Product Review x3: Meal Mart Passover kugels

Two years ago I reviewed the Passover kugels by Classic Cooking at Costco (Product Review: Classic Cooking: apple matzah kugel; Product Review: Classic Cooking potato kugel; Product Review: Classic Cooking broccoli soufflé). I was very pleased with these kugels and have even enjoyed them after Passover ends (and that is really saying something as I am tired of most Passover food before Passover even starts…yes, I dislike a lot of it so much that even without having any, I have had enough!…Matzah, I’m looking at you…) Last year Costco kept the same kugels and changed ttihe layer cake which was a positive change link (Product Review: Schick’s Passover 7-layer cake; Product Review: World of Chantilly Passover 7-layer cake). Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the change in kugels this year. Costco went with Meal Mart kugels. While the potato was good, and I did not taste the apple, I was less than impressed with the broccoli.

Like the Classic cooking kugels, Costco sold these kugels in packs of two. However, the packages were smaller.

I will make these reviews short (well, for me) because I do not have a whole lot to say.

Potato:

The potato kugel has never been my favorite of the bunch but is always pretty good. It is a little boring but still makes a good side dish with the main course of meat. However, it is not something I would want outside of holiday meals. In contrast, I enjoy eating the broccoli with many other dishes, including eggs, tuna, salmon, and whitefish salad. However, I was pleased the Meal Mart potato kugel. I actually think it may be slightly better than the Classic cooking version. Now, a lot of the credit does go to my mom who knows how to heat a kugel–low and slow, along with the brisket. But we can give Meal Mart a little credit too. The top of the kugel was crunchy, whereas the center was soft and chewy. It reminded me a little of the filling of a knish (which makes sense as it is essentially the same ingredients…) It was not bland but was not overwhelmingly peppery. It which made a great side dish for the most excellent brisket and its sauce (recipe available upon request).

Apple:

In the past, I have always eaten the apple kugel with eggs rather than at the Seders with the meat. I did not taste it this year but I did see it and asked others how it was. The apple was the most noticeably different in appearance from past years. In the past, it was hard to differentiate from the potato kugel as both were a light brown rectangle. This year, however, the apple kugel had larger apple chunks that stuck out from the rest of the kugel, which was very “short” in height. Consistent with its appearance, the report was that it tasted much more of apples than matzah, almost like a chunky applesauce. When my dad ate it as a leftover, he said that it reminded him of the filling of an apple pie. People seemed to like it, but I am guessing that if it had been the only side dish (yeah right–a Jewish meal with only one side dish???), it would not have been as well received as it did not seem to be as substantial as the other kugels.

Broccoli:

Oh, what a disappointment. As I said, I usually buy extra broccoli kugels and eat them for months after the holiday. I am glad that I did not request extras this year (largely because I have been loving my veggie burgers (Product Review: Dr. Praeger’s harvest veggie burgers) as a side dish for my fish and did not want to clog my freezer with kugels that I was not as likely to eat) because it was not very good. As usual, I served myself a hefty portion and was eager to dig in. However, unlike the broccoli kugel of the past, which was soft, fluffy and slightly sweet, this kugel was dry and had more of a bitter taste. I thought that it was because it was not as hot as the other food and maybe had not cooked through. But no, at the second Seder, despite more cooking, it was still a disappointment. I still ate it for the rest of the holiday because, well, there weren’t many options and I still *wanted* to like it (and it did get a little more enjoyable each night). But I have already contacted Costco to express my disappointment with this years’ selection. I do not know if the other brand went out of business or if Costco got a better deal on these kugels but I hope they get something better for the high holidays (when they tend to sell the kugels again) and next year.

Fortunately, my layer cake (Product Review: World of Chantilly Passover 7-layer cake) was still excellent–and now I still have three left for post-Passover enjoyment.

Did anyone else try the Meal Mart kugels this year?

What did you think?

If you have tried the other brand in the past, how did you think these compared?