Funnel cakes, kettle corn, fried oreos, oh my! The Great Frederick Fair has had many food staples, ranging from salty favorites like kettle corn and corn dogs to sweet treats like fried oreos and funnel cakes. 

Whether visiting the fair is one’s annual tradition, or someone has never been, there is still a food item appealing to everyone. Linganore High School’s (LHS) journalism class decided to taste test just a few of the many options available to those interested in visiting the fair. 

Conducting a taste-test for the first time, students were eager to sample a variety of foods and share their thoughts. Their food options were corndog, kettlecorn, macaroni and cheese, funnel cake, and fried oreos. Each student was given the task of rating the food they chose to eat. On a scale from 0-20, with each category being given 5 points. The categories being judged were appearance, taste, texture, and overall acceptability. 

Overall, the food sampled in the taste test was enjoyed. The lowest rating from any food, receiving a 16/20, was funnel cake. The fact that this was the lowest rated item is what blew nearly everyone away, seeing as funnel cake is arguably the one iconic fair food that can be found at nearly any vendor.

“The funnel cake was great,” senior Mia Lucas said. “I haven’t been to a carnival in years but it brought me right back.” 

While this might not have been anyone’s favorite funnel cake, it still brought back nostalgic memories. Although, that nostalgic feeling just was not enough to earn higher ratings.  

“The appearance wasn’t the best, and I didn’t really enjoy the texture or the taste,” said sophomore Mallory Mills. 

While funnel cake may be the taste of the fair, it does not seem to be a good one. 

Jumping from sweet to savory, in fourth place came the corn dog.

Senior Cole Simmonds felt “the corndog is cooked as good as it tastes. It was moist and chewy with a bit of crunch.” 

This corn dog had a class rating of 17/20, and like the funnel cake, this food item stirred up mixed emotions and reviews. 

Junior Carlee Bernard disagreed. The corn dog did “not [have] the cutest display and the top piece tasted burnt. Overall [it had a] good texture and buttery taste.” 

Third place is another savory food: macaroni and cheese. Macaroni and cheese can vary greatly, ranging from boxed to homemade that feels like a big, cheesy hug in your mouth. The macaroni and cheese purchased from the Great Frederick Fair, seemed to be somewhere in between. It had a strong rating of 17/20, with each review having a handful of positive and negative elements. 

“Overall it was good, and the taste was okay,” said Bernard.  While to Carlee this mac & cheese was somewhere in the middle, others felt it only needed to be tweaked a slight amount. 

Junior Kiefer Ely said, “The macaroni and cheese was very tasty although some of the cheese felt improperly mixed.” 

The runner up in the Lancer Media Staff taste test, was none other than a year-round constant, kettlecorn. This rating came in at an average of 18/20. According to many, the kettlecorn tasted like regular popcorn, but to others, that is exactly what they were looking for. 

“Salty and sweet mix perfectly,” said junior Asher Long. “[It] makes me want more.”

Of all the foods tasted, fried oreos ended up having the highest average rating, sitting at 18.3/20. This was the only food item that did not have mixed reviews; everyone loved them!

“It wasn’t what I was expecting, and overall it was light and good,” expressed junior Emily Rice, who had never had a fried oreo before and was pleasantly surprised.

Another student, Long, stated, “[The fried oreo was] crispy, gooey, light, sweet and really good.”

Overall, all voices came together to create a majority decision that fried oreos are the food to beat at the fair.

For anyone who did not get a chance to go to The Great Frederick Fair to get some of these delicious food items, never forget, the fair is just as far away as your pantry. Anyone can make most of these items on their own at home!