The One Chinese Entree You Should Never Buy In The Freezer Aisle

There are plenty of delicious meals lining the shelves of your local grocery store's frozen section that will provide convenience and comfort in a pinch. If you don't feel like fussing over a hot stove or ringing up your local delivery spot, you can choose from any number of frozen Chinese meals that will easily satisfy without breaking the bank. Keeping a selection of your frozen favorites on hand will ensure a quick, hot meal when you most need to streamline dinnertime. 

For all the good, bad, and just plain inedible meals out there, Tai Pei Beef & Broccoli is the worst frozen Chinese food you could possibly pick, per Tasting Table's definitive rankings. Albeit fast and cheap, it falls well short of being anything close to good, making it altogether not worth a second look, much less being worthy of stocking in your home freezer.

As Tasting Table's assessment noted, this frozen Chinese food lacks taste yet also maintains a bizarre sweetness and a texture akin to mush and little else. These thoughts are echoed on a Reddit board dedicated to frozen dinners and elsewhere, which complain about blandness or and unpleasant tasting sauce and oddly textured beef that seems to be mostly gristle or filler, all of which amounts to a generally inedible dish. The most disappointing thing about this item is how its potential is ruined by both lackluster presentation and a lack of quality ingredients.

Preparing a takeout-style beef and broccoli recipe yourself is the way to go if time and logistics permit. If pressed, consider a few shortcuts you can take to try and streamline your cooking process. For starters, the best cut of meat to use for a classic beef and broccoli is one that is thin and lean, such as flank steak. Time-wise, this is fairly easy to prepare, as it has a shorter cooking time than a thicker cut of beef. Depending on the cooking method you choose, you can make a delicious beef and broccoli in less time than you might think that will taste better than a disappointing store-bought frozen entree.

If you choose to stir-fry your ingredients, make sure that everything is set out within reach and be sure to keep an eye on your pan when it begins to sizzle. This will allow you to moderate the amount of sugar and salt you want to season your dish to accommodate taste and dietary preferences. For an even quicker and more hands-off method, try preparing broccoli and beef in the Instant Pot, which takes less than 20 minutes when all is said and done. If you still have your heart set on a frozen meal, make sure to read reviews online to verify you're getting your money's worth for the best broccoli and beef possible.