Banquet Salisbury Steak

March 30, 2006 | Reviewer: Nicole

Price: $1
Serving size: 9.5 oz
Calories: 398
Fat: 38%
Sodium: 9%

Nicole says: Banquet’s Salisbury Steak Meal is an absolute classic. I grew up on microwavable Salisbury steak; this may be a prerequisite for liking this meal. This meal includes a more-than-sufficient amount of tasty but slightly gelatinous gravy with your meat and sides of buttery corn and mashed potatoes. The corn often ends up a bit dry, but the great taste of artificial butter makes up for that. The mashed potatoes might look a bit icky when you remove them from the microwave, but once you stir them, you see they have a nice, natural texture and flavor (plus more artificial butter.) The serving size could be a bit larger-if I were truly trying to satisfy my appetite, two would barely suffice. But at $1 per entree, this meal is more satisfying than ramen any day, and more reliably tasty than the trendier new micro-meals like “Beef Merlot.” Yum. Yum, yum, yum. I think I’m going to eat some pizza now.

Abi says: I really have no idea how Nicole manages to eat this meal. Granted, I come from a family that eats tripe, but Salisbury Steak? It is a fancy way of saying ‘Hamburger with Gravy’ instead of facing reality. Actually, the gravy reminds me of agar. Yes, the medium used for growing bacteria in a lab setting.

Filed Under Banquet Frozen Meal Reviews, Beef, Four Stars | 5 Comments

Annie Chun’s Miso Soup

March 15, 2006 | Reviewer: Abi

Annie Chun Miso Soup

Price: 2 for $3.00 at Whole Foods
Size: 5.4 oz (plus water that you add)
Calories: 230
Fat: 4%, 2.5g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 37%, 890mg
Protein: 6g
Carbs: 15%, 45g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
WW Points: 4 Points

Annie Chun says: All Natural Asian Cuisine. Miso Soup with Tofu and Scallions.

Abi says: Miso is soybean paste and the de riguer beginning to most meals I eat at Japanese places. I love it for the floating bits of kelp, hidden tofu gems, and biting chunks of green onion. I also like drinking things straight from bowls. Things being soup.

Annie Chun instructs me, on the front of the box, to “Microwave 1 Minute”. While this isn’t a lie, it doesn’t exactly give you the whole truth either. Along with your Freshpak bowl of soft noodles, you’ll get a packet of soybean paste and a freeze-dried lump of tofu, green onion, and spinach. This all involves a lot of mixing and waiting for items to a) disolve or b) become engorged with water. This is a lot of waiting for some glorified fermented bean paste and ramen.

In the end, Annie Chun’s Miso is filling, but awkward. Heavy, pasty (should that have an ‘e’ somewhere?) noodles distract from the purity of the dish, reducing from-the-bowl slurpability, and the spices come through as musky and aged rather than pungent and piquant.

Filed Under 4 WW Points, Annie Chun Meal Reviews, In the Kitchen, No Freezer Needed, Pasta, Three Stars, Vegan | 9 Comments