Product Review: Stouffer's Bistro Panini

Living alone, I often eat frozen meals instead of cooking. They're cheap, convenient and there's no leftovers to go mouldy in the fridge, so they're actually more economical for me than cooking my own food. Most frozen food is tolerable, but nothing remarkable. A lot of it tastes the same, no matter whether it's a Michelina's or a Hungry Man or a Swanson's TV Dinner (haven't had one of THOSE since I was a kid!).

But I recently found a frozen food product that really does taste excellent and is worth mentioning. Stouffer's brand Bistro Paninis. I just finished a Philly-style Steak & Cheese Panini, and it really was delicious. Somehow, they've made it possible to microwave a sandwich and give it a nice crispy, grilled texture. The toppings...steak and cheese with some onions and green peppers...were quite nice. I added a sprinkle of Frank's hot sauce and a few dots of A1 sauce to perk it up, and it was a really good lunch. I wish I'd bought two of them, but if I'd had a salad or something with it, it would have been plenty. And it's not so much that the serving size isn't generous. It's probably about the size you'd get in a restaurant. But it's just not quite enough all on its own...and it tastes so good you, you just want more!

So, well done, Stouffer's. You've always had better-than-average frozen meals, but this one takes the prize.