Reaction To 16 American Frozen Dinners

[@NJT109]

Stouffer's spaghetti with meat sauce and lasagna are both very good! I keep them on hand. It makes a big difference how you prepare them. Lasagna goes in the oven, and spaghetti is heated on the stovetop. Much, much better results than using a microwave.

[@b-six-twelve]

This so much! Would also advise people to use oven and stove to reheat leftovers. A slice of pizza covered with a little bit of water dropped onto the pan is so much better than the limp styrofoam you pull out of the microwave.

[@kevinerose]

Yes, their spaghetti is so addictive too. I have to stay away from it. So good.

[@ZeeTheFinickyFoodie]

Yep! I tend to have Stauffer's lasagna, mac and cheese, and chicken pesto rigatoni in my freezer. None of them get microwaved, because they're much better when they're cooked in the oven.

[@thevanillagorilla1665]

I don’t think she ever actually ate a Hungry Man Dinner. It is delicious for a TV dinner. 🇺🇸

[@Havasumom]

I’ve been eating Stouffers creamed chipped beef and putting it on toast since I was a kid, it’s DELICIOUS!! The Stouffers meatloaf and mashed potatoes and their stuffed green peppers are amazing too.

[@dougsmith3621]

The lasagna was a staple for me as a young bachelor that could burn all those carbs. If you overcooked it you could get the cheese nice and crispy at the top edges. I actually was a big fan of most Marie Calender frozen foods

[@karladoesstuff]

No, the Hungry Man dinner is not like that! In fact, for a frozen dinner it's usually pretty decent, especially in the price range. Stouffer's is the standard. I'm particularly fond of their lasagna, stuffed peppers, and mac & cheese, but their chicken products are just fine. Zatarain's is always good! They also have non-frozen instant things like dirty rice and red beans and rice.

[@Ira88881]

Their stuffed peppers rock.

[@LancerX916]

Stouffers has been around for at least 100 years in the US. It't not better them homemade, but they are a great alternative. Pop the lasagna in the oven for about 40 minutes and you have a great meal.

[@kevinerose]

Try their spaghetti. That may be better than homemade. Be careful though it is very addictive.

[@TangentOmega]

Stoufers Lasagna is a oldie and a goodie (especially the meat lover's) and loaded with ground beef and Italian sausage. Family size, 40 0z, $10. The Zatarains Blackened Chicken Alfredo is something I keep in the freezer at all times. It comes in a big bag and you pour out as much as you want, add some water and heat it through. "Blackened" means it is spiced with Cajun (New Orleans, Louisiana) spices and grilled. Chicken is moist, smoky and a bit spicy. The pasta and sauce are a garlic lover's dream. Almost restaurant quality. Almost 3 lbs for $12.

[@toodlescae]

Stouffers are the best frozen meals out there. The lasagna is superb and their cheddar potato bake is awesome. For Salisbury Steak I get Banquet though because they taste the best to me. Just remember that everyone's tastes are different.

[@BucketOfFail]

Stouffer's has many meals that are really good. Their lasagnas that I have tried were good specially the vegetable lasagna and I think they make the best non-homemade mac & cheese.

[@davidweiss8710]

This grey video channel is amazing. Every time he said "Stiffers" I laughed a bit too much. 😂

[@nutsaboutjapan1981]

Loving your food reactions and glad you did a video like this that's quite different then what most channels would react to!! To answer your main question about meatloaf it's definitely a very old school american staple meal. Been popular for a long time. But I would say it's mixed in whether people like it or not. It can definitely be a butt of jokes about how some people will cringe when knowing it's being served....especially kids. One of those things where it has to be made well to be really good and kept from getting too dry or too mushy. I would best equate it to basically meatballs (very similar meats and ingredients used) only made into a loaf in a pan instead of balls and usually using a ketchup based sauce on top instead of a pasta sauce.

[@RubyGB]

The Salisbury steak is my favorite, but beef & broccoli is a staples in our fridge. Perfect for our older, disabled household when we don't feel like cooking. Some dinners are a pass, but others are a hit! You just have to try to find your favor go-tos

[@iamnother5490]

I had the Amy's veggie loaf she mentioned early in the video and I thought it was ok. Zatarain's is definitely a good choice for a frozen dinner. Blackening is a type of spice mix that is seared onto fish or chicken so that the meat almost looks burned but it tastes delicious. The Healthy Choice brand of frozen dinners are good in general. Last time I looked they were around $3.75. Stouffers makes good frozen family sized meals. You can buy large pans of frozen lasagna and cook it in the oven. Making the frozen dinners in the oven instead of the microwave makes a big difference in how they turn out. None of these will taste gourmet or home cooked. The ones I mentioned I personally find acceptable to eat sometimes but it's not something I would proudly serve to company.

[@stacysimms2709]

Stouffer's is King when it comes to frozen food in America!! Must be the chicken...

[@dougbowers4415]

She’s absolutely wrong about the Hungry Man Dinners. They’re not gourmet but they’re decent in a pinch.

[@raven2795]

She’s only reviewing the ones she hates. If you want a balanced review you will have to try a different video.

[@bob_._.]

Except for the ones she liked.

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

The brand is pronounced like stow furs.

[@sandygrunwaldt1780]

We've tried just about all of these. The French Bread pizza is so good as well as the Salisbury steak the brownie is very good, Meatloaf is awesome. Pretty much all of them. YUMMY. Mashed potatoes are creamy. She's gotten her wires crossed or hasn't really tried them. She doesn't know what she's talking about gurrr. ...

[@JDoors]

The people who make these videos don't try anything at all, they read reviews they find online. There are individual KZbin creators who go out and buy the products to test, look for those if you're interested in a particular product or type of product, but these channels that "consolidate" reviews are less useful (you're at the mercy of totally random reviewers who may even bear a grudge against a product or manufacturer).

[@YepOkay]

Stouffer's is pretty decent! Obviously it's still a frozen meal at the end of the day, but they tend to be much better than your typical frozen meal, and the portions are actually meal-sized. So many of those frozen things assume you're desperately trying to lose weight, but it's like, look, when I'm in a rush and need a quick dinner, I need more than 300 calories. I'll sometimes pick up one of their lasagna's (the full size) and can get several meals off it. Edit: As to whether some of these are better than restaurants--that sounds pretty absurd to me. Unless you're going to a really bad restaurant.

[@Charlee1776]

"Blackened" as mentioned in "Blackened Chicken" is a seasoning mix used in Cajun cuisine. It's delicious and worth a try! There are many recipes online to mix your own if you'd like to give it a try. I don't have a particular one since we buy it premixed at the grocery, but I think you should have fun and experiment to find your favorite! 😄

[@JDoors]

Stouffer's is usually the best, followed by Marie Callendar's, then everybody else (with some brands, usually the cheapest ones, consistently low-rated). One trick for choosing frozen meals: Skip meals with breaded chicken -- the coating will always come out soggy. Also check the ingredients for meals that contain chicken, in particular, to avoid formed slurries (they try to hide the fact that it's a formed slurry with obscure names, but if they use real pieces of chicken they will proudly point that out). Almost all chicken will be pumped full of a saline solution, they say for flavor, but it's just adding to the weight, you're paying for water, and turns the chicken mushy. Meat loaf was originally a way to stretch mince beef during hard times by adding bread or cracker crumbs, then often veggies like onions. It's basically a hamburger with stuff mixed in. Today everybody likes to hate on everything, so you have to try it yourself, you may love it. Also, no, no frozen meal will fool anyone into thinking it came from a restaurant. The big-name TV chefs have come out with their own branded meals and they mostly get bad reviews, so if an actual CHEF can't do it ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@NJT109]

Zatarain's is delicious! I buy the blackened chicken. Quick and easy.

[@LadyEnnui]

I live in Tennessee and Stouffers lasanga runs around 12 to 15 dollars depending on which store you go to. Assuming you have sides with it, it feeds about four people.

[@ChrisVuletich]

I've had quite a few of these and I actually have to agree with the rankings, except for one thing which I'll get to at the end. But the Stouffer's and Banquet stuff are usually very solid (especially the Stouffer's garlic and meat lasagna). I'd say I only eat these once, *maybe* twice a month when I just don't feel like cooking, though. One other thing that I think should've been on this list are the Banquet Chicken/Turkey/Beef Pot Pies, which I also think are very good. As for the Trader Joe's Chicken Tikka Masala, it's hands down the best frozen Indian food I've ever had, along with their lamb vindaloo and butter chicken. But to say it's better than takeout is a bit of a stretch lol. That being said, if you've got one in the freezer and don't feel like getting takeout, it will definitely satisfy an Indian food craving. TJ's also sells some pretty decent naan to go along with it.

[@beardown3920]

Blackened chicken is just chicken cooked in a pan or on a flat top gril with a seasoning called blackening seasoning. Its also very common to have blackened fish, which i eat all of the time. Its one of my favorites.

[@lonegrimo6098]

Stouffer's Meatloaf and mash potatoes, Stuffed Green peppers and Meat lovers lasagna are favorites.

[@tinahairston6383]

They have definitely focused on SPECIFIC items from each brand instead of the brand as a whole. Stouffer's lasagna and mac n cheese are our family favorites. I can agree with the Stouffer's baked chicken dinner. It is odd. They were great when they were first introduced. I used to buy them for my lunches for work since the cafeteria food was nasty, lol. I didn't have them for several years and when I did I was very disappointed. Banquet is the least expensive but still tasty. We love the Salisbury Steak (6 pack of steaks is about $3.57 at Walmart vs. $4.59 at Food Lion which is a smaller chain of grocery stores) from them and then their breakfast sausage links in the maple flavor (50 links for about $7). Hungry Man dinners USED to be ok but I haven't been impressed with them in years and they tend to be pricey. If we do buy it, it's usually the Salisbury Steak. I'm not a fan of Marie Callender's at all. They also have pies and they aren't flavorful. None of these are better than going to an authentic restaurant, though for the price points, it's better definitely worth it. For the price of a restaurant meal depending on the restaurant, you could stock up your freezer easily with 4 or 5 of these depending on which brand, the pricing and the various sizes available. There are several styles of meatloaf but how I make it is a pound of ground hamburger (mince), an egg, ketchup, bread crumbs, chopped onion, chopped green peppers, salt/pepper, topped with our favorite BBQ sauce then you bake at 350F it until it's done. We just had some last Sunday for dinner with Stouffer's mac and cheese and some turnip greens :). Blackened chicken is seared chicken breasts that have been seasoned with salt, garlic powder, ground white pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika and unsalted butter then baked until done. With the Stouffer's lasagna, the individual size can run you $3.50. The family size which is roughly 5 servings, is about $9 and the party size which feeds 12 is about $16. There are also in between sizes available like for 8 people or 2 people. All the prices of course depend on where you live in the US and also which store you buy from but that's what I usually pay here in southern VA.

[@elkrain9546]

Stouffer's is the best in frozen, especially their lasagna (both the meat and white sauce veggie versions). I live in the South and I use Zatarain's boxed rice with spices and add my meat and extras to it, I haven't tried the frozen, but it's probably reasonably good. The company has an excellent reputation.

[@user-mg5mv2tn8q]

I love Zatarain's, but I can't have it very often, as it's very high in sodium and I have to watch my intake. They make some low-sodium alternates, and they're good, but not nearly as good as the real thing.

[@rmlrl1971]

The Stouffer's Lasagna is good for a frozen item, granted, nothing beats homemade.

[@Darkphoenix3450]

Hungry man ranks top 3 in my list.

[@leeeckhoff8101]

It's good to throw in when you're busy

[@briankirchhoefer]

Yeah, she's full of it. Banquet and Hungry man are great for the price. Stouffer's and healthy choice is a bit more expensive but good also. Amy's I don't much care for but I'm not a vegan.

[@Proudtman]

I love stouffers (don't know how to spell the brand) food!

[@williambanks2223]

I've had most of the meals she reviewed, and I particularly like the hungry man meals. Stouffer's isn't as bad as she is describing.

[@superodalisque]

stouffers lasagna and spaghetti is great!

[@Scolof99]

Stouffer brand on general has pretty good frozen meals. I like their chipped beef and gravy.

[@vilap18]

I love Stoufers Mac and cheese.

[@geanetteilori2700]

Meatloaf is made with hambuger

[@aggravatedHart]

The stouffers Mac n cheese is great, the fettuccine is good too. A lot of the frozen meals use to be really good but they have changed things and most are not good anymore.

[@RamblingRose08]

I don't know what the point of her video was. The first part of the list she decided to only choose ones that she didn't like (which is her opinion... some of those dinners I think are good). She should have made 2 videos, one with a good dinner from each brand that she recommends and one video with a bad dinner that she does not recommend. I personallyhate the Healthy Choice Simply dinners. Yes Stauffer's lasagna is very common in the US, and very good.

[@willcool713]

I usually only eat ready meals when I'm on the road and have a motel room with a microwave. These are brutal takedowns, but some brand offerings are much better than others. None are super-duper amazing, but many are more than good enough, and only a few are truly terrible. I usually go for frozen entree trays, rather than individual dinners. Those are usually a better bet if you aren't familiar with the specific choices, and you get a bit more substance -- it's often enough to share or make an additional meal from. We used to eat a lot of frozen dinners when I was a kid, after my parents' divorce. Neither had much time to cook, so we had a lot of the old-style foil TV dinners. They're a lot better now, and faster in the microwave. None are better than a good restaurant, but a few are as good as an average place.

[@MarieFara]

I love Smart Ones Santa Fe Rice & Beans actually. Lean cuisine isn't bad at all.

[@Careless-carefree]

It’s absolutely not fair to say frozen food would be better than a good restaurant. Especially restaurants that serve fresh.

[@kevinerose]

Yes, Stouffer's has some good stuff but you got to know which ones are good. Feed your kids the ones that taste bad and you eat the good ones. My biggest issue is with Banquet and Stouffers. Now that their packaging is similar, I can no longer remember which one is higher quality.

[@chrisjarvis2287]

The maker of that video is full of it and most videos from that channel are biased and full of false facts and personal opinions, not real reviews.

[@TH159UY]

ST-O-FERS..... and this lady sounds like she grew up in white collar home with her own in house chef, most of these are not that bad and some are actually pretty decent.

[@Elevatedzebra96]

$4-8 on the single entree meals but the family lasagna can be $14 for a five person serving ( that’s not accurate in a family of adults, maybe 3small children and two parents who barely eat to allow the kids to eat more)..

[@robinmills8675]

Add salad and garlic bread.

[@errollleggo447]

Hungry man Salisbury Steak used to be OK. Haven't tried in 30 years.

[@tinahairston6383]

Banquet has a good Salisbury Steak. You can get a 6 piece serving for $5 or less depending on where you live.

[@rschrader]

Seems like a lot of the videos you are picking skew hard to the AI presenters wanting to make confrontational videos. These are frozen ‘tv dinners’ not gourmet fine dining meals at a 5 star Michelin sit down restaurant. If you live at or below the poverty line - these meals are fine and people who eat them appreciate their value for what it is. Perspective people.

[@DebraBryant-v3i]

If you don't try these for yourself.....ignore her. I have had them all and not a bad one in the bunch.

[@youp9546]

I like Stouffer's lasagna because there is no Ricotta cheese in it. I hate Ricotta cheese. If you're too tired to cook or do take out/delivery, all of these products will do. Mexican restaurant food is much better than microwave dinners (this was an odd statement by the announcer). InovAsians, get it- innovation combined with Asian, has good Asian food.

[@corvus1374]

Banquet is always the cheapest

[@dbchatt5486]

I'm southern and no authority on Indian food but I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's Chicken Tika Masala. (I have 5 in my freezer right now.) Wanting to make it in larger quantity than an individual tv dinner portion, the website listed they have tika masala sauce in a jar. It is never in stock at my store but found a sauce on the international aisle at my regular grocery from Great Britain. I believe the brand is Sharwood. I compared it side by side to TJ's dinner. Tastes exactly the same. So if that is a brand you are familiar with then that might give you an idea of how TJ's tastes. I do notice single Indian men with their cart full of the Indian items and we have several really nice Indian grocery markets and spice stores that might provide a better choice if TJ's options weren't acceptable.

[@frand9174]

No frozen dinner, even Stouffers, looks like the picture on the box. Hungryman as a brand is not good. I never had Amy's vegetable loaf, but I like their Indian and Mexican selections. Banquet products aren't good. They are (and taste) loe end cheap. Salisbury steak, no matter what brand, tastes processed. I've used Zatarain's boxed rice products and I love them all, so I can only assume their frozen products are equally good. This video shows only a sampling of frozen entree brands available in the US.. They run the gamut from lousy to pretty good, but none beat good homemade or restaurant food. They are less expensive and convenient, but portions are small. You just have to decide which is suited to your lifestyle and pocketbook.

[@jamigates6204]

I just got the lasagna one tonight lol they are good!

[@circedelune]

Well, they are all frozen, then reheated, so not great food. Marie Callender’s tends to be the best of them, but I doubt it’s included. Lean Cuisine isn’t bad. Swanson Hungry man is edible. Not a fan of Stouffers because I don’t care for pasta, but many say it’s good. Banquet is pretty low quality.

[@annfrost3323]

Mert, you know photos look better than the real thing but some of these meals are OK. Sometimes one doesn't want to clean up after cooking so it fills you up in a bind. Not all are passable but the Italian style Stouffer's is OK. I'm not Italian of course.

[@ScribbleScrabbless]

Some hungry-man meals are okay but you definitely want to stay away from the brownies

[@garryandjanepannell8594]

The best years for frozen dinners were the 1980's to 90's. The quality has steadily decline from that point on.

[@Scolof99]

Hungry-Man isn't the best but it's inexpensive. I'll occasionally buy the turkey dinner.

[@randallshelp4017]

Stouffers is quite bland so you need to add seasoning veggies butter cheese.. (for me). Stick decent frozen pizzas, pasties, pot pies. just my opine.

[@sassycatz4470]

This sounds like a Stouffers' commercial. I'd try and find someone with some independent reviews. Speaking of Stouffers, I do like their stuffed green pepper entry, especially. The problem is, my grocery store in the "back water" of Washington DC rarely has the variety of Stouffers offerings that this video says they have. Seriously, my grocery store packs a very limited selected. Look into that Stouffers ... it's the Giant on Connecticut Ave., NW in Washington, DC. They are very lame.

[@license2kilttheplaidlad640]

Stouffer's is the best but its rather pricey nearly everything is good. Swanson's the worst but used to be among the best but once they all switched to microwave cooking everything took a super shit.

[@georgefox4764]

Very over exaggerated video if you want a quick and easy meal there’s nothing wrong with it.

[@Cheesusriceee]

Just came here to say I miss when you did sports vids

[@bob_._.]

Healthy Choice entrees are all good, I haven't not liked any I've tried. Stouffers is very good for Italian dishes. They began as a dairy in Northern Ohio and branched out into restaurants and hotels before being acquired and dismembered by Big Capitalism. Meat loaf is a mix of ground meats, bread crumbs, eggs, a few veggies - onions and whatever, catsup or bbq sauce, and baked into a loaf... the good ones are really good, mediocre ones not so much. Good on its own or in sandwiches, hot or cold.

[@imbateman]

Stouffers lasagna is great for the price. Wouldn’t suggest anything else here unless you’re very broke and can’t cook.

[@damonbryan7232]

For a little perspective. If you to lazy to cook. An to broke for take out. Then you are stuck with tv dinners. TV dinners are the city equivalent to the country's bush food. It will keep you alive but tastes like sh t.

[@urstruly00]

I love meatloaf

[@annfrost3323]

None of this is better than making it at home but is readily available. You don't need to be Mexican or Hindu to eat that food. Of course not better than a restaurant, come on.

[@b-six-twelve]

I remember frozen meals like this from childhood. My parents preferred home cooked meals, and my grandma lived with us and was a true Southern cook so we usually ate well, but frozen dinners were handy when everyone was either too exhausted to prepare a meal or one person was hungry and no one else was. They tasted better as a kid though when my palate was less sophisticated. Also food standards have lapsed in terribly in the US so the sodium and extra, 17 syllable mystery ingredients in everything have gotten a bit out of control (our Supreme Court tends to rule in favor of private corporate profit over public health). I also think the pandemic has hit people so hard that the companies started cutting corners and some products are noticeably different. The most reliable frozen meals imho are Mac and cheese and chicken/beef pot pies (Marie Callendar is the brand I think of). I’d be afraid to ask a Brit what they thought of our frozen meat pies though! That’s your realm of expertise.

[@rodneysisco6364]

I haven't eaten a frozen dinner in more than 50 years. They remind me of airplane food ,which I never eat even though it's included in the price of the ticket .

[@hobbgreen4529]

amys pizza was terrible .

[@dppage]

Most Hungry Man meats have the texture of earlobe. ungh