Peanut butter is pretty much universally beloved, which is why it's at the core of some of the most divisive debates about food. For Foodie Friday, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager decided to try some wildly popular — and very controversial — food combinations submitted by viewers.
Prompted by an unusual crossword puzzle hint that appeared in USA Today, Hoda had to eat an Oreo dipped in mustard earlier this week. That special moment inspired a flurry of replies from fans who also use certain condiments in unconventional ways.
The results? Let's just say the taste test was no picnic for the two co-hosts.
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First up was a divisive dish the internet has seen before: hot dogs slathered in peanut butter. Some recipes out there also call for a sprinkling of bacon, shallots and cheese. But Hoda and Jenna were provided with a plain version of the dish.
"You're gonna go for it?" Jenna asked in disbelief as Hoda reached for a hot dog.
"Well, I mean she (the viewer) said. You have to just take a little taste,'" Hoda replied.
"And look how they put the peanut butter on this baby," Jenna said before taking a bite, which was quickly followed by a grimace.
"This is dangerous," she declared.
Hoda had a similar reaction.
"Ew. Bad ... OK gross," she said, before graciously giving a shoutout to the person who recommended the combo.
As a team of news anchors learned the hard way back in December 2016, when you're forced to eat something unsavory on live TV (in their case, it was a co-anchor's artichoke dip gone very, very wrong), it's hard to hide it. The Canadian anchors' reactions included uncontrollable laughter and gagging.
The next thing on the menu was suggested by a viewer from California, who merged not one, but two viral recipes: a sandwich with peanut butter and mayo and a peanut butter-and-pickle sandwich. The end result featured a sandwich with a thick layer of creamy mayo, a stack of crunchy pickles and another layer of sticky peanut butter.
"Ya know, you guys are so mean," Jenna joked to the TODAY producers and food stylists.
Hoda and Jenna braved trying the concoction together.
"Not as bad. Really not as bad," Jenna said as some audience members recoiled in horror. "The hot dog was worse."
But Hoda was quick to call her co-host's bluff.
"Wait, I want you to look at Jenna's bite. That's not — you ate the corner of the bread!" Hoda said, pointing to Jenna's barely nibbled sammie. Jenna readily admitted that she's not a big fan of mayo, so trying to eat it with pickles and peanut butter just wasn't going to happen.
Finally, it was Jenna's turn to brave the world of weird food combos alone since Hoda had already been forced to dip an Oreo in mustard. The last culinary delight on the menu was a Dorito chip dipped in frosting.
"I love a Dorito, I don't wanna ruin it," Jenna said. She then optimistically added,"This is probably good." She gently dipped a corner of the cheesy chip into the tub of vanilla frosting
"Is that enough?" she asked Hoda.
"Mmm, you need to get in there," Hoda encouraged.
Jenna bravely tried the cheesy-sweet-crunchy combo, but it did not go over well.
"Is it yucky?" Hoda asked. All Jenna could do was shake her head in disbelief.
The final verdict on these unique food combos?
Said Jenna, “I just don’t recommend doing any of these things."
