Critique: Best Choice frozen beef patties!

As many of my readers might have already guessed, frozen beef patties run in a wide range, as to ease of preparation and overall taste. Schwan's fire grilled Angus beef steak burger #444 is one of the best I've ever prepared or eaten! They are fully cooked and are ready from the microwave in a matter of minutes! Other frozen burgers required time to cook, either in a frying pan, broiled or from the grill. This offering from Best Choice is of the latter variety, but, not by much!

While I do not remember what I paid for these burgers, Value Mart sells them online for $18. Each patty is advertised to be a quarter pound or about 113 grams. That comes to about 1.3 cents per gram while Schwan's came in at 2.5 cent a gram! So, if the cost is a valid factor, it's established that perhaps the Best Choice burgers maybe not as high a quality as those offered by Schwan's on a gram for gram basis.

I choose to prepare my burger in a stainless steel frying pan on an induction plate. (I choose this arrangement due to the fact that induction cooking uses way less electricity that a regular stove top would). I also used a bit of Mrs. Dash steak seasoning. The directions were not very clear as they indicated you needed to cook the meat until the temperature had exceeded 165 degrees. If you don't happen to have a handy dandy meat thermometer, then you are forced to guess. I went ahead and guessed.

After cooking for a number of minutes, I allowed the meat to 'rest' on a paper towel for about a minute. I used that time to slice some onion and grab a few leaves of Romaine lettuce. Then, with some mustard and ketchup slathered on and a side of broccoli, I took a bite...

The taste was not all that bad. Mind you, it was not as good as the meat from Schwan's (could have been the seasoning), but definitely very edible. I gave it a 7 on a scale of 10. And after the package is used up, I'll have a decision to make, won't I.

Schwan's chicken breast #451!

Their take: Schwan's hand trimmed, 4 oz. chicken breast filet's are fire grilled over an open flame to seal in juices. They are perfect for a grilled chicken breast sandwich, sliced over a salad or center of the plate with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy.

If you like chicken breasts, and who doesn't, Schwan's offers up their item #451 (which reminds me of that old movie Fahrenheit 451). Like the movie, heat at 400 plus, is involved both in the cooking of this frozen offering and evidently in the destruction of books! I'll take the chicken meal-a-deal every time!

On this date, I took a frozen chicken breast from my freezer and placed it in an oven that had been preheated to 400°F. (A temperature that I have been assured would not ignite paper or books). As per the instructions, I laid it on a foil-lined cookie sheet which was then covered by another layer of foil. And then in the spirit of the movie, I slathered on some hot sauce! This was cooked for about 25 minutes, after which I let it stand for a couple more before dining on down. My sides for this repast were a California Mix, also from Schwan's!

As has been my experience with most everything from Schwan's, the meat was perfectly moist and delicious! At just 140 calories per serving, this offering from Schwan's works for just about any diet.

Critique: A boneless pork meal!

Before I delve too far into this critique, I think some facts about pork, are in order. One serving, (in my view), should be about 3 ounces for any one meal sitting. I'm diet conscious you see! From that small portion, you’ll get only about 137 calories along with 4 grams of fat. (Pork is similar to chicken, with 3 ounces of chicken breast containing 140 calories and 3 grams of fat). A pork chop also has 65 milligrams of cholesterol, compared to 72 milligrams in chicken breast, while they both have just 1 gram of saturated fat. So, all in all, they're pretty close as far as the 'white' meats go.

But wait! There's more!Boneless pork chops, also deliver a big boost of complete protein. Men get 43 percent of their recommended daily intake, and women gain 52 percent from one 3-ounce pork chop. Add in a small baked potato and milk, as I've done here, and your hitting on all of the essential amino acids you need to keep your body going. As a bonus, pork gives you an added boost of Vitamin B complexes that aid essential enzymes!

In general, enzymes that activate and speed up biochemical processes (think energy at the cellular level) depend on B vitamins to function properly. In this role, B vitamins help metabolize food into energy, create normal red blood cells and produce neurotransmitters. Pork chops contain all of the B vitamins (except folate) and they're an especially good source of three that contribute to cardiovascular health. A 3-ounce pork chop provides 25 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin B12, 38 percent of vitamin B6 and 47 percent of niacin. So, it was with that sort of mindset that I ordered eight 6 ounce boneless pork medallions from Schwan's Home Delivery, just recently! For this meal, I've prepared the 6 ounce portion by frying it in olive oil over medium heat for ten minutes per side. (This was divided in half with one portion eaten for lunch and one for dinner). OK, enough with the technical stuff.

The truth be told, I like to eat pork, (that's been properly prepared) quite a bit. As one who also watches out for gout, I like the fact that a three ounce amount produces only about 150 mg of uric acid, making it moderately low among most meats. Pork also lends itself, nicely, to all sorts of marinades which can help to add a whole new dimension to the dining experience!

One this occasion, I skipped the marinade, nuked a small potato and did the same for some green beans to which a glass of milk was added. As you can see from the nutritional panel – this meal was loaded more in favor of proteins and fat than it was carbohydrates and so was therefore more slowly digested with less of a glycemic impact on the bloodstream later on. All told, just 346 calories

meaning I still have some wiggle room left over for a snack later on. (When you're dieting, those snacks mean quite a lot)! The meat was juicy, flavorful and cooked just the way I like it! I gave the chop a score of 8 and, once again, I have to give credit to the folks at Schwan's for doing such an excellent job with all the products I've tried so far!

Critique: Schwan's Roasted Turkey Meal!

Commercial picture

For some time, I've wanted to give Schwan's Home Delivery a try. I finally had a chance to order a batch of food including one Roasted Turkey meal a TV dinner if you will. The cost was $4.50 for a 230 calorie 12 oz. meal. This is one of their LiveSmart® meals with 'slow roasted turkey medallions in our made-from-scratch turkey gravy. On the side is a medley of lightly seasoned, Grade A vegetables, flash-frozen at the peak of freshness for ultimate nutritional value and fresh taste; broccoli florets, julienne carrots and cauliflower florets.'

The real deal!

'OK', I thought, 'this might be interesting!'

The directions were similar to those I've seen before on offerings by Healthy Choice. The microwave instructions were as follows:

Remove tray from outer carton. Cut slit in film to vent.

1. Cook on HIGH (100% power) 4 minutes.
2. Carefully pull back film and stir. Replace film.
3. Continue to cook on HIGH (100% power) an additional 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
4. Let stand for 1 minute.

Seemed simple enough. I did as instructed and very quickly had a meal to sit down with and enjoy.

Score: OK, I stand in awe! The veggies were perfectly al dente! The turkey flavorful, juicy and complimented by the gravy to an extend I gave this meal a 9.5 out of 10! Just short of perfect!