10 Instant Foods That Are Actually Good and 10 Awful Ones
Just Because You're In A Bind Shouldn't Mean You Have To Eat Poorly
Whether you're stuck in a hotel room or your roommate made a total mess out of the kitchen again, sometimes you need the convenience of instant food. But who says going instant means you have to sacrifice tastiness? Here are instant food options that slap and the ones that are better skipped.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
1. Kraft Dinner
There's something so irresistible about that neon cheese powder. it has a distinct flavor that doesn't resemble cheese but tastes good nonetheless.
2. Instant Ramen
The ultimate college dorm food, instant ramen was invented in the 1950s as a cheap solution to Japan's post-war food shortage. They're freeze-dried noodles and powdered flavorings that, when rehydrated, taste almost like the real thing.
3. Instant Grits
This Southern porridge-like food made from corn takes ages to cook if you're making it from scratch. The instant version made from pre-cooked, dried, and ground grits is almost as good.
Amy Aletheia Cahill on Wikimedia
4. Bird's Custard
No matter how you slice it, custard is amazing. While it's lovely made from scratch, not all of us are skilled pastry chefs. Bird's custard is a perfectly passable, no-fail version.
5. Ben's Original
Ben's Original microwave rice is par-broiled, vacuum sealed rice, usually containing seasonings of some kind. It takes literally two minutes in the microwave compared to the 15 minutes it takes to cook rice in a pot and it's honestly hard to tell the difference.
6. Quaker's Instant Oatmeal
This is oats at their most processed, cut-up, steamed, and rolled. If you're looking for maximum convenience, Quaker's Instant is where it's at. If you're looking for something with less added sugar, buy instant oats and add flavorings yourself.
7. Instant Miso
All you need to do is add hot water to achieve the comforting sushi appetizer we all know and love. It's usually made from dehydrated miso paste and other flavors and unless you have a very refined palette, you probably won't know the difference.
8. Amy's Frozen Burritos
If you like the convenience of frozen dinners but don't want to sacrifice taste or healthiness, Amy's got your back. Plus, the company caters to alternative diets like vegan and gluten free.
9. Milo
While technically not a food, Milo is an amazing option for when you're craving a little kick of chocolatey goodness. It's a chocolate powder that can be mixed into milk, hot or cold.
10. Instant Stuffing
While not as good as stuffing made from scratch, instant stuffing is a super tasty alternative. What's more, it's easy to make and doesn't require all the hastle of a turkey dinner, so you can have it any night you're craving stuffing.
Now that we've talked about the instant foods that just work, let's go over some of the flops.
1. Instant Mashed Potatoes
Instant mashed potatoes are always disappointing. Made from dehydrated potato flakes, they lack the creamy goodness of real mashed potatoes.
2. Instant Coffee
While not technically a food, instant coffee should hardly be categorized as a drink either as its sock-like flavor makes it hardly drinkable. It makes for a convenient kick of caffeine when you're in a pinch, but nothing more.
3. Tang Orange Instant Drink Mix
Tang is a powdered orange-flavored drink mix. Very much a product of the 1950s, the powder contains not a smidge of real fruit, making it extremely artificial tasting.
Mondelēz International on Wikimedia
4. Frozen TV Dinners
Frozen TV Dinners manage to take something delicious like chicken parmesan and turn it into flavorless mush. Many meals just don't freeze well and you can expect the texture and taste of these boxed foods to be anything but wow.
5. SpaghettiOs
If you like super mushy pasta swimming in overly sweet, processed tomato sauce, then SpaghettiOs are for you. For the rest of us, let's just stick to taking ten minutes to cook spaghetti from dried noodles.
6. Canned Noodle Soup
Something about canning cooked noodles just doesn't work. Canned noodle soup, while comforting when you're suffering from a flu, really isn't enjoyable at any other time.
7. Instant Gravy
Instant gravy relies on artificial flavors in its attempt to replicate the richness and depth of flavor of real gravy. The end result? An overly salty, processed, one-dimensional taste.
Miia Ranta from Finland on Wikimedia
8. Instant Pancake Mix
Sure, instant pancakes can be nice and for many of us, nostalgic. However, once you've had pancakes made from scratch, you can never go back. They lack the fluffiness and flavor that fresh buttermilk, eggs, and butter impart.
9. Frozen Pizza
It's a travesty that something so delicious could be made so terrible. There's something about the freezing process that seems to zap out all the flavor of every otherwise tasty component to the point where it's as if you're eating cardboard.
10. Powdered Soups
We can get behind canned or even some paste-based soups, but powdered is where we draw the line. They're made from dehydrated ingredients that you just add water to, but they end up tasting more like water than anything.
