Frozen meals: marketing vs. reality

by Brian White (Subscribe to Brian White's posts)
Jan 23rd 2008 12:10PM

It's the age-old game of marketing: much of it promises something it will never deliver. All those tasty pictures on the boxes of frozen foods are just as bad a culprit as anything. Can you really expect restaurant-quality food in a frozen box that costs $3 to $4?

Looking at this gallery, some frozen food customers loved the taste and feel of some prepackaged frozen foods while some products were totally shunned. Some brands that I've studied include Marie Callender's, Boston Market and Night Hawk. My experience with each was unique, as these brands looked decent after cooking (microwaving), but did not compare to a freshly-prepared meal.

My "worst" list includes brands like Banquet and Hungry Jack, both of which I found disgusting. But, being cheaper in price, you get what you pay for when you're selecting items from the frozen food cases at your local grocer.

What's your experience with frozen foods? For what you pay and the convenience you receive, are you regularly satisfied with them? Which brands are your favorites?

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Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Eddie 1-23-2008 @ 12:39PM

I generally reserve frozen dinners for extreme emergencies. If you're eating for more than one, even the lowest priced frozen dinners quickly become more expensive than the little elbow grease and time it takes to just make the meal yourself from scratch at home.

Raina 1-23-2008 @ 3:07PM

I make my own frozen meals - I'll spend a Sunday cooking a big batch of something (casserole, soup, chili, etc), then I'll save some to eat during the week and put some in the freezer. So if I get home late or just don't feel like cooking one evening (or if I'm too busy to cook one weekend), I can just pull it out, defrost, and warm it up. And it's much more appetizing than the limp veggies and strangely textured food in a prepackaged frozen dinner.

Vishaal 1-23-2008 @ 4:14PM

Although, not frozen but refidgerated...I used to eat pepperoni hot pockets. I used to eat FOUR large 1/2 lb hot pockets in ONE sitting!!! This wasn't even the only meal of the day; it was just my lunch. Of course I was 240lbs at the time. Goes to show that frozen/fridge food does NOT fill you up, rather it fills you up with junk.