Schwan's Herb & Garlic Pork: A Product Review

With the busy lives we lead, we're always looking for delicious, table-ready, or nearly-table-ready foods. Personally, I don't even like making the trip to the grocery store; at this time of year, the aisles are crowded with campers from nearby beaches looking to stock up for their stay, and there are always lines at the checkout.

Schwan's is a company that delivers frozen foods to your door. The products are high quality in most cases and a little pricier than the supermarket, but I find it worth it to be able to shop on line or by catalogue, and have my order delivered to my home for a $1.00 delivery fee. The Schwan's man will stop by every two weeks with his freezer truck full of goodies. If you haven't placed an order ahead of time by phone at 1-888-SCHWANS or on line at schwans.com, you can order items on the spot, but the possibility exists that the driver may be sold out of an item you want that day.

Schwan's Herb & Garlic Pork Filets come frozen in a divided plastic packet. One side of the packet holds two pork filets, the other side holds the herb and garlic marinade made with garlic, onion, salt, sugar, and other spices. The instructions are to thaw the package overnight in the refrigerator, and then at least 30 minutes before cooking, gently press on the marinade packet to break the separating seal, allowing the marinade to flow over the meat. Turn the packet several times to assure even distribution of the marinade. Return meat to the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more to allow the meat to absorb the flavor.

The package then can be easily peeled open; discard the packet and the marinade and cook the meat. You can either cook the pork on a preheated, oiled grill for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or fry in a preheated pan with 2 teaspoons of oil on a stove top, turning several times for 12 to 15 minutes.

I chose to cook the pork on the grill. Although it was easy to prepare and smelled delicious, and the meat was tender enough, I found it to be way too salty. Even my husband, who usually puts salt on everything, complained about the saltiness. I would not choose to buy this item again.

The price was $9.99 and there were two fairly generous servings.

Nutritional content per serving (including the marinade); Calories 265 Fat 8.5 g Sodium 1070 mg Potassium 560 mg Fiber 2 g Sugars 2 g Protein 33 g Vitamin A 6% RDA Vitamin C 6% RDA Calcium 6% RDA Iron 20 % RDA

Much as I liked the convenience of this product, I would recommend finding less salty alternatives.