It's Monday evening. You've had a hard day at work. You've managed
to make it home through grueling traffic jams. You open your freezer
and what do you see..........?
Nothing?!?
Not a problem. You tool down to the local supermarket and survey the great wasteland
known as the TV dinner aisle. It is here that confusion, curiosity, and ignorance merge together
to cloud the 'bachelorean' sense of judgment.
The following guide is provided as a public service to my fellow comrades...
Pepperoni Pizza(personal size)(by Freschetta)
Thick crust. Thick crust. Thick crust. This is what characterizes Freschetta's personal size pepperoni pizza. The soft, thick pizza crust has a delightfully distinct taste and texture that sets it apart from its DiGiorno counterpart. Generous heaps of pepperoni and cheese top the bread foundation in a manner is that, if properly cooked, pleases the eyes, nose, throat, and belly. This pizza is a winner. The only drawback is that it must be prepared in a conventional oven. (Here's a personal pet peeve: Why is it that they never include packets of crushed red pepper with these pizzas?)
The Hearty One: Beef Enchilada (by Banquet)
I've noticed more and more frozen dinner producers using bold labels to describe some of their large dinners. Examples include 'Big Meal' used by Tyson and 'Hungry-Man' by Swanson. Not to be left out, Banquet has introduced a line of 'Hearty One' meals. Can these meals live up to their label? Well, the beef enchilada dinner certainly tries. The dish features a single beef enchilada with chili sauce, Mexican style rice, and corn in seasoned sauce. I found the enchilada to be quite flavorful and satisfying. Unfortunately this dinner suffers from a competitive disadvantage in that it only contains one beef enchilada, as compared to its counterpart by Patio, which contains two. Although they are present in extremely generous quantities, the Mexican style rice and corn do not possess an uncommon taste. Adding additional spices to these two items could improve the overall flavor of the meal. Also, after preparing several dinners, I noticed that the corn and rice were consistently watery. This could be another area of future improvement. The box cover boasts "Extra Helpings of Beef Enchilada..". As I mentioned earlier, the dinner only contains one beef enchilada. What is an "Extra Helping"?
Another aspect of the meal's packaging that caught my attention was the series of 'real-life' images featured on the back cover of the dinner box. I've noticed that these images are included on most, if not all, of Banquet's entrees. The images seem to depict a 'storyline' that always culminates in the consumption of a frozen dinner (presumably a Banquet dinner). Since typically 2-3 images are featured without captions, the consumer is left to use his or her imagination to fill in the details of the storyline. The Hearty One: Beef Enchilada dinner features a construction worker. Initially we see the construction worker either going to or coming from work. Given the cleanness of his clothing I would assume he's going to work. He appears to be engaging in a conversation with his co-worker. It's likely that the conversation is centered around Banquet's Hearty One: Beef Enchilada dinner.
Next we see the construction worker dining with either a relative, a friend, or his significant other. Although the setting isn't exactly formal, there appears to be wine on the table along with their TV dinners. The final image features the construction worker with a fork in his mouth. He's displaying an expression of pure enjoyment. It is not stated whether the expression stems from the food, the conversation, or both.
Chicken Tikka Masala(by Taj Gourmet)
It was refreshing to see a new area of international cuisines present in the TV dinner aisle of my local grocer. Taj Gourmet has introduced a line of frozen dinners that cater to those with Indian tastes. The meal represents a bold initial offering and should satisfy those with a craving for a quick Indian dinner. Overall the meal could benefit from leaner cuts of chicken and the Masala sauce could be a little less watery. Aside from these shortcomings the meal packs the spiciness and flavor one would expect with this type of exotic fare.
NOTE: The criticisms reflected on this page are those of the author.
The sole purpose of this page is the expression of critical reviews of TV dinners.
YaraYara and the server it resides on are owned and operated by Ray Cole.
Last updated: 02/03/03
