Mad at Betty Crocker and Looking at New Ranges

First Published March 16, 2012

Update: The oven has long since been replaced, and Gluten Free Betty Crocker is still more expensive than Wheaty Betty Crocker. 

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

Original Post: Cooking and baking is a large part of my life and for that I need a good oven range. I have a freestanding electric range that has served me well for about twelve years now. But the door hinge is gone lame and so the door doesn't shut properly - which really messes with my cooking times and the consistency of the interior temperature. My cakes and cookies aren't quite right.

The coils on the cooktop are warped from age, (like so many of us) so when I put oil in a pan it all pools to one side. The pan doesn't heat evenly and so again, I am presented with uneven cooking temperatures.

Trouble is I really like this range: it has knobs for the cooktop and a digital set for the oven temps; the interior of the oven is just the right size; and it has the self-cleaning option.

But I know it only has so much time left before I have to replace it. So I've started looking and will likely get one of those new-fangled ceramic glass cooktop ranges - and will have to get a new set of pots and pans to go with it because the glass top only likes certain kinds of cookware. Geez.

So I'm going to have to spend a bunch of money on a new range and cookware. I'm wondering if there's a tax deduction in there somewhere.

And money is what brings me to my wrath against Betty Crocker. I was so utterly excited when I found that the company was producing gluten-free products I literally jumped for joy in the aisle. The cost was higher than the standard mixes, but not by much.

But now, I see in all the supermarkets and superstores the cost of Betty Crocker mixes is way up, usually $5.99 or $6.99. That may not sound like much, but when I see the standard mixes on sale at 5 for $5 - I get a little angry.

The company is well aware that gluten free products are a necessary medical treatment for those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. And while brownies and cake may not be an essential food group, (or is it?) I still think it's kind of crappy that the products cost so much more than the counterparts.

It may be the retailers that are upping the price - I don't know. But I do know that when I first found Betty Crocker's gluten free baking mixes, they were less than $4 a box. That two or three dollar difference may not seem like much, but it's the principle, I think.

Anyway, I have to get a new range and I'm not buying so much of the Betty Crocker mixes now. So that's the life of this Contemporary Cook - Looking for a new range and Angry with Betty.

Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Mixes

First published on March 1, 2010

Update: Betty Crocker is still a stand-out gluten free product, but the cost now can be a bit much; I've seen prices as high as eight dollars for single box of yellow cake mix. 

The gluten free market is expanding, and Betty may find consumers are looking at other options. In the original post, I note the price for a box is under five dollars. Not anymore. And now I often opt for a lesser known, less expensive brand, and they are often comparable in flavor and texture.

Yes, Betty Crocker is the standard, but as you shop, keep an eye out for other gluten free mixes. Because it shouldn't have to cost more to eat, just because you have a medical condition.

Thanks for reading. September, 2025

Gluten free baking mixes have been available on the market for a few years now. Many of the manufacturers were small companies, and the products were marketed in specialty shops or online. And they were, and still are, quite expensive.

Enter Betty Crocker, a leader in the industry and a 900-pound gorilla in the gluten free product market.

Not only are the boxed mixes less expensive, under five dollars, the resulting baked goods taste every bit as good as their wheat-based counterparts. 

The brownies I made up from the brownie mix, for example, are rich in flavor and have a moist, airy texture. No bitter aftertaste or dryness. No crumbly texture. No dense “wet spots”. I’ve tried quite a few of the gluten free mixes now, and Betty Crocker outperforms them all but Bob’s Red Mill and Cherrybrook Kitchens.

The 16-ounce box yields an 8x8 pan, which makes the cost a little higher than the mainstream mixes, but compared to other gluten-free mixes, the price is on the low end of the scale.

Betty Crocker produces not only the brownie mix, but also a chocolate chip cookie mix, and two cake mixes: devil’s food and yellow cake.

I find them in my local supermarket and usually pay $3.99 a box. That I can pick them up during my regular shopping trips, and don’t have to make a special trip, is a real boon.

That Betty Crocker is able to get these products onto the shelves of conventional supermarkets demonstrates not only that gluten-free has gone mainstream, but also that large food corporations, such as General Mills, are finally paying attention to the plight of those consumers who deal with food allergies every day of their lives.

Betty Crocker, just as in 1924 when General Mills aired “The Betty Crocker Cooking School of the Air” on radio for information hungry cooks, is once again turning a niche market into a mass market. Those in the food industry should be watching, because that Betty, she’s one smart cookie.

Note: I have not received any compensation from Betty Crocker or General Mills, nor any other product mentioned in this review.