Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries

Processed foods scare me. The long, illegible ingredient lists; the unknown effects on my health/organs; and the unwelcome additions to my waistline.

With that being said, I rarely by frozen, pre-packaged foods that I could easily make on my own with fresh, natural ingredients. But when FoodBuzz offered me a free bag of Ore-Ida frozen sweet potato fries as part of their Tastemaker Program, I was optimistic. I was willing to give them a chance.

Stop and Shop had this product on sale, two for $6 total. At 6 servings per bag, that makes this bag of fries go for 50 cents per serving. Not a bad deal at all – but was the taste (and ingredient list) worth it?

First, let’s take a look at the ingredients:

Sweet potatoes, canola oil, modified food starch, rice flour, tapioca dextrin, sea salt, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), xantham gum, annatto (color), sodium acid pyrophosphate. 

I love how sweet potatoes are the number one ingredient – I mean, why shouldn’t they be? – but there are some scary additions to the mix, as you can see. Despite the worrisome additives, the fries were surprisingly crispy, well seasoned, and not overly greasy (although they were a little greasier than I'd prefer).

Dipped in ketchup alongside a grilled cheese sandwich, Ore-Ida’s sweet potato fries are quite delicious. But because of the slightly illegible ingredient list, I probably won’t be buying these again. It’s just as affordable to buy a few fresh potatoes and bake them in my oven, topped with olive oil and seasonings.

Do you buy a lot of pre-packaged/frozen foods? Why or why not?

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