Since I have had a pair of tasty homemade mac n' cheeses recently I thought that I should try the frozen kind that I've been told by a number of my coworkers (and others) that I should be having. "It's 'THE' frozen mac n' cheese to have" they say, "You can't go wrong with it". Today I put the vaunted must eat it mac n' cheese to the test.
The Review
Brand:
Stouffer's 'Simple Dishes' macaroni & cheese
Price:
$2.64 at Target
Packaging Description:
(On Front)
100% REAL Cheddar Cheese
No preservatives
(On Back)
Good Food, Good Life™
Good Question: Can frozen macaroni and cheese taste like homemade?
Good to Know: Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese uses real Cheddar cheese and freshly made pasta.
Good to Remember: Stouffers is supported by the Nestle Research Center one of the world's leading centers for nutrition, health and wellness.
Preparation:
*Remove the tray from the box.
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| I don't know why the computer flipped this picture upside down, but I didn't catch that it had until after it was uploaded. To view properly please flip your monitor over! |
*Place in the microwave and cook for four minutes.
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| All cooked up, waiting to be released from it's plastic film jail |
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| Looks a little soupy. Anyone got a spoon? |
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| All mixed up and ready to get in mah belly |
Taste:
The first thing I noticed is that my meal was struggling to be luke warm. There was a lot of cheese sauce, but when removed from the microwave it still had a cold chunk in the middle. I mixed it up, blasted it for another minute and then dug in. The noodles were over cooked, but not quite to the point that they completely fell apart as you put them in your mouth. The cheese sauce was very soupy and though it had a cheese taste, it also had a very strong salty undertone. I let the meal sit the sauce and solidify a bit hoping for something, but the taste didn't get noticeably better. I gave up on this after just about 1/2 of a serving.
Final Score:
I cook these meals to direction and eat them as they come out, that's one of my rules for this blog. My Stouffer's just wasn't cooked enough. So far to date, with ~20 meals reviewed, I've only had one other meal not warm enough to eat (Chef Boyardee's microwave cup reviewed in Golden Slurry) when following the box directions. Because these frozen ones all have must be at least 160 degrees to eat warnings, I broke my eat it as it is rule for the sake of food safety and gave it an additional minute in the microwave. The extra time, though getting it hot enough, it didn't help the meal any. I felt that I should have been eating this with a spoon and not a fork. It was a very runny cheese sauce. It was incredibly salty and though the tray is the same size that these other frozen meals have been, Stouffer's somehow packed two servings into the tray. The calories, fat and salt were all just off the scale for a meal that you could easily sit down and polish off on your own without much effort. I was very disappointing with this meal. Stouffer's mac n' cheese is the one kind that I have heard for years from many that this is the defacto frozen choice. I am sad to say it's actually not if this is what it's supposed to be like all the time.
Nutritional Information:
Serving Size 1 cup (225g) Servings Per Container About 2
Calories 340 Calories From Fat 140
Total Fat 16g (25% Daily Value)
Saturated Fat 7g (33% DV)
Trans Fat 0g (0% DV)
Cholesterol 25mg (8% DV)
Sodium 810mg (34% DV)
Total Carbohydrates 32g (11% DV)
Dietary Fiber 2g (9% DV)
Sugar 4g
Protein 13g (14% DV)
Ugh, that looks nothing like the picture on the box. Maybe they forgot to put a step to drain off some of that cheese sauce.
ReplyDeleteSomehow you really messed up. It's not supposed to look like this, and it has a way better taste. I suggest you try it again.
ReplyDeleteYou're supposed to cook it for. 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 minutes and let it cool for about 2 minutes so the sauce thickens.
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