Consumer Reports taste tests frozen foods

From the restaurant, to your microwave, many of America's most popular chain restaurants - including California Pizza Kitchen, TGI Fridays, Boston Market, and P.F. Chang's - are now selling frozen versions of their best-selling items. But are they worth staying in for? Consumer Reports has partnered exclusively with 7 On Your Side to find out.

California Pizza Kitchen's frozen BBQ recipe chicken thin crust is topped with similar ingredients as the restaurant version and at $6 it's less than half the price.

"Our tasters found that the frozen version is worth a try, but the strong barbecue sauce overpowered the flavors," said Maxine Siegel, Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports' tasters were pleased with the frozen version of TGI Fridays' cheddar and bacon skins. The restaurant dish costs twice as much and has three times more calories and fat. P.F. Chang's frozen shrimp lo mein resembles its restaurant counterpart in both price and appearance; however:

"The shrimp in the frozen version were noticeably small, and the tasters found that they don't have much flavor," said Siegel.

Boston Market's frozen chicken pot pie costs a little less than in the restaurant, but it's much different. Large chunks of rotisserie chicken in the restaurant dish versus small cubes of spongy chicken in the frozen version -- although testers thought its crust was tasty.

All in all, Consumer Reports found many of the restaurants' frozen choices were pretty good and worth a try. Consumer Reports also says if you hope to enjoy Boston Market's popular meatloaf and fresh-tasting mashed potatoes at home, you might be disappointed - the frozen version is more like salisbury steak and instant potatoes.

Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union. Both Consumer Reports and Consumers Union are not-for-profit organizations that accept no advertising. Neither has any commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site.

(All Consumer Reports Material Copyright 2010. Consumers Union of U.S. Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

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