Archive for the ‘Stovetop’ Category

Kraft Cheesy Alfredo Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

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Kraft Cheesy Alfredo Macaroni & Cheese

Looks: Pretty close, eh? The only takeaway I have is that either the spoon on their box is huge, or they’re understating the size of the noodles. There’s no way I could fit the same amount of macaroni on the tablespoon I used, although I don’t know why they’d understate the size of their food. 4.5 out of 5

Taste: The first few bites were the best boxed macaroni I’ve ever had, but as I continued to eat, something about the cheese sauce made me feel a little off, so I didn’t finish the entire bowl. Might have just been me; have any of you readers tried this and felt the same way? In any case, I’m judging it by the first bites: big chewy noodles and thick creamy sauce. 4 out of 5

Bertolli Chicken Florentine & Farfalle

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

SUPER SPECIAL HAIKU FRIDAY!

Bertolli Chicken Florentine & Farfalle - Ad

Bertolli Chicken Florentine & Farfalle

Looks:

Chicken not so browned
But All else looks terrific
4 points out of 5

Taste:

Man I love this stuff
I could eat it all winter
Full 5 out of 5

Have you tried this meal? Leave your own haiku describing it in the comments below.

Knorr Rice Sides (Chicken)

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Knorr Chicken Rice Sides - Ad

Knorr Chicken Rice Sides

Looks: The texture and rice grain size are right on, but the little orange bits on the package are really brown, and the whole dish has a slightly yellowish-green (more yellow than green) tinge that I only see when looking at it side-by-side with the packaging. 4 out of 5

Taste: There’s nothing wrong with the taste – the rice is soft but not too soft, the sauce is just the right consistency (although it took 14 minutes to cook instead of 7), but the dish doesn’t really taste of chicken. I think it tastes how “chicken flavor” is supposed to taste; much like how “blue raspberry” flavoring doesn’t taste like raspberry, but it’s a taste that is universally recognized as blue raspberry. Where was I? Oh right, it’s a pleasing dish, a good complement to a chicken entree. 4 out of 5

Bertolli Shrimp Scampi and Linguine

Monday, September 7th, 2009

Bertolli Shrimp Scampi and Linguine - Ad

Bertolli Shrimp Scampi and Linguine

Looks: In my experience, Bertolli’s Skillet Meals are always represented quite accurately on the packaging, and the Shrimp Scampi is no exception. While the shrimp don’t quite have the color or heft of the shrimp on the package, and the peppers are overrepresented on the box by about 25%, the overall texture, color, and amount of the food is very close. 4.5 out of 5

Taste: Every time I have one of Bertolli’s Skillet Meals, I am very impressed by the quality. It’s essentially a flash-frozen bag of all the ingredients that you just heat it up in a skillet until the sauce melts, so finding out that the pasta has the right amount of bite and the sauce actually tastes good was quite a surprise. In the Shrimp Scampi, the pasta was perfect, the shrimp weren’t rubbery like frozen shrimp can tend to be, but the peppers were a little bit soggy. 4.5 out of 5