Quote of the Day

11.20.2008

Ore Ida's Steam n Mash Potatoes

As a member of SheSpeaks, I occasionally get a sample of a new product to try. The most recent was Ore-Ida®'s Steam n' Mash™ Russet Potatoes.

For 3-4 bucks, depending on where you shop, you can pick up a 24 oz (1 lb 8 oz) bag of frozen peeled and chunked potatoes with a little bit of salt and some additives (flavoring and preservatives). You then microwave them, mash them, add butter and milk, and you are good to go.

On the table they looked, smelled, and tasted exactly like real mashed potatoes, because they are actually real mashed potatoes. They were yummy and we gobbled them up. No complaints there.

I had a little bit of trouble with the microwaving, as some parts of the bag remained frozen whilst others were cooked to mush, this in spite of the fact that my microwave does indeed rotate.

My chief complaint though, is price. I can buy a 50 pound bag of potatoes for $5.00 if I buy off the farm. Even if I go to a grocery store, potatoes are cheap. You can have them delivered from Huge Idaho Potato for about $1.09 a pound, including shipping! Of course these ones are not peeled or chopped, as the Ore-Ida ones are, but really, how hard is that?

In fact, if you are willing to pay an extra 2-3 dollars a pound to have them peeled and chopped, offer the work to your kid. They will learn a useful skill and you will at least keep your hard-earned dollars under your own roof.

So, though they were tasty, I really don't see the need for them either in my own life, or in our community. This is one more example of food being turned into a product that requires assembly, packaging, storage, marketing, shipping, and more storage. For what?

I'm sorry Ore Ida. Would you like me to send the free masher back?

~Suzanne

:: one year ago today: Ron Paul in the news and U.S. Constitution - Article 1: Section 1 and Greek Potatoes


No comments: