Are you even a celeb chef if you don’t have a line of frozen foods? Gordon Ramsay, Guy Fieri, Andrew Zimmern—they’ve all got ‘em. And now, joining the line-up of big name chefs in the frozen aisle, it’s Ming Tsai.
You might know Ming Tsai as the chef at the much lauded (now sadly departed) Blue Ginger in Massachusetts. Or maybe you know him from his cookbooks. Or maybe you’ve seen him on The Next Iron Chef or Simply Ming on PBS. Or, perhaps, you’re most familiar with his cameo on Arthur, the semi-educational kids’ cartoon about an aardvark.
Well, now he wants to be in your freezer. His new frozen food line, Mings, just launched with four meals—and we tried them all. Read on for our full review of each new frozen meal.
Pros: First, let’s acknowledge the innovation. Frozen, microwavable ramen? Not something I’ve personally seen before. Yes, you can get the frozen packs that you have to cook in a pot. But this is frozen ramen that you just add water to and microwave. Easy and fresher than the freeze-dried, shelf-stable stuff. The broth is good. It’s gingery and savory and cozy. And the chicken tastes fairly fresh—I’d compare it to the pre-cooked, “grilled” chicken you can get in the refrigerated section. I’d happily slurp this frozen meal on a dreary day.
Cons: The noodles in this ramen aren’t particularly ramen noodley. They’re more like thin fettuccine. And I wish the broth had a punch of miso for a more savory flavor. But, overall, it’s a solid noodle soup, for sure.
Pros: This frozen meal is divisive among the Sporked taste testers. The folks who like it (me) think the rice noodles are perfectly al dente and the sauce is gingery and tangy and fresh. The broccoli still has some bite and the chicken tastes like chicken with a decent chew. It’s a lot like other frozen “Asian-style” meals you’ve already had, but better executed.
Cons: It’s been done. You’ve had this meal before and you don’t need to have it again. That’s what the folks who aren’t so taken with this frozen meal told me. It just didn’t wow them and they thought it tasted like every other frozen sweet chili sauce noodle they’ve ever had. Again, I think it’s a step above, but agree that it’s certainly not breaking new ground.
Pros: We couldn’t stop eating this frozen meal. It’s spicy (like, actually tingly, Sichuan-style spicy) and savory and saucy. The chicken crumble is tasty and plentiful. And, again, we simply could not stop taking bites of the noodles. Out of all the Mings frozen meals we tried, this is the only one we totally finished.
Cons: It doesn’t quite taste like classic dan dan noodles, so don’t try to compare it to your local spot. And there’s a slightly bitter flavor that we couldn’t quite identify. My colleague Gwynedd thought it had a burnt allium flavor. Whatever it is, it’s not a dealbreaker, but it is something I hope Ming fixes in the future.
Pros: This frozen ramen is certainly spicy. It’s really spicy. It’s really tangy and it’s really spicy. The beef is pretty good—it doesn’t have a ton of flavor but the texture isn’t mushy and it definitely tastes like meat.
Cons: Like the chicken ramen, the noodles aren’t traditional ramen noodles. And there’s really not a lot of flavor besides tang and spicy. If I made these noodles at home, I’d pour in soy sauce or miso paste or dashi powder. It needs a lot more savory to balance out that heat.
Justine Sterling is the editor-in-chief of Sporked. She has been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and is an avid at-home cook and snacker. Don’t worry, she’s not a food snob. Sure, she loves a fresh-shucked oyster. But she also will leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and loves a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!