Microwave Product Review: Banquet BBQ Pork Cutlet Dinner

Banquet frozen dinners were the first dinners I ate as a teenager in the 1980's. Microwave cooking became popular and frozen entrees popped up everywhere. My favorite dinners were the Salisbury steak and meatloaf meals. You could purchase them for under a dollar back then. The quality of the food changed drastically over the years. The dinners no longer tastes artificial and rubbery. I don't normally eat BBQ but the Banquet BBQ Pork Cutlet dinner looked appetizing on the front of the package. I like trying different flavors every now and then.

Cost

The nice thing about Banquet dinners is the price. You can't buy them for 99 cents anymore but they are still budget friendly. The average Banquet dinner costs $1.40-$1.60 . This isn't a bad deal since a typical frozen meal costs between $3 and $4. I caught Banquet BBQ Pork Cutlet meal on sale at our local grocery 5 for $5.Even at normal price, you can still stock up on them.

Quality , Taste, Preparation

The Banquet BBQ Pork Cutlet dinner consists of a meat patty, BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes, and corn. It involves little preparation. Cut a slit in the plastic film and microwave for 5-7 minutes. The food resembles the front of the package. The meat patty is tender if not cooked too long. A generous amount of BBQ sauce covers the meat. It has a tangy BBQ flavor and not pasty. The corn is the best part of the meal. It taste sweet and not at all like frozen food. The potatoes could use some improvement. You may need to add seasoning to the potatoes. I am not crazy about frozen mashed potatoes and usually dip them in the BBQ sauce.

Nutrition Analysis

Convenience food isn't the healthiest in the world so you wouldn't want to eat them everyday. One dinner pushes or exceeds the limit of daily requirements for carbohydrates, fat, and sodium. One package of Banquet BBQ Pork Cutlet dinner has 370 calories. This isn't bad for a frozen meal but ,however, 150 calories come from fat. Total fat count is 17 grams at 26 % PDV. It has 710 grams of sodium and 47 grams of carbohydrates at 47%DV. Those on a restrictive sodium diets will want to avoid this product. Other nutrients include 10 g of sugar, and 6 grams of dietary fiber. On the plus side, you get 15 grams of protein, 10%of PDV for Vitamin A, 10 % PDV for iron.

Green beans, green peas, or a salad make a nice addition as a green vegetable. On a scale of one to ten, I give Banquet BBQ Pork Cutlet dinner an eight It is a recommended product