The Dorm Room Gourmet, Episode 1

Jul 11, 2008 - 07:18 AM PST

Well, my impending return to college in a month's time and the recent purchase of a food item fit for the dorms got me thinking....why not a dorm food reveiw thread for all my fellow college students, boarding-school kids and apartment-bound bachelors out there? (Author's note: I conform only to the first of that list )

So I said to myself, 'why the hell not,' and valiently sallied forth to the kitchen with camera in one hand and wonderful prepackaged, add-water-heat-and-eat foodstuff in the other.

For future reference, all reviews will be on the basis of cost, tools/materials required, effort and time needed, and overall taste on a scale of one empty beer can to five empty beer cans (five being best, of course).

So, for my maiden review, I present to you, in true college fashion, a dessert:





Betty Crocker's Warm Delights series; this particular specimen is a chocolate cake. It comes packaged in a bowl, with cake mix and fudge packet inside. Following the easy three-step directions prominently featured on the back of the packaging yielded this before cooking:





And this after:






I found it a nice, light cake, if a bit flavorless. The fudge sauce offered a nice contrast in texture, though it was also a bit light on flavor.

The end result:





Definitely palatable.

The final word....

Price: At $1.50 American on sale, the package offers a fair amount of food. 4/5 cans.
Effort/Time: Took perhaps a minute to prepare, an additional 1:15 in the microwave, and a couple minutes to cool...overall, quite good. Gives enough time to take a leak, log onto your computer, put together a beer run....5/5 cans.
Materials Required: Though the dessert is almost self-contained, requiring only a fork for eating, preperation does require a container capable of measuring 1/4 cup. I personally don't have one in my college gear, so...3/5 cans.
Taste: Relatively flat. Only a hint of chocolatey goodness compared to, say, your mother's chocolate cake. Definitely tastes like dorm food. 2/5 cans.

Overall, I'd recommend this particular dessert. It's relatively cheap, you get a good amount of sugar-laced food...just be prepared to get what you pay for in terms of taste. Definitely worthy of a spot on the dorm room shelf.

Final Score: 3/5 cans-good, solid dorm fare


Well, that about wraps up this edition of 'The Dorm Room Gourmet'...hope you enjoyed the review, and perhaps found it useful. If you have any requests for specific reviews, just leave a post and I'll see if I can't give it a go.

Until next time.....

Loyalist, the Dorm Room Gourmet