Alexia Brand frozen potatoes & onion rings?

[josephnl]

I have been drooling over the photos on the packaging of many Alexia Brand frozen potato & onion prducts. The ingredient list looks pretty good also. Has anyone tried any of these, and are any especially good (or bad)?

[crt]

They're not to bad for precooked/packaged wedge style potatoes. But I think you can make a variety of seasoned wedge fries so easy and better at home...and chearper as well.

As for onion rings. Well I've never made them at home. The prep/process/cook just seems like to much of a hassle. Recently bought a bag of Kroger breaded (sweet onion) onion rings. They were the bomb, a good bomb that is! Excellent dipped in Sriracha laced mayo!

[HillJ]

Since the Alexia brand is a regular paid advertiser on this site, I noticed their banner ad has been running in rotation all day, I'm a bit miffed that endorsements are allowed on CH.

[Scrapironchef]

I'd be suspicious if all the reviews were glowing, but they seem to be going both ways here.

[HillJ]

True enough but if we were on a regional Board discussing a restaurant the rules would not allow for self-promotion of any kind. Advertising a product that winds up reviewed on the community board or vise versa can be perceived as suspect.

[Scrapironchef]

There's no evidence Alexia had any part of this thread.

[nothingswrong]

Agreed. Most of their products suck. That banner just reminds me not to be fooled by the deliciousness I see in their photos.

[Tripeler]

Consider the situation and what else is out there in the market. I have never had any of the Alexia brand products, but they seem to be a slightly upmarket take on the typical supermarket easy-food fare.

[HillJ]

Thanks to pretty packaging and well placed marketing, the "slightly upmarket take" is working.

[Steve Green]

We tried the onion rings and found them flavorless -- no onion taste, nothing. On the other hand, the (sadly discontinued) Alexia packaged snack onion rings were some of the best packaged snacks we'd ever had. These _looked_ sort of like the dreaded canned ones used to top the greenbean casserole, but were about 1000X better. We were crushed when they stopped making them.

[obsessed with food]

You are definitely not the only one who was crushed when Alexia stopped making the snack onion strips. They were almost exactly like authentic onion rings in the snack food aisle. I used to heat them in the oven & that made them even closer. With all the crap out there, I don't see the reasoning for discontinuing such a good product.

[Steve Green]

My guess is, they discontinued them because they didn't sell well, for these reasons:
a. Price was seen as too high --$3+ for a small, half-full bag, compared to other snacks (even though you can't really compare real onion rings to cheese doodles or similar factory food)
b. People had no idea how great these things really were

[obsessed with food]

I go with reason b. because they were so good that there had to be enough people out there that would pay whatever necessary to have what they like. I will spend way more than I should on something I truly love. I'm no millionaire & I can't be the only one of this mindset.

[Scrapironchef]

The snack onion rings were outstanding, and their frozen chipotle sweet potato fries are a favorite in our house. The plain with sea salt ar a good alternative to DIY in a pinch.

[Mayor of Melonville]

We like the fries with sea salt. The mixtures with potatoes/green beans, etc. not so much.

[mucho gordo]

Please tell me what market carries this brand. I don't recall ever seeing it.

[josephnl]

In southern CA, Gelson's carries them. I also think I may have seen them at Whole Foods, but I'm not sure.

[mucho gordo]

We go to the Gelson's in Encino. I'll look for it there. Thanks.

[DiningDiva]

Ralphs, some Albertson's and some Pavillions also carry Alexia products as does Whole Foods

[mucho gordo]

Ralph's and Gelson's are the only markets we shop at and I don't recall seeing that brand in either one but that may be because I haven't specifically looked for it. I will now.

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

I've seen them periodically at Dollar Tree.

[nvcook]

Raley's in Calif (maybe just northern) and in Nevada.

[DiningDiva]

I've tried most of their potato products and they're decent, but as noted, you do have to be pretty careful not to overcook them. Yes, it's just as easy to roast your own, or make your own oven fries, but I've found these to be a pretty good freezer item to have on hand when I'm in a time crunch.

They also have some new potato and vegetable medleys that are cooked on the range top. I've tried 2 of the 3 varieties. One was very good, the other not so much.

[Bob W]

We have had pretty good luck with these products. I have a bag of their Garlic Fries in the freezer that I bought for the Super Bowl but I got filled up on other treats so I never busted into these.

[centralpadiner]

We like the sweet potato fries, onion rings, and yukon gold fries with sea salt. We only do fries and onion rings on rare occasions at home. The sweet potato fries are yummy and less guilt inducing. If you are going to do a frozen product like this, these are by far my favorite.

[Kajikit]

Haven't tried the potato or sweet potato, but their onion rings were okay.

[nothingswrong]

oh, and sorry, but i had to share some potato food porn. look at that crispy deliciousness

[italia84]

we like the onion rings, thumbs up.

[nothingswrong]

I tried several of the potato products a couple years ago. I wasn't too impressed. They certainly do look delicious, and I start drooling/staring at the photos when I see them in magazines. But the reality is they never look as good as the pics, or taste as good as they look like they would.

In my honest and humble opinion, roasting my own potatoes is just so much tastier. There is just something about frozen potatoes that taste weird to me. Maybe it's a texture thing. I roast crispy brown potatoes for one on almost a daily basis. Start to finish, it takes about 35 minutes--I cut up one potato, parboil for 5 minutes, then toss in olive oil, sea salt, and seasonings of choice for 30 minutes at 400 or higher, tossing twice during roasting. Super easy and delicious, and guaranteed fresher tasting.

Onion rings are another story. Those are a pain to make (well) at home. Haven't tried the Alexia ones yet. Drool...

[rockandroller1]

I've tried the onion rings and the potatoes and also haven't been impressed. 2 tries is all I'll do.

[MRS]

All are great! I have enjoyed them for some time. Our favorite is the red potato/ parmesan mashed potatoes!! Fantastic!!

[modthyrth]

Their sweet potato fries are very good, and reasonable calorie-wise. I tried their regular oven fries a year or so ago, and if you overcook them, they turn into crunchy air. You can let the sweet potato fries go longer, get more crispy on the outside, without destroying everything that makes them good inside.

[writergeek313]

I usually cook the sweet potato fries a few minutes longer than the package directions. The last time I made them, I tossed them with a little garam masala for the last few minutes of baking. They were excellent! I don't usually bother with packaged fries, but this is the one brand I'll pick up if I'm craving them.