stories:
Feature
Microwave Bean-and-Cheese Burrito Taste Test
Food or foe?
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 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| 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. |
I am a big fan of Amy's burritos. I know it's a far cry from a real burrito, but it's better than many other quick, frozen, options.
I agree -- I am far from organic but Amy's is good and still has a real food quality-- although If you spend a buck more you can go to Moes Salsaritas etc and get a real one -- Jenn
Despite my reservations about this category of food, I would like to hear more about the personal bravery exhibited during the testing process.
Everyone who has eaten a microwaved burrito containing cheese knows that they exhibit a peculiar property - cold on the outside, just below the temperature of the Sun on the inside!
I lilke gardenburger's black bean chipotle ww burrito. It doesn't compare to a fresh burrito but for what it is, it's pretty good. I don't think there's any cheese in it.
Microwave burritos are really for college students, and no college student is going to pony up the money for an organic one. Where's the subsequent review of five-for-a-dollar frozen burritos that seem to be made entirely from one gummy ingredient?
I always liked the cheap-o Patio frozen burritos. Little surprised they did not review it too.
I just tried the Trader Joe's Black Bean and Cheese Burrito in the refrigerator case, and it was actually pretty good. I will definitely buy to have on hand.
Try Las Campanas -- you get a bag of 10 for like $4.
I agree with chilicrema. I've just discovered TJ's black bean and cheese burrito and they've become my quickie lunch du jour (when I'm too glued to my computer screen to get up and go get a real burrito). I buy a couple every week. No, not perfect, but really not bad at all. Wish I had one now...
I miss the Old El Paso Bean and Cheese burritos. Those were the best! Out of these, I've only tried Amy's, and I like them, although I'm not crazy about them.