Testers Do Chinese
Takeout Chinese food has long been an American tradition - the white cartons, the plastic pouches of soy sauce, the stale fortune cookies bearing such inscrutable tidings as “You will be happy when you are no longer sad.”
But what about the stuff at the supermarket? The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel recently tested three typical Oriental offerings - frozen egg rolls, ramen noodle soups and frozen chicken/rice/ vegetable dinners.
There were clear winners in each category. Pagoda Cafe was the best of the egg rolls (also the priciest and the lowest in fat), possibly in part because they were the only full-size rolls sampled, meaning more filling per square inch of crust.
There was little to choose between the mini-rolls from Chun King and Yu Sing, although Yu Sing was cheaper and contained less salt - a factor that became increasingly important as the evening progressed.
Nissin’s Top Ramen was the winner among the noodle soups over Maruchan and a low-fat, but not lowsodium, product from Campbell’s (which we could only find in a cup, although one panelist assured us a superior version comes in a regular ramen package without the additional veggies).
By the time they reached the chicken dinners, panel members had reached serious sodium overload. Salt was virtually the only flavor they could detect in Budget Gourmet, while Healthy Choice was so bland it actually could have used some.
But the evening ended on a high note with Rice Gourmet’s chicken rice bowls, which actually looked and tasted like something you might get in a Chinese restaurant (and had the lowest fat content to boot).
Their spirits lifted almost as high as their blood pressures, panel members took turns reading from their fortune cookies, which was particularly entertaining when we took panelist Ken Peters’ advice and prefaced each fortune with, “In bed …”
And an hour later, no one was hungry again.
Pagoda Cafe Egg Rolls, Vegetable
Price: $2.19 for 9 ounces (3 rolls).
Nutrition: 130 calories (21 percent fat calories); 380 milligrams sodium per roll.
Taste: ****
Value: ***
Comments: “More like a real egg roll. Crunchy vegetables inside. Good!” - Susi Faville
“Excellent flavor; I’ll have another, please.” - Ken Peters
Yu Sing Egg Roll Snacks, Sweet & Sour Pork
Price: 99 cents for 5.5 ounces (10-12 pieces).
Nutrition: 330 calories (25 percent fat calories); 250 milligrams sodium per box.
Taste: **
Value: ***
Comments: “Cute little pockets, but not very tasty. I could not discern what flavor they were supposed to be. Not nearly as puffy as they appear on the picture on the box (surprise!).” - Helen Span
“Mushy, ‘mystery’ filling. Bland and greasy and soggy. Value is not good, no matter how cheap, if you don’t eat them.” - Sandy Davidson
Chun King Mini Egg Rolls, Shrimp
Price: $1.34 for 7.25 ounces (12 pieces).
Nutrition: 370 calories (27 percent fat calories); 700 milligrams sodium per box.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “Nice chunks of veggies but much too fishy taste. Sushi in a crust.” - Jan Robison.
“Too chewy, fishy smell, old fish taste. Yuck!!!” - Char Kessler
Nissin Top Ramen Noodle Soup, Oriental Flavor
Price: 20 cents for 3 ounces (2 servings).
Nutrition: 200 calories (36 percent fat calories); 900 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: ***
Value: ****
Comments: “Would sure fill you up quick! Pretty tasty. Doesn’t taste too salty but probably is high in sodium.” - Sandi Kessler
“Salty, greasy - good meal for teenagers, college kids on a budget.” - Jim Eggers
Maruchan Ramen Oriental Noodle Soup
Price: 15 cents for 3 ounces (2 servings).
Nutrition: 190 calories (38 percent fat calories); 900 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: **
Value: ***
Comments: “Much too salty! More noodles than soup. Slight ginger flavor; noodles have nice texture.” - Susi Faville
“If you like ginger this will work for you, but watch out for the salt.” - Ken Peters
Campbell’s Ramen Noodle Soup, Oriental Flavor
Price: 50 cents for 2.19 ounces (1 serving).
Nutrition: 220 calories (6 percent fat calories); 1,360 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “Broth fair. Noodles baaad! Paying for the cup.” - Bob Bates
“Flavor just OK. Noodles very nice looking. Color is just great with all the vegetables. Very, very nice presentation.” - Larry Kelly
Rice Gourmet Chicken Rice Bowls
Price: $7.99 for 44 ounces (4 servings).
Nutrition: 250 calories (9 percent fat calories); 780 milligrams sodium per cup.
Taste: ****
Value: ****
Comments: “Larger chunks of veggies and chicken. Rice is more authentic. Good teriyaki flavor, good color.” - Sandy Davidson
“Not bad at all. Texture of everything is certainly good enough. BUT no water chestnuts.” - Helen Span
The Budget Gourmet Chinese Style Vegetables & Chicken
Price: $1.39 for 9 ounces (1 serving).
Nutrition: 260 calories (21 percent fat calories); 750 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: ***
Value: ***
Comments: “There are a few indistinguishable things in here! The flavors do sort of blend OK. Pretty good.” - Sandi Kessler.
“Could make better, and more of it, for less money at home.” - Bob Bates
Healthy Choice Chicken Imperial
Price: $1.67 for 9 ounces (1 serving).
Nutrition: 230 calories (16 percent fat calories); 470 milligrams sodium per serving.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “Looks better than it tastes. Artificial sauce and mushy rice, but the chicken is actually tender.” - Jan Robison
“Nothing to write home about - bland flavor, tough chicken.” - Jim Eggers , DataTimes MEMO: Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are prepared in a test kitchen according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.