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Review by Ted Berg
- I compared three blends of frozen stir-fry from Wegmans, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's.
- Wegmans had my least favorite stir-fry, and there wasn't anything notable about the Whole Foods one.
- The Trader Joe's stir-fry had the best flavor profile and textures by far.
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Stir-fry is one of my go-to quick, crowd-pleasing weeknight meals. I like to pick a protein, throw it in a skillet with some vegetables and seasoning, and then serve it over rice or noodles for my family to chow down on.
However, individually purchasing and chopping up all the necessary vegetables can be time-consuming. Luckily, supermarket chains like Trader Joe's, Wegmans, and Whole Foods sell pre-cut blends of frozen vegetables intended specifically for stir-frying.
To see which store offered the best frozen stir-fry, I bought one bag from each and prepared them all the same way. Here's how the frozen stir-fry mixes compared to each other.
Prices may vary by location.
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I started with the Wegmans Hong Kong stir-fry.
Wegmans' website shows a selection of frozen stir-fry blends, but the only one available at my local store was the Wegmans Hong Kong stir-fry, which cost $3.30 for a 16-ounce bag.
The mix included broccoli, carrots, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, and green peppers.
I appreciated how balanced the Wegmans version was.
Straight out of the bag, I was impressed by the even-looking balance of ingredients. I added the vegetables to the skillet, and after about six minutes, it looked ready to go.
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The Wegmans stir-fry blend came out looking slightly unappetizing.
When I transferred the vegetables to a bowl, they looked a bit unappetizing to me.
As is expected for stir-fry, the edges of the veggies browned a bit while they cooked. By the time it was ready, the dish took on a greenish-brownish color that didn't make me want to dive in.
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The Wegmans version was my least favorite of the three.
While the stir-fry didn't taste bad, it wasn't especially tasty either. The textures were generally good, especially for the broccoli, which was tender but not at all mushy.
The snow peas retained a bit of crunch, and the mushrooms had a pleasant sponginess. But none of the flavors were strong — and some were barely noticeable.
Since the textures were good and the only drawback was the lack of flavor, I think Wegmans' stir-fry would work just fine in any dish with a tasty sauce.
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Next, I tried the Whole Foods 365 organic stir-fry blend.
At Whole Foods, the 365 organic stir-fry blend cost me $3 for a 16-ounce bag.
The mix included broccoli, carrots, green beans, onions, red-bell peppers, and mushrooms. Right out of the bag, I noticed it was very heavy on broccoli, which came in a mix of florets and cut stalks.
While cooking, the Whole Foods blend looked more appetizing than the version from Wegmans.
After six minutes in a skillet with a tablespoon of canola oil, the blend looked more appealing than the one I tried from Wegmans. The bright red-pepper pieces went a long way in masking the brown color of the cooked vegetables.
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The Whole Foods version had a nice flavor.
The broccoli in both the Wegmans and Whole Foods options had the perfect texture, but the Whole Foods version maintained the flavor from the vegetables better. The stalks, especially, were a pleasant addition to the dish.
The carrots and string beans were a bit less noticeable but still flavorful, and the fruitiness of the red pepper made the whole stir-fry taste lively. There were very few mushrooms, so their flavor got lost in the mix.
I'd buy this stir-fry blend again if I was already at Whole Foods.
The stir-fry was good enough that I'd buy it again if I were at Whole Foods and planning to buy some frozen vegetables. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to pick up a bag.
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Finally, I moved on to the Trader Joe's Asian-style vegetables with stir-fry sauce.
Although slightly more expensive at $4 for a 16-ounce bag, Trader Joe's Asian-style vegetables with stir-fry sauce looked like an obvious upgrade over the other two options.
It featured a larger and more unique blend of vegetables, including baby corn, sugar snap peas, green beans, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, red-bell peppers, and water chestnuts.
The Trader Joe's version smelled incredible while cooking.
Although the bag came with sauce, I tried the veggies without it at first for comparison's sake. This one smelled amazing while it cooked, filling my kitchen with warm aromas that I didn't get from the other two stir-fries.
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The flavors from the Trader Joe's vegetables were a breath of fresh air.
The stir-fry looked good on the plate and tasted even better. The green beans and sugar snap peas were bursting with sweetness and flavor, the water chestnuts added a perfect squishy and crispy texture, and the baby corn was moist and crunchy.
In my opinion, it also tasted like Trader Joe's used some vastly different and more effective methods of freezing and storing the vegetables.
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However, I'd skip the sauce from the Trader Joe's blend.
I also tried the stir-fry with the included sauce but found the flavor underwhelming.
I thought it was salty and heavy on the earthy, sweet flavor of hoisin sauce. Next time, I'll skip it and find something else to season them with.
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Overall, Trader Joe's frozen stir-fry blend was my favorite.
Although I'd make both the Whole Foods and Wegmans versions again, Trader Joe's stir-fry mix has earned a regular spot in my freezer.
In my opinion, it blew the other two out of the water.
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