Archive for the ‘Banquet’ Category

Banquet Beef Pot Pie

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

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Banquet Beef Pot Pie

Looks: I struggled mightily to free this pot pie from its cardboard baking pan so as to have it resemble the boxpie as much as possible, but I was not successful. Then, I tried to cut out a wedge from the top of the crust like on the package, but the roof caved in, and I was not successful. Finally, I tried to show the contents spilling out as on the box, but I couldn’t find any pieces big enough, and thus, I was not successful. The majority of the filling was gravy, as contrasted with the meaty chunks shown on the packaging. The color of the crust is about the only thing they got right. 1 out of 5

Taste: This pot pie was really more of a gravy sandwich, and that’s what it tasted like – crust, gravy, crust, with a few bits of meat and vegetable that got in the way. I shouldn’t have been surprised – according to the box, the main ingredient in the filling is gravy, while containing “2% or less” beef, carrots, and potatoes. Can you really call it a “Beef Pot Pie” when “beef” is an also-ran in the ingredients list? 1.5 out of 5

Banquet Fish Stick Meal

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Banquet Fish Stick Meal - Ad

Banquet Fish Stick Meal

Looks: Do you see, on the box, where it says “Enlarged to show quality”? It should really say “Enlarged because there’s hardly any food in this box,” because the “quality” they were showing doesn’t exist in real life. The breading on the fish sticks was slipping off, the macaroni noodles are not the proper scale, and the pudding is dark and lumpy, not smooth and creamy. 3 out of 5

Taste: Disappointing. The fish sticks were chewy, which I didn’t know was possible, because it’s minced fish meat – how can that be chewy? The macaroni was watery and tasteless, and there was so little pudding that I couldn’t find a spoon small enough to fit into the little bowl. (I’m obviously kidding about that; I just couldn’t think of any words to describe the pudding’s taste.) I would never buy this meal again. 1 out of 5

Banquet Swedish Meatballs

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Banquet Swedish Meatballs - Ad

Banquet Swedish Meatballs

Looks: This meal is very well-represented on the box. The only nit I can find to pick is that the gravy/sauce comes out kind of lumpy, not smooth like on the packaging. Other than that, everything is fine – the meatballs are the right size, the colors are correct, and the portioning is accurate. 4.5 out of 5

Taste: What’s a word between that falls between “edible” and “delicious”? Oh right, it’s “banquetswedishmeatballs.” This meal is pretty good. The meatballs are substantial and actually taste like meat! (Really, they taste like salisbury steak balls.) The noodles are a little soft, but not as soft as say, Chef Boyardi Ravioli noodles, and the sauce has a nice peppery flavor. This is one of the few Banquet meals that I’ve bought after already having tried it in the past. 4 out of 5