Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

You wouldn't think corn dogs would have wheat in them, but it's likely the only way to whip up that smooth corn dog batter is to mix in a whole lot of wheat in the bowl as it would seem that most gluten-free corn dog options are a lot less smooth in texture. 

No wheat means no food glue and this means nothing really sticks together or smooths out as it should. Corn dogs are something that is probably near the top of the list of unhealthy things to eat and they usually have so much fat and calories in them that the only appropriate place to eat them is while walking around a fairground where your next meal will either be cotton candy or a funnel cake. 

It is perhaps fortunate that people who require gluten-free varieties of corn dogs aren't otherwise likely to eat the full-fat versions since they can really throw a diet out of whack. Fried dough is never a good thing. Well, nutritionally anyway, because corn dogs do taste delicious even if they are an evil food. 

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

 For slightly less egregious examples of tasty corn dog style foods, there is Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs to consider, which is clearly aimed at children with the cartoon-style drawings on the exterior of the box, but is something that anyone of any age could eat. The major issue with any corn dogs that don't have the benefit of a wheat-filled smooth batter is always going to be the consistency of the exterior of the dogs and whether they stay intact under the pressure of cooking.

And this isn't really an area where these corn dogs excel as they do tend to leave a bunch of crumbs during every part of the experience whether it's just taking a few out of the box to pop them in the oven or whether it's where you eat them and get crumbs everywhere that seem to just pop off of the dogs at will whenever they're moved.

But really, this is more of a logistics complaint than a taste complaint and if a person is dedicated to finding an option for a corn dog, Ian's is certainly a good place to start. One of the good things about these corn dogs is also their shape and size as there's no traditional wooden stick to get in the way when you're eating one. Just a fork will do (your hand will probably be covered with corn bits if you try to eat these as a finger food, and they are rather hot when they come out of the oven).

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

And regarding ovens, it really is recommended that you utilize one for the cooking of these dogs as the microwave just isn't going to go very well with the gluten-free covering and the interior where the turkey dog rests will probably not cook evenly either. This is just the way microwaves tend to be with turkey dogs or hot dogs.

Fortunately, they don't take that long to cook and there's enough in a box for a few meals worth (probably a few lunches for the average adult). Taste-wise, if you can get beyond the slight inconsistency of the batter, these little dogs are a decent substitute for the real thing although it's very apparent that you're eating a food that's been altered in some way to offer an eating experience that someone who can't eat gluten wouldn't otherwise get to have.

This author is of the opinion that gluten-free food is always going to be best if you can't actually tell that you're eating gluten free food. Perhaps Ian's just needs to do a little more investigation into how best to make the batter on its corn dogs less granular. Taste-wise though, the turkey-dogs are great and the batter does indeed taste better than average.

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs Report Card

The Good Stuff:

These corn dogs do taste good and are fun to eat as well. They're definitely something that can give you that county fair food fix and the basic taste should satisfy your need to do something very bad with your diet (the nutritional content on these little suckers sure isn't innocent). Well worth a taste if you like corn dogs.

What Could Improve:

Gluten free food sometimes tastes like gluten free food and Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs don't actually taste like they're gluten free... but they do look it. The company that makes this snack would get a huge thumbs up if they could find some way to approximate that gluten-laden batter...