• Why I tried it
I am something of a garlic bread fiend. It comes from years of not eating pizza meaning that I needed to find a suitable complementary alternative for take always / Italian restaurants and so on. In the last 15 years or so I’ve tried them all – the ... Read review
Advantages: Quick and easy to prepare Disadvantages: Over-priced foul tasting snack
• Why I tried it
I am something of a garlic bread fiend. It comes from years of not eating pizza meaning that I needed to find a suitable complementary alternative for take always / Italian restaurants and so on. In the last 15 years or so I’ve tried them all – the pizza base ones, the baguettes, the dough balls, the slices, the calzones, the Nan breads. I even wrote an ode to the stuff (it’s the op below this ... ...G” if you’re interested). Most of these share the same downside though – they need cooking in an oven. At uni we only had electric jobbies which took an absolute age to heat up, meaning that a 15 min heating time could soon become a good half hour of preparation. I saw this bread advertised in a magazine with a voucher for money off, though I would have tried it anyway, not only because it was a new style of garlicy goodness, but ... more
• Why I tried it
I am something of a garlic bread fiend. It comes from years of not eating pizza meaning that I needed to find a suitable complementary alternative for take always / Italian restaurants and so on. In the last 15 years or so I’ve tried them all – the pizza base ones, the baguettes, the dough balls, the slices, the calzones, the Nan breads. I even wrote an ode to the stuff (it’s the op below this one on my profile, posted under “Everything that starts with G” if you’re interested). Most of these share the same downside though – they need cooking in an oven. At uni we only had electric jobbies which took an absolute age to heat up, meaning that a 15 min heating time could soon become a good half hour of preparation. I saw this bread advertised in a magazine with a voucher for money off, though I would have tried it anyway, not only because it was a new style of garlicy goodness, but also because it was microwavable in minutes – certainly a bonus for busy students who want to spend as little time as possible away from the shops, ahem, their books.
• What I thought
I don’t eat that much microwaved food, not because I’m against it per se, just because I don’t really like most of the ready meals etc on offer. But, I do know how to use a microwave from those Home Ec lessons at school and the odd time I’ve needed to heat up vege bacon (and how yum is that while we’re on the subject?) and warm drinks. Being the first time I used this product, I read the instructions carefully and set about preparing what I was hoping would soon become my new emergency snack.
It wasn’t hard to cook, and about 5 minutes later (2 mins of nuking followed by a 2 and a bit minutes’ “cooling period”) I was all set to tuck in. The top was golden, the garlic smell was seeping out and it looked jolly good. The bread is a mini-baguette pre-slit into slices, but when I eased these apart I saw the butter inside was still solid in a lot of places. Not a problem, I thought, these uni microwaves are a bit old, I’ll just put it in for a few more minutes. A few turned into a lot. 5 in fact – twice the recommended cooking time. I checked it a few times but it took the whole five before everything was melted. By this point the outside had got rather dark. Not burnt, but certainly well cooked and crispy.
The baguette’s not all that large, but it was the only thing I was planning on having for tea. Unfortunately I only ate 2 slices, the bin rather than my stomach getting the rest. It was disgusting. It was puke-inducing. It was just plain gross. The garlic butter was sickly, not helped by the fact that it wasn’t spread out evenly in the baguette, so some slices were dry and some over loaded. The bread was rubbery and tasted like cardboard (and before you ask I DO know what that tastes like since I, erm, used to eat the stuff). It doesn’t even look good on your plate since to cut it you really have to hack, which leaves you with chunks rather than neat slices.
There are in my opinion no redeeming qualities. It tastes disgusting, looks disgusting and is disgustingly high in fat. A disgrace to the good garlic bread name. What good is the convenience of microwavable food if you can’t eat the end product?
• What else you need to know
These baguettes are not large and yet manage to pack in more than 500 calories. That alone should be a reason to leave them well alone.
Healthwise they are suitable for vegetarians, though not vegans, and though manufactured in a factory that doesn’t handle nuts, they won’t guarantee that it’s safe for those with allergies.
They cost about 90p from supermarkets (find them in the freezer compartments, near the pizza), which again is not all that cheap since they would only feed one, and you’d probably want something to go with them. I’m not in the habit of spending more than a pound a meal per person when I’m cooking it myself.
They are not only frozen, but need to stay that way – none of that “defrost in the fridge for an hour first” stuff.
Not to be recommended, even if they’re giving it away free. Giving it just the 1 star seems overly generous in this case.
Advantages: It's quick to cook Disadvantages: Everything Else!
...on a yellow circle. The McCain logo is on the left and there is a picture of the garlic baguette on the right. ~~Ingredients~~
Wheatflour, butter (21%), water, garlic, sugar, salt and a few other things. ~~Nutrition Info~~
This is only given for one frozen garlic bread and it does not specify if these change once the baguette is cooked. Energy Value – 2113kj/ 505kcals, Protein – 10.fg, Carbohydrate – 60.9g, Fat – 24.3g (Like ... ...I did it~~
After getting over the initial shock I read the instructions on the box which are clear and in three sections: ‘Please DO, Please DO NOT and Opening & cooking instructions.’ Plus a nice little table with different wattage’s of microwaves and their cooking times. All very nicely done but will it be any good?
I opened both ends of the cardboard box and sat it on the glass plate in my microwave. I made sure the setting ...
Lovin_Angel 18.07.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of McCain Micro Garlic Bread
Advantages: It's not compulsary to eat one Disadvantages: Hmm - now let me see....
...mind. Over the last year, McCain have expanded their range of Micro foods in an attempt to capitalise on the success of their MicroChips. Their latest innovation is a garlic bread stick that can be cooked in the microwave. When I first saw these in the shops, I suspected that they would be a recipe for disaster, but it was only recently that I finally tried one out.
The baguettes are sold in a slim cardboard box that shares the same brand design ... ...being examples (all of which McCain have made Micro versions of). This opinion has certainly not changed since I tried out this product. The top of the bread was soft – almost too soft, as though it were full of moisture. The bottom of the bread went to the other extreme – absolutely, completely rock hard. The ends of the loaf were unbelievable – like pieces of granite. The process that I used to hack apart the slices in the first ...
LostWitness 29.05.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of McCain Micro Garlic Bread
Advantages: Quick in the microwave Disadvantages: There are too many to list in just 15 words!
...no mean feat. McCain Company background.
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“McCain foods limited is a privately owned multinational leader in frozen foods. McCain foods is the worlds largest producer of frozen French fries and the manufacturer of other quality food products sold in more than 110 countries.” (www.McCain.com)
McCain began in Canada in Janurary 1957. With 30 employees they produced 1500lbs per hour and gained £152,678 profit in the first year. ... ...it was around 2000 when McCain started venturing into the frozen pizza’s and from then expanded to making the frozen chicken wings, toasties and all of the frozen microwavable “delicacies” that we have today.
To the point in hand
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McCain micro garlic bread is stated to be made with real butter and suitable for vegetarians. It comes in a long rectangular cardboard box aprox 7inches long and 3inches tall(very approx!!). The garlic ...
eabha 14.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of McCain Micro Garlic Bread
