by Ethan Johnson
September 28, 2006

Note: Please refer to the ethmar.com Food and Drink Ethics Statement regarding food and drink reviews on this site.

When it comes right down to it, it's cheaper (and often more rewarding) to make your meals "from scratch", or with a few choice shortcuts, than it is to order the same thing in a restaurant or pre-packaged in the frozen foods aisle. But there is a certain siren call of the microwave that says "ehhh, let me handle this" that has many of us answering the Pavlovian ding of the "all done" buzzer. But as I am wont to say, if we can't break free of our vices, we can at least exercise some measure of control over them.

Which brings up today's selection: Kashi churns out all sorts of disgustingly healthy fare, most notably cereal. They have moved into the lucrative, $365 trillion (give or take a few trillion) microwave-ready foods market. Let's see how they're doing:

• Price: About $5 USD.
• Selection: They're hitting the scene with six fairly expensive offerings, one is "veggie".
• Processing: The box says "minimal processing", and claims to be "all natural". The ingredient list seems to corroborate this claim, however the list is pretty long compared to other "natural" offerings.

Off to the microwave!

Buzz: I suspect people will be drawn to Kashi [anything] like moths to flame. Or repelled by it, like moths to ice. Kashi is running a bunch of TV ads lately, FYI, which may drive interest.

Aroma: Smells like sweet and sour chicken, all right.

Cooking Ease: Mmm, the box said 2 minutes, then stir, but come on. The item was frozen stiff, fresh from the freezer. How about 5 minutes, stir, then about 2 more to ensure doneness.

Taste: Meh. You know how restaurants charge you a lot of money for food that you know you can make cheaper (and maybe even better) at home, so you spend the whole meal doing mental math about how much you're overpaying? Yeah, it was like that. Passable, albeit a bit gummy. Nothing I'd spend $5 for.

When it comes to this product, I would, and you may:

• Make this a staple item on your shopping list
• Pick a few of these up from time to time
• Buy one if you see it
• Buy one out of desperation if your preference is not available
• Picket/boycott the store until they agree to stop selling this item

Oh well, it was lunch. Once.

If you try this yourself, please let me know how your experience compared with mine. Thanks! <EM>