I cooked these up two different ways, just to be thorough. First up, the oven, which is the method they recommend. Also the slowest possible way to get a corn dog into your mouth. So, into the oven for 20 minutes they went. Much much later, they came out, all hot and crunchy. Also cracked all the way up one side. Not the prettiest corn dogs around, but whatever. Time to give them a taste! Unfortunately, these were not that great. The corn bread part was okay, but the dog inside was…unpleasant. I made it through about a half of this corn dog before I just didn't want to eat it anymore. It wasn't horrible, but if I'm going to eat something, I want to enjoy it, and I wasn't enjoying this. Just not worth it. My German exchange student ate one of these, and declared it fine, but he's never actually eaten a real-meat corn dog, so he doesn't know what he's missing out on.
Next cooking method - the microwave. This is so rarely a good idea - I just figured since I didn't want to actually eat another one, I should see if the microwave could, against all odds, improve the situation. And it turns out, it does not. It still cracked up one side, but now, instead of having a crispy exterior, it was tough and chewy, and still tasted not great. And now my microwave smelled super strongly of funky hot dog. Bad situation all around. The only up side was that it tasted slightly better from the microwave than it did from the oven, but the benefit was totally outweighed by the ruined texture. Don't microwave these, trust me. And while you're at it, don't buy these - there are better corn dogs out there.
The experience:
Texture - from the oven, crispy on the outside, cheap-hot-dog-y on the inside; from the microwave, tough and chewy all the way through
Flavor - the corn bread part wasn't bad, but the mediocre hot dog inside ruined it for me
Final grade for this attempt: C
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You're very nice with your grading scale to say they sucked but still give them a C! I have the mini corn dogs in my freezer and I'm kind of wary of the damn things, especially after reading this.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't suck, exactly - they just didn't do it for me. Trust me, there have been things that I actually spit out - those deserve a much lower grade than "eh - I just don't really want to eat this anymore."
DeleteWhile I was writing this review, I remembered that a long time ago, I had tested out the mini corn dogs, but apparently never wrote up a review for them. I do remember them being better than the full-size ones, for reasons that make no sense, so I'd say go ahead and eat yours. But don't microwave them! Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
Haha, yep these have that famous butt-crack up the side no matter how you cook it.
ReplyDeleteThough, I find that these taste generally the same as the other corn dogs available, but the mini ones taste better due to the cornbread to hot dog ratio. Maybe the stick makes them taste bad too.
You kinda have to undercook these a bit when microwaving, otherwise you get a rockhard corndog that smells bad.
The mini corn dogs rule! These ones are terrible, which makes no sense being the same product. Maybe it is the stick that makes them bad.
ReplyDeleteI love hotdogs, so I desperately kept trying veggie dogs, even though they are almost all texturally unpleasant, and the flavors are never that great. UNTIL...
ReplyDeleteMay I introduce you to the two best vegetarian hot dogs I've discovered:
1. Tivall (http://www.tivall.co.uk/product.asp?id=30) -- delicious. Amazing. We now eat chili dogs once a week in our house.
2. Ta'amti (http://www.rocklandkosher.com/p-7432-hot-dog-in-a-blanket-vegetarian-vegetali.aspx) -- sorry for the store site, I couldn't find a manufacturer site. These are very good; the crunchy breading is a good addition.
These are both kosher parve, meaning they can be either vegetarian or vegan. The Tivall are vegetarian, as they contain egg. I couldn't find an ingredient list for the Ta'amti, so I can't say for sure what the status is on those.
Also recommended: Ta'amti Corn Nuggets (these also come as larger patties): (http://www.rocklandkosher.com/p-7432-hot-dog-in-a-blanket-vegetarian-vegetali.aspx.) -- Here's what I like about these. They are protein patties with corn included, but they make no attempt at being a meat analog. They are just weird patties-with-corn, breaded. Very delicious!
If you want to look for these, I advise you to try a kosher grocery store.
Hi, Bee again. Forgot to mention that, if you DO get ahold of Tivall, I recommend oven cooking. The package directions say that boiling is preferred, but I disagree. They are nice and oily, so they would probably fry very well -- I haven't tried yet.
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