During testing of 10 brands of instant hot chocolate, Consumer Reports magazine found that milk covered some of the deficiencies of hot chocolate mixes that otherwise got less favorable ratings.

Overall, the magazine gave the highest ratings to Ghirardelli Double Chocolate mix and Cacao Reserve Mayan Blend by Hershey's, costing 63 cents and 53 cents per serving respectively.

Rated ''Very Good'' were Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation and Hershey's Cocoa.

The magazine's testers prepared the hot chocolate according to package directions, which meant mixing it with water for all except Ghirardelli, which called for milk.

The magazine also found that calories count. The varieties with the fewest calories - Nestle Rich Chocolate and Nestle Milk Chocolate, each with 80 calories per serving - also were the lowest ranked. Top-rated Ghirardelli had 262 calories.

- The Associated Press

Sushi superheroes

Saturday mornings are about to get fishy

In an age when sushi is served at 7-Eleven, is anyone surprised it now has come to Saturday morning television, too?

''Sushi Pack'' is a tween-targeted cartoon on CBS about ''five very brave and very active adolescents who just happen to be four pieces of sushi and a clump of wasabi,'' according to the show's press materials.

That's right - sushi superheroes. There's Tako (octopus), Maguro (tuna), Ikura (salmon eggs), Kani (crab) and Wasabi (if you need a definition you've been living under a rock for the past decade). They live in an organic coffee shop.

And yes, there is bad sushi, the Legion of Low Tide, led by Titanium Chef.

The cartoon is heavy on sushi puns, such as: ''Heat lamps? But this sushi should never be cooked!'' says Tako during a battle with artwork come alive (if you can roll with animate sushi, the artwork won't stretch your suspension of disbelief).

- The Associated Press