Frozen Meals: Some are Actually Good!

Frozen meals are an American invention that I still have to get used to, even though I’ve lived in this country for more than 50 years. As far as I’m concerned, they’re either an exceptional hit or a massive miss. And the problem is usually either texture or flavor.

There are a few mass-marketed frozen products that I do like and will purchase at my local supermarket, such as Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese and their Stuffed Peppers as well as Matlaw’s Stuffed Clams and Stuffed Scallops. I consider all of these to be very good to excellent.

I also consider the phyllo, spinach, and cheese pies from Trader Joe’s that are imported from a venerable bakery in Greece to be excellent, as well as the phyllo and spinach triangles from Stop & Shop.

I like Golden’s frozen Cherry Blintzes for Sunday breakfast and Mrs. T’s Classic Pierogies when served with butter-sautéed sweet onions.

In days that I don’t feel like cooking lunch, I’ll go to my freezer and pull out one of these packages for my midday meal.

Unfortunately, many of the frozen dishes on the market taste very mediocre, and quite a few are absolutely disappointing. But that’s my personal taste…

Hope springs eternal and I’m willing to try as many new frozen food packages as I can. Perhaps some of the new ones will be as flavorful and satisfying as the few I enjoy.

I was recently sent two frozen-bowl samples of two different BettrBowl dishes that are a product of Avatar Natural Foods. Both bowls had jasmine rice topped with stewed meat, a small amount of vegetables and corn kernels, and sauce.

I liked the Chipotle Chicken, and I thought the Beef Birria was pretty good as well, though to my taste it could have used a little more salt. Personally, I preferred the goat meat Birria I had during a press trip some years ago when I visited Mexico’s Jalisco. And yes, I do realize that goat meat isn’t something the average American family is used to.

The chicken had a kick, and it was interesting to note that while the first bowl I heated was quite mild, the second bowl was very spicy. The BettrBowl beef was much milder than the almost tongue-numbing goat dish I had in Playa del Carmen.

There’s a good amount of tender meat in sauce topping each bowl, and the balance of meat and rice is fine. All things considered, I felt that both bowls would be much better if there was a little more sauce! I would definitely like to try them again if the amount of sauce is increased!

Bettr Bowl has the potential of becoming a very good frozen food brand. A little more attention to the proportions of rice, meat, and sauce would go a long way!