Hanukkah wouldn't be Hanukkah without piping hot latkes topped with sour cream or apple sauce. Frozen ready-to-bake-or-broil latkes are a reasonable - though not inexpensive - alternative to the homemade pancakes, which require much potato shredding (and sometimes knuckle scraping).

To find the best, we tasted three frozen brands: Ratner's, Golden and Dr. Praeger's Homestyle Potato Pancakes, which claim to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol and even list oat bran as an ingredient.

To our surprise, we preferred Dr. Praeger's latkes - crispy and flavorful, with hints of sweet onion and a not-too-mealy interior. We couldn't even detect the healthy oat bran.

Your bubbie certainly makes better from scratch, but Praeger's frozen latkes will do in a pinch. Available at Bilker Fine Foods (9708 Kenwood Road) in Blue Ash for $3.49 per nine cakes.

Chuck Martin