Frozen *gulp* Foods you regularly eat

Are there any frozen foods/meals my fellow LTH'ers would heartily recommend?

The thought came to me as I warmed up my personal favorite: delicious Amy's Cheese Enchilada Typically I eat most meals out - live by myself and work at home - but sometimes I like to eat in without using three different pots (as is my pattern).

I'm now a devotee of Trader Joe's fabulous thaw-overnight-&-bake chocolate croissants, thanks to a couple of enthusiastic fans here. Best frozen pastries ever - plus they give the illusion to your guests that you did them yourself. Heh. On Easterr morning, my Customary Dining Companion actiually fished the box out of the trash to preuse the instructions, as if I was holding something back about the ease of prep and brevity of cooking. I also have a box of their mini-croisssants in the freezer, ready to bust out the next time I have an elaborate breakfast to make in a hurry.

Stouffer's frozen spinach souffle is also not only good as a side, but a tremendous addition to a veg lasagna. Par-cook in the microwave, cool, and shamelessly layer with the noodles, ricotta, shredded mozzarella and provolone, and sauce. So good. There is a reason that Stouffer has been making this product for decades.

I don't buy very much frozen food, so what I do buy has got to be as good as what I make from scratch, if not better, and without the need to tart them up. These products pass that stress test.

for stir fry nights -

Quick side dish in the oven - Trader Joe's coconut curry chicken sticks or lime chicken sticks ( I think lime is a flavor.) Crunchy stupid little egg roll type things. Decent flavor.

I'm also a fan of their cilantro chicken mini wontons for pan frying on stir fry nights as well.

Laxmi brand frozen Indian entrees are pretty edible.

Frozen pork dumplings from Katy's, which I always try to keep on hand. I think I paid $13 last time for a bag of 50. Whip up a quick dipping sauce and you're there.

And scrapple brought back from visits to the East Coast (and occasionally mail order).

I've always considered trying Paulina Market's frozen entrees, but never tried them.

I like the Trader Joes Nasi Goreng - its fast to heat up, I often throw in a handful of whatever extra veg & eat it with cold chicken.

TJ's makes decent chicken potstickers which are useful to keep in the freezer & make in a pinch (I often use them in the winter to make wonton-ish soup with whatever veg, chicken broth, & roast duck that I have etc.)

TJ's also makes what I think they call a veg burger - its an Indian aloo sabzi tikki (potato & veg patty). Rather than fry up samosas I like these with tomato ketchup & a cup of tea (it makes a perfectly authentic Indian tea time snack ;D)

I also like a few of the Lean Cuisines (yeah, so sue me) - there's a nice butternut squash ravioli one with snap pea & walnut sauce. Since I don't generally cook beef at home I like the beef stew & beef portabello ones every now & again. And yes, the Stouffers spinach souffle is a must have.

Not exactly a frozen meal, but I buy the spinach & cheese pies from Sanabel Bakery & freeze them myself - they defrost quickly in the microwave if I'm in a rush before sticking them in a medium oven for 10 mins.

I wouldn't know...my freezer is too full of gladware containers (thank you Small Household Food Exchange participants) to allow for any other frozen food...

sundevilpeg wrote:Stouffer's frozen spinach souffle is also not only good as a side, but a tremendous addition to a veg lasagna. Par-cook in the microwave, cool, and shamelessly layer with the noodles, ricotta, shredded mozzarella and provolone, and sauce. So good. There is a reason that Stouffer has been making this product for decades.

Twenty plus years ago, the Chicago Tribune food section had a feature on using prepared foods for recipes. It was a semi-homemade type discussion without any guile. They suggested defrosting two Stouffer spinach souffles, then folding in mozzarella. This mixture was spooned into a pizza dough lined deep dish pan. Maybe they spread some tomato sauce on top, don't really remember. Final product was a spinach deep dish pizza.

I made it several times and thought it came out great. My family prefers thin crust, so this quickly left the repetoire.

Regards,

I am a fan of any frozen vegetable brand that is either plain or lightly seasoned on sale that week. I like the following frozen foods from TJ's; samosas, spinach pie, vegetable lasagna, chocolate croissants, chocolate bananas, organic brown rice, edamame cooked in shell lightly salted, spinach dip, macaroni and cheese, organic brown rice, beef and ravioli in beef broth (surprisingly good and lo-cal), my friend swears by the orange chicken, but it's not my thing, so I've never tried it. I like the frozen chicken potstickers at Costco, and I always have a few packages of frozen ravioli from Conte Di Savoia in the freezer.

Conte Di Savoia
1438 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60607-4623

The frozen spinach tortellini available at Caputo's is decent. I make and jar my own marinara so for a quick weeknight meal I bust out a jar or 2 of marinara, fry up 1 ½ lbs. of locally made Italian sausage (Caputo’s is good but lately I’m really liking Serrelli’s on North Ave. in Oak Park), and boil up 2 lbs. of spinach tortellini. Toss a quick salad and I’ve got something that I can get on the table in under 30 min. and the whole family will enjoy. Usually there’s even a little leftover for my lunch the next day.

Ronnie,

Is Katy's a place, or a brand? I'm always on the market for a good frozen dumpling but most of what I've tried from the local Asian markets are pretty rough. Any suggestions?

[Given the unanimity of the responses above, Is it that responders to this thread tend to shop at TJ's? or is it that TJ's frozen goods are gooder than other folks' frozen goods? ]

Geo

I'm not brand-specific (except in the one case where there aren't any other options) but almost all of our quick emergency frozen meals are Asian: soup dumplings, potstickers, sio bao, and I also buy the tofu pockets for inarizushi or yu bu cho bap and then freeze them, so I suppose that counts.

When they have them, I like the Aldi brand whole grain waffles, and the bacon-wrapped turkey tenderloins, but I don't really use them that often. We regularly buy Aldi brand frozen Italian sausage, and sometimes the fresh-style frozen bratwurst. I would bet that these particular products are also available at Trader Joe's.

Geo wrote:Ronnie,

Is Katy's a place, or a brand? I'm always on the market for a good frozen dumpling but most of what I've tried from the local Asian markets are pretty rough. Any suggestions?

[Given the unanimity of the responses above, Is it that responders to this thread tend to shop at TJ's? or is it that TJ's frozen goods are gooder than other folks' frozen goods? ]

Geo

Pretty sure Ronnie is referring to GNR Katy's Dumpling House

Geo wrote:Ronnie,

Is Katy's a place, or a brand? I'm always on the market for a good frozen dumpling but most of what I've tried from the local Asian markets are pretty rough. Any suggestions?

[Given the unanimity of the responses above, Is it that responders to this thread tend to shop at TJ's? or is it that TJ's frozen goods are gooder than other folks' frozen goods? ]

Geo

Hi,

Katy's Dumpling is a restaurant featuring handmade dumplings (some machine made, too) and noodles.

The next time you come to town, I can take you there.

Regards,

Geo wrote:
[Given the unanimity of the responses above, Is it that responders to this thread tend to shop at TJ's? or is it that TJ's frozen goods are gooder than other folks' frozen goods? ]

Geo

IMO - there are PLENTY of disgusting frozen prepared foods at TJ's. I don't expect much when trying a new one out. The things that I like, I'l vouch for, but you're on your own with the rest of their stuff.

I once tried their chicken vindaloo, butter chicken, and massamun thai curry - all frozen, all inedible. Just plain garbage. Well, I DID actually eat the butter chicken. Still it was pretty bad, and the other two were completely inedible.

[Given the unanimity of the responses above, Is it that responders to this thread tend to shop at TJ's? or is it that TJ's frozen goods are gooder than other folks' frozen goods? ]

Geo

Its strange - when TJ's is good, its very good; when its bad its absolutely awful. Their frozen thai & indian bowls are a case in point. Plus I just shop there a lot.

Other good frozen things at TJs that I like to keep on hand are the naan, edamame (both shelled & in the pod) & the sliced crumbed eggplant.

Tnx C2! Next time I'm in Chicagoland I'll take you up on that! Ohhh, hand-pulled noodles, too! Yesssss!

One reason I'm interested in what is being said about TJ's is that there's one of their stores about 5 mins from my MIL's. It might be nice to have her try some of the TJ frozen goods.

Geo

Oh, I forgot to ask Ronnie another question. You mention that you get *frozen* scrapple from Back East. My brother lives in Winchester VA, and whenever I visit him I buy a bunch of Rapa Scrapple, which I truly love. But early on I tried to freeze it and it came apart into bits, like frozen cheddar or tofu. Am I doing it wrong? What do you know that I don't?! Tell me, tell me!

Geo

seebee wrote:I once tried their chicken vindaloo, butter chicken, and massamun thai curry - all frozen, all inedible. Just plain garbage. Well, I DID actually eat the butter chicken. Still it was pretty bad, and the other two were completely inedible.

Ugh...I have the vindaloo and the butter chicken sitting in our freezer right now. I thought I'd give them a try for quick, relatively-not-so-bad-for-you (I was going to say "healthy", but they are sodium-laden frozen meals after all) lunches to bring to work. I'll probably still eat them, but at least now I know not to expect much

I didn't mind the chicken tikka masala and paneer tikka masala frozen meals too much...I'd buy them again, in fact. Only I would hope that the paneer one included more paneer cubes the second time around (the one I had two days ago was pretty skimpy on the paneer).

As for frozen goods, we're pretty heavy on the TJ's stuff too. The same chicken "sticks" that seebee mentioned (I believe lemongrass is the flavor you were trying to remember), the same potstickers & potato veg patties that Athena mentioned (it's funny, we use the veg patties as aloo tikki substitutes too, often by dumping leftover channa masala over them, then topping with diced onion & green chutney...tasty snack).

We also usually keep bags of TJ's frozen berries on hand for smoothies & dessert sauces, and sometimes keep a bag or two of their IQF stirfry veggies in the freezer as a quick way to add fairly-bright-and-not-too-mushy veggies to dishes (improv stirfries & sabjis, mostly) in a pinch.

We like Costco's family-size bags of organic frozen green beans, corn and peas once in a while. A recent recipe I've found for the green peas includes a wonderful rendition of Pea-Lafels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ9130BVqSA

Geo wrote:Oh, I forgot to ask Ronnie another question. You mention that you get *frozen* scrapple from Back East. My brother lives in Winchester VA, and whenever I visit him I buy a bunch of Rapa Scrapple, which I truly love. But early on I tried to freeze it and it came apart into bits, like frozen cheddar or tofu. Am I doing it wrong? What do you know that I don't?! Tell me, tell me!

Geo

Hi Geo,

I'm crazy about RAPA brand scrapple as well, and have gotten it from them via mail order several times. Most recently, I brought back 4 lbs. of frozen scrapple from Norfolk in my briefcase. Regardless of where or how it is obtained, in order to avoid spoilage I freeze the majority, and thaw one out as the cravings strike. I've never had any issues with it crumbling or falling apart. A moderately hot heavy bottomed pan is essential.

I like to make eggplant parmesan with TJ's eggplant frozen cutlets. It is already breaded and skips my breading, frying step, which is laborious considering I am the only one in my house who eats it.

Evil Ronnie wrote:Frozen pork dumplings from Katy's, which I always try to keep on hand. I think I paid $13 last time for a bag of 50.

uhh....how did i miss this? This newfound knowledge just increased my overall life happiness substantially. LOVE me some Katys. Thanks for the heads up. I'm gonna buy like $50 worth the next time i go in there...i can house dumplings.

Personally, I go to TJ's pretty much just to get frozen stuff. I go about once a month and pick up a few entrees to fill in the blanks, so running low on supplies doesn't mean we have to order in a pizza. I like their frozen bowl meals, generally. Right now there's a bag of mushroom risotto sitting in the freezer that I haven't tried yet - hope it's edible!

Recently I discovered that my husband and I share a guilty love of Marie Callendar pot pies, so we've been eating those on Friday nights while watching movies. They taste exactly as they did twenty-five years ago.....

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:Right now there's a bag of mushroom risotto sitting in the freezer that I haven't tried yet - hope it's edible!

I've tried it - it's not bad. I'm sure you'll want to doctor it up with some various herbs & spices, but it's totally passable.

Dominick's and Jewel have some decent frozen fish filets - you can go directly from the freezer to the oven, and they come out pretty nicely. I also like several of the California Pizza Company frozen pizzas - the thin cracker crust ones. There is another pricier pizza that I've gotten there and at Whole Foods - Flatbread Pizza? which is also very tasty, though also expensive.

Whole Foods occasionally has a frozen seafood soup that is really, really good. Sadly, I can't find the name of it anywhere online - its a tomato-base soup with mussels, shrimp, scallops, etc. I'll keep looking. It seems to be a seasonal thing almost, as its available in the fall and winter until they sell out of it. Whenever I see it I buy 2 or 3 packages.

I also stop by Mike's Meat Market in Villa Park and pick up frozen pot pies there - they're about the same price as the marie callendar ones, but they're better.

Kid Charlemagne wrote:Dominick's and Jewel have some decent frozen fish filets - you can go directly from the freezer to the oven, and they come out pretty nicely. I also like several of the California Pizza Company frozen pizzas - the thin cracker crust ones. There is another pricier pizza that I've gotten there and at Whole Foods - Flatbread Pizza? which is also very tasty, though also expensive.

Whole Foods occasionally has a frozen seafood soup that is really, really good. Sadly, I can't find the name of it anywhere online - its a tomato-base soup with mussels, shrimp, scallops, etc. I'll keep looking. It seems to be a seasonal thing almost, as its available in the fall and winter until they sell out of it. Whenever I see it I buy 2 or 3 packages.

I also stop by Mike's Meat Market in Villa Park and pick up frozen pot pies there - they're about the same price as the marie callendar ones, but they're better.

Where did Mike's get off to? I remember when they were on Park Ave. but it seems they moved.
They used to have good meat at decent prices - still the case?

They are in the mini mall at the corner of Villa Avenue and St. Charles. The meats are pretty good, I like to stop there on the way home from the train and pick up meats, deli items, etc. in addition to the occasional frozen beef pot pie or shepard's pie. I've got a package of frozen elk stew sitting in my freezer waiting for me to decide to give it a shot. In fact they have quite a selection of frozen elk and bison meats; they might have ostrich and such too, but I can't recall off the top of my head.

Costco panko breaded shrimp. 15 minutes of crisping in the oven for quick weekday dinner.

If I have more time, the sauerbraten or beef wellington 'pot pie' from Paulina Meat Market.

Frozen things I try to always keep stocked in kitchen freezer: Trident fish sticks from Costco, 5-lb bag of Texas Bay wild American shrimp, 10-lb box of Sunset burgers (unless I've still got a batch of homemade frozen burgers), Ore-Ida golden crinkles (someone here loves them ), mixed berries, pot stickers, and bags of corn, peas, and peas & carrots (always watching for opportunities to sneak some veg and fiber in on the locals). Oh, and of course, pizza.

Garage freezer is stocked with containers of homemade sauces and stews, breads, stocks, frying oil, whole wheat flour and corn meal, and meats.

Im not a big fan of frozen storebought, processed foods. Occasionally Ill have a frozen pizza, or pizza puffs when my cooking motivation is low.

Frozen seafood:, typically there are some bags of frozen shrimp, or scallops, and perhaps a box of snow crab legs.

Typically there are some frozen veggies(brussel sprouts & okra ).

My basement freezer(aka the pork locker) is stocked with cryo packs of bone pork butts, bb ribs, bacon, a couple bone in hams, Peoria Meatpacking hot links, chicken thighs, chix breasts, you know, staples.