What's A Hungry Man to do? (Swanson's Hungry-Man Dinners)

Tonight’s article is admittedly going to be a bit short; I had a catastrophe this week that included the self-destruction of my side-by-side refrigerator/freezer (yes, thank you – the irony is not lost upon me) and the ensuing loss of hundreds of dollars worth of groceries, which has left me a little…irked. It’s also left me more than a titch discombobulated. You genuinely don’t realize the changes refrigeration has made in human living until you attempt to live without it, even for 24 hours. We grumble about having to shop weekly or bi-monthly being onerous…daily shopping for sustenance is a near-forgotten task lost in the mists of human time. The ease of storing staples, condiments...replacing them was a startling lesson in taking things for granted.

Anyway, enough self-pity for tonight. Onwards to the much-maligned Swanson Hungry-Man Dinners!!

Poor Swanson Hungry-Man. As a frozen meal, this line is the Rodney Dangerfield of TV Dinners; it “don’t get no respect.” Nobody will ever confess to actually eating one; it is frequently the butt of jokes. Yet, as I reported in January, Hungry-Man actually outsells a number of other TV Dinner brands, and nearly matches Marie Callendar’s, going head-to-head in number of dinners sold per quarter (10 million for Hungry-Man; 12 million for Marie Callendar’s in the same third quarter of 2005). Above and beyond that, Hungry-Man’s sales are increasing, kicking up about 20% over the same period in the previous year. (No, I don't know where that picture came from...now ask me if I care. He looks like a hungry man, doesn't he?).

Does Hungry-Man really deserve such perceived disrespect? According to Regulars at the Icebox Diner, Hungry-Man dinners are pretty darn tasty, and in general, their dinners seem to earn a 4-to-4.5-star rating. One thing that Hungry-Man certainly delivers is volume and a feeling of satiety, which is something frequently lacking in other frozen meals. Are Hungry-Man dinners really worse, ounce-for-ounce, than other dinners?

Let’s do a quick comparison between a few selected Hungry-Man meals and some from other brands. Hungry-Man’s Chicken Pot Pie has (per 8.5-ounce serving, of which there are two in this pot pie) 520 calories, 50.8 grams of carbs, 14.0 grams of protein and 29 grams of fat. Marie Callendar’s White Meat Chicken Pot Pie? This pie also contains two servings, of 8 ounces each, each “serving” containing 510 calories, 43.0 grams of carbs, 14.0 grams of protein and 31 grams of fat. So far, between the two brands, virtually no difference.

How about Hungry-Man’s Boneless Fried Chicken Meal? Weighing in at 16 ounces, and served with corn and mashed potatoes, it packs 700 calories, 73.5 grams of carbohydrate, 34.0 grams of protein and 30.0 grams of fat. Let’s compare this to Banquet’s Select Boneless White Fried Chicken Meal, which comes with corn bread and French fries. This Banquet meal weighs 8.25 ounces, and delivers 540 calories, 41 grams of carbs, 16 grams of protein and 34 grams of fat. Banquet’s meal is half the size of the Hungry-Man meal; ounce-for-ounce, the Hungry-Man meal has significantly fewer calories.

In the Roasted Chicken frozen dinner category, Hungry-Man outperforms Marie Callendar’s, with the Hungry-Man version (both are served with Mashed Potatoes) weighing in at a little over one pound and 440 calories, while the Callendar’s meal weighs in at only 14 ounces but contains 580 calories. Again, both ounce-for-ounce and overall, Hungry-Man is the better choice, calorie-wise.

So, don’t be mislead by misperception. Four of the Hungry-Man meals are under 500 calories in total, which is less than many Stouffer’s Classics or “Hearty Favorites” entrees, just as examples. Read the labels, and if the spirit moves you, indulge. And, really….who could resist a meal called “Sports Grill Chicken with Cheese Fries Dinner?” I know the next time I see it, I’m going to try it. Mmmmm…cheese fries. What’s not to love?