Chopped on Food Network: Arrogance of Chefs

I will take a break this week from rating food to discuss my opinion on a food show. For the past week or so, I have become more drawn into watching the Food Network catching up on such shows as Iron Chef and Chopped. For the most part, Chopped can be quite entertaining with the three rounds of elimination until the last chef is standing as all competition has been, well……………, chopped.  The magic of the show is attributed to witnessing these chefs from all diverse backgrounds trying their best to plate up a gourmet concoction that may include such likes as cotton candy, grouper, pretzels, and rhubarb. Yes, I made up these four ingredients, but the show does play that game. Regardless of  whether it is the first  round of elimination or the final round, just about every chef on the show is usually capable of pulling off these dishes in as little as a half hour before being judged by three accomplished chefs serving on a panel.  Aside from getting the taste to be palatable, the competitive chefs are responsible for creative plate presentation as well as taking time to explain their dish to the panel. All that said, the show has been for the most part entertaining.

The downside to this show during the last several weeks has been the “scripted” arrogance of the chefs that make it to the final round. It seems more than just a coincidence that in just about every episode, there is at least one arrogant chef you just love to hate. The trash talking seems over the top during the final stages as this scripted persona seems more at the urging of the food network. C’mon guys, just let the chefs be chefs and allow them to do their talking from the plate.  Just my two cents.

Review of Meijer Potato Chips

One of the end cap specials touted at Meijer is the bag of chips sold for a low price of two dollars a bag. I decided to run with the regular potato chips though the Meijer brand also carries sour cream and cheddar and a few other flavored varieties of chips. The low price of the 12 ounce bag of chips undercuts  competitive brands such as Vitners, Jays, Lays, Crunchers, and others by quite a bit. Comparable size bags of potato chips typically run from about $3.25 to $4.00 per bag. Upon first taste, the chips came across tasting pretty solid, though they possessed a definite greasiness that remains on the hands after popping a few in. This oily residue does not go over  well when having lunch at the work desk or while studying. Another peculiar trait of these chips was the brittleness of the chips. I think half of my uber cheap two dollar bag was broken into tiny bits which rendered many chips unusable unless I was considering a recipe that called for potato chips! The price is right, the flavor is good, but the messiness and weakness of the chip leave this item as a below average purchase. I will suck it up and cough up the extra buck to buck fifty for a more solid chip going forward.

Review of Zatarain’s Jambalaya Pasta

Just about every week, the local Meijer store has one frozen food brand or another that is on sale at a ridiculous price that usually too good to pass up. I’m talking micro meals discounted down to about two to two and a half dollars that usually catch my eye. I typically try to limit consumption of these meals to maybe once or twice a week given the incredibly high sodium and preservative counts. Still, I can’t but help grab a few of these items and test them out given the decent price. The latest endeavor for my lunch time dining was Zatarain’s  Jambalaya Pasta at the very low sale price of $2.00 per bowl. This item was marked down significantly from the regular price of three bucks.

The meal weighs in at ten and a half ounces and only tallies up at a measly 380 calories. I usually try to keep the lunch meal in the caloric range between 500 to 800 calories so I was quick to supplement this smaller portion size with a banana and a few small cookies to keep me going until dinner.

The microwavable meal is packaged in a small bowl with plastic film wrap that requires a slit in the top and a modest cook time of three minutes, a quick stir, and an additional minute to heat up. The meal sets for a minute or two, and then the eating begins.

The meal includes the ingredients of chicken, sausage, ziti pasta, peppers and onions. I have to say I like the Zatarain’s rice and bean side dishes with chicken and fish, and this convenient microwavable meal did not fail me. I thought the ziti had a fun spicy taste and the meal left me craving more. I regret not purchasing five meals for ten bucks! I recommend this one a solid buy, even at three dollars, though be prepared to accompany this meal with a healthy side dish as the meal alone will leave you hungry.

Review of Millville Cinnamon Crunch Squares Cereal

Our family goes through a lot of cereal every week. Cereal is one of the best options during the hectic school week as kids can serve themselves and eat fairly quickly before they are out the door. I enjoy a good bowl of cereal every once in a while but am pretty picky about my choices. Our family prefers several General Mills brands such as Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The cinnamon cereal is our children’s favorite, but can be quite expensive considering a box is over three dollars and it may last two days tops. I have been on the hunt to find a more inexpensive substitution of this cereal and stumbled across the ALDI brand known as Millville Cinnamon Crunch Squares.

Taste

The little cinnamon toasted squares look identical to the General Mills version. The first bite of this cereal had me convinced I was eating the name brand version.  This cereal is absolutely delicious. It was a big hit with the family and was consumed just as quickly as the competition. I found myself reaching in the bag to snack on long after I finished my bowl of cereal. Each square looks quite identical of the General Mills square and has that same tasty dose of cinnamon in each bite.

Nutrition

A serving size consisting of three quarter cup yields 130 calories. The addition of milk obviously places this breakfast in the higher calorie bracket primarily due to the ten grams of sugar.  The high carbohydrates and sugars tend to make this cereal a better option for one or two days a week at most.

The cereal ingredients start with whole grain wheat, sugar, rice flour, and other sweeteners, vitamins and minerals. As sweet as the Millville cereal is, it is still a better alternative to donuts or coffee cake as it is absent of those dangerous Trans fats.

Price

Aside from the great taste, the price of Millville Cinnamon Crunch Squares cannot be beat at the low price of two dollars. The savings of at least a dollar over the competition makes this choice of cereal a no brainer. It is nice to know I can get about three boxes of this ALDI cereal for the same price of two General Mills boxes

Overview

I have tried to substitute other name brand cereals with Millville that failed miserably in taste. The Millville cinnamon cereal really passes with flying colors as the taste and price cannot be beat. I would definitely rate this product a very strong buy.  

Review of Meijer Diet Root Beer

We all know that diet sodas are not the healthiest items to ingest into our bodies, yet many of us are guilty of consuming the beverages as it is a very easy way to curb sugar, thus calories. I have a small select group of diet sodas that I find quite “drinkable” and consider just as good as the full sugar alternative. My big three “go-to” sodas are Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Cherry Coke Zero. To broaden my drink selection, I set out to Meijer and picked up a twelve pack of the Meijer brand Diet Root Beer to see it would fit the bill and join the other diet sodas worthy of drinking.

Taste

Once the soda endured a good chill in my garage refrigerator, I pulled a can to go with the evening dinner. The first taste blew my expectations out of the water. Unlike most diet sodas, I did not experience any sharp or bitter aftertaste whatsoever. The taste was like a regular root beer with a distinct flavor and creamy finish. I was dumbstruck how this generic soda tasted so damn good.  The second night, I grabbed another soda to accompany my dinner, but decided to pour it into a glass filled with ice. The poured beverage appeared just like an A&W or Barq’s root beer as the dark caramel color was full of carbonation and maintained a decent head of foam.

Price

My initial purchase plan was to try out the Barqs on sale at $4.00 for twelve, but the Meijer option was only $2.88 at the regular price. I decided to go with the Meijer brand as I did not want to be out $4.00 just in case I found out that diet root beer tastes awful. My gamble paid off and I was glad I tried the generic alternative.

Nutrition

The nutrition of this produce is laughable. It is an empty calorie, empty fat product containing caramel color, aspartame a little sodium, and a few other ingredients. I don’t drink this by the gallons, so I am not too concerned about the adverse health effects.

Overall Opinion

This drink was a fantastic escape from the other zero calorie drink alternatives of unsweetened iced tea, water, and Diet Mountain Dew. I really caught a bargain with this regular price twelve back as I did not even break three dollars. For those that enjoy Diet root beer or even just regular root beer, I would recommend this one as a strong buy.