After
I told you about Aroma’s Pesach Sandwich yesterday I wasn’t planning on posting
any more this week but when I ended up at the Jerusalem Central Bus Station
yesterday I got to taste McDonald’s Kosher for Pesach Bun. I debated writing a
review about it because I don’t know how many of the McDonald’s around the
country are kosher, of the kosher ones I don’t know how many are open for Pesach
selling a Kosher for Pesach roll. Not only that, it could be each branch has
its own Kosher for Pesach roll so the bun you find in the branch near you may
taste different to what they had at the Jerusalem Central Bus Station branch. Then
I figured I may as well just write a quick post in case there are enough people
it would interest. So here goes.
MamaOf’s latest
addition is a baked, not fried, Chicken Schnitzel. The lack of frying makes it
only 4% fat per 100 grams of chicken schnitzel. Given that all MamaOf chicken
products are made with 100% chicken breast this makes for a much healthier
schnitzel option.
I was really happy to
see this healthier version hit the market but I wanted to make sure that it
passed my personal taste test. If something is healthier and less fatting but I
don’t like the taste I may not end up buying it on a regular basis.
Panko bread crumbs are "Made from crust-less bread. Panko is widely used in Japanese cooking although it is no longer found exclusively in Japanese cuisine as it has become a popular coating for fried food all over Asia and even in non-Asian countries."
Panko breadcrumbs are larger than the regular breadcrumbs we are used to and they look more like flakes than crumbs. The fact that it's made from a crust-less bread keeps these breadcrumbs much lighter and airier. Somehow this softer texture is meant to produce a crispier coating than regular breadcrumbs.
מאמא עוף שניצל אמיתי בציפוי פנקו
I was sure this new Panko coated Chicken Schnitzel would be very different to the MamaOf Kosher for Pesach Schnitzel I reviewed but, all this interesting information about Panko breadcrumbs made me wonder if the coating on this schnitzel would taste different to the MamaOf Crunchy RitzuOf Schnitzels I reviewed a few months back. The short answer is yes, in my opinion it was fairly different.
The first time I tasted MamaOf's Panko Coated Chicken Schnitzel I warmed it in the microwave. I found that the coating was basically disconnected from the chicken itself and it was very soft and airy.
The taste and texture of the coating reminded me of the batter coating you might get on say a (Western) General Tso's Chicken dish. Seeing as it had been warmed in the microwave the Panko Schnitzel was not at all crispy. It was enjoyable enough but I knew that in order to write a proper review I would have to taste it warmed in a toaster oven as well. That way I can judge how crispy I thought it was.
A few days later I did just that, after a few minutes toasting, it was crispy and ready to eat. I did think it was more oily than I anticipated, it needed to be patted down with a paper towel to remove the extra oil.
This time I didn’t think it tasted anything like General Tso's Chicken but it was crispy and enjoyable. Still I would not say it was crispier than schnitzels made with "regular" breadcrumbs.
I was pleasantly surprised that even after being warmed in the toaster oven the coating seemed lighter and more airy than other MamaOf chicken schnitzel I've eaten in the past. I really enjoyed the airiness.
The 100% chicken breast itself was perfectly soft and tasty just like all of the other MamaOf 100% chicken breast dishes I know.
MamaOf's Panko Coated Chicken Schnitzels have no artificial food colorings and no preservatives.
Bottom Line: Even though it tasted quite different I enjoyed MamaOf Panko Coated Chicken Schnitzel warmed both in the microwave and the toaster oven. I liked that the coating was light and airier than other coated schnitzels. Still I don't think the 43.00 NIS suggested price tag is justified. I should mention I bought it on sale for 21.50 at Rami Levi the other week. Personally I would only buy this Schnitzel if I can find it for a reasonable price.
Bag of 700 grams – 43.00 NIS (I got it on an introductory sale for 21.50 NIS)
Kosher Mehadrin
הרב צפניה דרורי קרית שמונה
Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.
The latest "trend" in the frozen schnitzel category is a schnitzel that can be prepared in a "pop up toaster". Just 3 minutes and you have a "cooked" schnitzel to enjoy. Both Tivoll and OfTov have such a schnitzel on the market right now. Tivoll's are vegetarian (corn) and OfTov's is made of chicken and turkey.
Tivoll's Corn Toaster Schnitzel
שניצל תירס קופץ להכנה בטוסטר קופץ
Tivoll has 3 Toaster Corn Schnitzels to choose from Corn, Corn & Cheese and Spicy Corn. I tried the plain Corn Schnitzel.
The Tivoll Schnitzels are thin enough to fit in your average pop up toaster and are shaped like a "slice of white bread". They are coated with bread crumbs and chock full of corn.
I found it very easy and quick to prepare it in the toaster. It was ready within a few moments. The outside was warm and crispy leaving the corn inside plump and juicy, yet fully "cooked" through.
I think those that like corn schnitzel will be very happy to with this new "cooking option", it is very easy to prepare and absolutely lives up to its promises.
The one issue I had with Tivoll's Corn Toaster Schnitzel was that it seemed to leave a "puddle" of oil at the bottom of my toaster. Overtime I think this can be a problem; it can possible ruin my toaster or cause it to "short out". I wonder if other people that tried this Tivoll Corn Toaster Schnitzel had the same problem.
420-490 gram bag – 26.00 NIS
Kosher Badatz
OfTov Chicken Toaster Schnitzel
עוף טוב שניצל קופץ
OfTov's Chicken Toaster Schnitzel is possibly the thinnest frozen schnitzel I have yet to taste. It was very easy and quick to prepare in the toaster; literally 3 minutes and it was ready. Just like Tivoll's corn schnitzel; the outside was crispy leaving the inside moist and completely cooked through.
I did think that this thin chicken schnitzel was quite bland; it didn’t have too much flavor on its own. I'm not sure that’s a big problem considering that most people eat schnitzel with a dip or a condiment of their choice.
I was happy to see that this OfTov's Chicken Toaster Schnitzel did not leave an oil residue at the bottom of my brand new (meaty) toaster, but it did leave some of the breadcrumbs coating that I was easily able to shake out and clean away.
OfTov's Chicken Toaster Schnitzel has no artificial food coloring, no preservatives, no MSG and they are low in cholesterol.
700 gram bag – 33 NIS
Kosher Mehadrin
הרב אויורבך
I thought OfTov's ad was sweet and I read that 5 year old Yonatan was having trouble saying the tag line "Houston we have a Schnitzel" so after some 10 failed attempts they told him to say "Houston guava schnitzel" and that seemed to work, here take a look see J …
Bottom Line: I have a feeling many college students have been using a toaster to heat up schnitzel for years (Hay, we used our iron to make grilled cheese, if we would have had a toaster I'm sure we would have used it for schnitzel and the like.) Although these "toaster schnitzels" may just be a gimmick, I guess it's OK that the schnitzel companies have made schnitzels that are just as tasty as their other products and still thin enough and properly shaped for kids or collage students to "officially" use their toaster to quickly and efficiently prepare a schnitzel meal for themselves.
MamaOf has 2 Kosher for Pesach "breaded" chicken breasts available for Pesach this year.
I actually wanted the smaller fun star shaped one but, I could not find that in my supermarket, so I got the full size schnitzels instead.
Both of MamaOf's Pesach Schnitzels are made with real chicken breast and are coated in a "home-style" matzo breading.
The chicken breast had a wonderful and clean chicken breast taste, just like the chametz MamaOf-RitzuOf I reviewed here.
The home-style coating did come off more easily than the chametz version but it didn’t completely fall apart as I was eating it.
Even though I heated it up on a sandwich maker/ Panini grill it was still a little less crunchy than the "crunchy RitzuOf" so yes it's obviously different to the chametz MamaOf schnitzels but I still enjoyed it and thought it was absolutely successful.
The coating does have flavor from the different spices MamaOf added but nothing overpowers the clean chicken breast taste. I think any of your favorite Pesach condiments would work well with this schnitzel.
To me it actually tasted perfectly wonderful in a sandwich made with the Kosher for Pesach Rolls
These MamaOf Pesach chicken breast schnitzels have no added preservatives or food coloring and are not Kitniyot.
Bottom Line: With all the cooking needed throughout this week long holiday it's nice to know there's the option of buying a ready-made schnitzel and having a healthy tasty meal within minutes.
700 gram bag - 37.30 nis
Kosher for Passover- Rav Tzephaniah Drori Kiryat Shmona
רב צפניה דרורי שליטה קריית שמונה
Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.
Combining them together you get RitzuOf = ChickenStrips
This is the second RitzuOf from Mama-Of, the first one being a sesame chicken-strip. Crunchy RitzuOf is just like the sesame-breadcrumb, chicken-schnitzel strips but this time no sesame-seeds and the coating is intended to be crunchier.
These Mama-Of products are made of 100% chicken-breast and have no preservatives added. This new Crunchy RitzuOf is no exception it's 100% chicken-breast, coated in crispy bread-crumbs and spices. They then fry them and immediately freeze them, to keep in the crispiness.
They are sold a zip-lock bags, which I found to be very convenient, so long as I close it properly I can keep it in the freezer, for a reasonable amount of time, without them getting freezer burn.
I liked the shape and size of these chicken-strips they are long and thinner and very convenient to dip in your favorite condiment.Since they are longer, you might have to double dip
They were a fun snack for a few friends who stopped by to watch a game. They can easily be a convenient main course, with the benefit of not having to cut-up the schnitzel for the kids.
Baked in an oven the coating was crispy as promised, but the batch I put in the microwave were not crispy.
We all agreed that it was a little too salty, the sweet & sour chili-dip and BBQ sauce helped mask that. The chicken inside was moist and tasty. The fact that it's made of real breast-chicken definitely made a difference.
Bottom Line: I liked the shape and size of the Crunchy RitzuOf. To me, the fact that they are 100% real chicken-breasts is a big plus, but they were too salty for me. I might have to try the sesame one and see if they are less salty.
650 gram bag–introduction sale for the month of March - 34.99 NIS
After which the price with be 39.99 NIS
Kosher: Meat – Mehadrin
Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own
