Best of the Hotline: Your Guilty Pleasure Foods

Some questions on the Hotline have staying power, and for good reason -- they cover the questions we ask ourselves time and time again. Join us as we revisit some of the most popular.

Today: Sweet and creamy, crispy or crunchy -- what's your secret eating pleasure?

January may be the time for resolutions and bettering ourselves (and our kitchens!), but let’s be honest here -- we can’t live on aspirations alone. Yes, grain bowls and fresh juices have their place, but sometimes only a bag of chips smothered in ketchup will suffice.

Pierino once asked the community on the Hotline to spill the beans about their guiltiest pleasures in the kitchen, acknowledging that he has a thing for Kraft singles, tamales from the freezer aisle, and instant ramen. The floodgates of confessions opened up, and we still can't get enough of them:

Packaged delights: 

• Everyone likes salty snacks from a bag: MTMitchell likes Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Quinciferous votes for Doritos, and boulangere admits to having “a potato-chip tooth.”
• Multiple Food52ers said Hamburger Helper; Tiffany Michelle goes for the Beef Stroganoff flavor. 
• Dymnyno loves to indulge in a slice or two of Spam, a practice echoed by many. 
• Tzerris can’t live without Velveeta, and divulges: “I actually hide it in my fridge so no one will find it!” 

Homemade pleasures:

• Pegeen swoons for: “Multi-layered BLTs on toasted, good whole-grain bread with extra slices of perfectly crisp bacon. Mayo laced with streaks of fresh tomato juice and seeds, running down your wrists. I believe there's supposed to be icy-crisp iceberg lettuce in there somewhere. That's good -- it's a bunker for the mayo and tomatoes.” 
• Thirshfeld has a favorite sandwich, too: “Wonder Bread, fried bologna, fried egg, American cheese, and Hellman's -- for breakfast."
• Darksideofthespoon loves crispy chicken skin -- and a number of you agree with her.
• Garlic Fiend professes a love for “Just about anything that's deep-fried: fried chicken, doughnuts, french fries, tater tots, okra, potato chips, buffalo wings, etc.” 

The sweet side:

• Cake is always popular: Sjstanaz can’t turn down a Funfetti cake, while wssmom prefers Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes.
• Hardlikearmour admits loving Cadbury Creme Eggs.
• Creamtea can't resist Oreos and Thin Mints.
• Fiveandspice says: “I always seem to excavate all the chunks out of chunky ice cream, leaving a sad, eviscerated container for the next person who comes along.”

At the end of the day, though, AntoniaJames deftly sums it all up, saying: “I actually don't feel guilty eating anything I enjoy. So, if you rephrased the question as, "What foods readily available at the 7-11 do you really like?" the answer would be Fritos or Corn Nuts, washed down with Fresca.”

What's your favorite guilty pleasure food? Tell us in the comments or join the conversation over on the Hotline!

Photos by GrandbabyCakes, James Ransom, and Molly Yeh