Work Lunch Critique: Stouffer’s Green Pepper Steak
Not sure about the "green" part.
The finest office palettes have formed a panel to make you a more informed work lunch consumer. Trust us, we know the price of lunch adds up. Who doesn’t want an $11 chopped salad every day? Sometimes that frozen lasagna you spot on sale during your Sunday grocery shopping will work perfectly for Wednesday’s lunch hour (or half hour…or 15 minutes).
But we’re asking you to shop and eat an informed sheep. Some of those frozen and freeze dried foods can be funky. We’re falling on the proverbial sword for you. You’re welcome.
Stouffer’s Green Pepper Steak
What is a pepper steak, you ask? If you are indeed asking, we’re guessing you only General Tso’s from the Chinese restaurant on the corner (nothing wrong with that). But it’s rather self explanatory: peppers, steak, rice, delicious sauce.
Stouffer’s saying “Nothing comes closer to home” must have been developed from a person raised in the wild. To claim that their product is the closest thing to a parent’s cooking is a tough sell.
Regardless, they don’t break the bank and can be prepared in under 10 minutes. At a price just under $5 (Manhattan), it may just be enough to take the plunge.
And we did. For this week’s taste test, we chose the “Green Pepper Steak.” Let’s see how it fared.
Von Kaiser
I take my pepper steak pretty seriously. Sadly, I can’t order C4 from Kum Kau in Brooklyn during my lunch (half)hour. Because I really do love pepper steak, I wanted to like this, but I was ready to hate it — especially seeing a sauce that resembled marinara.
But I actually enjoyed it. It actually tasted like beef and it wasn’t EXTREMELY salty, as frozen foods generally can be. Where the pepper steak came up short was quantity and preparation. I don’t want to take 1/3 of a lunch half hour to eat a semi-portion (I think the average female would be full from this, though). At Kum Kau, I’m getting a full entree with egg roll and fried rice for $7.
I guess the only play is to convince Kum Kau to start putting out frozen dishes. But until then, I’d eat this again.
Reply All
There are times after work where I just don’t feel like cooking and want something quick and easy. I turn to Stouffer’s French Bread Pizzas. As a result, I already had set my expectations, “It gets the job done.”
Did the “Green” Pepper Steak surprise me? Not really. I was pleased to learn that the steak actually did taste a bit like steak and not a rubbery mess as one would expect. The portion size was decent at best and may leave the average person hungry for more.
Overall, it was ok, tasted natural, and didn’t send me running to the bathroom. You won’t make anyone jealous at the office but you’ll save some cash by bringing your lunch.
If that’s your style, I would consider adding the steak to your weekly repertoire.
McFly
Once I threw out the idealistic view that the dish might come out of the microwave looking like the appetizing cover of the box, I was happier (read: less disappointed).
The Stouffer’s pepper steak entree is essentially an enhanced Lean Cuisine meal. It has a bland yet fair taste. The cook time is a bit steeper than I’d hope, and I’m not a fan of mid-nuke stirring requirements. While not a terrible meal in itself, I file this one under “not quite worth it.”
Patrick Willard
I went into this test with very high expectations, I mean we are going to be eating the king of kings in the frozen food section: Stouffer’s.
It had been a busy morning and I was ready for a meal just like my mom use to cook in the microwave. However, I did not except the ridiculous 8-minute cook time and multiple steps. The Chinese place down the street cooks pepper steak in 2 minutes and that comes with a fortune cookie. Where’s the cookie, Stouffer’s?
Nevertheless, the Stouffer’s delivered on taste. It wasn’t high end Chinese, but it was good for a frozen dinner. Also, this meal was a lot less poopy than the Nissin Chow Mein lunch, so that was an obvious plus. If you can find this on sale and you have more than one microwave, this is a solid choice for all the sheep out there.
The Grade
Grading is on a 1 to 5 scale, with a 5 being the highest possible score.
| Taste | Value | Smell | Fulfillment | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Von Kaiser | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Reply All | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| McFly | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Patrick Willard | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Overall | 3.75 | 2.5 | 3.25 | 2.75 | 3.25 |
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I almost bought the Stouffer’s stuffed peppers frozen lunch until I noticed the 13-15 minute cook time! Completely unacceptable. Frozen meals should never hit double digits.