I tried 6 different brands of syrup from the grocery store. It's worth paying a little extra for the big names.

I tried six different brands of pancake syrup.Paige Bennett

• I tried store-bought pancake syrup from six brands to see which provided the best taste and value.
• I found the Target brand to be bland, and I didn't like how sweet the Kroger-brand syrup was.

I've never given much thought to the different varieties of pancake syrup at the grocery store — I typically grab whatever's on sale. If I'm feeling fancy, maybe I'll get a butter-flavored variety.

For baking, I only use real maple syrup made without high-fructose corn syrup or corn syrup. But pancake syrup definitely has its place on the breakfast table.

I bought six brands — Mrs. Butterworth's, Kroger, Target's Market Pantry, Pearl Milling Company, Hungry Jack, and Log Cabin — to compare the taste, texture, and price of each product. I tried each one on a plain waffle for the full effect.

At the end of the taste test, I decided to give the same treatment to a low-cost bottle of real maple syrup for a final comparison.

Here's how everything stacked up.