Product: Beef & Stout Hand Pies
Specs: Two frozen hand pies featuring flaky crusts that envelop diced beef, cubed potatoes, pearl onions, peas, carrots, celery and a stout-infused gravy. The product is from a new, growing line of frozen meals and desserts by Martha Stewart Kitchen.
Preparation summary: Remove pies from box and plastic wrap, and oven-bake them in their aluminum tray on a lined cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. The pies are not to be cooked in the microwave.
High points: The pasty crust is both rich and airy. It’s made with butter instead of lard. The gravy inside isn’t too salty, and the flavors of veal stock and Guinness poked through unexpectedly in certain bites. Such attributes were cause for excitement considering this is a factory-cranked frozen meal that certainly isn’t handmade by Martha Stewart, or manufactured anywhere near her New York State farmhouse kitchen.
Low points: The flaws outweighed the positives. The crusts cooked unevenly, and the veggies inside offered conflicting textures—crunchy carrots, slightly tender potatoes, and hopelessly mushy peas.
But the biggest offense was the low amount of filling in each 4-ounce pie for the price. Stewart’s marketing spiel claims the pies are elegantly gourmet and homespun. She even suggests they are ideal for entertaining. We love ya Martha, but some of us see straight through your relentless salesmanship, and I feel ripped off.
Average retail price: $5.99
Availability: Kroger, Publix, Jewel-Osco, Ralphs, Woodman’s Markets, and other select grocery stores.
Would Martha serve them, looking as they do, at her next Thanksgiving dinner. I think not.
They look like a couple of sanding blocks.
Wouldn’t even try them. Never a Martha fan.
Good luck getting your money back from her. She’s all about the profit, not so much about the customer satisfaction.
I cant stand Martha
She wont get a penny of my money
Looks like jail food … no thanks
For $5.99 – my expectations would be low. Sounds like that is about right.
If frank says no the it’s a no Brainerd. Thanks I would have tried them if I hadent seen this.thanks dude.