Even Real Cooks Cheat Sometimes

Published on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, by James Norton / Edit Post

The Joy of Cooking Frozen Meals

The Joy of Cooking Frozen Meals

I Paid: $6.99 for a 28-ounce Meat Lovers’ Meat Lasagna and $8.99 for the 18-ounce Braised Pulled Pork (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 5 stars

Marketing: 3 stars

“The Joy of Cooking” seems like a ballsy name for a line of frozen dinners (although, let’s be honest, “The Joy of Microwaving” just doesn’t have the same pizazz). Branded with the same white-on-red-on-white color scheme associated with the ever-popular namesake cookbook, the dishes are straightforward American favorites: lasagne, pulled pork, and chicken leg quarters, as well as sides like green beans and baked potatoes.

The larger meals all feature cockamamie suggestions about how to “embellish this entrée,” presumably to assuage the home cook’s guilt about copping out and eating from a box. For example, you can add hoisin to the barbecue sauce packet for the Braised Pulled Pork to make “Korean BBQ Sauce.” Seriously? All Koreans now have a legitimate reason to be annoyed with this product. Alternately, you can add shredded mozzarella and sliced pepperoni to the Meat Lasagna to make it “Over-the-Top Lasagna.” Good grief.

That said, the quality of these dinners is consistently high for frozen food, comparable in fact with competent home- or restaurant-made food. The lasagne displays a very convincing sense of balance: A bright tomato sauce is able to assert itself while jostling with a rich but not overwhelming layer of cheese and a substantial but not greasy chorus of beef and pepperoni.

Braised Pulled Pork (which comes in a lump that you fork-shred after heating) is equally good—extremely moist, no artificial flavors lingering around, and it’s served with a barbecue sauce that tastes like baked beans, with adeptly balanced vinegar and molasses notes. The pork is terrific when served on Joy of Cooking rolls (sold separately), which have a reasonably convincing crusty exterior and a robust interior crumb.

So perhaps let’s not dwell on the obvious irony that the most popular American cookbook has morphed into a line of premade meals for people who don’t want to cook, and appreciate that, hey, at least these meals taste good.

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster column, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook. His wife, Becca Dilley, takes the photographs for Supertaster. She specializes in weddings and food photography, and is the coauthor of and photographer for the book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers.

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POST A COMMENT |12 Comments

COMMENT

  • Anyone who would say that real cooks don't eat frozen food don't have 1) as busy as a life as some people 2) kids. I was very picky too before I bred; now I thank God for frozen food when I cannot pump out yet another meal after a long long day.

  • Not everyone has the advantage of take-out/delivery/near-by cafes. I keep several frozen items in my freezer (homemade and store-bought) that taste really good to me. Every meal does not have to be a revelation; sometimes I'm just exhausted and looking for something quick and easy, but still good, to eat. That's where quality frozen items come in very handy. I would try that line of goods.

  • I have tried the macaroni and cheese from the Joy of Cooking, and I found it to be the most delicious convenience version I have ever tried. Yes, I could, and sometimes do make my own, but, for a busy night their macaroni is quite satisfying. It comes in a bag with cubes of cheese sauce and a packet of seasoned bread crumbs you toast and then top the mac n cheese with. Delicious. Fantabulous....+READ

    I have tried the macaroni and cheese from the Joy of Cooking, and I found it to be the most delicious convenience version I have ever tried. Yes, I could, and sometimes do make my own, but, for a busy night their macaroni is quite satisfying. It comes in a bag with cubes of cheese sauce and a packet of seasoned bread crumbs you toast and then top the mac n cheese with. Delicious. Fantabulous. And, definitely, Better than any box. Frozen or boil and stir.-COLLAPSE

  • I haven't seen the Joy of Cooking line but the thread seems to have expanded to all frozen prepared stuff. No moral judgments here: if you like it, eat it, and God bless. But recently I fell for some Stouffer's and TV dinners (which I had not bought in years) on sale during an exceptionally busy time at home, and I thought it was all gross. The stuffed green pepper was too sweet, the macaroni and...+READ

    I haven't seen the Joy of Cooking line but the thread seems to have expanded to all frozen prepared stuff. No moral judgments here: if you like it, eat it, and God bless. But recently I fell for some Stouffer's and TV dinners (which I had not bought in years) on sale during an exceptionally busy time at home, and I thought it was all gross. The stuffed green pepper was too sweet, the macaroni and cheese and the beef stew were bad jokes, and the TV dinners tasted... unwholesome. Truly, if I'm in that much of a hurry I'd prefer a bowl of cereal. Exceptions: my husband loves the Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef. And the frozen tortellini are good in soup. Crescent Roll Dough makes fine crust for chicken pot pie. Pillsbury Pie Crusts and Eggo Waffles have their moment. But the frozen meals---yuck.-COLLAPSE

  • I tried the Braised Beef Tips & Egg Noodles and it was easily one of the best frozen dishes I have ever had. Was it any where near as good as I could make from scratch? No. But it was favorful and the noodles were not mushy. It came in a 2 serving package and it really was enough to feed to two adults. Paired with a salad from a bag, it would much tastier and healthier than take-out pizza or fast...+READ

    I tried the Braised Beef Tips & Egg Noodles and it was easily one of the best frozen dishes I have ever had. Was it any where near as good as I could make from scratch? No. But it was favorful and the noodles were not mushy. It came in a 2 serving package and it really was enough to feed to two adults. Paired with a salad from a bag, it would much tastier and healthier than take-out pizza or fast food.

    Two thumbs up.-COLLAPSE

  • I am a real cook, and pretty innovative. But I realized today that I have hit bottom. I work at a day job and then teach at a local college four nights a week. I eat every meal, for four days each week, either in my car or at a desk. Anything frozen that tastes good is alright by me. I'll do spring rolls on the weekend.

  • I agree with Jim M...This is the last place we need the Food Nazis!

  • I always wonder why the moralists feel the need to come here ... it's a column devoted to prepared food. Go slave over your precious spring rolls tied up with a single chive.

  • Let's not even mention the sodium content on some of that stuff.

  • I'm with StriperGuy - any "frozen meal" is crap, even if you have to shred it yourself. On nights when I'm busy and tired and don't feel like making dinner from scratch (which is approximately 5 out of 7) I eat something that *I* cooked for the freezer, or make something that doesn't take forever (pasta with pesto, salad) or get take-out. My local grocery sells a lot of delicious, wholesome...+READ

    I'm with StriperGuy - any "frozen meal" is crap, even if you have to shred it yourself. On nights when I'm busy and tired and don't feel like making dinner from scratch (which is approximately 5 out of 7) I eat something that *I* cooked for the freezer, or make something that doesn't take forever (pasta with pesto, salad) or get take-out. My local grocery sells a lot of delicious, wholesome (read: not filled with preservatives) to-go meals that are as inexpensive if not more so than these Joy of Cooking meals.-COLLAPSE

  • He just said it wasn't crap. I'd ty it based n this review, for those nights when I work late and don't feel like making dinner from scratch, which always takes longer than I think it's going to.

  • Real cooks don't eat frozen crap.