Food In Real Life

McDonald’s Premium Ranch BLT Chicken Sandwich

Looks: This picture was taken in a rush, so it’s not at the correct angle or anything, but I assure you it’s not too far off from the box. (Also, the box only depicts the standard chicken sandwich; this one had bacon added to it.) The bun is reasonably similar, and from seeing it in real life, I know that the chicken wasn’t significantly different from the packaging. 4 out of 5

Taste: Good, but not great. The chicken was juicy (which is more than I can say for the Angus burger purchased at the same visit), and the bun was nice and chewy. Neither had too much flavor, but the addition of “bacon” helped that a little bit. I’d probably buy it again, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. (For what it’s worth, my wife, whose favorite foods include chicken and bread, said she would have given this sandwich at least 4 out of 5.) 3.5 out of 5

Minute Ready to Serve Chicken Flavor Rice Mix

Looks: Rice has exactly two properties: size and color. This rice fails miserably at color – dark brown instead of golden yellow. 2.5 out of 5

Taste: Gross. Gummy, with a strange taste that doesn’t bring chicken to mind. I managed a bite and a half before giving the rest to my dog Pedro, who normally doesn’t complain about my leftovers, but even he was like “Why would you feed me this?” (Well, he really said “Bark bark bark,” but I knew what he meant.) 0 out of 5

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

Tyson Anytizers Stuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu Minis

Looks: Remember how the Pizza Rolls looked like they were singing? Well these Cordon Bleu Bites look like they’re puking their literal guts out. Even after cooling for a few minutes, the filling wasn’t thick enough to remain inside the bites, and instead poured and popped out with every bite. 3.5 out of 5

Taste: I thought they were just ok – the filling didn’t have much flavor and it gummed up my mouth, and the outer chicken sphere was a little dry. My wife, on the other hand, thought they were quite good; she liked the crunchiness of the breading and the cheesiness of the filling. (I already knew she loved cheesy things; she married me, didn’t she? *ba-dum-bum*) 3.5 out of 5

Side note: Over the weekend, I put together a more professional setup for taking these photographs. I built a light tent, purchased some dedicated lighting, and I’ve started experimenting with the advanced features of my camera. Today’s post is the first food picture I took in the new setup. What say you, Internet – is it an improvement?