289985 Sat Aug 03 20:02:03 -0700 2002 11 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1572053 Just got a pop-up ad from Schwan's offering a free frozen dinner. "Restaurant quality cuisine." But of course they don't say whether the restaurant their quality is comparable to is Denny's or French Laundry. :-D Has anyone tried their frozen dinners? I surfed their site for a few minutes since I didn't have any idea what they offer and notice they have premium ice cream (they call it Simply Supreme). How does it compare to, say, Ben & Jerry's? Sat Aug 03 20:02:03 -0700 2002 0 Sarnie 1 1572065 I have found Scwan's to be better than other frozen meals. However, that is where it ends, as a frozen meal. The ice cream is tasty, but not as good as the premium brands out there. Sat Aug 03 23:06:42 -0700 2002 1572053 0 Ben D 1 5163038 My SIL went through a Schwanns phase... she has arthritis and limited mobility so the grocery store takes a lot out of her. I had some of their stuff while I was visiting her and it was okay. A lot more sugar and salt than I'd use... but it was perfectly edible as these things go. It's not cheap, but for somebody who's not in the position to stand around cooking all day it's not bad. Sat Nov 07 07:04:14 -0800 2009 1572053 67657 Kajikit 1 5163348 I enjoy their dinners. I'm pretty fond of the gluten free meatballs and marinara dinner, it was the first time I'd had quinoa pasta. The ice creams ARE excellent, I love them. And they do a good pecan pie. I've tried the penne alla vodka with chicken and I find it to be pretty good but honestly, I don't have that picky of a palate lol When they have the online hot deals, some items can be pretty cheap. Sat Nov 07 10:02:25 -0800 2009 1572053 112034 spellweaver16 1 5163512 We love Schwan's ice cream - we think it's better than anything we can get in our supermarket. And, it's a heavy container, it's not a lot of whipped air. We used to use a lot of their convenience foods (chicken strips, fish filets,etc) when the kids were smaller, but we've gotten away from all of that. I confess I miss the fried fish filets. Sat Nov 07 11:49:14 -0800 2009 1572053 124908 jeanmarieok 1 5167570 The Schwan's product I truly love is their pepper bacon. So good! Mon Nov 09 11:41:02 -0800 2009 1572053 13709 buttertart 1 5168199 Good ice cream, but avoid the frozen twice baked potatoes. Mon Nov 09 14:41:05 -0800 2009 1572053 13118 Gail 2 5170279 Anything seasoned / prepared foods seem to suffer from overuse of nasty garlic flavoring. Tue Nov 10 10:25:19 -0800 2009 5168199 13709 buttertart 3 5170885 Yes, that and it appeared as if someone had stepped on them. Had them at my SIL on an evening where, I think, she had forgotten she invited us to dinner. :-) Tue Nov 10 13:39:14 -0800 2009 5170279 13118 Gail 4 5171048 Too funny. My MIL is somewhat housebound (at 86, in her own house, managing quite nicely otherwise thank you) and buys a good deal from them (IQF chicken breasts etc). They are useful for some things. Tue Nov 10 14:38:02 -0800 2009 5170885 13709 buttertart 1 5171112 I grew up having Schwans in the summers at grandma's. The one thing I remember very fondly is the rocky road ice cream! Most of the ice cream was very good. Tue Nov 10 15:14:16 -0800 2009 1572053 64882 Vetter 1 5174453 I'm not a big fan of Schwans. They are really common in MN & SD since that is where they are based out of. I find the ice cream a bit too gooey. I have not looked at an ingredient label but it is the gooey texture you find in ones that use lots of stabilizers. The frozen foods I would consider about a notch below Stouffers meals from the grocery store. They are heavily salted and sugared like most convenience food. If someone gave me a bunch of Schwan's food for free I would probably pass on it. Wed Nov 11 18:52:29 -0800 2009 1572053 61071 blackpointyboots