Microwave Bean-and-Cheese Burrito Taste Test

Microwave bean-and-cheese burritos fill different needs for different people, from late-night drunken cravings at 7-Eleven to quick vegetarian lunches at our desks. They are a convenience food that transports many of us back to our college days, and though we know that no microwaved snack could compare to something made by our local taqueria, we wanted to see if any brand could fill the burrito void in a pinch.

CHOW tasted five microwave bean-and-cheese burritos, and rated them from 1 to 5 (5 being the best) based on: beaniness and cheesiness, moisture and texture, appearance, and overall flavor. Roll over for larger images »	Amy’s Cheddar Cheese Burrito $2.44	Whole Foods Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burrito $1.29	Don Miguel Bean & Cheese Burrito $1.39	Safeway O Organics Organic Bean and Cheese Burrito $1.69	Tina’s Bean & Cheese Burrito 69 cents
Score	2.9	2.7	2.6	2.3	2.1
They say	“Made with organic beans & rice.”	“Handmade with an authentic tortilla, traditional fillings and seasonings.”	“Authentic Handmade Bean & Cheese Burrito.”	“Organic pinto beans … organic Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, organic tomato purée and organic vegetables.”	“100% Cheddar Cheese.”
Beaniness and Cheesiness	Good balance of whole beans and cheese. Better than OK.	Lots of whole beans that balanced nicely with the cheese.	Finally the two were playing fairly.	Dry beans, very little cheese—the filling combined into one big mush.	Were there any beans or cheese in there? Tortilla- to-filler ratio was way off.
Moisture and Texture	Tortilla was soft, but the interior was a little runny.	Dry, dry, dry.	Yeasty and undercooked, but it was moist and squishy.	Tortilla was dry and hard to chew. Everything inside was moist, but there was no real texture.	Very moist and goopy; easy to slice.
Appearance	The whole wheat tortilla looked scary— microwave burritos should not look this good for you.	Looked like a tortilla created in Adobe Illustrator. Yikes to the orangey interior.	It was flat; looked like a quesadilla made with Velveeta.	Pasty white appearance. The inside looked even scarier—like animal guts.	Pretty small, with weird fake grill marks. Reminiscent of Taco Bell.
Overall Flavor	Could taste all of the components. The best of the group, which isn’t saying a whole lot.	This one aspired to be better with its fake, spicy taste.	Would be good if you were drunk and had a bottle of Sriracha on hand.	Not great but not horrible. Bland and unappetizing.	No spices. Tasted like cardboard filled with glue.