Is it better to choose a pastry log or an iced log? What are the preferred flavors for your Yule log? Is there a real difference between an expensive log and an inexpensive industrial log? The answer with advice from UFC Que Choisir.
It is one of the essentials of celebration meal with foie gras toasts as an aperitif, glasses of champagne to toast and the best Christmas chocolates to offer: the Christmas log is the dessert which puts an end to our hearty Christmas meals. It must therefore be chosen carefully to please everyone without being too much, but also to be correctly made so that it does not contain questionable substances or those that are downright bad for your health. Unfortunately, like many products from the festive table, “Christmas logs are now sold mainly in supermarkets” indicates theconsumer association UFC Que Choisirwhich warns of the presence of harmful ingredients in the recipes of our Christmas desserts sold in supermarkets.
This is why we focused on the Christmas log buying guide proposed by the association, in order to be able to give you some advice on how to choose it well and easily find the best Christmas log 2023 for your festive meal.
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Christmas log 2023: the surprising information you need to know to choose it wisely
- Frozen logs are generally better than pastry logs
As specified by the consumer association UFC Que Choisir, pastry logs are often made up of a rolled biscuit which is filled with a ganache, cream or mousse, then covered with icing, details gourmets who explode their saturated fatty acid content. This makes them more caloric, but also much less digestible. The best thing is to opt for a frozen log made from ice cream or sorbet.
- An expensive Yule log is not necessarily better for your health
Even more surprising, even if you pay the price for your Christmas dessert, this does not protect you from consuming additives, nor from eating a log that does not cheat with added flavors. “The composition of a log does not always depend on the price” mentions, in fact, the buying guide. As UFC Que Choisir points out: “whether expensive or cheap, logs often contain many (too many) additives, added flavors and various ingredients characteristic of ultra-processing such as glucose-fructose syrup, maltodextrin, starches, milk proteins, vegetable fibers”. If you do not want to ingest it, you absolutely must check the composition of your dessert.
- Better to eat a fruit log than a chocolate log
Even if the deliciousness of a chocolate iced log is undeniable, UFC Que Choisir recommends enjoying a log made from fruit sorbets at the end of the Christmas meal, because in addition to being refreshing, this type of log “often contains less added sugars and more fiber (due to the presence of fruit)”. A simple way to increase your fiber intake during the holidays!
- A supermarket pastry log is not necessarily better than a frozen one
Many supermarkets now offer a bakery section which gets into the holiday season for Christmas and which offers pastry logs at a reasonable price. We sometimes think we are opting for a more quality product than when we buy a frozen log, however, among these pastry logs offered in the self-service pastry section, some “are then thawed” to be put on sale. Something that we are not always aware of when putting them in our shopping cart. To find out, refer to the instructions on the packaging, this must be indicated.
- There is no brand of logs that is a sure bet
Even if certain brands of industrial logs are doing better than others due to the quality of their dessert and the absence of controversial substances in some of their Christmas logs, there is overall no brand that stands out as a reference to find the best dessert to end your Christmas meal. “If some manufacturers work better overall than others, this is not always true for all of their references” recalls, in fact, the UFC Que Choisir buying guide.
- Buying a log from the pastry chef does not guarantee you will have a dessert made the same day
When you buy your pastry log from a pastry chef, you often think that you will be able to enjoy a very freshly prepared artisanal dessert, but this is not always the case. In reality, “the artisan can freeze his desserts (which is often necessary to anticipate high, very concentrated demand during holidays), but he must then indicate this by means of a display”, warns UFC Que Choisir. Remember to check it before purchasing, or better, to clearly ask your pastry chef before ordering if you are one of those who plan their Christmas dessert in advance.
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