Cardboard Chips (Original Microwave Fries To Go)

Member Name: rolletrog

Product:	Original Microwave Fries To Go
Date:	26/02/09 (299 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very quick, fills a hole, alright with ketchup

Disadvantages: 2 mins is a long time to wait for a fairly tasteless snack

~~*~~*~~ Fries To Go ~~*~~*~~

When I'm hungover, it's not a pretty sight. The universal cure for the aches and pains suffered after a night on the tiles is either salt and vinegar chipsticks and coke or a McDonalds. We had none of the former in the cupboards and apparently a 12 mile round trip is too far to go for a miracle cure when I'm obviously in pain and quite possibly dying (HimIndoors doesn't get hangovers and consequently doesn't understand my trauma). Instead he suggested I have a packet of Fries to Go - in no way was this a kind gesture of love and understanding - he's blatantly a lazy git.

~~ What are they? ~~

They're frozen bits of cardboard or 'chips' that are conveniently packaged in a red carton (looks like the Maccy D's chip container) with yellow and blue writing on it. Separating each chip is cardboard or 'crisping compartment' as described on the informative packet, so that you can cook it in the microwave without having to separate each chip yourself. They look like French fries seeing as how they're quite thin - each one is virtually the same size and dimensions so at least you know what you're getting.

~~ Cooking (in the loosest sense of the word) ~~

Remove the packet from the freezer - this is possibly the hardest part in the culinary proceedings as you'll likely have to fight to get your over-frozen drawer open, then you'll realise their location is in a different but equally frozen drawer. Take off the plastic see through wrapping and place upright in your lovely microwave. If you don't have a microwave you shouldn't have bought them. They take between 3 and a quarter minutes and 2 mins 4 secs if you have the 'powerwave' machine that we do (btw, HimIndoors disturbingly knew the exact time to heat them for but then he was a bachelor for a very long time before I met him (perhaps this should have been an omen)). Then you're required to leave them to stand for 1 minute after which you're allowed to shake them out and season them according to your discerning palate.

~~ Price ~~

Tesco, as ever, had them on offer - for one whole shiny pound you get three of these delightful boxes. Just think what I could have bought with that hard earned cash. Actually, not a lot, so in retrospect they're a bargain had they not been tasteless bits of boredom. HimIndoors could have gone to the chippy and got a battered sausage with some real chips and gravy for £1.80 but that would have been the ultimate act of love and quite possibly would have led to marriage.

~~ Ingredients and Nutritional Information ~~

Well, this section should be short. Fries to Go do contain potatoes so don't eat them if you're allergic to the papa (that's Peruvian for potato). There's nearly 300 calories in each box and 13 grams of fat but then again you've probably not purchased them thinking they were a healthy alternative to salad - if you eat them frozen they are slightly healthier but that's just weird. There's also the added extras of veg oil, emulsifier, salt and dextrose but that may explain the use by date being over a year away.

~~ Fries for You? ~~

They're alright - they're not a patch on McDs or Burger Kings but they're on a par with KFC (which are only good if you get the gravy with them). They're fairly solid but as they rightly say, they are crispy. The taste is bland but add a load of salt and ketchup and they're palatable. One pack was enough even if they did look slightly pathetic on the plate. They look the right colour for chips but I should have made the effort and cooked McCain's Homefries in the oven (however, I was convinced that death was around the corner and I couldn't possibly have stood to operate the oven or even lasted 40 minutes for the real chips for fear that I may have wasted away in my ravenous state). As a hangover cure, they appeared to work although it may have been that I fell asleep for 4 hours after.

~~ More interestiness to whet your appetite ~~

In the UK there are around 15 varieties of potato to choose from, if you nip to South America, there are more than 100 but worldwide there are over 4000 - ooh, the possibilities are endless.
China is the highest consumer of potatoes.
Potatoes were first brought to Europe in 1570 - I bet the poor men who slaved away to bring us them are particularly proud of what we've done to them now.
Don't eat potatoes raw - they've got a lovely toxic component to them.
8 out of 10 households have frozen chips lurking around.
National Chip Week is the 9th to the 15th February - book it in your diary for next year's celebration.
I could go on but I've managed to bore myself.

If this has intrigued you and you'd like to try them, why not pop to your local supermarket and purchase some. Or, if the credit crunch has somewhat depleted your weekly shopping budget, then try writing them a begging letter or ringing them and pleading for a free sample - you never know your luck.

Fries-To-Go
Freepost
Havers Hill
Eastfield
Scarborough
YO11 3BR
0800 55577722

Caroline & Doughnut Feb 09.

Both longing for Chippy Friday to arrive.

Review will appear elsewhere, probably.

Summary: They're alright.