Stouffer's Easy Express cuts cook time in half

Bonnie: I expect nothing less than good-tasting pasta meals from Stouffer's. But I was a bit skeptical about them cooking in a microwave oven in less than 20 minutes, as Stouffer's claims.

The first dish I tried, the tomato-sauce-topped and cheese-stuffed manicotti, was a bit too sweet. The middle of this pasta dish was also not fully cooked after the maximum recommended time. Once I zapped it again, the dish was a bit watery. So much for "express" meals.

I tried again with the Rigatoni With Chicken and got the same cold interior. I also didn't like the pesto sauce's "canned" taste. I opted for the conventional oven for the lasagna, resulting in a dish that was heated all the way through in 75 minutes.

The package suggests you could feed 4 1/2 people with this tray of food. I say Stouffer's suggests that only so the nutrition facts look more reasonable. By serving a more realistic four persons, each serving would provide 371 calories, 15 grams of total fat (with 8 saturated) and 968 milligrams of sodium.

That's pretty indulgent, but then so are most red box Stouffer's meals. If you do decide to indulge in any of these, try to cut back on what you eat the rest of the day.

Carolyn: Stouffer's family- and party-sized frozen dishes have long been an easy and affordable dinner alternative for Stouffer's lovers who wouldn't think of cooking up a family meal from four or five individual frozen dinners. They have not been a quick meal to cook, however. Even when microwaved, Stouffer's regular family-sized Lasagna With Meat & Sauce takes more than half an hour to get on the table.

Stouffer's new Easy Express slices that time roughly in half. I'm not sure how, because these three initial varieties taste essentially the same as their multi- or single-serve counterparts. The price is also comparable.

Stouffer's is likewise to be commended for making the less-than-obvious Rigatoni With Chicken in basil pesto sauce one of its first choices for Easy Express treatment — although, due to its richness and sophistication, I would recommend it only for families with older or culinarily adventurous kids.

Betty Crocker 80-Calorie 100 Percent Real Mashed Potatoes. Homestyle Creamy Butter, Cheddar & Sour Cream, and Roasted Garlic. $1 per 3.3-ounce pouch.

Bonnie: "Great taste in 3 minutes, just add water," touts these pouches — along with the fact that each of the four servings provides only 80 calories, 3 grams of fiber and are made with "100 percent real mashed potatoes." I couldn't help but chuckle at the last part. These do begin with dried potatoes, but that's about the only real thing in these. I'd skip potatoes altogether if these were all that were available. Potatoes cooked in the microwave are almost as quick and much more natural.

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