Guest Reviewers

The guest reviewers at HeatEatReview.com are usually one-time review volunteers.

Latest Reviews by Guest Reviewers:

Whole Kitchen Chicken Enchiladas

January 22, 2008 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Whole Kitchen Chicken Enchiladas Price: $2.29
Serving: 1 package, 8oz.
Calories: 310
Fat: 12%, 8g
Cholesterol: 12%, 35mg
Sodium: 25%, 610mg
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 14%, 42g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
Weight Watchers Points: 6 Points

Whole Kitchen says: Filled with natural, sustainably farmed chicken, our Whole Kitchen Chicken Enchiladas are convenient, quick to fix and perfect for a delicious, wholesome meal. Our enchiladas are handmade using authentic corn tortillas made with natuaral masa and topped with a savory, traditionally spiced sauce.

Kelly says: I am clueless when it comes to good Mexican food. I like Mi Barrio, a run down place near the freeway and I like Chipotle, a mega-super-chain once owned (90% of shares) by McDonalds. Obviously my standard is ‘Does it taste vaguely foreign?’. You might laugh, but as I woman of Eastern European descent who was raised in the Midwest, I grew up eating hot dishes (casseroles for all you coastal people), not tacos and enchiladas.

But with the ATL commuting issues and lots of paperwork at the office, I don’t ever have time to slip out for some incredible tacos al pastor. I have to plan ahead. And believe me, picking up fresh Mexican food at breakfast time doesn’t mean you’re going to have that same degree of freshness at lunch. When I saw these enchiladas at Whole Foods for just $2.29 I thought ‘Woooo! Finally a somewhat inexpensive all natural Mexican-type food that I can eat in the office. Lean Cuisine Fiesta Chicken gets old fast and a lot of stuff out there that looks good isn’t so good for me.

It turns out that these enchiladas aren’t so good for me either. They pack 310 calories into 8 ounces of crusty tortilla barely covered with bland tomato sauce. I only ever eat mild salsa (yes, even medium is too strong for me), but the mole in these enchiladas is a joke. As far as toppings go, there was a smattering of cheese, but it was more of a decoration than an actual ingredient. What a bummer.

These Whole Kitchen Chicken enchiladas do have meat, but it isn’t the memorable chunks of tender chicken I find in Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde Enchiladas. These measly, bland pieces were each about the size of a small marble. Dear Whole Foods, there’s this awesome thing called ‘marinade’. I suggest you look into it.

I wish I had something nice to say about this meal. For the price and the naturalness, I was looking forward to making this a lunchtime staple. If it magically appeared in my freezer or was free or I forgot to bring my lunch and a friend had one sitting around I would eat it again. But I don’t think I’ll pay money for another box. Back to the ~~drawing board~~ freezer section, I suppose.

Filed Under 6 WW Points, Chicken, Three Stars, Whole Foods Reviews, Whole Kitchen Reviews | 7 Comments

Product Review: Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven

January 8, 2008 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven Regular Price: $70.00
On Sale at Amazon.com $39.79
Average Amazon Review: 4/5 stars

Presto says: Fresh or frozen, regular or rising crust, exclusive RotaBake(TM) technology assures great tasting pizza every time. Freezer to perfect in minutes with no preheating. Special control lets you make toppings as bubbly and crusts as crispy as you like.

Tiff says: This oven is fabulous. It does take a bit of experimenting but do not worry: no amount of experimenting will make your pizza inedible.

Getting Started

Reading the instruction booklet was necessary, because there is a special way to place the pizza pan on the rotating spindle, so it rotates and cooks correctly. There are two heating elements on this oven. One above the pizza (upper), and one that is underneath the pizza pan as it is spinning (lower). There are 3 settings on the oven. Lower, Dual and Upper.The booklet also includes a pizza dough recipe, as well as a guide that tells you how long to cook pizza depending on it’s thickness and preparation. For example:

Rising Crust Frozen Pizza: 9-12 minutes on Lower, then 9-12 minutes on Dual.

Regular Frozen Pizza: 9-12 minutes on Dual.

You’ll want to experiment to find the right times for your preferred pizza doneness.

Baking Pizzas

I have used two kinds of pizza with this oven, Freschetta PizzAmore Pepperoni Duo Pizza (a non-rising variety) and Freschetta Naturally Rising Pepperoni Pizza. Each had different cooking methods.

The Freschetta PizzAmore pizza was the first pizza I cooked with the Presto Pizzazz. I did as instructed and used the dual setting only. I found this particular pizza difficult to cook because it is already cut into slices. This made placing the pizza on the pan difficult and the end result, though thoroughly cooked, was unattractive. I won’t use the PizzAmore variety again; it tasted okay, but not great. Considering this was the first time I used the oven, it is possible I didn’t cook the pizza to my taste.

The rising crust pizza was a much, much better eating experience. The first time I cooked the rising crust pizza I cooked it exactly as the instructions suggested. The end result was great: melty, hot and tasty, but not as crispy as I would like. Luckily, you can adjust the settings for the oven as you prefer. My second round with a rising crust pizza involved 14 minutes of bake time on the lower setting (2 minutes longer than the recommended time) and 12 minutes on the dual setting. I found this was the perfect setting for this pizza! I was in heaven. It was exactly as crispy as I like, and the pepperonis were cooked as crispy as I like.

Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven Baking Process

Counter Space

Since receiving the Presto Pizzazz oven as a gift, every time I go to the store I buy 2-3 frozen pizzas. I know whichever brand is on sale will turn out great. I will never again use a normal oven to cook pizza. Ovens (especially in apartments) can be shady, while this device is straight-forward and effective.

Our George Foreman Grill used to take permanent residence in the corner counter space with the only open outlet in the kitchen. The Foreman is now under the counter and the Presto now lives there. Sure, we still take old Georgie for a spin once or twice a week, but knowing that there are frozen pizzas in the freezer, and a quick snack can be made easily at any time, the Pizzazz is now our staple kitchen item.

Frozen vs. Delivery

You are probably wondering if the frozen pizzas taste as good as pizzerias. Well, yes and no. I found it especially hard to compare the two, because pizzas vary so much from place to place. If the thing that makes your pizzeria special is the sauce recipe, you can’t replicate that with this oven. I will say that I will NEVER EVER order Domino’s, Papa John’s or Pizza Hut again as long as I live and while this oven is around. There there is absolutely no reason to waste 15-20 dollars on delivery from an average place with this oven in your kitchen. Frozen pizzas on sale are 2 for 7 dollars, 3 for $10.00, etc. That is some serious cash in your pocket if you simply have this oven and some pizza on hand - and no tips required! I recommend it to people who cook frozen pizzas often. I wish I could vouch for how homemade pizza bakes - but I assume it could only taste better that store bought pizzas.

Final Thoughts

The Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven earns 4 stars. The reason for the missing star is that one can only cook up to a 12 inch pizza (round) on this oven. This is fine for most frozen pizzas - but I am afraid to experiment with the square, brick oven style for fear I may need to use the real oven. That would be a tragedy!

Filed Under Frozen Pizza Reviews, Product Reviews | 7 Comments

Mrs. Smith’s Heavenly 100 Calorie Apple Crisp

December 26, 2007 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Mrs. Smith’s Heavenly 100 Calorie Apple Crisp Price: $2.59 for two cups
Serving: 1 cup, 3oz.
Calories: 100
Fat: 3%, 2g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 6%, 150mg
Protein: <1g
Carbs: 5%, 16g
Fiber: 4%, <1g
Weight Watchers Points: 2 Points

Mrs. Smith says: Finally, a 100 calorie dessert that really satisfies your sweet cravings. Mrs. Smith’s Heavenly 100 is big on decadent flavor in 100 calorie portions. Now you can enjoy the indulgent taste you love-without the guilt!”

Jennifer says: One night, while searching for a good dessert at my local grocery store, I started thinking about Apple Crisp. I love a good Apple Crisp, with hot cinnamon apples and a crunchy, oaty topping. I searched high and low through the freezer section before I saw a line of Mrs. Smith’s Heavenly 100 Vanilla Custards. Close, but not quite apple crisp. I looked closer and noticed the shelf tag said there should have been an Apple Crisp on hand as well. Nope. All Vanilla Custards. Now I was intrigued. I was on a mission to find those missing Apple Crisp desserts.

After driving all over town, I found and purchased not only the Apple Crisp but I also bought a nice tub of Cool Whip to go along with it. I was excited to find my favorite dessert in a diet friendly way.

The instructions on the box said to microwave for 30-45 seconds. I had to ultimately microwave the damn cup for nearly three minutes. Three minutes! Lets just say that I hoped the unattractive dessert would emerge from my microwave looking like a nice, crispy, and delicious Apple Crisp. Not the case. The cup consisted of tons of sauce, maybe about 15 miniscule pieces of apple, and a teaspoon of soggy topping. I mixed it up with a little Cool Whip thinking that would make it taste even better, but now I’m surprised that I did not develop an automatic cavity from the sweetness of the dessert.

I took about 4 bites of the supposedly heavenly apple crisp and threw it in the trash. By that 4th bite I was close to vomiting from the extremely sweet taste.

This morning I decided to doctor up the second cup with a tablespoon or two of oatmeal. Can’t go wrong with oatmeal, I thought. Nope. Nothing could change this nasty cup of apples. And this time I found 4 chunks of hard apple peel and/or seed particles.

Maybe one day I will try the other desserts in this 100 Calorie line. I’ve learned that Apple Crisp in a microwave is not a good idea, though. It is certainly not “heavenly” and although just 2 Weight Watchers points, its not worth the point value. If you want Apple Crisp either make one or go buy one from a restaurant.

I’m giving Mrs. Smith’s Heavenly 100 Calorie Apple Crisp one star. Maybe it will kill someone’s sweet craving. It certainly won’t defeat anyone’s Apple Crisp craving.

Filed Under 2 WW Points, Mrs. Smith's Reviews, One Star, Schwan's Reviews | 8 Comments

Target Tex-Mex Style Appetizer Rolls

November 20, 2007 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Target Tex-Mex Style Appetizer Rolls Price: $2.69
Serving: 3oz., 3 rolls
Servings Per Container: 2.5
Calories: 210 per serving
Fat: 12%, 8g
Cholesterol: 3%, 10mg
Sodium: 20%, 490mg
Protein: 6g
Carbohydrates: 9%, 28g
Fiber: 6%, 1g
Sugar: 3g
Weight Watchers Points: 5 Points

Target says: Vegetables, black beans & white meat chicken wrapped in a crispy shell.

Kelly says: I love Target. I adore Target. I was weaned on Target. Well, not really because that would be sort of gross, but I think you get the point. You would not believe how distraught I became when I first realized that the Target nearest my suburban post-college southern home did not have a freezer section.

Sure, it has a freezer. A smaller freezer than the one found at my local 7-11. The first time I went to the Target I thought there wasn’t a freezer section at all. Then I learned that it was just a single case. I’m not sure which instance made me more disappointed.

Fortunately, I found a different Target in the opposite direction from the first Target and only a total of five more driving miles. The more awesome, glorious Target has oodles of frozen food cases. Watch out folks, I have found the mother land and it consists of frozen food!

While I usually stick to known brand name products offered at low, low prices (see poorly chosen South Beach Diet Lunchable), I’m occasionally inclined to sample a Target brand item. My experience with these appetizers is much like my experience with Target purses: tasty, short-lived, adorable, and doomed to an unsatisfying end via shoddy construction and low-quality materials.

Mostly, I was bummed to realize that these appetizers are half air. That and the pastry wrapper tastes sort of strange, as though it was produced not just in a factory, but actually made out of a factory rather than normal ingredients like flour and lard. Also I had a lot of trouble finding the chicken inside this pastry. Was it disguised as corn? Plus, the filling was more watery than cheesy. After all of that complaining you think that I’d be really happy that half of each pastry-encased item was filled with air. But no, even if something is bad I don’t want to feel gypped.

The more I think about these appetizers the more I understand why I ate a few and then they just hung out in my freezer for a few months until I did my quarterly fridge and freezer clean-out and decided that maybe I should try these things because I am a poor, poor social worker. Too bad I’d forgotten that they were a waste of the energy it took to heat them in the oven.

Filed Under 5 WW Points, Chicken, Target Reviews, Two Stars | 6 Comments