CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Carnivores, unite! We found 15 tasty and beefy appetizers sure to satisfy at your small Super Bowl gathering before the first snap on the field.
Americans consume more beef than any country in the world. Besides the hearty deliciousness of this table staple -- beef contains about five times more immunity-boosting zinc and who couldn’t use a little extra immunity boosters these days?
In preparation for the big game, cleveland.com reporters Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez have been scouring grocery and big box store freezer aisles for appetizers and conducted a massive taste test to help readers decide what to serve.
They purchased every frozen app they found -- chicken wings, pigs in a blanket, mini burgers, mozzarella sticks, potato skins -- a whopping 95 appetizers in all.
Whether you are into sliders, a beefy dog or something with a Mexican flair, check out the best beef-laden apps we sampled.
No. 15 Sliders, White Castle
Where we bought it: Heinen’s
Price: $5.39
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 290 | Fat 13g | Cholesterol 20mg | Sodium 380mg | Carbs 29g | Protein 13g
First ingredient: Enriched bleached wheat flour
Box says: Meat is 100% beef. The original slider hamburgers. Welcome to the land of slider perfection. You’re holding the one-of-a-kind, craveable flawlessness of our 100% beef patty, steam-grilled onions, and our delicious signature bun.
Our thoughts: Pretty much a fumble on the first snap of the game. We’re not sure how anyone can be a fan of these flat, tasteless swiss cheese-appearing patties, covered in tiny onions. The meat is greasy and the onions are soggy and tasteless. We didn’t like them as a fast food franchise and they are no better from the freezer case.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $5.49 | Buy it at Heinen’s $5.39 | Buy it on Instacart $5.39
No. 14 Taquitos, Beef & Cheese, José Olé
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 260 | Fat 14g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 350mg | Carbs 25g | Protein 7g
First ingredient: Enriched bleached wheat flour
Box says: Beef and cheese in flour tortillas.
Our thoughts: Throw the yellow flag on this one. Basic Taco Bell flavors are wrapped in a solid tortilla, but in spite of the meaty flavor, the inside is more like a refried bean consistency with no observable meat pieces. A good portion of the filling oozed out during the cooking.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.49 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99
No. 13 Mini Tacos, Beef & Cheese, José Olé
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 230 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 20mg |Sodium 420mg | Carbs 24g | Protein 7g
First ingredient: Ground beef
Box says: Made with real cheddar cheese.
Our thoughts: We had a bit of a disagreement on this one. One of us thought these were the best tacos we tried in this taste test. The other, not so much. Crunchy shells wrapped around nicely-seasoned ground beef, cheese and peppers. Decent flavor for this Taco Bell knock-off.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.49 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99
No. 12 Beef & Cheese Mini Tacos, Market Pantry
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $3.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 220 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 20mg | Sodium 430mg | Carbs 23g | Protein 8g
First ingredient: Stoneground corn masa flour
Box says: Beef and cheese mini tacos.
Our thoughts: The corn masa shell was the best part. The weird meat “patty” was an odd texture, though it offered a nice flavor.
Buy it at Target $3.49
No. 11 Beef Taquitos, Delimex
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 230 | Fat 7g | Cholesterol 5mg | Sodium 230mg | Carbs 37g | Protein 6g
First ingredient: Corn masa flour
Box says: Delicious Mexican flavor.
Our thoughts: The crunchy shell holds plenty of tasty beef filling but it’s mushy.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.99 | Buy it at Target $5.79 | Buy it at Walmart $4.98
No. 10 Mini Beef Tacos, Trader Joe’s
Where we bought it: Trader Joe’s
Price: $4.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 190 | Fat 8g | Cholesterol 20mg | Sodium 310mg | Carbs 20g | Protein 10g
First ingredient: Cooked beef
Box says: Mini beef tacos.
Our thoughts: The corn shell has a nice crunch, but the beef inside is more of a patty than a taco consistency. These might benefit from your own addition of taco toppings like lettuce, tomatoes and some salsa.
No. 9 Mini Cheeseburgers, Market Pantry
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $3.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 300 | Fat 12g | Cholesterol 40mg | Sodium 720mg | Carbs 30g | Protein 14g
First ingredient: Enriched flour
Box says: Beef patty with cheese on a bun.
Our thoughts: Way more bun than beef. Sufficient cheese. Be careful not to overcook these because the sweet bun gets crunchy. Decent for what it is.
Buy it at Target $3.49
No. 8 Pretzel Dogs, SuperPretzel
Where we bought it: Heinen’s
Price: $5.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 270 | Fat 13g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 660mg | Carbs 29g | Protein 10g
First ingredient: Beef Frankfurter
Box says: Soft pretzel mini beef hot dogs.
Our thoughts: The standard “pig-in-a-blanket” with the twist of a dark pretzel crust is like a fullback bursting through the line for short yardage. The generously-sized, all-beef frank snaps when you bite and stays juicy when cooked.
Buy it at Heinen’s $5.49 | Buy it on Instacart $5.49
No. 7 Parmesan Pastry Pups, Trader Joe’s
Where we bought it: Trader Joe’s
Price: $4.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 260 | Fat 19g | Cholesterol 55mg | Sodium 430mg | Carbs 15g | Protein 8g
First ingredient: Enriched wheat flour
Box says: Uncured mini beef franks, wrapped in puff pastry and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
Our thoughts: Such a nice take on “pigs in a blanket.” The parmesan surprises like a reverse to the wide receiver, and really ramps up the flavor. The pastry is crispy and light.
No. 6 Everything Pastry Wrapped Franks, 365
Where we bought it: Whole Foods
Price: $4.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 240 | Fat 18g | Cholesterol 45mg | Sodium 380mg | Carbs 16g | Protein 6g
First ingredient: Unbleached enriched wheat flour
Box says: Puff pastry-wrapped mini uncured beef franks.
Our thoughts: The flaky and chewy bagel wrap with everything seasoning melds nicely with the spiced frank at the center. It would be very easy to keep eating these right into the fourth quarter.
Buy it on Amazon $4.99 | Buy it at Whole Foods $4.99
No. 5 Beef & Vegetables Empanadas, Mas Panadas
Where we bought it: Whole Foods
Price: $7.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 140 | Fat 6g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 50mg | Carbs 15g | Protein 6g
First ingredient: Unbleached wheat flour
Box says: Real food for life in the fast lane. The perfect snack on the go.
Our thoughts: These empanadas are more traditional than the others we tried. Packed full of meat and potatoes, they are a great bite in a crispy shell.
No. 4 Pretzel Dogs, Spring Valley
Where we bought it: Heinen’s
Price: $8.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 220 | Fat 10g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 590mg | Carbs 26g | Protein 7g
First ingredient: Beef frankfurter
Box says: Cocktail beef frankfurters wrapped in pretzel dough.
Our thoughts: Definitely plenty of pretzel taste without being too overwhelming. The hot dog has more of a summer sausage vibe. The two flavors and textures meld well together.
Buy it at Heinen’s $8.99 | Buy it on Instacart $8.99
No. 3 Beef Franks in a Puff Pastry Blanket, Hebrew National
Where we bought it: Heinen’s
Price: $14.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 310 | Fat 25g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 590mg | Carbs 13g | Protein 8g
First ingredient: Beef frank
Box says: Frankly, we are quality in every bite. All the great taste and quality you’ve come to expect from Hebrew National, wrapped in delicate puff pastry. Only using premium cuts of Kosher Beef, our beef franks have no artificial flavors, no artificial colors and no fillers or by-products. These tasty bites are the ultimate appetizer for entertaining or to enjoy as a delicious snack anytime.
Our thoughts: The same hot dog you get on Coney Island has been shrunk to fit inside a flaky crust that doesn’t fall apart when you bite into it. Traditional taste you will want to enjoy in every quarter.
Buy it at Heinen’s $14.99 | Buy it on Instacart $14.99 | Buy it at Walmart $13.47
No. 2 Angus Sliders, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $5.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 210 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 280mg | Carbs 19g | Protein 9g
First ingredient: Enriched wheat flour
Box says: Grilled angus beef patty with pasteurized process cheddar cheese and sautéed onions on a sesame seed bun.
Our thoughts: These tiny sliders taste like real beef burgers, grilled on an old-fashioned charcoal grill. The beef was juicy and the cheese melted nicely. Unlike other sliders we tried, the sesame seed bun tasted fresh. Hard to tell these were ever frozen.
Buy it on Instacart $6.99
No. 1 Parmesan Pastry Wrapped Uncured Hot Dogs, Good & Gather
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $4.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 230 | Fat 17g | Cholesterol 45mg | Sodium 380mg | Carbs 15g | Protein 7g
First ingredient: Enriched wheat flour
Box says: Topped with a blend of parmesan cheese, sesame, poppy and caraway seeds.
Our thoughts: Outstanding balance of flavor. A delightful aroma while baking primed our taste buds. The flaky dough browns up nicely and provides crunch in every bite. Not your usual hot dogs, these little meat bites will remind you of Lil Smokies. Just the right pastry-to-dog ratio, and the toasted seeds add additional texture. Not your typical pigs in a blanket. Game over!
Buy it at Target $4.99
More food rankings:
Best TGI Fridays frozen appetizers: We devoured and ranked 8 restaurant apps sold at grocery stores
Best food for Super Bowl: We ate 95 frozen appetizers from grocery stores and ranked them all
What’s the best peanut butter? We ranked 77 jars in blind taste test for National Peanut Butter Day
The best and worst foods we ate during grocery store showdown taste tests 2020
Hot chocolate, anyone? We tasted and ranked 61 cocoa mixes from grocery stores
Ranking 35 chicken noodle soups from grocery stores that are perfect for winter, cold/flu season
The Link LonkFebruary 05, 2021 at 05:43AM
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Sliders, tacos, pretzel hotdogs and more: Ranking 15 beef appetizers from grocery store freezers - cleveland.com
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