# My search for an edible frozen Mexican dinner isn't going well. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 18, 2017, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254 "2017-06-18T00:32:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/21 "2017-06-18T16:30:52Z")
For burritos, I often pick up a few to go when I’m at my favorite Mexican place and freeze them when I get home. Way better than buying something frozen at the grocery store. I cut them in half before freezing so one is a snack, two is a meal. I’m sure that would work well with tamales, too. Since the OP lives in CA, I’m sure there’s a good Mexican place not too far from home. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/22 "2017-06-18T18:00:08Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I’m going to try the Amy’s. I checked and it’s available locally here in SoCal. Thanks for that option. Hopefully the cheese enchiladas are tasty. Thanks. Wait. Just wait. You’re in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and you want to buy frozen Mexican food? You can have the best Mexican food in the US delivered to your door from one of the hundreds of excellent Mexican joints within a five-mile radius. I’ve never understood why there’s any market for frozen pizza in NY, either. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/23 "2017-06-18T18:58:06Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Wait. Just wait. You’re in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and you want to buy frozen Mexican food? … Sometimes, after a hard day of watching bikini’s on the beach, I’m just too tired (okay, lazy) to dirty the kitchen and think about cooking. Those days I have 2 choices, fast food or frozen. We do have a ton of good Mexican restaurants but they depend on who is cooking that day and that changes. So yes, sometimes I’m just too lazy to do anything more than the freezer to microwave thing. We’ve also got Mexican markets that sell really good marinated Carne asada. It isn’t hard to cook, but sometimes I just don’t want to cook. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/24 "2017-06-18T19:01:32Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > [There’s a YouTuber who does humorous but fair frozen dinner reviews](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1tKGlhb8CA) and gave the El Charrito beef enchilada dinner high marks, which is surprising since most of the things he reviews he hates. That’s by Don Miguel. That is the company I complained to and received coupons for more of their food. If the food looked half as good as the package I would have eaten it instead of the package. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/25 "2017-06-18T19:19:41Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Sometimes, after a hard day of watching bikini’s on the beach, I’m just too tired (okay, lazy) to dirty the kitchen and think about cooking. Those days I have 2 choices, fast food or frozen. As I’ve mentioned, [Sooner or later, everything winds up in a tortilla](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=801818). Leftover chicken? Leftover roasted pork? Leftover roasted turkey? Leftover beef? Simmer it with a little salsa, warm up some corn tortillas (so that they’re pliable), and roll them up. Six or seven should fit into a 1-gallon zip-top bag that you can put in the freezer. Pull them out when you feel like it, and fry them in oil or bake them in a baking dish with enchilada sauce and cheese. (Enchiladas are better if you roll them fresh, dipping the tortillas in warm/hot enchilada sauce to make them pliable.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/26 "2017-06-18T19:22:30Z")
I have yet to find something from Amy’s that isn’t tasty. In fact, I just had a tray of their bean & cheese snacks for lunch. Nuke them for the amount of time it takes to mix up the dipping sauce, crack a Sierra Nevada and call it good. Yes, within three blocks I can find a large Mexican supermarket with a take-out counter, three different family-owned taco joints and a brew pub. But sometimes I just want a beer and nosh in front of the computer. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/27 "2017-06-18T22:41:30Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > Does Skyline Chili count? No and No. No, it isn’t mexican, if anything it is Greek and very Cincinnati. No, it just is not the same frozen, much better to just make some yourself if Cincinnati is too far away. Sure it takes 3 hours, but most of it is hands off simmering. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Plutonium\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Plutonium\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Plutonium_Kid)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/28 "2017-06-19T02:46:40Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Trader Joe’s has some “Mexican” items that are okay. Yeah? Which ones? Might be worth a try … ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/29 "2017-06-19T08:45:40Z")
[Cruz’s Mexican Grill](https://www.yelp.com/biz/lilianas-fresh-bake-and-cruzs-mexican-grill-barrow-2), Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Maybe not the most Mexican, but probably the most frozen. And now you are all scouring Google Maps to find a more northern Mexican restaurant. Admit it. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/30 "2017-06-19T08:57:30Z")
Stouffer’s mexican lasagna ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/31 "2017-06-19T09:49:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I like TJ’s frozen green chile and cheese tamales, and the frozen beef tamales. They’re not _great_, nor very ‘Mexican’, but I find them tasty. I like these too, especially topped with a spoonful or two of TJ’s salsa verde. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/32 "2017-06-19T10:10:38Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > As I’ve mentioned, [Sooner or later, everything winds up in a tortilla](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=801818). Leftover chicken? Leftover roasted pork? Leftover roasted turkey? Leftover beef? Simmer it with a little salsa, warm up some corn tortillas (so that they’re pliable), and roll them up. Six or seven should fit into a 1-gallon zip-top bag that you can put in the freezer. Pull them out when you feel like it, and fry them in oil or bake them in a baking dish with enchilada sauce and cheese. (Enchiladas are better if you roll them fresh, dipping the tortillas in warm/hot enchilada sauce to make them pliable.) That’s all cooking. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/33 "2017-06-19T13:58:46Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > That’s all cooking. :rolleyes: But it doesn’t have to be on a bikini-watching day. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/34 "2017-06-19T14:30:46Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Sometimes, after a hard day of watching bikini’s on the beach, I’m just too tired (okay, lazy) to dirty the kitchen and think about cooking. Those days I have 2 choices, fast food or frozen. > > We do have a ton of good Mexican restaurants but they depend on who is cooking that day and that changes. > > So yes, sometimes I’m just too lazy to do anything more than the freezer to microwave thing. > > We’ve also got Mexican markets that sell really good marinated Carne asada. It isn’t hard to cook, but sometimes I just don’t want to cook. I’m surprised there are not any local companies selling frozen or refrigerated foods in your area. I’ve got several to choose from here in Albuquerque. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/35 "2017-06-19T14:42:53Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > No and No. > > No, it isn’t mexican, if anything it is Greek and very Cincinnati. > No, it just is not the same frozen, much better to just make some yourself if Cincinnati is too far away. > Sure it takes 3 hours, but most of it is hands off simmering. …but it is wicked good on cheese coneys with mustard and onions. Man I love cheese coneys. It’s the only thing I ever get from Skyline. Fortunately, I live here so they’re everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/36 "2017-06-19T14:49:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I have yet to find something from Amy’s that isn’t tasty. In fact, I just had a tray of their bean & cheese snacks for lunch. Nuke them for the amount of time it takes to mix up the dipping sauce, crack a Sierra Nevada and call it good. > > Yes, within three blocks I can find a large Mexican supermarket with a take-out counter, three different family-owned taco joints and a brew pub. But sometimes I just want a beer and nosh in front of the computer. If Hillary had been elected, we’d have a taco truck on every corner. 😃 But a question about Amy’s. Most packaged foods have lots of nasty additives, and also lots of salt. How does that stuff fare in the health department? (Yeah, I’ve been reading too much Michael Pollan.) ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/37 "2017-06-19T14:59:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But a question about Amy’s. Most packaged foods have lots of nasty additives, and also lots of salt. How does that stuff fare in the health department? (Yeah, I’ve been reading too much Michael Pollan.) Amy’s is generally free of stuff you can’t pronounce. They seem to use relatively few ingredients as compared to other frozen foods, and they market their food as “organic”. While I’m somewhat skeptical of organic-labeled food (how is the designation granted and enforced, is it really healthier, etc…), I do try to buy food that is recognizable as food. [Here](https://www.amys.com/our-foods/cheddar-cheese-bean-rice-burrito) is the ingredients list for one of their burritos: > [@Amy's Foods](#): > > organic pinto beans, organic whole wheat and organic wheat flour, filtered water, organic brown rice, organic tomato purée, cheddar and monterey jack cheeses (pasteurized milk, culture, salt, enzymes [without animal enzymes or rennet]), expeller pressed high oleic safflower and/or sunflower oil, organic onions, organic bell peppers, sea salt, organic sweet rice flour, spices, organic wheat gluten, organic garlic. contains wheat and milk. ETA: that particular item does have a crapload of sodium, though. 580 milligrams. Yikes. I’m not particularly watching my salt intake, but that does seem a skosh high. I’m not sure if that’s typical of their food. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/38 "2017-06-19T15:05:21Z")
Missed the edit window: As an aside, while I do like Amy’s foods in general, I’m not crazy about their Indian food. I found it bland, and the paneer a little rubbery. It’s not bad, just not that great. Otherwise, I’ve been pretty happy with everything of theirs I’ve had. We always have half a dozen of their items in our freezer. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/39 "2017-06-19T15:07:39Z")
As an organic chemist, “stuff you can’t pronounce” doesn’t work on me for two reasons. One, I can pronounce it, and two, anything can seem scary if you break components of a food down and then name it all with standard nomenclature. (See the [banana](http://gizmodo.com/all-natural-bananas-are-filled-with-chemicals-1504564161) example.) Personally, I pay the most attention to added sodium, fat, and sugar and not small amounts of various preservatives and other additives. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254/40 "2017-06-19T15:10:05Z")
Lots of people seem to think things aren’t ‘Mexican’. What does that even mean? Mexican cooking is regional. And based off cooking done in the homes of mostly working class people. I wonder how many of you would even want to try some ‘real’ Mexican food. > **[Seven Regions of Mexican Cuisine | Picos in Houston, TX](https://www.picos.net/seven-regions-of-mexican-cuisine/)** > > Picos, located on Kirby Drive in the prestigious Upper Kirby District of Houston, TX, offers a unique menu of authentic Mexican creations that capture the true tastes of Mexico. Arnaldo Richards' Picos has been a Houston tradition for more than 35... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-search-for-an-edible-frozen-mexican-dinner-isnt-going-well/789254.md?page=3)