"Whatever denied it, supplied it" - a fart in a packet (Rustlers Hot Subs Tangy Meatballs)

Member Name: yackers1

Product:	Rustlers Hot Subs Tangy Meatballs
Date:	30/10/09 (179 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Er....hmmm...hmmm.....non e

Disadvantages: Smells putrid, tastes awful, looks bad, nutritionally bad .......... to name a few

Further to my experience with the BBQ rib sub, which was actually quite enjoyable, I thought I would try another one of the huge Rustlers finger food microwave range. Being a great fan of meatballs, and particularly the subway variety I thought the meatball sub would be the ideal one to try. Being a cheap and cheerful version, I knew there was no way this would be as good as the subway version but I didn't think the Rustlers version would turn out the way it did.

****Cooking****

Like the whole Rustlers range cooking times vary depending upon the power of your microwave. It can take as little as 70 seconds for a 1000W model and 90 seconds for a 750W model. Regardless of what you have it isn't a long time to wait. I would always cook any Rustlers product for 90 seconds minimum, even with my 1000W microwave, as I want to ensure that the product is piping hot all the way through. One thing I can say is that this product comes out of the microwave steaming hot after 90 seconds and there are no concerns about it being cold in the middle. Like the other subs in the Rustlers range, this one comes with a silver sleeve, which is a heat conductor, to aid the cooking process. This sleeve, according to Rustlers, is meant to make the roll taste "freshly baked". Unfortunately, it fails in this task, but at least it ensures the sub is cooked properly.

****Texture****

I find the sleeve makes the roll sweat and consequently, it comes out of the microwave soggy and wet. It does dry out a bit if you leave it to stand after the cooking process but it won't dry out fully prior to eating, unless you let the sub go cold which is not a nice thought.

****Smell****

During the cooking process the meatballs give off a very pungent smell, which is very overpowering. This is not a nice smell. Think of a smelly fart, you know the ones that not only affect your nose but also the back of your throat, and that is what these meatballs are like. I apologise for being crude, but I really can't think of anything else to liken it to. I should point out that the smell doesn't confine itself to the microwave either and it soon fills up the room once the microwave is started. And, if you think the smell is bad whilst cooking just wait until you open the door of the microwave. It is here that the smell just hits you, like a force 10 gale, and it is not nice. The smell almost put me off eating the sub, I say almost because there was no way I was going to get this far and not at least have a mouthful.

****Taste****

Rustlers claim this sub contains "hot, tasty and tangy meatballs in a tomato and herb sauce". The tangy and tasty part is way off the mark and the hot comment is only applicable because the sub comes out of the microwave steaming after the allotted cooking time. These meatballs have a strange taste and it is not pleasant, once again I can only liken it to a fart. Luckily, the tomato and herb sauce is quite pleasant so it takes the edge off the meatballs and makes them almost, but not quite, bearable. If the sauce sachet wasn't so small and Rustlers decided to give a proper sized portion then I think it would get rid of the fart like smell/taste and be quite nice as the meatballs would provide a texture and be there as a bulking agent, and the sauce would provide the taste.

****Nutritional information****

100g of this product (the whole sub is 155g so remember to apportion accordingly) provides 264Kcal, 14.4g of protein, 26.5g of carbohydrate (this is a big no no for those following the Atkins or any other low carb diet), 10.5g of fat (although high it is not the highest of the Rustlers range, which surprised me somewhat), 2.7g of fibre and 0.44g of sodium (approximates to 1g of salt).

The above would make any dietician wince, and I must say that I was quite shocked when I saw just how bad this sub is. I obviously knew it wasn't going to be nutritious but I didn't think it would be so bad.

I did have a quick glance at the ingredients but there were so many unnatural things (such as flavour enhancers, stabilisers and extracts) and so many ingredients I have never heard of (like 'sodiums', 'phosphates' and 'omates') that I soon stopped looking.

****Price and availability****

The price of the Rustlers range can vary greatly from retail outlet to retail outlet. Many of the larger supermarkets often have deals where the Rustlers range can be as little as £0.99 so I would suggest these shops are looked in first if you are after a Rustlers. I have seen the Rustlers range as much as £2.39 per product in a garage service station, although there was a microwave that you could use if you bought the product there, so I would use these as a last resort.

****Conclusion****

The Rustlers range is junk food that, in my opinion, should be enjoyed once in a blue moon. These products are very bad for you although there are times when bad things actually do you good, and it is on these rare occasions I would recommend a Rustlers. Whilst I would recommend Rustlers, I would not recommend the meatball sub. It smells awful, looks awful and the meatballs taste awful. The sauce is the saving grace but there isn't enough of it so it is a case of spread it thinly throughout the whole sub (and not get rid of the taste of the meatballs) or have some of the sub caked in the sauce (hence getting rid of the meatball taste and creating a tasty mouthful) and leave the rest of the sub dry and tasting of the meatball. It is a bit of a quandary.

Basically, if you are going to consume something with so much fat, so many carbs, so high in calories and so high in salt then I would suggest going for something a bit tastier than this and opt for another product in the Rustlers range.

Summary: There are much better quick snack alternatives out there - avoid this at all costs