Tub O' Mac

You remember the darnedest things from your childhood.  We didn't buy it for our home, but I remember Shedd's Country Crock butter margarine.  I know friends who used it at their house, but why the brown tub stuck with me is a mystery.  Country Crock was heavily advertised and quite popular when I was growing up.  The brown tub and the butter churn were staples on TV and in grocery stores.  I don't know when I stopped noticing that brown plastic tub on the shelves of my grocers, but I was quite surprised to see that Country Crock had made a bit of a reprieve by adding side dishes to their lineup.  I'm not 100% sure why Unleaver (parent mega food corp who own Country Crock) has teamed up with Hormel for these sides, it doesn't really matter in the long run, because the fact there is an mac to review is what really matters.



The Review

Brand:
Country Crock Elbow Macaroni & Cheese

Packaging when purchased in the fall of 2012

New packaging as of January 2013

Price:
$3.49 (on sale) at Safeway ($5.49 regular price)

Packaging Description:
(On Top)
Made with REAL cheese, Same size, less packaging.

(On Side)
This package contains the same grea quality you expect from HORMEL COUNTRY CROCK Side Dishes. Just no more paper sleeve to throw away. This package has advantages over other plastic tubs. First, our tub has "stay cool" handles. These handles make it easier for you to remove your heated container from the microwave. Second, our tub is also better for the environment. By removing the paper sleeve and printing all the information directly on the tub, we save over 1.300 tons of wood or 8500 trees annually. To see the full impact of the energy savings associated with this paper reduction, visit our website at hormel.com and check out our Environmental Impact Report. Please enjoy!

Same size. Same great taste. Like HORMEL COUNTRY CROCK Side Dishes? Try these other great HORMEL Products: HORMEL Beef Roast au jus, LLOYD'S St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs in Original BBQ Sauce, LLOYD'S Shredded Pork in Original BBQ Sauce


Preparation:
* I'm going to assume (don't be making an ass out of us both here) that you've already gone to the grocery store, purchased and brought the tub home and placed it into the fridge. If you somehow skipped one of the above steps, thank the person who did.

*Remove the lid and poke a few holes into the plastic film covering the container of mac.

Sealed for our protection! Well it was until I went and poked a bunch of ventilation holes in it for cooking.

*Place the bowl in the microwave and cook for two minutes.

All steamy from it's preliminary heating up.

*Peel back the plastic film and stir up the mac and cheese.  Make sure to not peel it all the way off, you'll still need it a bit longer.

First ya peel it back....

Then you stir it up.  That quick stirring appeared to make it less watery, not sure quite how that happened, but I'm not going to question the food gods.

*Once stirred up, place the film back over the container and place it back in the microwave for an additional two minutes.  Once it's finished the second round of cooking, let the container sit in the microwave and cool for one minute before removing it.  It will be hot, fortunately there are those "stay cool" handles to use!

Just out of the microwave after it's second round of heating.  Most of the extra moisture seems to have evaporated.

*Give the container another good stir and serve.

While there may not bet a serving spoon or a fork in the container, it is ready to go.

*Commence with the nomming!

Taste:

Once the plastic film was removed your nose is hit with a good cheesy smell wafting up from the container.   Digging into the container (this was a solo trial) I was surprised that while a bit runny looking, the sauce itself wasn't actually runny and had a good consistency.  The sauce itself, while quite cheesy, had a strange taste.  I'm not sure if I'd describe it as artificial (like a processed cheese single), but it wasn't just a standard cheddar taste thats for sure.  The noodles were very overcooked which just practically dissolved once they were chewed. 

Final Score:

I'm glad that this blog continues to surprise me.  Meals that I think will suck often don't (or don't suck as bad as expected) and those heap some heavy initial praise on have not lived up to expectations.  I wasn't expecting this to be very good, or very cheesy once I saw the sauce.  While the noodles were incredibly overcooked, the sauce was pretty respectable (despite that slight mysterious can't place my finger on it taste).  For a just toss me in the microwave and making it a side dish to a larger meal, when your focus is on a cheesy side, you could be doing much worse than this.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size 1 cup (230g)

Servings Per Container 2.5

Calories 330
Calories From Fat 130
Total Fat 14g (22% Daily Value)

Saturated Fat 6g (30% DV)

Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 30mg (10% DV)
Sodium 930mg (39% DV)
Total Carbohydrates 38g (13% DV)
Dietary Fiber 2g (8% DV)
Sugars 7g
Protein 14g