Food Products That Really Suck and Should Never Be Made

[Cronker]

I’m hating on jarred minced garlic.  It’s in no way a good substitute for the real thing.  It’s more like pickled garlic.

[gfweb]

On 4/25/2018 at 5:30 PM, Toliver said:

Oh, the horror...

Stouffer's Seasoning Wraps

They're pieces of paper with spice/herb seasonings stuck on them. You're supposed to use a non-stick skillet and no fat, wrap the protein in the seasoned paper and press on the paper-wrapped protein so the seasoning will stick to the protein. Then fry/saute it, paper and all. Then make sure you throw away the paper before consuming the now-seasoned protein. 

The "wraps" come in four flavors: 

Italian Countryside Herb
Lemon Dill
Roasted Garlic and Lemon
Roasted Tomato Herb

 

Clicking on the link above will take you to the product page. Click on one of the "wrap" products and on the new page scroll down for the cooking instructions.

 

Maybe I'm over-reacting about this new product.

Could the "wraps" just be "training wheels" for new cooks? Or is it really just the very bad idea I think it is?

 

Bet it did well in focus groups. 

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, Cronker said:

I’m hating on jarred minced garlic.  It’s in no way a good substitute for the real thing.  It’s more like pickled garlic.

 

Yup. I'd rather use garlic powder than that stuff

[Lisa Shock]

Bisquick -Why pay 3 times as much for some AP flour, trans-fat laden dried shortening crystals, baking powder, sugar and salt? Most people have (or should have) fresh AP flour, oil or butter, baking powder, sugar and salt in their kitchen. It would take maybe 3 minutes to measure them out for yourself. Not only will you save money, it will probably taste better -at least because your peanut oil, or olive oil, or butter will be far tastier and fresher. Plus, you get to control how much sugar and salt and fat you are using. (if you are super lazy, you can pre-mix up tubs of dry ingredients for biscuit making, or pancakes, or whatever) I mean, even if you use Bisquick, you still have to measure out other ingredients to make your dish, so, IMO, you might as well control everything. And, really, it will taste far better.

 

My dislike of Sandra Lee started when I saw her 'chefography' show on FN. In it, she mentions studying at LCB Ottawa. They had a class where they made biscuits from scratch, and her thinking was something like (I don't recall the quote exactly) 'why bother, it's all in a box of Bisquick anyway!' As a poor child who had to cook for siblings due to mostly absent adults, she had used it all the time because a so-called friend recommended it to her. (IMO, friends don't recommend Bisquick to friends!) So, she thought of it as a budget-friendly item and was probably her normative mean for a quality biscuit. Anyway, she didn't stay to make the biscuits in class that day, therefore never tasted the goodness of a from-scratch buttermilk/butter biscuit. She got up and walked out and dropped out of school because she figured she already knew how to do everything. -And, of course, this attitude is why there are so many, many things wrong with her shows. And, how she became so beholden to agribusiness conglomerates.

[Anna N]

4 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

Bisquick -Why pay 3 times as much for some AP flour, trans-fat laden dried shortening crystals, baking powder, sugar and salt? Most people have (or should have) fresh AP flour, oil or butter, baking powder, sugar and salt in their kitchen.

It might surprise you to learn that people don’t automatically have flour or baking powder in their kitchen!  I could take you over to a relative’s kitchen and defy you to find any flour or any baking powder.  And I doubt this is a particularly isolated case sad as that may seem. 

 

I no longer buy or use Bisquick but there was a time in my life when there was a box of it in my kitchen and I turned to it often.  

 

Hamburger Helper, Parmesan in a green shaker, Lipton Noodles and Sauce, canned and packaged soups have all played a role in my life at one time or another.

 

 They no longer appear in my pantry but that’s largely because I have time which was in very short supply when I was holding down two jobs, raising three children and attending university.

 

 

[liuzhou]

www.theavocadoshow.com

 

I mean. Really!

[Shelby]

On 4/25/2018 at 4:30 PM, Toliver said:

Oh, the horror...

Stouffer's Seasoning Wraps

They're pieces of paper with spice/herb seasonings stuck on them. You're supposed to use a non-stick skillet and no fat, wrap the protein in the seasoned paper and press on the paper-wrapped protein so the seasoning will stick to the protein. Then fry/saute it, paper and all. Then make sure you throw away the paper before consuming the now-seasoned protein. 

The "wraps" come in four flavors: 

Italian Countryside Herb
Lemon Dill
Roasted Garlic and Lemon
Roasted Tomato Herb

 

Clicking on the link above will take you to the product page. Click on one of the "wrap" products and on the new page scroll down for the cooking instructions.

 

Maybe I'm over-reacting about this new product.

Could the "wraps" just be "training wheels" for new cooks? Or is it really just the very bad idea I think it is?

I saw a commercial on TV for these last night.

 

Just....no....nope nope nope.

[gulfporter]

Polenta in tubes.

[weinoo]

Grate "parmesan" in cans/jars (ducks).

[IowaDee]

Okay, Bisquick, Hamburger Helper,  Shake cheese and canned soup all had a welcome place in our camper.  With two little kids who

were picky eaters, I knew there would always be something that they would eat.  And to be honest, the whole point of camping for me

was to get out of the kitchen and into nature and all those things made it easier by far.  And I can't forget the thing that was a 

family favorite ...Jiffy Pop.   If using  these "crutches" makes for a better family meal time, go for it with my blessings!

[Smokeydoke]

deleted

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by Smokeydoke
waiting for copyright permission for photo (log)

[Lisa Shock]

Yeah, Sandra's constant refrain of "your friends will never know the difference!" really upsets me. My friends would know the difference between a real confectionery truffle and canned cake icing rolled into balls! (example from an actual semi-homemade show)

[Toliver]

On 4/27/2018 at 9:59 PM, Lisa Shock said:

Bisquick -Why pay 3 times as much for some AP flour, trans-fat laden dried shortening crystals, baking powder, sugar and salt? Most people have (or should have) fresh AP flour, oil or butter, baking powder, sugar and salt in their kitchen. It would take maybe 3 minutes to measure them out for yourself. Not only will you save money, it will probably taste better -at least because your peanut oil, or olive oil, or butter will be far tastier and fresher. Plus, you get to control how much sugar and salt and fat you are using. (if you are super lazy, you can pre-mix up tubs of dry ingredients for biscuit making, or pancakes, or whatever) I mean, even if you use Bisquick, you still have to measure out other ingredients to make your dish, so, IMO, you might as well control everything. And, really, it will taste far better.

 

My dislike of Sandra Lee started when I saw her 'chefography' show on FN. In it, she mentions studying at LCB Ottawa. They had a class where they made biscuits from scratch, and her thinking was something like (I don't recall the quote exactly) 'why bother, it's all in a box of Bisquick anyway!' As a poor child who had to cook for siblings due to mostly absent adults, she had used it all the time because a so-called friend recommended it to her. (IMO, friends don't recommend Bisquick to friends!) So, she thought of it as a budget-friendly item and was probably her normative mean for a quality biscuit. Anyway, she didn't stay to make the biscuits in class that day, therefore never tasted the goodness of a from-scratch buttermilk/butter biscuit. She got up and walked out and dropped out of school because she figured she already knew how to do everything. -And, of course, this attitude is why there are so many, many things wrong with her shows. And, how she became so beholden to agribusiness conglomerates.

Not to quibble but Bisquick wasn't really marketed as a money-saving product. It was originally marketed as a time-saving product. My aunt (who raised my mom) always had a weekly baking day where she would bake the bread and rolls and kolaches from scratch for the rest of the week. When Bisquick came along, it meant my aunt was able to get her baking done more quickly. Granted it didn't save that much time but perception (and marketing) is everything and she thought the Bisquick saved her time. That's why she and millions of other housewives embraced "modern products" like canned condensed soups, Bisquick, etc.

I'm sure from-scratch pancakes taste great. But when you're raised eating pancakes made from Bisquick, that's what you tend to prefer. 

[lindag]

I grew up on Cambpbell's soups and to this day I still keep Tomato Bisque and Bean with Bacon in my pantry.

Some days (like when I was sick recently) it's exactly what I want.

[kayb]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

I grew up on Cambpbell's soups and to this day I still keep Tomato Bisque and Bean with Bacon in my pantry.

Some days (like when I was sick recently) it's exactly what I want.

 

I always keep a can of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups in my pantry. There are a couple of dishes that just call for them, and when I've made a homemade sauce to sub, just aren't as good.

 

Cream of chicken soup goes in chicken pot pie. Cream of mushroom goes in green bean casserole (yes, with the French's crispy fried onions). Both go in funeral potatoes and in Chicken Eden Isle (recipe calls for two cans of cream of mushroom, but I've always used one of each). 

[Tony B]

On 4/27/2018 at 6:51 PM, Cronker said:

I’m hating on jarred minced garlic.  It’s in no way a good substitute for the real thing.  It’s more like pickled garlic.

As a time-saver, I use jarred  minced, garlic that's packed in oil. I've had the other stuff that's in a thin preservative (non-oil) liquid. That stuff does seem pickled or brined. The oil-garlic is pretty decent. My first choice is always fresh, but sometimes you just don't have enough time...

[btbyrd]

As a time saver and courtesy, I place jarred garlic directly in the trash can.

[lindag]

I’ve done the same with the refrigerated garlic cloves .  Doens't have the full flavor of fresh and when I’ve frozen it it turned into one big clump.

Edited May 3, 2018 by lindag (log)

[Anna N]

 When one doesn’t have easy access to the grocery store or for many other reasons one is happy that other options present themselves.  Perfection is the purview of only a few of us.  The rest of us deal with life as it presents itself.  

[Chimayo Joe]

I've tried frozen minced garlic and thought it was better than the jarred stuff. Not sure how widely available it is, but I've seen it at Kroger(actually City Market which is what my local Kroger supermarkets are named) and Walmart.  Can't remember for sure, but it seems like it was fairly costly for the amount you get compared to fresh garlic.  I don't really understand the appeal of either the frozen or jarred.