Comments on: Kings of convenience

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 00:00:16 +0000

I haven’t seen the convenience food sites Meg mentioned, but I’ve seen sites that will tell you which convenience foods are more economical than making the same thing from scratch.

I’m a big believer in convenience ingredients — shredded cheese, shredded carrots, bagged stir-fry vegetables, etc.

By: Meg

Meg — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:22:58 +0000

there are definitely some convenience-food-rating-websites out there in internetland, but i’ve only found one that i like - HeatEatReview.com They’re entire focus is on frozen meals, and its entertaining and their taste is pretty discriminating. Unfortunately for those of us trying to lose/watch our weight who work in corporate offices, those meals are sometimes the best option.

the other convenience foods sites i’ve encountered tend to be written by people whose tastes don’t match up with mine…

By: Jason Truesdell

Jason Truesdell — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 21:49:22 +0000

I suspect that depends on the ethnic bias of the shop in question… In our neighborhood place, an order for a cheesesteak “with provolone and onions?” was the response, and didn’t come across as a question… it was clearly meant as a firm suggestion.

By: mamster

mamster — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 18:00:55 +0000

My understanding, although I’ve never been to Philadelphia, is that every place offers provolone (and probably other cheese like American) and won’t look at you sideways if you order it, but Whiz has the most street cred.

By: Jason Truesdell

Jason Truesdell — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:46:03 +0000

I like ranchero or oaxaca cheese for melty applications when doing Mexican food… usually pretty cheap, and though I imagine the quality isn’t all that, it works for me. I always think putting Irish cheese (like cheddar) on Mexican food is just a little weird, but I never find jack jarring.

When I was still eating meat and living in the suburbs of Philadelphia, provolone was the standard cheese at our neighborhood Philly-style Italian joint when they served cheesesteaks. I didn’t know Cheez-whiz was part of the equation until I moved back to the west coast and heard this from others.

By: Lore

Lore — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 23:07:07 +0000

Speaking of monterrey jack, I’d always figured that the marbled colby/jack was some weird novelty act of a cheese until I bought some to mix into grits. It’s delicious: The perfect mix of melty and tangy and mellow. Cuz that’s what I want when I want some cheesy grits.

By: mamster

mamster — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 17:32:07 +0000

That’s interesting, Wendy. I’ve been buying Kroger jack and it didn’t seem any worse than Tillamook. I’ll compare.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 16:58:39 +0000

I am totally going to refer to things I don’t like as “cheapjack sandwich” from now on.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 16:33:51 +0000

Hey, that was me. Obviously.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 16:33:15 +0000

Jack is our House Cheese. Nicole grew up eating whatever cheese was cheap (and MILD cheddar), but as soon as we had money, I started buying Tillamook. She didn’t understand why I would pay more money for a different cheese (since we almost always buy the cheapest of anything), but said “whatever”. Tillamook jack suddenly shot to $8/baby loaf at the discount grocery where we shop, and I reluctantly bought cheaper jack. When Nicole had her first cheapjack sandwich, I asked innocently how the cheese was. “Not very good,” she grumbled. Happily, the price has gone back to $6/baby loaf.

We ate some marvelous jack cheese in British Columbia—I think the brand was Island Farms—with herbs in it. Look for it the next time you’re there. We bought it in Tofino because they only sell hippie food there, but then sought out another brick in Victoria.