Is That Some Mac In Your Pocket... Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

We like portable food.  We also like quick food.  Foods that have found a way to do both at once are often a standard fare of those on the go (or those who really got to get back to that video game).  One of the more popular quick & portable meal options for many are Hot Pockets.  Burrito sized pocket sandwiches filled with meats, cheeses and the occasional veggie, they seem to have newer varieties every time you go to the store.  Hot Pocket has even taken to making a special line of Limited Edition pockets.  I don't know why the thought behind making flavors limited, but they've made one just for this blog.  I've seen it on shelves for a good six months so if you really want to try it, it's probably best to try it sooner than later.  You never know when it's going to go out of production.



The Review

Brand:
Hot Pockets Limited Edition Four Cheese Pasta Garlic Bake

Price:
$2.20 at Target

Packaging Description:
Enjoy new, unique and craveable varieties in the convenience of a Hot Pockets brand sandwich.  LIMITED EDITION Hot Pockets brand sandwiches are stuffed with all your favorite flavors such as Spicy Hawaiian-Style Pizza and Four Cheese Garlic Pasta Bake.  Try them while they last!

Preparation:
*Remove the Hot Pocket from it's plastic wrap.

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*Toss the plastic wrap and put the Hot Pocket in the sleeve provided.

*Place it on a plate and cook it for 2 minutes in the microwave.
*Hot Pockets are designed now to be eaten in the sleeve (they can fold up and be torn down as the pocket is eaten), but since this one has a very gooey inside that can spooge out when bitten, I highly recommend that you take it out of the sleeve and eat it with a fork and knife.

All cooked up.  See the leaky cheese?  That stuff can be hot and never feels good spilling onto a hand or squirting into your mouth.

*Let it sit for a minute.
*Commence with the nomming!

Taste:

I see you little pasta!

One thing I noticed about this was that almost immedately after I took this out of the package I smelled garlic.  They sure seem to have some potent garlic, that before this is even cooked you're getting hit by the aroma of it.  The taste of garlic was quite strong and almost too much considering what a small portion of food that it was contained in.  The crust isn't the standard Hot Pocket crust, but the one that is used in their fancier pockets (ie the non ham and cheese type meals).  The cheese was much less saucy than I was expecting and had some good stringyness to it.  The pasta was a bit al dente and the whole thing felt a bit starchy.

Final Score:
A bit much on the garlic for my taste since there wasn't a lot of other flavor going on. The cheesy taste was a bit spotty, where there were a few bites that were nice and a bunch that were just garlicy.  If this crust was crispier I think they'd be onto something.  The whole thing was just a bit too chewy.  It's not bad, it's not phenomenal it just is something different that's worth trying once if you're a Hot Pocket fan.  That's also probably why it's a Limited Edition item, not good enough to be a permanent fixture in our freezer cases.

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size 1 piece (127g)
Servings Per Container 2

Calories  290  Calories From Fat 90
Total Fat 10g (15% Daily Value)
Saturated Fat 5g (25% DV)
Trans Fat 0g (0% DV)
Cholesterol 30mg (10% DV)
Sodium 670mg (28% DV)
Total Carbohydrates 39g (13% DV)
Dietary Fiber 2g (8% DV)
Sugar 6g
Protein 10g