each batch of pancakes and had no problems with pancakes sticking to the pan.

The Downside to the Product

My husband accidentally put one packet of pancake mix into our ice chest with some other food requiring refrigeration. While the packets look waterproof, I found water from melting ice in our cooler seeped into a corner and ruined a small amount of the product. If I were packing this food into a remote location, I would place the packets in a quart size food storage bag.

Two nutrition factors which bear noting are the 14 grams of sugar and 420 milligrams of sodium per serving size. My blood pressure is higher than it should be. The high sodium level of this product means I must watch the content of whatever else I eat during the day if I have this for breakfast.

Overall, I would recommend Bruce's Complete Sweet Potato Pancake and Waffle Mix for backpackers and for couples going camping. For people with diabetic or high blood pressure conditions, I would advise caution.

Resource:

http://www.brucefoods.com/our-brands.html