Frozen Food Reviews

[retiredguy123]

Before this Coronavirus thing, I almost never bought frozen food. But, lately I have tried some frozen dishes, but most of them are not worth buying.

Marie Callender chicken pot pie is mostly crust with very little in the middle (600 calories and 960 mg of sodium!).

Greenwise burritos consist of a tortillo wrap with almost nothing inside.

Red's burrito was about the same as Greenwise.

Lean Cuisine chicken burrito with rice was horrible.

Lean Cuizine mac and cheese was not bad.

California Pizza Kitchen thin pizza is pretty good, but not great.

I make a good chili and a good bean soup, and freeze it. It tastes great when I thaw it and eat it. Why can't large food companies duplicate homemade food and leave out the sodium? Any suggestions on frozen foods to buy?

[queasy27]

I like Michael Angelo's chicken piccata with penne. Their penne and meatballs is pretty good as well, and easy enough to jazz up the sauce to taste. The pasta is firm and not overcooked.

My favorites from Schwan's are the chicken tortilla soup, beef tips and gravy, hot-and-spicy breaded chicken breast fillets, and red-skinned garlic mashed potatoes.

I agree about frozen pot pies. If I buy some, I'll make extra filling (chicken, vegetables, cream of onion soup, etc.) so it's more of an actual meal instead of an empty pie crust. But as you say, they're very high in calories, sodium, and carbs.

[Stu from NYC]

Most frozen food dishes are prepared with way too much salt. Better to buy ingredients and make yourself

[Kenswing]

Favorite frozen food?

Just about any flavor of ice cream.. :a040:

[Stu from NYC]

Favorite frozen food?

Just about any flavor of ice cream.. :a040:

Great answer

[ficoguy]

Most of it is crap, as you found out

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Devour: Smokehouse meat and potatoes, with chicken sausage, and bacon - although the chicken pieces are not as good as I think they should be. I usually just toss the chicken and eat the rest of it. Their buffalo chicken mac & cheese used to be great but their chicken pieces have been sub-par and a bit dried out lately.

JUST AS EASY AS FROZEN FOOD:
Baked potato. You can buy it already cleaned and wrapped and ready to nuke, raw. Toss it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Take it out, pull the wrapper off, eat. You can slice it open and add some broccoli and cheese (which you can buy frozen and microwave-steam it right in the bag), or sour cream and bacon crumbles (which you can buy in a jar), or sautee some mushrooms and onions (slice them, toss them in a pan with butter til the shrooms turn brown, and you're done).

The baked potato microwave idea is probably the least expensive, most nutritious, and most filling out of the bunch.

[patfla06]

I feel the same way. Before I never bought frozen foods.
During the pandemic I got some frozen food.

I just said to my husband that no frozen food can compare to food you make.

Would rather have a p, b & j than any frozen meal.

[Two Bills]

In the early stages when the world went mad hoarding anything and everything, we had trouble getting fresh veg, so we settled for the frozen mixed veg.
In stews, pies, caseroles it is ok, but found as a straight side, it was watery, and had the consistancy of rubber.
Not nice, but any port in a storm!
Plenty of frest veg now.

[dijohnson3]

At least you have food to eat.

[Two Bills]

At least you have food to eat.

If that remark was for me, the OP's subject was frozen food, not world starvation.

Stay well.

[J1ceasar]

Making chicken pot pies are easy peasy. Buy a rotisserie chicken or frozen chicken tenderloins!. One can cream of chicken . One can mixed vegetables . add one can water . no salt! A premade crust . round tin pans . bake at 375 one hour. Use a silicone ring to protect the edges or tin foil . enjoy !

[J1ceasar]

As a heart attack victim we also eat a lot of turkey . buy a 3 lb package of ground turkey . 3 cans mixed vegetable . 1 bottles ketchup one onion and 3 tin bread loaf pans
Pell and cut onion into slices . place on bottom each pan. Mix ground turkey 1/3 package per can or all in large bowl . if you have bread crumbs add a handful . no salt . just add pepper or Italian seasoning to taste .
Place in each pan . top with ketchup liberally . place in oven 1 hour at 400 .
Freezes well and you'll have for a while!!! Optionally you can add a jar of spagetti sauce into turkey mix or cut up onions small pieces.

[J1ceasar]

Use tin pans and foil for easy cleanup in ovens

[TooColdNJ]

Metro Diner pot pies. Buy and freeze just in case we’re back to all of this in the fall!

[Ageiler]

When this virus hit, I stay away from store. Omaha Steaks has been fantastic. They have great variety of meats and dishes not just steak. A little pricey but I’m not using gas and no stores. When you buy, you get coupons that greatly discount it.

[davem4616]

most of the prepared frozen dinners contain far more sodium than we want...so we make most of our meals from scratch

that said, the frozen veggies (not the ones with sauces, etc.) are excellent as they are almost equal in taste to the fresh (and have very little salt added)

also usually the frozen fish is as good as what you'll get at the fish counter (although I do prefer the fresh fish at fish peddler on 466)...I usually use the frozen fish for a fish stew

and of course the ice cream good (Blue Bell brand is our favorite...but we just whipped up some homemade gelato, so we're set for awhile)

[TNLAKEPANDA]

Favorite frozen food?

Just about any flavor of ice cream.. :a040:

Ditto that! It’s the only thing frozen that we ever buy. :bigbow:

[Dana1963]

If thats you diet might as well shop the candy isle.

[Sunflower1]

Thanks for this! Never knew how to make one.

[xcaligirl]

I agree... there MIGHT be one or 2 that I'm not crazy about but I'll have to try them again to make sure! lol

[Sandy and Ed]

Before this Coronavirus thing, I almost never bought frozen food. But, lately I have tried some frozen dishes, but most of them are not worth buying.

Marie Callender chicken pot pie is mostly crust with very little in the middle (600 calories and 960 mg of sodium!).

Greenwise burritos consist of a tortillo wrap with almost nothing inside.

Red's burrito was about the same as Greenwise.

Lean Cuisine chicken burrito with rice was horrible.

Lean Cuizine mac and cheese was not bad.

California Pizza Kitchen thin pizza is pretty good, but not great.

I make a good chili and a good bean soup, and freeze it. It tastes great when I thaw it and eat it. Why can't large food companies duplicate homemade food and leave out the sodium? Any suggestions on frozen foods to buy?
Just buy Bartholdi frozen meals in bag. Put in skillet with lid on medium low heat for 30 minutes. Can add some shrimp etc if you want to Never an issue. All good eating!!!

[starman215]

Retired Guy.. Have you tried the Digorno frozen pizza.. It is as good as any sold commercially in the villages actually Mallory is very good and the Digorno is every bit as good.

[Sandi0304]

For a quick meal after golf when I don’t feel like cooking, I use one of the Stouffers meals. Lasagna is the best.

[tedquick]

I feel the same way. Before I never bought frozen foods.
During the pandemic I got some frozen food.

I just said to my husband that no frozen food can compare to food you make.

Would rather have a p, b & j than any frozen meal.

I had not eaten TV dinners for decades, tried once this Covid thing hit and still keep trying to find something that I can return to with a reasonable expectation of a satisfying meal. Still searching but about ready to call it quits.

[Carla B]

Regretfully, have to agree with RetiredGuy. The Michaelangelos' dinner starters are pretty good. The only other thing I think worth buying is Amy's cheese enchiladas.

As for Bartholdi, have never noticed that brand but will look for it.

The frozen foods prepared at home taste really good when heated, so why can't the commercial frozen foods taste good?

[dougawhite]

Lately I have tried some frozen dishes, but most of them are not worth buying.

Any frozen meal or side dish from Trader Joe's is fabulous!

[gladesratt1]

I have been ordering from Schwann’s. Chicken and turkey pot pies are very good, goof selection of frozen veggies, especially the corn. Haven’t tried their pizza, but their Filet Mignon is as good as Texas Roadhouse. Plus they deliver right to the house.

[HappyRetired]

Favorite frozen food?

Just about any flavor of ice cream.. :a040:

Yes indeed. Other than a few frozen vegetables this is our frozen food of choice. Even eating out is no fun anymore--too much salt (and sometimes pepper).

[MandoMan]

Sam’s Club sells Ittella Riced Cauliflower, a 48 oz bag with four 12 oz microwaveable bags inside. 20 calories and 70 mg of sodium per serving. (40 calorie per bag). I microwave it 50% longer than the directions say, then let it sit a few minutes. I squirt on some Sriracha sauce and stir. Yum! I eat an entire bag. (Careful—some riced cauliflower has lots of other things added that are tasty, but up the calories. If you stir in some canned Hunts spaghetti sauce, you have something like rice and tomato sauce, but way fewer calories. Buy some spaghetti-cut frozen zucchini. Next day, cook that in the microwave oven, add the rest of the can of spaghetti sauce and some Parmesan cheese, and you have something like spaghetti that tastes good and is much healthier. I don’t know why, but I’ve found that the Marie Callendar chicken pot pies from Sam’s are much better than the ones sold singly. Are they heavier?

[theruizs]

We like the California Kitchen Margarita Pizza. We also get Smart Ones frozen entrees, the angel hair pasta and Santa Fe rice & beans are both pretty good. The rice & beans I like to eat with Tostitos Scoops. Fill a scoop up with a spoonful and it’s like a mini crunchy taco. PF Changes Jasmine rice is pretty good too, as are their frozen egg rolls. We don’t eat as much frozen food as it might sound though, those are just the ones we have tried that are good now and then. My wife is a carnivore and I’m a vegetarian so we pretty much cook/prepare our own meals separately, but we do share the pizza:)

[BeauJangles]

Before this Coronavirus thing, I almost never bought frozen food. But, lately I have tried some frozen dishes, but most of them are not worth buying.

Marie Callender chicken pot pie is mostly crust with very little in the middle (600 calories and 960 mg of sodium!).

Greenwise burritos consist of a tortillo wrap with almost nothing inside.

Red's burrito was about the same as Greenwise.

Lean Cuisine chicken burrito with rice was horrible.

Lean Cuizine mac and cheese was not bad.

California Pizza Kitchen thin pizza is pretty good, but not great.

I make a good chili and a good bean soup, and freeze it. It tastes great when I thaw it and eat it. Why can't large food companies duplicate homemade food and leave out the sodium? Any suggestions on frozen foods to buy?
Bertolli frozen meals are pretty good; haven’t checked sodium content. It is what it is. Chicken Florentine, Chicken Marsala. (delicious, but scarce), shrimp Scampi to die for. Italian Sausage with Spicy Tomato Sauce only disappointment- teeny little bit of sauce; called them and they are sending replacement coupon.

[talleyjm]

Just tried frozen Indian food bought at Publix - Deep brand Chicken Curry (spicy) and Deep brand Chicken Tikka. Both came with a flavored Basmati rice. Both were delicious and less than $5 each. Highly recommend if you want quick Indian food and don’t want to drive to Ocala for takeout.

[SouthJerseyGirl]

And if you think Fresh Market frozen organic veggies are worth the price, check the label of origin - product of China!

[guysandy1960]

[QUOTE=queasy27;1762633]I like Michael Angelo's chicken piccata with penne.

Wife would like to know where you purchased this.

[Lil GTO]

If you like Italian try Michael Angelos in green box. I’ve enjoyed many of their meal and they are good in my opinion. Bake them in the oven though not microwave.

Before this Coronavirus thing, I almost never bought frozen food. But, lately I have tried some frozen dishes, but most of them are not worth buying.

Marie Callender chicken pot pie is mostly crust with very little in the middle (600 calories and 960 mg of sodium!).

Greenwise burritos consist of a tortillo wrap with almost nothing inside.

Red's burrito was about the same as Greenwise.

Lean Cuisine chicken burrito with rice was horrible.

Lean Cuizine mac and cheese was not bad.

California Pizza Kitchen thin pizza is pretty good, but not great.

I make a good chili and a good bean soup, and freeze it. It tastes great when I thaw it and eat it. Why can't large food companies duplicate homemade food and leave out the sodium? Any suggestions on frozen foods to buy?

[ValSetz]

Stouffer's frozen family size meat lasagna

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

We like the California Kitchen Margarita Pizza. We also get Smart Ones frozen entrees, the angel hair pasta and Santa Fe rice & beans are both pretty good. The rice & beans I like to eat with Tostitos Scoops. Fill a scoop up with a spoonful and it’s like a mini crunchy taco. PF Changes Jasmine rice is pretty good too, as are their frozen egg rolls. We don’t eat as much frozen food as it might sound though, those are just the ones we have tried that are good now and then. My wife is a carnivore and I’m a vegetarian so we pretty much cook/prepare our own meals separately, but we do share the pizza:)

Just a clarification because it's a HUGE pet peeve:

Your wife is not a carnivore. Unless of course you married someone who is something other than a human being. Humans are not carnivores. Even humans who enjoy meat. They are omnivores.

Vegetarian is a dietary choice. Carnivore is a biological default. Humans are omnivores. Giraffes are herbivores. Cats are obligate carnivores. Dogs are omnivores. Only humans CHOOSE diets that go against their biology. All other animals eat however they are biologically designed to eat.

[Curtisbwp]

Home made is always better

[queasy27]

Wife would like to know where you purchased this.

It's carried at Walmart, Publix, and Sam's Club, that I know of. There's a version with penne and one without. Both have nice artichoke hearts. :icon_wink:

I also like Seapak coconut shrimp and their scampi. (But then, scampi is only a two-step process using frozen shrimp and a pack of seasoning.)

[CFrance]

TJ's frozen cooked shrimp taste better than any we've ever had, but second best is Publix. I make a quick seafood sauce with Heinz no-sugar- added ketchup and prepared horseradish. Quick lunch, sometimes dinner.

[mollyb]

Thanks

[patfla06]

I have made chicken pot pies a couple of times.
I use the Pillsbury pie shells, cooked chicken cubed,
Peas and carrots and cubed and cooked potatoes.
Take a can of cream of chicken soup plus a little milk.

May be the English/Irish in me but I have to put
potatoes in mine.
Easy to make and delicious.

[clwahlstrom]

All those suggestions sounds so yummy.

[thelegges]

TJs frozen food is all I would buy, honey shrimp is really good, cauliflower crust, any of their Asian food

[Lottoguy]

I just had one delivered from Walmart.

[Kilmacowen]

Stouffer's frozen family size meat lasagna

Their vegetable lasagna is even better. Great for large gathering.

[ALadysMom]

I fill my freezer with ingredients and leftovers so there’s little room for anything else. My favorite frozen ingredients to keep are bags of plain veggies & berries, andouille sausages, Pillsbury frozen biscuits, Cole’s garlic bread (It is pre-sliced so I can heat up only one or two slices in my air fryer) and Reames Egg Noodles. I freeze eggs (uncooked, scrambled individually) & also 1/4 cup sizes of frozen milk (I freeze both in muffin tins then transfer to ziploc bags) I also keep frozen orange juice concentrate (mixed drinks). I freeze extra cooked chicken breast, ground beef, bacon and sausage in ziploc bags. I agree Blue Bell Ice Cream is always good, so is Breyer’s especially Vanilla Bean (which is a good shake or mixed drink base Alamode to a slice of store-bought or homemade pie) If you like Cajun, then you should try Zatarain’s Jambalaya (Spicy rice) Mix—it’s dried in a box. It is a great base that you can add bits of veggies or meat or a can of kidney beans to, or it’s even pretty good plain. I also keep a stockpile of packed-in-juice canned fruits, beans, tomatoes, and no-salt-added veggies along with tuna-in-water and cream of chicken & mushroom soups. Then, all I need is some very basic fresh foods and I can make a lot of good food. The boxed Ortega Taco Kits are easy, tasty and very flexible but not low sodium & kind of messy. I freeze leftover chili, chicken & noodles, tuna & noodles and many rice dishes in single-serving sizes (ziploc bags save lots of freezer space) Most frozen prepared foods are disappointingly not very tasty. (And where do food companies get all that rubber chicken from?)

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I fill my freezer with ingredients and leftovers so there’s little room for anything else. My favorite frozen ingredients to keep are bags of plain veggies & berries, andouille sausages, Pillsbury frozen biscuits, Cole’s garlic bread (It is pre-sliced so I can heat up only one or two slices in my air fryer) and Reames Egg Noodles. I freeze eggs (uncooked, scrambled individually) & also 1/4 cup sizes of frozen milk (I freeze both in muffin tins then transfer to ziploc bags) I also keep frozen orange juice concentrate (mixed drinks). I freeze extra cooked chicken breast, ground beef, bacon and sausage in ziploc bags. I agree Blue Bell Ice Cream is always good, so is Breyer’s especially Vanilla Bean (which is a good shake or mixed drink base Alamode to a slice of store-bought or homemade pie) If you like Cajun, then you should try Zatarain’s Jambalaya (Spicy rice) Mix—it’s dried in a box. It is a great base that you can add bits of veggies or meat or a can of kidney beans to, or it’s even pretty good plain. I also keep a stockpile of packed-in-juice canned fruits, beans, tomatoes, and no-salt-added veggies along with tuna-in-water and cream of chicken & mushroom soups. Then, all I need is some very basic fresh foods and I can make a lot of good food. The boxed Ortega Taco Kits are easy, tasty and very flexible but not low sodium & kind of messy. I freeze leftover chili, chicken & noodles, tuna & noodles and many rice dishes in single-serving sizes (ziploc bags save lots of freezer space) Most frozen prepared foods are disappointingly not very tasty. (And where do food companies get all that rubber chicken from?)

I'm pretty much the opposite. I use up what I cook within a few days so I never have to freeze anything. My freezer has an ice bucket, ice packs for sore muscles, one bag of frozen french fries, 3 hamburger patties, 2 Devour frozen entrees, and some pina colada popsicles. Oh and a big 1-gallon jug filled with water (now ice) because it's more cost-efficient to keep your freezer full than it is to keep it empty.

[Stu from NYC]

I fill my freezer with ingredients and leftovers so there’s little room for anything else. My favorite frozen ingredients to keep are bags of plain veggies & berries, andouille sausages, Pillsbury frozen biscuits, Cole’s garlic bread (It is pre-sliced so I can heat up only one or two slices in my air fryer) and Reames Egg Noodles. I freeze eggs (uncooked, scrambled individually) & also 1/4 cup sizes of frozen milk (I freeze both in muffin tins then transfer to ziploc bags) I also keep frozen orange juice concentrate (mixed drinks). I freeze extra cooked chicken breast, ground beef, bacon and sausage in ziploc bags. I agree Blue Bell Ice Cream is always good, so is Breyer’s especially Vanilla Bean (which is a good shake or mixed drink base Alamode to a slice of store-bought or homemade pie) If you like Cajun, then you should try Zatarain’s Jambalaya (Spicy rice) Mix—it’s dried in a box. It is a great base that you can add bits of veggies or meat or a can of kidney beans to, or it’s even pretty good plain. I also keep a stockpile of packed-in-juice canned fruits, beans, tomatoes, and no-salt-added veggies along with tuna-in-water and cream of chicken & mushroom soups. Then, all I need is some very basic fresh foods and I can make a lot of good food. The boxed Ortega Taco Kits are easy, tasty and very flexible but not low sodium & kind of messy. I freeze leftover chili, chicken & noodles, tuna & noodles and many rice dishes in single-serving sizes (ziploc bags save lots of freezer space) Most frozen prepared foods are disappointingly not very tasty. (And where do food companies get all that rubber chicken from?)

Wow and I thought I froze a lot of stuff. How do you keep track of your inventory?

On a regular basis stuff gets lost in our freezer reappearing a year or more later

[talktome]

I love Celantano frozen Eggplant Parmigiana. Just nuke it 7-9 minutes. I will have this with a side salad and Italian bread. Nice Italian meal! Also like their frozen raviolis and other pasta entrees.

[graciegirl]

[QUOTE=queasy27;1762633]I like Michael Angelo's chicken piccata with penne.

Wife would like to know where you purchased this.

At Publix. Michael Angelo's Eggplant Parmesan is good too. Marie Calendar has very good mac and cheese, unusually good. I was surprised. Walmart's chicken and dressing is very good as well.