My wife had to stop off at Wal-mart last night after work because we needed diapers and a couple other things. Since she was there anyway, I asked her to pick up something for dinner.
She apparently wandered around the store for a while unable to decide what to buy and was about ready to just pick up a Papa Murphy’s Pizza on the way home when she came across something different; Cugino’s Chili Fixins’ Mix. Even though it was somewhat warm out (we normally don’t eat chili unless it’s cold), she decided to pick it up.
I normally make chili from scratch and, other than a skillet chili seasoning pouch I picked up some time ago, this was the first time we have used a mix like this. And, I can tell you, from a convenience stand point, I really don’t have a whole lot to brag about when it came to this product. We still needed to brown the hamburger, add the separate ingredients and cook it for roughly as long.
I also can’t describe this as a cheaper option because, in addition to paying more than $3 for the mix, my wife also had to buy the hamburger and beans along with a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce.
Despite what I just said, if you are in the mood for chili and don’t want to make it from scratch, I do think this is a decent option.
First, even though it wasn’t any easier than making the chili from scratch, the instructions on the package were easy enough to follow and I think pretty much anyone could have made a pot of chili with this kit. I’ve seen plenty of other kits that I couldn’t say that about.
I was also impressed by the flavor. When we read the ingredients, I was a bit concerned this would be a bit too spicy (I like some spice in my chili but have to limit it if I don’t want to have a bad case of heartburn later). Instead, this was very close to what the chili would have tasted like if I had made it the way I normally do (unlike the skillet chili kit that tasted like it belonged in a taco shell).
Another thing that impressed me about this product was the quantity. Normally a kit like this will make enough for 3-4 servings. I don’t know if it made the 12 servings that were promised. But, we did have plenty leftover despite having two servings each.
As I said before, if you normally make chili from scratch, this isn’t a kit that will necessarily interest you. But, if you are in the mood for chili and need something that provides step-by-step instructions, you can’t go wrong with this product.