Bob Evans Refrigerated Original Mashed Potatoes: A Review

The people at Bob Evans Farms have come out with a mashed potato side dish that is just wonderful! The taste is buttery and homemade, and the texture is smooth and creamy.

I found these Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes in the refrigerated section at my grocery store. I was planning to have pork chops for dinner and I really wanted mashed potatoes as a side item. The problem was, my daughter doesn’t like potatoes and I really didn’t feel like making two separate side items. Also, the thought of peeling, slicing, boiling, and mashing potatoes for one person seemed like a lot of work, especially if I’d be forced to eat it as leftovers several more times until they were gone.

Occasionally, my daughter would eat potatoes if there were gravy on them, but that composed a whole other issue. I guess I’d just go with macaroni and cheese if I didn’t come up with anything else.

I spotted a brand of pre-made mashed potatoes that I’d tried before but wasn’t thrilled with. I passed them by thinking I’d check out what was available in the frozen food section that I could use instead.

I passed the meat section as I headed to the frozen foods area and by chance, I spotted Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes. They were not on sale, and their regular price at that store was $3.99. That was more than I would have liked to pay. I conjured up what I could recall about Bob Evan’s food products. Bob Evan’s sausage was all I could remember having had from them, but I liked it.

Then I recalled eating at Bob Evan’s restaurant, and I was pretty sure I liked the food I had there. I decided it was worth a shot.

What ingredients are in Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes?

Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes is made mainly from potatoes, whole milk, butter, margarine, water, salt, and other things. It also contains milk and soy.

Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes comes in a 24oz. plastic container that has a plastic covering, the plastic potato container is then encased in a cardboard over wrap. Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes can also be found in a 2 pack of 2- 24oz. containers.

How do you cook Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes?

To cook Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes, you can either microwave them or cook them on the stovetop.

To microwave Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes, after removing the over wrap and cutting a small slit in the plastic film for venting, you simply microwave the container on high power for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes, remove the container from the microwave and stir the potatoes.
I have heard people complain that the potatoes are watery, and you will see water standing on top of the potatoes when you first open the package. This water will be mixed in with the potatoes when you stir then after micro waving them for 3 minutes.
My guess is this extra water helps to keep the potatoes soft, smooth, and moist, and it definitely makes them easier to stir.

I’ve always liked my homemade mashed potatoes smooth, but with lumps. In other words; smooth, but with small chunks of potato in them. This stirring time is when you can kind of gauge how ‘lumpy’ you want your potatoes to come out. For me, I just mix enough to incorporate the water and redistribute the potatoes to heat evenly. If you like yours really smooth with no lumps you can mix a little longer until you get the consistency you want.

After stirring, return the potatoes to the microwave and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Let them stand about 2 minutes before serving.

For stovetop cooking of Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes, just empty contents of the container into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Heat and stir until hot.
Again, you can mix until the Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes reach the consistency you’d like.

Nutritional Facts on Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes

A serving size of Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes is � cup. There are about 5 servings per 24oz container.

A � cup serving of Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes has 150 calories, 60 of which come from fat. There are 7g of total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, and 0g trans fat. There are 15mg cholesterol, 410mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 1g sugar, and 3g protein.

Along with the 2g fiber and 3g protein, other nutritional values include 6% Vitamin A, 2% Calcium, and 6% Iron based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet.

Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes proved to be a winning side dish for my family. I was very happy that my picky, potato-hating daughter ended up liking the buttery, home- style taste of this wonderful side dish. Its given me the ‘go-ahead’ to make one of my favorite dishes that I haven’t made in years because I didn’t want to be the only one eating it. Hello Shepard’s Pie!

Reference:

• www.bobevans.com/