362767 Mon Jan 22 17:10:30 -0800 2007 79 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 2214276 Does anyone know if these still exist? They came in a blue can with a yellow lid and were the best mixture of artificially cheesiness that I have ever put into my mouth. I've found that the puffs (like cheese doodles) and curls (like Cheetos) just don't compare to the taste sensation of the balls. I believe Utz makes a ball but sadly they dissapointed. Any suggestions to serve as a replacement for my childhood friend? Mon Jan 22 17:10:30 -0800 2007 66099 dddhokie 1 2214881 I am almost 90% sure that Planter's still makes these. I used to buy them at Target all the time. Sitting in front of the TV with that gigantic can of Cheez Balls is the best. OOh, with a soda too. Mon Jan 22 19:24:37 -0800 2007 2214276 51435 lamster 2 2215037 Alas, I think we all may be disapointed. According to this site, they have been sent to the junk food graveyard: http://www.hometownfavorites.com/shop/btwgb.asp Oh the anticipation after you popped the lid off and opened the the metal ring freshness seal... Mon Jan 22 19:59:58 -0800 2007 2214881 66099 dddhokie 3 2225429 I too started doing research and was sad to see that they were discontinued. :( If I manage to find some at the dollar store or big lots, I will be sure to let you all know. Thu Jan 25 09:07:35 -0800 2007 2215037 51435 lamster 1 2214993 Oh you HAD to and mention those things. Dang. I may have to go to Target tomorrow and see if they have any. Mon Jan 22 19:51:20 -0800 2007 2214276 10285 Candy 2 2215040 Let me know if you happen to find any at Target. It would make my year! Mon Jan 22 20:00:31 -0800 2007 2214993 66099 dddhokie 1 2215008 I haven't seen these in a while! I loved cheez balls. So much better than the cheez curls (or whatever planters calls the straight ones). The best part is licking the "cheez" of your fingers after consuming the entire can! Mon Jan 22 19:54:05 -0800 2007 2214276 46140 ctl98 1 2215025 the have been sadly discontinued http://www.hometownfavorites.com/shop/btwgb.asp Mon Jan 22 19:57:47 -0800 2007 2214276 56195 bethd127 2 2215083 I haven't had these in at least five years, so why am I so incredibly sad about this news? Mon Jan 22 20:10:22 -0800 2007 2215025 13525 JasmineG 2 3024591 Darn, I loved those..... Thu Oct 11 07:42:02 -0700 2007 2215025 85738 libgirl2 1 2215178 They're being discontinued explains why I've seen them at Big Lots, though I haven't been to one recently. Mon Jan 22 20:32:12 -0800 2007 2214276 39874 chowser 1 2218421 I've been looking for a suitable cheezy poof replacement for a while. Is it me, or are the cheetos puffs way more dense than they used to be? Tue Jan 23 12:32:54 -0800 2007 2214276 12967 zfalcon 2 2822483 Yes, they are! If you can get your hands on Golden Flake cheesy poofs, they're a far superior product, though they tend to get stale very quickly. Tue Aug 07 13:01:52 -0700 2007 2218421 12023 Hungry Celeste 1 2219655 Sad - I didn't know that they had been discontinued! I liked to suck on them until they were limp little pieces of artificialness. I'm not sure who made them, but I think that I recently had something similar bought in bulk from somewhere like Costco or Sams Club. Or I might be dreaming it, I'm not sure. Tue Jan 23 17:26:24 -0800 2007 2214276 10604 jacinthe 1 2219673 If they've been discontinued, you might want to try some dollar stores. I see similar cans of Fritos in mine. And in looking for a replacement, you ought to try the new Cheetos. They're "natural" and made with white cheddar. I for one find the fingertip residue of these new ones far preferable to the bright orange. Tue Jan 23 17:33:33 -0800 2007 2214276 26699 cackalackie 1 2219877 Yep, I loved them too. I remember them being 97 cents for a can. I bet I haven't eaten those things in 12-14 years. I will admit that I love the baked Cheetos, I can barely tell a difference between the baked ones and the regular ones. Love! Tue Jan 23 18:49:26 -0800 2007 2214276 10556 geg5150 1 2225566 and how about when you put one in your mouth and then pressed it to the roof of your mouth so it exploded with cheez? awesome....they will be missed Thu Jan 25 09:39:02 -0800 2007 2214276 49086 amyvc 1 2227785 Maybe Planters discontinued theirs, but I see huge clear jugs of some similar puffed air "cheez" balls every time I go to Costco. Can't imagine they would taste that different. I always liked the puffed melt in your mouth cheesy snacks like that, rather than the crunchy style Cheetos. Around here we get Wise Cheez Doodles which I think are pretty good. I don't get them often, but I like a dose once in a while. Thu Jan 25 18:22:37 -0800 2007 2214276 40162 CrazyOne 2 2229757 Those are the Utz balls mentioned in the original post. A sadly inferior knock-off...don't be fooled.... Fri Jan 26 10:05:57 -0800 2007 2227785 49086 amyvc 3 4722526 actually, wise and utz are two completely different brands... Thu May 28 12:22:09 -0700 2009 2229757 264146 kubasd 1 2229251 Funny, my boyfriend's been searching for these for a while. I'll have to break the bad news to him. Fri Jan 26 08:14:35 -0800 2007 2214276 10216 Lucia 1 2230130 I just came from Target. None there. The Cheetos just don't have the intensity of flavor that the Planter's Cheese Balls had. Fri Jan 26 11:20:25 -0800 2007 2214276 10285 Candy 2 2230177 Nor the exploding-cheese-bomb sensation inherent to the spherical shape. I'd forgotten how good those Planters balls were Fri Jan 26 11:31:53 -0800 2007 2230130 51367 Yaqo Homo 3 2231607 Yes I miss them for my thrice yearly binge. The utz balls will allow you to do the exploding bomb sensation (I work with children with autism so I know the ins and outs of cheese balls), but a far inferior taste. Fri Jan 26 17:18:02 -0800 2007 2230177 49086 amyvc 1 2230579 So sad, no more cheese balls stained fingers... :( Fri Jan 26 13:01:06 -0800 2007 2214276 58782 flipss 1 2239521 Funny, I hadn't eaten this type of snack in years until recently, when a friend started bringing over bags of Cheese Doodles (fried). He recently bought the Utz puff balls instead, and they were terrible - not as good as Doodles and certainly not as good as the Planter's. Have you tried Pirate's Booty? I've only had it once, but I remember its being pretty good. Mon Jan 29 14:47:55 -0800 2007 2214276 27312 lvecch 1 2239571 Cheetos makes a cheese ball but only in a plastic snack container that kind of resembles a creamer bottle. Not bad. Mon Jan 29 14:57:33 -0800 2007 2214276 69332 Carmelizedbunions 1 2345371 So I've been on the hunt for a replacement cheese ball and this is the closest I've found: http://www.robscape.com/store/home.php?xid=45e569886b1c1ca50fb13ee05c4d3091 These are the Pirate's Cannon Balls. No neon orange on your fingers, but good texture and pretty cheezy. They are pretty healthy for a junk food, so I have no guilt when eating them. They are usually found in the "healthy" food section of your grocery, and I've seen them at trader joe's too. Also, those Cheetos cheese balls in the plastic snack container that Carmelizedbunions mentions above --- I think those are discontinued too. Fri Mar 02 09:45:08 -0800 2007 2214276 51435 lamster 2 2511072 Just saw these at the store: http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=359 Tue Apr 24 13:03:56 -0700 2007 2345371 13851 MeowMixx 3 2512031 What an amazing website! Tasting notes for processed snack foods (I think Frank Bruni or William Grimes did something similar with several brands of cheese crackers; I can't quite remember). Tue Apr 24 17:18:43 -0700 2007 2511072 51367 Yaqo Homo 1 2574423 I recently saw cheez balls in the 100 calorie packs - I think there are 6 packs in a box. Wed May 16 10:14:28 -0700 2007 2214276 51435 lamster 1 2580091 What? Why would they discontinue them? They had the perfect crunchiness. My aunt used to buy those, along with pudding pops, circus peanuts, and other yumminess. She is sadly no longer with us, and I think the circus peanuts are the only one of her foods that remains. Thu May 17 21:10:47 -0700 2007 2214276 11190 fara 1 2580163 Cheetos brand (Frito-Lay) now has asteroids which are tiny cheese balls that taste great, much better than their cheese puffs or their other shapes, only problem is they only come in the 100 calorie snack packs, not in big bags. I called Frito-Lay to find out where I could buy them in bags and they told me they are only available in the small snack-size cups of 100 calories. I told them I am sure a lot of people would buy them if they start offering them in the bigger bags. I'm sure if they heard from enough people they'd eventually offer them that way. Thu May 17 21:57:20 -0700 2007 2214276 23423 cheri 2 2580574 Yeah. I have tried the Frito-Lay ones........... not too shabby Fri May 18 06:27:03 -0700 2007 2580163 20084 moiraknows 3 2826440 Those Asteroids are good. They also come in the commuter cup pack. I remember buying Planter's at the 99 cent store. Wed Aug 08 13:58:17 -0700 2007 2580574 76226 Oh Robin 1 2822448 I have great news for us Planters Cheez balls lover as we all know they've been discontinued but I refused to accept that so I called Nabisco to confirm and they did :( but..............they are willing to bring them back if enough ppl call and request for the return so for those of you who are as serious about this as I am here's the number 1800-932-7800. please call and give them you zip code and all the little info they ask for to know where the demand is. I'm calling everyday till I see them in the store cuz there is no replacing those tasty cheezy balls!!! Tue Aug 07 12:52:36 -0700 2007 2214276 117459 K_burgins 2 2964382 I'm SO glad to see so many Cheese Ball lovers out there. Your memories are my memories and oh, what memories they are! As I recall: my grandmother's house, her hideous (and itchy) orange couch, the huge tv that still exists, pulling the yellow lid off of that beautiful blue can, unleashing the freshness, crunchy, cheesy flavor bursting with delight in my mouth. How I miss it! There are far too many inferior puffed cheese snacks on the market! Thank you for the request number! I called- let's get this delicious treat back on the shelves! Fri Sep 21 14:47:39 -0700 2007 2822448 129107 PseudoVeg 1 3022837 www.hometownfavorites.com/shop/btwgb.asp Above is a link to a site that lists products no longer available. Sadly, Planter's Cheez Curls/Puffs are on that list. I agree with you, they were the bast; I could easily eat a whole can in one sitting and nothing I have found comes close. Wed Oct 10 14:52:23 -0700 2007 2214276 133709 hines12 1 3073816 http://www.dollaritem.com/dollar_store/productid.asp?ID=33489 Is this the same item? I think so. I have a good friend who is all about these, and I can't find them for him anywhere. Just thought I'd ask someone who would know if this was the right brand.... Thanks! Sun Oct 28 07:45:28 -0700 2007 2214276 138169 ashmash20 2 3074054 That is the brand, but I noticed when you click the order button, nothing happens. I actually sent an email to Planters, and they responded with a statement, to the effect of, that these are gone for good, sorry. Sun Oct 28 09:56:59 -0700 2007 3073816 80937 danhole 1 3339112 You want the Cheez Ball back? We can make it happen! Sign this petition and post the link on your facebook, myspace, whatever and forward to your friends and family! My family is trying to get the Cheez Balls back by May for my brother's birthday...it was his favorite snack! http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?cheez123 Sun Jan 27 18:53:46 -0800 2008 2214276 161208 rhouse 1 3374121 sign the petition... maybe it will work http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=359 Thu Feb 07 11:43:52 -0800 2008 2214276 164053 David ‘Lardass’ Hogan 1 3374610 Nothing tears open the roof of your mouth like a Planter's Cheez Ball. When I was young(er), I dipped them in peanut butter(as though they didn't have enough fat or sodium on their own)...They do still have them at the discount store around here- Dollar Store, Dollar Star, Dollar Tree...They are probably from 1999, but they have em! Thu Feb 07 13:51:08 -0800 2008 2214276 140744 Bunnyfood 1 3549412 Last week I came upon this page while trying desperately to find my beloved Cheez Balls. After finding out that they are, in fact, discontinued, I gave up and bought some bagged crap that was absolutely horrible. Then I really gave up. Not 5 days later I was at Menard's of all places and in the check out lanes, there was a 35oz tub of Harvest Road Cheese Balls. Hope renewed I bought it ($5) and by god, they're the same as the Planters! AND they have Trans Fat! That excites me because I know that they are really the same haha. I sit here, with yellow/orange fingers, about 1/4 of the way through the tub and I've probably ingested way more than my daily dose of most of the items on the nutritional graph, but I am happy about it! Thank you, Harvest Road! (whoever the heck you are!) Tue Apr 01 10:28:59 -0700 2008 2214276 179816 watsonea4 2 3549682 never heard of them. I'll have to check them out. Where did you find them? Tue Apr 01 11:30:25 -0700 2008 3549412 66099 dddhokie 3 3553914 It is so funny that this came up. I bought a bag of cheez balls from a 99 Ranch market (Asian grocery store in So. Cal) thinking it would replace my craving. And, it used palm oil so I just knew it had to be deliciously unhealthy. Unfortunately, it had a weird sweet taste. . . Disappointing. . . Wed Apr 02 12:44:02 -0700 2008 3549682 130022 SouthernFoodie08 1 3598899 I'm sad to read this site. I became a member just to say that I loved those things! I was thinking about them a couple years ago and I tried to find them. But no luck. And now I hear they've been discontinued. Makes me sad. I loved those things so much! But I'm right now eating something that tastes remotely like the cheez balls ,and nothing like cheetos. Their in a orange bag. And their called Puffs! And there's like.. great value written on the side, and cheddar cheese on the bag, and it says made with real cheese. Give it a shot. I think we got 'em at wal mart. Or just try your local grocery store. They reminded me of the Cheez balls, thus the reason why I went looking to see if they still existed. Wed Apr 16 02:51:33 -0700 2008 2214276 184019 ValValBoBal 2 3981553 They are back!! CHeck Blockbusters!!!!!!! Sat Aug 23 18:00:33 -0700 2008 3598899 220493 cheezballnut 1 3599744 During a recent out-of-the-blue craving I started looking for these at my local stores; no luck, of course. No other cheese puff I've tried comes close to how good these were. Sigh. It's it's own thing, but for cheese dust intensity I go for Jay's cheese puffs(or whatever they call them). Too bad Jay's is regional. Wed Apr 16 08:53:17 -0700 2008 2214276 14985 aelph 1 3600553 I took a chance and tried the Kroger's brand of Cheez Balls, and they were pretty close to the Planters. Not exact, but good and cheesy with lots of crunch. Wed Apr 16 12:06:30 -0700 2008 2214276 80937 danhole 2 3784285 I second that...save for the original these are the best I've tasted! Mon Jun 16 09:39:16 -0700 2008 3600553 201266 scran4d 1 3627833 I remember loving the Planter's Cheese Balls, and I was only allowed to have them just a handful of times, but they were sooo good that I can still remember how delicious they were. And none of the other cheesy snacks like Cheetos or Cheez Doodles taste as good..and I'll tell you why...Because the Planter's Cheese Balls had a very buttery taste! That's what I remember best and it has yet to be replicated...those little thingys were scrumptious. Bring 'em back! Thu Apr 24 20:02:24 -0700 2008 2214276 171196 cjfoodie 1 3784323 for anyone still looking for a product that is of a similar--if not BETTER--quality, try snyder of berlin's cheese curls. they are much poofier, lighter, but cheesier than the cheetos variety. i've attached a picture Mon Jun 16 09:51:58 -0700 2008 2214276 184055 beelzebozo 1 3784327 I can't believe that the Cheez Curls (Curlz?) are gone, too! I remember devouring a whole can of those as a kid watching tv in the afternoon. With a Dr. Pepper to wash all that glorious, crunchy, orange cheeziness down. I am now officially bummed out. '-( Mon Jun 16 09:52:48 -0700 2008 2214276 116513 linguafood 1 3977526 I have recently found out that PLANTER CHEEZ BALLS are making a come back in Blockbuster Stores!! I called my local store and they told me yes they are coming in any day. Let me know if anyone see them!! Fri Aug 22 04:22:04 -0700 2008 2214276 220493 cheezballnut 2 3977684 now i'm gonna have to hightail it to blockbuster's! ;-) Fri Aug 22 06:12:12 -0700 2008 3977526 105717 alkapal 3 3980186 CHEEZ BALLS ARE BACK!! i have to admit, my search had ended with all the bad news online, but today i found them!!! i literally became speechless upon seeing them in the checkout line at blockbuster! granted the second language on the label is french and the big yellow letters read Cheez Mania Cheez Balls, this is it!! so, my fellow cheez ball nuts, do hightail it to blockbuster and engage in the bliss that is cheez balls. Fri Aug 22 23:34:00 -0700 2008 3977684 220788 cheezballsareback 4 3980364 Do they have the same formula? Please don't tell me they changed the cheese flavor. Sat Aug 23 06:20:07 -0700 2008 3980186 107671 queencru 4 4100009 The return on Planter's Cheez Balls CONFIRMED (in California)! I saw your post here and went to Blockbuster's to see for myself. They only had one can left... it was just as good as I remembered. Tonight I'm going to drive to the next closest Blockbuster's and clean them out. I am so happy! Thank you internet people! Sun Oct 12 18:41:38 -0700 2008 3980186 232238 kanile 5 4120197 ITs true, i just got them in eastern PA. I was overly excited (according to my girlfriend) about it. However, maybe I'm letting nostalgia get the better of my taste buts, but I swear these used to taste a little better. At the very least, they don't seem as hard and roof of the mouth cutting like they did in the past... still cool to hear that noise it makes when you shake the tin. Tue Oct 21 20:38:40 -0700 2008 4100009 234237 philm662 6 4536696 I agree, I just got them myself and was totally let down. This is NOT the same product. Wed Mar 25 08:59:10 -0700 2009 4120197 277281 gdigital 1 4140102 no unfortunately they have been discontinued... =[ but they have a petition you can go and sign it, tell everyone you know to go andsign it!! hopefully they will bring them back! Thu Oct 30 23:37:39 -0700 2008 2214276 236346 jujubean23 2 4140268 jujubean, the upthread posters say they are available at blockbuster (or a similar product.) Fri Oct 31 05:37:42 -0700 2008 4140102 105717 alkapal 3 4149948 well unfortunately, where i live they do not have them ... not even something similar .. well they have a dollar store brand but that is just not worth the time.... they are terrible! but thank you for letting me know.. =] Tue Nov 04 16:19:28 -0800 2008 4140268 236346 jujubean23 1 4140523 My husband and I have asked the same question for years now...I miss those things. I'll have to keep an eye out. Fri Oct 31 07:56:52 -0700 2008 2214276 220914 krisrishere 1 4313061 I discovered 100-Calorie Cheetos Asteroids mini bites. They are smaller than and not as perfectly round as Cheez Balls, but the texture is pretty close! Fri Jan 09 22:32:56 -0800 2009 2214276 50232 feed_me_potatoes 2 4314417 Nice. The Planter's Cheez Balls used to be my go-to snack at the movies when I was small! Sat Jan 10 13:58:50 -0800 2009 4313061 18015 tarteaucitron 2 4330509 feed me potatoes, those snacks look dangerous. i'd be very tempted to open the top and pour them into my mouth!!! http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=1077 Thu Jan 15 17:52:26 -0800 2009 4313061 105717 alkapal 1 4471288 Well.... they do exist I saw them at the costco in livermore, ca. They were not the same brand, but it was a huge plastic can filled with hundreds of them. I did not buy it, but i hope they are as good as I remember. Tue Mar 03 19:29:13 -0800 2009 2214276 271538 bunny28904 2 4486588 I saw the same at a Cost Plus/World Market over the weekend. Didn't buy because I just don't need that many of them. Mon Mar 09 06:18:55 -0700 2009 4471288 11781 beachmouse 1 4536692 Just picked up 4 cans of Cheez Curls yesterday at blockbuster (all they had) I was so excited. BUT just like PHILM662 said they are different. In fact they are terrible, It seems they must have changed the recipe, they had more of a baked flavor and they tasted stale. I am really upset, the only thing worse than losing something you love is losing it twice! Wed Mar 25 08:58:16 -0700 2009 2214276 277281 gdigital 1 4572172 Has anyone gotten an hold of the new Cheetos brand "Giant Cheetos?" Its supposed to be a marshmellow sized cheese ball! Could this be our replacement product?!?! There was a nationwide release this month but I haven't seen it hit the stores yet here in the Bay Area. Mon Apr 06 12:13:04 -0700 2009 2214276 51435 lamster 2 4580617 it looks like a selective release in any event. i did a search on the cheetos website, and the stores that turned up were not the usual suspects. in fact, i was surprised that my closest safeway didn't carry them, but other nearby safeways did -- and no harris teeter or giant. here's the search result for north arlington, virginia: http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/where-to-buy.html you can do a similar search for your zip code. http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/where-to-buy.html <the search set-up is a bit strange, as it doesn't appear that anything is happening, but just go back to the search box, and you'll see the options menu has changed to reflect your last selection. like a decision tree. > Thu Apr 09 05:02:44 -0700 2009 4572172 105717 alkapal 2 4653589 They have them here in Austin and I just tasted a few. No cause for alarm - all they did was remind me of Planters Cheez Balls and made me miss them, that is how I ended up here. They taste like a giant cheeto. Nothing special. Mon May 04 13:42:29 -0700 2009 4572172 152569 HelloTiffy 3 4704711 I am eating astroids and they are not as good... better than others... but it's the buttery taste! I will check my local blockbuster... I can't believe of all places! I can't understand why planters would do this... they had the best product! Thu May 21 14:59:41 -0700 2009 4653589 59273 seminolegrl06 1 4715903 Sis just got back from Australia yesterday and brought me back a bag of Cheetos Cheese and Bacon balls. Have not seen them in the US, but have not really looked for them. They were the same size as the Planter's Cheez balls. Not quite as hard, but still cheesy and definitely a bacon taste. They were really yummy. We ate the whole bag in almost one sitting. Tue May 26 12:07:04 -0700 2009 2214276 15536 Sophie 2 4718506 You can't get those here in the U.S. Only Australia. Sure wish we could, though! Sound great. Wed May 27 08:38:31 -0700 2009 4715903 80937 danhole 3 4823452 I, like most who have posted on this board, have a powerful childhood bond with Cheez Balls. Something about the can that just makes this product stand apart from all others. Honestly, this is the type of snack where, if you have a can, nobody around you better expect you to share, because it is near impossible not to devour the whole can. I'd rather be allowed only to sniff an empty can of Cheez Balls than to eat a bag, or jug, or whatever else kind of container of any other product. I have not seen these things personally in years, and I miss the hell out of them. I am about to launch an all out search for them though. If anybody can point me in the right direction it would be most appreciated. Wed Jul 01 22:02:04 -0700 2009 4718506 1090245 ter61xl 1 5209314 American Fare Cheese Balls, so far, have been the closest I've tasted. In fact, were it not for the container, I would think they were Planters Cheez Balls. My roommate found these at Kmart of all places. Good luck to ya. Thu Nov 26 00:41:22 -0800 2009 2214276 1127580 millagorilla 2 5209405 isn't that the k-mart house brand? i wonder if the same people make them for wal-mart? Thu Nov 26 04:46:17 -0800 2009 5209314 105717 alkapal