Taste not worth the torture? (Tesco Meat Free Cauliflower Cheese Grills)

Member Name: mmblah

Product:	Tesco Meat Free Cauliflower Cheese Grills
Date:	04/06/08 (194 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: nice texture and taste, crunchy if well done

Disadvantages: TERRIBLE for grilling, solid chunks of onion(?)

I'm a vegetarian and, due to criticism originating from the relatives, I was forced to actually get in and try all the food of the category. I tried Quorn, vegetable fingers, bizarre forms of bean...but all inevitably resulted in my disgusted grimace. I'll admit to being a fussy eater, but this was a true pain; I did not like anything.

I then tried Tesco Meat Free Cauliflower Cheese Grills. I liked them and, so surprised were my family, that we immediately went out and stocked up on them. I had these grills smothered in tomato ketchup probably ever night, and they were also great with baked beans or spaghetti in tomato sauce. However, repetition eventually got the better of me, and I went off them. The stock piles of them in the home freezer went to waste.

Yet I recently turned back to them. I no longer have them every night because I know the result of such, but also due to the fact that it's utterly impossible. These grill TERRIBLY. Every single time I choose to have one of these for dinner, I regret it. It melts. It physically melts into the grill. It becomes one with the grill. It's a nightmare to turn, regularly falling in half as a result. There's still more: sometimes they leak. The contents of these will actually begin to fall out and I'm sadly not at all exaggerating when I say that often have I been left with well under half of the original.

I'm not sure what Tesco have changed to result in such ridiculous scenarios; I suppose it might possibly be the breadcrumbs. I've actually had to take up examining these prior to placing them on a grill (for my own predictions and estimations) and I've noticed some areas lack breadcrumbs completely.

Other things have changed, too, however; this time in regards to the actual process of eating. These grills contain cauliflower, green peppers, onion and vegetarian cheddar cheese. I certainly still consider them a great taste (otherwise why would I go through the torture of preparing them?) but for some bizarre reason, they've started implementing solid blocks of...well, I'm not sure - I'm supposing it the onion. These were never in them prior, but now I come across them regularly per grill and find them so off-putting that I pick them out. They just completely ruin the texture, which is otherwise sort of nice and chewy, with these impenetrable chunks.

Anyhow - would I recommend this item? I'm not sure. It depends on whether you're willing to suffer through the cooking stage; well, actually, it depends on whether the eating stage is actually worth such sufferance. I know I'll keep eating them, unless the product continues to deteriorate. They're a fairly healthy addition to a meal with 160 calories, 4.9g of protein, 7.4g of fat (1.1g of which saturates) and 0.6g salt. I notice, though, that these are nutritional values for an oven baked grill. Maybe it would be easier that way, but I think I'd prefer to have it explode on the grill than turn on the oven for something of this size.

Summary: If you're going to grill these, be prepared for much vexation.