Sirloin Salisbury Steak & Gravy(by Marie Callendar)

At last, a frozen dinner with a steak that actually falls within the ballpark of tasting like a steak. All of the key elements are present. The beef is even in texture, rich in flavor(aided by gravy) and appealing in appearance. The only detriment is the meat's lack of leanness. Accompanying the main entree are fulfilling servings of green beans with red peppers and macaroni and cheese. Overall, this meal is an excellent example of a model TV dinner.

Breakfast Patties: Sausage Style(by Green Giant)

Those of you who aspire to become vegetarians or at least introduce elements of this discipline into your daily regimen may want to skip this bit of fare. The packaging on this vegan offering by Green Giant boasts "All Vegetable Protein Patties", "77% Less Fat Than Pork Sausage", "Zero Cholesterol." These statements along with the appetizing image featured would indicate that Green Giant has developed a long sought substitute for breakfast pork. Of course these comments mention nothing of this substance's palatability. This is where I come in. After purchasing a box of Green Giant's Breakfast Patties, I placed two of them into my microwave oven. I cooked the patties for the maximum recommended heating time of 1.5 minutes(high setting). Afterwards, as I approached my microwave oven I was assaulted by an odor that was far from pleasant. After removing the faux sausages, I examined their appearance. In this area improvement is definitely needed. The vegan disks exhibited unsettling shades of brown and khaki. Ignoring the olfactory onslaught and outward appearance of the patties, I speared one with a knife and bit a small portion from its edge. To my dismay I was greeted with a taste devoid of all that is characteristic of a true sausage. The only saving grace I can find about these soy compounds is the modicum and I repeat, modicum, of spice present. I prepared additional patties using variations of the recommended cooking time with the hope of improving their flavor. The result was the same. In fact, I strongly discourage exceeding the suggested cooking period since my efforts yielded patties whose hardness seemed logarithmically proportional to additional time.
Bottom Line: Green Giant needs to send this one back to the drawing board(or maybe it is the drawing board) immediately.
Nota Bene: The following packaging proclamation caught my attention:
I shudder to think what the old taste was like.

Hungry-Man: Turkey(by Swanson)

Over the years, Swanson's line of Hungry-Man frozen dinners have become icons of every supermarket's frozen food section. Almost all abide by the 'meat and potatoes' rule. Their Turkey dinner selection is not an exception. Inside the apparently gender specific package you will find a complimentary arrangement of turkey("mostly white meat") with gravy and dressing, mashed potatoes, peas, and an apple-cranberry dessert. Each item is tastefully compartmentalized preventing juice overflow and flavor contamination. A smart idea considering that after preparing several meals, I found the turkey portion to be consistently watery. Aside from this drawback, the turkey/dressing/gravy ensemble provides for a satisfying and wholesome eating experience. The mashed potatoes(reconstituted) and peas further endorse the experience. Although the front of the dinner box maintains that the peas are in, "seasoned sauce," my palate could detect neither seasoning nor sauce. They still fit the bill nonetheless. The apple(rehydrated)-cranberry dessert is sweet and tangy and serves as an enjoyable upshot to this meal.

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.

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