Heat and Eat Products we Like

[tamiam]

The recommendations here are interesting. I also tend to avoid the ready-made convenience foods. Most taste like (insert bad word for crap here). Even when I am feeling busy, I look at a few "convenience foods" on the store shelf and just walk away disgusted at the ingredients (sodium, partially hydrogenated whatevers, other unpronounceables that don't sound like food, etc.).

My pickiness is a good thing, as well as a challenge. It means I don't know what to eat when I can't cook. Perhaps this another another thread, but this is a really important time for convenience food.

Think of this situation: You are travelling, away from home in the kind of town with no restaurants you want to eat at, or ones that closed before you could get there. It might be for work, it might be a late night on a road trip. You have a microwave in the hotel room. If you are lucky, you might also have a small fridge. You want dinner, and you want it bad. The grocery carries mainstream items--nothing fancy. What should you get?

I've gone with pre-pack salad and a bottle of decent dressing that gets tossed when I'm done because it can't travel home. I've done Amy's frozen. I've done beef jerky and beer. Any other ideas?

Signed...Starvin' in Arlington (Oregon that is).

[Abra]

Amy's Tamale Pie - an amazing 2 Weight Watcher points and really good. Boca burgers and breakfast patties. Muir Glen Tomato Basil Sauce. Trader Joe's pork and vegetable potstickers, in broth. Mario Batali's Finnochio sauce.

[Tess]

Think of this situation:  You are travelling, away from home in the kind of town with no restaurants you want to eat at, or ones that closed before you could get there.  It might be for work, it might be a late night on a road trip.  You have a microwave in the hotel room.  If you are lucky, you might also have a small fridge.  You want dinner, and you want it bad.  The grocery carries mainstream items--nothing fancy.  What should you get?

I've gone with pre-pack salad and a bottle of decent dressing that gets tossed when I'm done because it can't travel home.  I've done Amy's frozen.  I've done beef jerky and beer.  Any other ideas?

Signed...Starvin' in Arlington (Oregon that is).

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I manage this by packing things like protein bars, nuts, packets of miso soup-- anything that is compact and tasty and has a decent shelf life. (I've experimented until I found some protein bars I really like and always have some in my carry-on.) I bring enough so I can get by just on that, and then supplement it if I get a chance with some fruit, vegetables, maybe some cheese and crackers. This really works out all right unless it's a lot of days in a row and then I start screaming for some cooked food.

[Mayhaw Man]

Be ready for surprise guests or sudden cravings with El Monterey Taquitos!

Taquitos

In the warehouse store pack. I love these things.

[NulloModo]

I well echo the love for the Indian frozen dinners mentioned above. A local Indian grocery carries Djeet brand, and their Panak Paneer frozen dinner is pretty darn good, and surprisingly healthy.

Some others I forgot:

Texas Toast (by some brand that had Texas in the name, I think, and some convoluted story on the back about why the toast is authentic even though the recipe it from somewhere else and it is made in another state, still though, great Texas Toast especially if you can toss it on a grill a bit, especially the garlic version).

TGI Friday's Buffalo Wings - Though not nearly as good as ones you can order or make yourself, they will do in a pinch, and take hardly any time at all.

[DTBarton]

Obviously you can't do wonders from scratch every meal. Therefore a minor obsession with finding good prepared food is very appropriate.

While not frozen, my favorite prepared grocery store food of choice right now is rotisserie turkey. Both the local Giant and Safeway stores cook a couple turkey breasts in with the chickens every day. Better flavor and not as fatty as the chickens. Great sandwich meat, beats the heck out of anything in the deli case.

[hjshorter]

I use an embarrasing amount of prepared stuff. A partial list of acceptable items:

Ian's brand chicken nuggets, and "alphatots" (french fries in alphabet shapes). The kids love these and they have no partially hydrogenated fats. Good for emergency kid dinners with a salad or veggie.

Amy's organic canned lentil soup, frozen macaroni and cheese, and a few other products I'm not remembering right now.

Whole Kids brand frozen waffles.

Trader Joe's frozen curry veggie patties. Great on a whole wheat bun with our favorite mixed pickle, lettuce and tomato for a super-quick lunch.

Empire kosher frozen chicken breasts.

Frozen brussels sprouts, Trader Joe's frozen green beans, and frozen fruit for smoothies.

We've tried many of the Trader Joe's entrees and have been disappointed with most of them. The packaging reads much better than the food tastes.

[sourmango]

Agree wholeheartedly with Jason. I love Tater Tots! After a long workout, there's nothing more satisfying than deep fried Tater Tots.

Along the Indian tip, I love frozen Paratha. Specifically, <a href=http://www.e-qualityfoods.co.uk/info.asp?cat=50&product_id=975>Pillsbury Paratha</a>. I usually have a friend in Jackson Heights, Queens bring a few packages to me when she comes over. I've also been finding non-Pillsbury paratha in the freezer section of a few of my favorite Chinatown stores (both Manhattan and Brooklyn).

Also, I've been buying frozen shu mai and frozen spring rolls from my favorite Chinatown butcher. Made in house, they're the perfect late night snack.

Finally, Amy's. Relatively healthy and tasty. My favorite is the Santa Fe Bowl.

[Milagai]

Agree wholeheartedly with Jason.  I love Tater Tots!  After a long workout, there's nothing more satisfying than deep fried Tater Tots.

Along the Indian tip, I love frozen Paratha.  Specifically, <a href=http://www.e-qualityfoods.co.uk/info.asp?cat=50&product_id=975>Pillsbury Paratha</a>.  I usually have a friend in Jackson Heights, Queens bring a few packages to me when she comes over.  I've also been finding non-Pillsbury paratha in the freezer section of a few of my favorite Chinatown stores (both Manhattan and Brooklyn).

Also, I've been buying frozen shu mai and frozen spring rolls from my favorite Chinatown butcher.  Made in house, they're the perfect late night snack.

Finally, Amy's.  Relatively healthy and tasty.  My favorite is the Santa Fe Bowl.

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lucky you! i've always had bad experiences with pillsbury parathas,

(often blackened)! i like the deep parathas better....

my favorite heat and eat are the chapatis and parathas made by our

local chapati lady! great institution if you can find one in your area...

milagai

[Basilgirl]

Ore Ida also makes some onion things (vidialia somethings) that are pretty good.  Much easier and faster than doing the deep fry thing and dealing with all of the grease.

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Vidalia-Os! I love those things, but they're hard to find in my area. I love all Ore Ida's products, especially the Tots and the Oven Fries (which are damn good deep fried - they really puff up - but that's another thread).

Frozen honey battered chicken tenders go over big with kids (and me).

The frozen pizzas from Italy at Trader Joe's are really good, as are some the Mexican things and the gzoya people have mentioned above. The frozen meatballs are damn good and make a fine meatball sub.

I also like the Freschetta Brick Oven pizzas. With a little doctoring up they're not bad at all, especially the 5 Cheese. The California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas, especially the roasted garlic chicken with white wine-shallot butter sauce, is really good.

Just today I tried Michael Angelo's pepperoni & ricotta cheese things in "focaccia" - like a Hot Pocket but tons better. A little greasy but tasty.

Like most people here I love to cook, but sometimes you're just too damn tired or there are time constraints involved. One thing I REFUSE to try are those Crock Pot ready meals or any of those meals that come in a box. Also do not dig on Shake N Bake.

Edited February 16, 2005 by Basilgirl (log)

[JerzyMade]

Why even bother reheating? I've recently discovered Costco's rotisserie chicken. I think the mark up is less than the energy cost to roast your own.

And I second (or third) the TJ's gyoza, especially with their Teriyaki sauce.

[Cleo]

I dunno, I outgrew a lot of convenience food at a certain point, I really have no idea why. For the most part I find it just as easy to keep frozen pizza dough in the freezer, defrost a day ahead & throw together when I get home. Take up less freezer space, too. Plus I find cooking relaxing for the most part.

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What about going halfway with a Boboli? Boboli is another heat and eat product that I am greatful for.

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Boboli's are great. We eat home a lot more now that I have a baby and after being at work all day, sometimes Boboli is just an easy thing to throw together.

Another thing that we like is the Shady Brook Farms Turkey Meatballs. They're pretty tasty and so easy to heat up and add to some pasta.

Edited February 16, 2005 by Cleo (log)

[jgm]

I'm a fan of Stouffer's and Marie Callender's. I will eat Marie's turkey dinner when it's far enough from Thanksgiving that I need a turkey and dressing fix. Not as good at homemade--at my house, anyway, but better than what many people fix at their houses.

Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef tastes exactly like the stuff my mom used to make. Their manicotti also isn't bad, and I usually keep a package of the Baked Chicken Breast (comes with mashed potatoes and gravy) to take for lunch.

No, this ain't gourmet stuff, but I have neither the time nor the energy to fix magnificent meals every day. I eat a lot of leftovers, and other dishes that I have frozen, and they are the mainstays. But when pinched for time, I'll take these frozen items any day, over the fast food I'd otherwise have to grab on the run.

[Basilgirl]

I dunno, I outgrew a lot of convenience food at a certain point, I really have no idea why. For the most part I find it just as easy to keep frozen pizza dough in the freezer, defrost a day ahead & throw together when I get home. Take up less freezer space, too. Plus I find cooking relaxing for the most part.

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What about going halfway with a Boboli? Boboli is another heat and eat product that I am greatful for.

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Ahhh, the Boboli...I like the thin crust better. I load it up with garlic-herb-hot pepper oil and whatever I've got in the fridge. Always good. My grocery store sells another brand that is thinner & crisper, more cracker-like, that is good too. And their store brand is the best I've found, but they don't always carry it (?).

[natasha1270]

Some very handy "treats" to have in the freezer:

Boston Chowda's New England Clam Chowda

Marie Callenders Frozen Pies (Pot Pies & Fruit Pies)

Boston Market Macaroni & Cheese (for the boy)

Boston Market Spiced Apples (Wonderful with Vanilla Ice Cream)

CPK Pizzas (5 Cheese for the boy & Thai Chicken for momma)...

Ore Ida Crispy Crowns (I think of this more as a freezer pantry item, though)

I know some of these have kinda been dissed here but hey, we like'em and I think everyone needs to have a little "Go to Hell" night once in a while! To avoid having to rely on these too much I will sometimes try to make a little extra of whatever I am cooking to add to my "freezer pantry".

N.

edit: for pizza clarity

Edited February 17, 2005 by natasha1270 (log)

[Potter]

Tried Boca burgers. Yuck, smells awful. I call them Butt Burgers. I too have been disappointed with many Trader Joe's frozen foods, but for a quick & easy meal I love the Trader Joe butterfly fried shrimp (in the blue box). I recommend cooking them longer than the time recommended on the box so they are extra crispy. I make the cocktail sauce from scratch with lots of horseradish. Also wonderful is the Trader Joe frozen french onion soup. Delicious on a cold night with a green salad! Occassionally, I will get a hankering for cheddar stuffed jalapenos. The A&P store brand is quite yummy.

[Hest88]

As I am with canned soups, my favorite frozen foods are the ones that taste nothing like the real thing. My sentimental favorite, and the one that was one of my college standbys, is Swanson's chicken or turkey pot pies. Cheap, filling, and with a tasty double crust. I haven't had one in years, though.

The one I grab more often, though, are Stouffer's hot wings. They taste nothing like buffalo wings, but they really hit the spot when I need something savory.

[PurpleDingo99]

I know theyre about 900 Calories and have enough salt to give me a heart attack before I can legally drink, but CPK jamaican, garlic chicken, and bbq chicken pizzas all kick amazing amounts of ass. Sometimes ill just eat half and pack the other half for lunch, which works just fine for me.

[fifi]

Jason's evil Tater Tot thread has made those a recent freezer must have. The freezer is naked without them and I start feeling just a bit insecure.

Sam's used to carry bags of these big stuffed pasta shells that were really very good. Add a quick tomato sauce or a cheese sauce with pesto and we were in business. I haven't seen those in a while, though.

And thank you, Mr. Birdseye, for inventing frozen vegetables.

I keep Stouffer's spinach souffle on hand for a veggie snack. I need all the vegetables I can get.

And, sometimes, nothing will do but a chicken pot pie. I prefer the ones with full crust. After all, that is why I eat the darn things.

[Susan G]

My dinners occasionaly have elements from scratch (say: hot and sour soup, sweet and hot pickles, tapioca pudding), combined with freezer bits: say, pork potstickers. It doesn't make me crazy not to have *everything* done myself. Outsource to reliable businesses, I say!

Whole Foods and Albertsons carry a brand of frozen Asian dinners called "Ethnic Gourmet" that hits it out of the park.........cheap, ($3.60 each), reasonably sized, vegetarian, low fat, low sodium.......and rockin' flavors. Combine their palak paneer with a little lime pickle from the condiment rack and call yourself happy.........

[daniellewiley]

I like Tastybite Indian meals - shelf-stable and they come with their own little plastic fork and box to heat the food up in - no dishes!  I also like Amy's products - frozen pizza, Chicago and California burgers,

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The Tastybite meals are awesome, though I put them in ceramic to heat up (I'm paranoid about hormones from heating in plastic).

I also like Amy's Texas burgers, and the Annie's beef stroganoff - add beef and it's good to go.

I buy premade meatballs from the Italian market, and keep them in the freezer for meal emergences. They're really quite tasty.

The Alexia potato products are very good - both the mashed and the fries, and we also love frozen pierogies in my house. Usually Mrs. T's, though some of the ethnic markets here sell their homemade versions packaged and frozen.

[daniellewiley]

Boboli's are great.  We eat home a lot more now that I have a baby and after being at work all day, sometimes Boboli is just an easy thing to throw together.

I ate these quite a bit in high school, but here in Toledo, we are lucky enough to have an Italian market called Sofo's, that has a huge fridge case of pizza shells. I like the pizzeria style, as it is the only one without partially hydrogenated. They also have a decent pizza sauce and huge bags of mozzarella. Those toppings are for Michael and Dylan though. I always top mine with their homemade ricotta, sauteed onions, pine nuts and olive oil.

[WHS]

There are plenty of days I don't enjoy spending time preparing food - it's not easy or fun when a toddler's clinging to your leg, saying "Eat? Eat?" and you have to explain that dinner's not going to be ready for an hour yet, and during that hour you have to be standing at the stove, not playing with him or reading to him.

I can tell I'm not going to make any friends on this thread!

There are hundreds, if not thousands of things that take a lot less than an hour to cook. And you can have crudite on a plate for Junior while you prepare dinner. If he doesn't want it, he's not that hungry.

If the subtext of your comment is that by cooking Junior real food his reading skills will be compromised, I think there are bigger problems to address.

P.s. I have two kids, 3 and 6.

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It's been my experience that if you make Macaroni and Cheese from scratch or throw together Kraft Mac n Cheese, the kid always prefers the Kraft.

[Potter]

Anyone read the artcile in (2/16/05)Wednesday's New York Times about frozen vegetables? the author was a self-declared "snob" about using only fresh produce, but he tried frozen when truly fresh stuff was out of season and found it to be cheaper and just as tasty (sometimes more tasty in the case of rutabaga and turnip). I heartily agreed with the author about using this stuff for out-of-season veggies during the winter. I also keep frozen fruit (no sugar added) in my freezer for quick pies and smoothies when fresh is not available.

[*Deborah*]

I can't even boil a pot of water in 4 minutes, on my stove, and if I make pasta it will be a much larger portion than I will eat if I have some portioned convenience food. So when I'm just cooking for myself, it's often better for me on the whole to go with the can of minestrone or something.

And yeah, after working all day, I am seldom in the mood to spend half an hour or more going to the market and finding food, planinng how to prepare it, and then another half hour or hour cooking. Not that I don't do it sometimes, or even often, but since I can't foresee what I'm going to feel like eating even 24 hours ahead, so it's hard to shop ahead of time...I don't like throwing spoiled things out.

I'm sure if I were not single I'd be a bit more disciplined about this, but as it is, aglio y olio or scrambled eggs get kind of boring after a while, and convenience foods are, oddly enough, convenient for me, as well as often being quite tasty.