Bachelor on the Cheap

Available at Costco

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Chicken Shawarma, with roots in the Middle East, is thinly sliced chicken featuring regional spices.  A super popular street food, boneless/skinless chicken gets stacked in an inverted cone shape, then is cooked slowly on a rotisserie or spit with that fantastic blend of spices.  Street vendors then slice off portions of the cooked meat, serving it up with pita or naan bread.  Also great on salads and over rice, Chicken Shawarma is delightfully delicious, especially when paired with a yogurt, tzatziki, or tahini sauce.   

I'm a bit spoiled, I live in a town that has some great Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine eats, shout out to N&J Cafe, my favorite Chicken Shawarma spot in the Wichita Metro.

Sadly, the only time I ever eat Chicken Shawarma is when I go out to eat.  It's not a dish I fix at home.

Until now.

Chicken Shawarma over rice

Picking up some staple items at Costco on a recent shopping trip, I happened across a refrigerator holding several packages of On The Street Foods Chicken Shawarma Slices captive.  I broke one out and put it in the get-away cart.

This is fully cooked meat, so all you have to do is heat the Shawarma up per the package instructions, super easy, and super convenient and dinner is ready in about 5 minutes!

I served the Shawarma over seasoned rice, a classic platter presentation.  Biting into the chicken it's got all the notes you look for in a shawarma, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, a touch of cinnamon, some red pepper, and a bit of turmeric for color.  The chicken was tender, juicy, and satisfied my impromptu Middle Eastern street food craving.

Costing me $11.99 at Costco for 2 pounds of meat, I'm giving On The Street Foods Chicken Shawarma Slices 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars.  Reasonably priced, it breaks down to just $1.50 per serving, and there's a lot of meat here, the bag states 8 servings and the serving portions are legit.  It's a super convenient eat and most importantly, tastes good.  Not as good as N&J Cafe, but pretty darn good nonetheless and I don't know about you, but how many people are able to stack up a cone of meat and put it on a spit at home?  

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

1202 E MacArthur Rd, Wichita, KS 67216

BachelorontheCheap.com

For all the nuances involved in the crafting of not just a good, but a great burger, the bite that really matters is all about the beef!  Buster's Burger Joint, a Wichita burger icon, brings it.

If you haven't enjoyed a burger from this place yet, what are you waiting for?  I recently learned that Jennifer, a lady I've been dating for just about two months now (she's capital 'W' Wonderful), had never enjoyed a Buster's Burger.

We remedied that void on Thursday.  

We pulled into the parking lot just before 11 am, opening time, and as we approached the door, we were hit with those oh-so-enticing burger and fries aromas.  

Awesome meat to bun ratio, and just LOOK at all that bacon!

Entering Buster's, there were already customers ahead of us.  It's a small joint, that seats like 11 customers at a couple of small tables in view of the kitchen as well as at a counter in view of Yankee sports memorabilia lining the walls.  There's also additional seating at two picnic tables outside, but suffice it to say, as good as these burgers are, if you don't get there in a timely fashion, you're probably in for a 20-minute wait for a burger and a seat if dining in.  The numbers were in our favor, after placing our order for Bacon Cheeseburgers and sides of onion rings for Jennifer and Tater Tots for me, we sat down at one of the small tables in view of the kitchen.  The customers in line behind us filled the joint to capacity.  

Jennifer noted the steady stream of customers coming in the door, and at this point, it was primarily carry-out orders and that 20-minute wait.  It didn't take that long for our burgers and sides to arrive.

What you get at Buster's is always phenomenal, a big patty (or two, maybe go three if you want...) of perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned beef, and they're juicy.  Loaded with bacon, this is a carnivore's dream burger, check out the meat-to-bun ratio in the pic!  Wrapping up all that savory beef, bacon, and cheese goodness was a butter-toasted bun complimented by tart, crisp pickles, mustard, and a generous portion of onion.  The sides are stellar too, both with a perfect fry and a touch of salt.  Jennifer's onion rings were crispy on the outside and tender onion on the inside.  My tots provided that great potato crunch exterior bite, with that fluffy, potato interior.

Buster's really knows how to sling burgers and sides, the joint remains the best burger value in the Wichita Metro.  Two bacon cheeseburgers, two sides, and two drinks cost me $20.  The burger patties are huge, there was a boatload of bacon on them, and the sides are plentiful, more than either Jennifer or I could finish.  There's a tip jar at the register, don't forget to tip, these guys work hard, and they're craftsmen.

With my burger recommendation reputation on the line (not really, you can't miss with Buster's!), Jennifer was impressed with the place.  Located at 1202 E. MacArthur Rd, Wichita, KS 67216, Buster's Burger Joint cranks out stellar burgers and service.  I'm not the only person who wishes there was more than one location.  If you haven't had a Buster's Burger Joint burger yet, shame on you!  It's a repeat buy, again, and again, and again....

Related: The Best in Wichita Metro Burger Challenge 2022: The Top 10 Best Burgers

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Nacho flavors in a burger, what's not to like?

BachelorontheCheap.com

Somebody in the Wendy's test kitchen came up with an excellent idea.  Combining the ultimate snack of nachos with a cheeseburger, what's not to like, right?!

I've been wanting to try one of these since Wendy's first introduced them in late August.   It's one of those "available for a limited time" deals, and a month in, I probably can't be putting off sampling one much longer.   

Here's the description from the Wendy's website:  A quarter pound of fresh, never-frozen beef, American cheese, hot and crispy corn and tortilla strips, spicy chipotle sauce, poblano queso, lettuce, and tomatoes on a jalapeño cheddar bun. This burger takes everything up a nacho.

Out running errands on a Wednesday, I hit the drive-through at my neighborhood Wendy's for lunch and ordered a combo meal.  No, I did NOT steal fries from the bag to munch on during the drive back home. 

The under-the-lid reveal shows a lack of tortilla strips

Tex-Mex inspired, this is a pretty tasty burger, a nice change of pace from an ordinary Wendy's Single.  You definitely get the nacho notes with the poblano queso, spicy chipotle, and crispy tortilla strips.  It's an awesome texture element, but sadly, there weren't enough of those tortilla strips on my burger.  It didn't even come close to looking like the marketing picture, typical of fast food.  The jalapeno cheddar bun is a spin on Wendy's cheddar bun (introduced in August 2021 with a bacon cheeseburger offering), but it's a bit light on jalapeno flavor and you don't get those notes in every bun bite.  Wendy's calls this a Loaded Nacho Burger, and while it definitely has some nacho flavor, I wouldn't call it robust and with the lack of tortilla strips and too subtle with the jalapeno on the bun, I can't see calling it a "Loaded" Nacho Cheeseburger.  I thought about going with a double on this burger, but I think that would have taken away some of the nacho factor, the flavor balance is better off as a single.  

Ordering a double would have taken away from the nacho flavors

Costing me $11.60 for the combo meal, which included the fries and a drink, I'm giving the Wendy's Loaded Nacho Burger 3 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars.  It's a good concept burger, the texture element of tortilla strips is great, but the portion size was poor.  The nacho flavor is there, but it's not as robust as it could be.  It's a whisper of Tex-Mex, and this burger needs to speak up!   As is, it's a borderline repeat buy.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Related: Food Review: Wendy's Classic Big Bacon Cheddar Chicken

Related: French Fry Battle: Wendy's new fries vs. McDonald's

The marketing pic, how the burger is 'supposed' to look.

Chicken & Pepperoni Mozzarella Melt - Stacked Toasted Baguette

BachelorontheCheap.com

Sometimes, you just have to eat wherever it's convenient.

That's the situation I was in on Monday.  Coming back from a trip to Winfield and needing to take care of some urgent afternoon business in Wichita, it was lunchtime as I hit Derby on the unplanned early drive back home.  I didn't pack a lunch, I was going to enjoy a sit-down meal at a Winfield restaurant, but circumstances changed, so a drive-through lunch became the order of the day. 

With time of the essence, I thought about McDonald's but passed, not a fast food go-to place for me, not even a Plan B, it's more like a Plan C or D.  I gave Wendy's a thought and their limited-time Loaded Nacho Burger, but the line was too long.  Knowing I would soon run out of Derby real estate and fast food options, I settled for Panera Bread, with only one car in the drive-through as I pulled in.

Having no clue what I was going to order, I quickly reviewed the menu board as the car ahead of me finished placing their order.  The Chicken & Pepperoni Mozzarella Melt caught my eye.

Rarely is an under-the-lid reveal of a fast food item pretty, but this sandwich is loaded with flavor and you get pepperoni, chicken, cheese, and that sauce in every bite.

Here's the description from the Panera website:  Smoked, pulled chicken raised without antibiotics, thick sliced pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, shredded Fontina and mozzarella cheese blend with tomato bell pepper sauce on our toasted French Baguette.

This is a foot-long sandwich, more than enough for lunch, there would be half a sandwich left over for dinner.  I went with a combo, ordering chips and a drink to go with the toasted baguette.

This was a rather tasty sandwich!  The pulled chicken and sliced pepperoni is a really nice pairing, complimented by the tomato bell pepper sauce which was generously portioned.  The blend of cheeses had a perfect melt and combined with that perfectly toasted baguette, well, it made for a flavor party dance in the mouth.     

Costing me $17.69 for the sandwich, drink, and a little bag of chips, I'm giving the Panera Bread Chicken & Pepperoni Mozzarella Melt - Stacked Toasted Baguette 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars.  It's a darn good sandwich, and the preparation was well executed, but like most everything on Panera's menu, it's overpriced.  This was an on-the-go convenience meal, but it didn't come at a convenient price.  Although quite tasty and a lot of sandwich, it's not worthy of a repeat buy.

$17.69 for a sandwich, medium drink, and a small bag of chips? Granted, it was a foot-long sandwich, but still - OUCH!

The Panera Bread visited on this occasion is located at 1500 N Rock Rd, Derby, KS 67037.  The drive-through service was courteous, friendly, and fast.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

A double cheeseburger from Bill's Charcoal Grill

The cheeseburger is a food icon, perhaps America’s favorite, and today, September 15, it's celebrated in DOUBLE fashion.

Seasoned ground beef, cooked to perfection and placed on a bun with that all-important melted cheese.   What's better than a cheeseburger with your favorite toppings?

A DOUBLE cheeseburger!

#DoubleCheeseburgerDay

Here's my shortlist of great burger joints in the Wichita Metro, compiled during the Bachelor on the Cheap Burger Challenge 2022:

Bricktown Brewery:  A solid burger choice, the Bricktown Brewery Bacon Cheddar Burger scored a 58 out of 63 possible points, earning it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  The burger was so nicely balanced and while that generous portion of 'Burger Sauce' made for a messy burger eat, it did kick things up a notch.  Anytime you have burger juices and sauce running down your hand, a.k.a. FLAVOR, it's a good thing.  Of note:  Best Sweet Potato Fries of the Challenge.

Timbuktu Bar & Grill:  Order the Timbuktu Bar & Grill Timbuktu Original Burger with a bacon add but make it a double.  The burger scored 58 out of a possible 63 points earning it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  The perfect execution of this flat-top burger is what makes it.  Reasonably priced, it's definitely worthy of a repeat buy.  Of Note: Best Curly Fries of the Challenge.

Harry's Uptown Bar & Grill: The entire burger basket was as I like to say, Another Dose of YUM!  Harry's Uptown Bar & Grill and their 'Bacon & Cheese' Burger scored 58 points out of a possible 63, a score earning a 5-star Bachelor on the Cheap rating.  And did you see that price?  We're talking a 1/2-pound burger!  Not only is it a fantastic burger, but what Harry's cranks out in fine fashion is Bachelor on the Cheap wallet-friendly too.  Of note:  Best Onion Rings of the Challenge.

Burger Central: The Burger Central Bacon Cheeseburger scored 58 points out of a possible 63, earning it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.   The burger was flavorful, juicy, stacked well and very balanced.  Burger Central crafts a top-notch classic bacon cheeseburger and it's Bachelor on the Cheap wallet friendly at only $8.59 for the basket.  This is a repeat buy, a burger I would order again, and again, and again.  Burger Central mistakenly gave me fries instead of tots.  They immediately caught the error and served me up some tots, which were the Best Tater Tots of the Challenge.

Deano's Grill & Tapworks:  My favorite sports bar in town and they make a darn good burger.  The Deano's Grill & Tapworks Classic Cheeseburger with a bacon add-on scored 59 points out of a possible 63, earning it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars. It's most definitely a repeat buy and deserves to be on your burger-to-try list if you haven't done so already.

Buster's Burger Joint:  There's a reason this place is always packed first thing when the joint opens.  The Buster's Burger Joint Double Cheeseburger with a bacon add scored a 59 out of a possible 63 points earning it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  Buster's is VERY Bachelor on the Cheap wallet-friendly, the value is tremendous and if Buster's isn't already on your burger-to-try list, it should be! Of Note: Best Burger Value of the Challenge.

Fizz Burgers & Bottles:  The Fizz Burgers & Bottles Bacon Cheeseburger scored 60 points out of a possible 63, earning it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  This was the most expensive burger of the Challenge, but also tied for the highest scoring, one of the tastiest.  An upscale burger weighing a 1/2 pound, utilizing the freshest ingredients and pairing it all with a one-of-a-kind sauce makes for an excellent burger experience, one very worthy of a repeat buy.  The 1/4 pound version is available for $12.  And here's another tell on how good this place is, by the time I left at around 11:45 am, the place was nearly full with customers.

Bill's Charcoal Grill:  This is the best burger in the Wichita Metro!  The Bill's Charcoal Grill Double Cheeseburger with bacon scored 60 out of a possible 63 points earning it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  This is a repeat buy, again, and again, and again... The best burger beef of the Challenge.  Of Note: Runner Up for Best Regular French Fries.

Enjoy National Double Cheeseburger Day in the Wichita Metro!

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Crispy Honey Chicken

BachelorontheCheap.com

For a Friday Night Date Night, Jennifer and I were both up for dinner and a movie.

In the mood for Asian cuisine and looking for a place close to the movie theatre and a 7:20 show time, the restaurant of choice was P.F. Chang's.

It's been a while since I've eaten at P.F. Chang's, but it's a solid go-to.  It's not the cheapest place to satisfy your oriental food craving, but you know you're going to get a nice meal. The service is always good, and they have a menu with something for everyone, from appetizers to desserts.

We arrived a bit before 6 p.m. for a 6 o'clock reservation and were seated right away.  Our server Ally greeted us immediately and with a smile, taking our drink order as we looked over the menu.

Lettuce Wrap Appetizer w/dipping sauce

For starters, we ordered Chang's Lettuce Wraps.  If you've never been to this restaurant, you HAVE to try this appetizer. They're quite tasty and if you're familiar with P.F. Chang's, then you know what I'm talking about.  The seasoned chicken, combined with the crunchy noodles, then wrapped in crisp lettuce is a refreshing bite.

For entrees, Jennifer went with the Kung Pao Chicken, a dish featuring spicy Sichuan chili sauce, peanuts, green onion, and red chili peppers.  I went with my P.F. Chang's Favorite, the Crispy Honey Chicken, which is lightly battered, wok'd to perfection, and served with a tangy honey sauce, and green onion.

Everything was delivered to the table quickly and with a smile, the lettuce wrap appetizer, the entrees, rice sides, and two glasses of plum wine to compliment the meal.  It was all delicious too and we had plenty of food remaining on our plates to bag up to enjoy as leftovers.  How Chang's package up leftovers is a nice touch.  They take care of it for you tableside, packing things up in appropriate-sized containers, complete with convenient to-go bags to carry it all in.  Just about any other place simply hands you a container, many times over-sized, or under-sized for what food you have remaining, and lets you make a mess packaging it up. 

Kung Pao Chicken

Jennifer and I thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience from start to finish.  The only knock I have is the lettuce for the wraps was served a bit too wet.  The freshness was appreciated, but the wetness watered down the wrap just a bit, making for a messier than necessary and not quite as robust eat.  Costing $74.09 with tax for the appetizer, two entrees, and two glasses of wine (the price would have been $50.50 plus tax without the wine), I'm giving P.F. Chang's 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars for an excellent meal.  Ally provided top-notch service, she was friendly, attentive, and didn't miss a beat from the time she introduced herself until she packaged our leftovers and we exchanged pleasantries saying goodbye.  P.F. Chang's is most definitely worthy of a repeat visit.

P.F. Chang's is located at 1401 Waterfront Pkwy, Wichita, KS., 67206.  

Prepping a lettuce wrap

Side Note:  We went to see Equalizer 3, starring Denzel Washington.  Loved it.  Jennifer scored some discount tickets, she's wonderful.  

Related:    Restaurant Review: PF Chang's

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

BachelorontheCheap.com

Lunch meats, a.k.a. cold cuts, deli meat, sandwich meat, sliced meat, and a host of other names are perhaps some of the most versatile and portable proteins there are.  Typically served in sandwiches, lunch meats can be used in so many great ways, cold, hot, as a main dish, as appetizers, crafting charcuterie boards, an ingredient in side dishes, an impromptu stand-alone snack, and so much more.  

I've always got a couple of varieties on hand in my fridge and some form of sliced ham is usually one of them.

Today I'm reviewing Kirkland Uncured Black Forest Ham.

If you didn't already know, Kirkland is a Costco Private Label and they make a full range of deli meats, hot dogs, bacon, sausages, all of it.

It's all good quality stuff, and it's all reasonably priced.  When you buy Kirkland meats, you're getting a good product that you're happy to serve family and friends.

Making a ham and cheese sandwich, yes, there's bread under there... Pass the mustard.

Purchased at the Costco located at 9700 E Kellogg Dr, Wichita, KS 67207, the Kirkland Black Forest Ham is no exception.  I prefer this ham over many competitors for several reasons.  I like the cut, it's a slightly thicker slice than some of those deli-sliced types that can be too thin.  It's also a large slice of meat, bigger than the typical slice of bread.  Most competitor slices aren't, they're slightly smaller than the typical slice of bread.  I like how they package it, in single-slice layers, it's super easy to pull from the package.  Contrast that to how some lunch meats get layered up in a twisted soft-pretzel-like manner and you end up tearing slices apart trying to get a sandwich portion out of the vacuum bag.  The most important thing to like, it's got a good robust ham flavor that's not watered down - a trick some manufacturers use to boost the package weight.

In terms of price, check out how Kirkland compares to other popular brands purchased at a mainstream grocery store in the Wichita area:

• Kirkland:  $9.31 for a 1.76-pound package, that's $5.29lb.
• Oscar Mayer:  $6.78 for a 1lb package
• Kroger (Dillons):  $5.39 for a 1lb package
• Hillshire Farms:  $6.99 for a 1lb package
• Great Value (Walmart):  $5.32 for a 1 lb package
• Lunch Mate (Aldi):  $4.65 for a 1 lb package

Kirkland is the cheapest ham out there from those listed, with the exception of the Lunch Mate brand, which is one of those ultra-thinly sliced, watered-down varieties.  Not that Lunch Mate is bad mind you, but it is inferior in comparison.

I'm giving Kirkland Uncured Black Forest Ham 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars.  It's got a good robust ham flavor, it's VERY reasonably priced, and how it's packaged makes it super convenient.  It's most definitely worthy of a repeat buy, again, and again.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Related: Food Review: Kirkland Brats

Related: Food Review: Kirkland Signature Spiral Sliced Ham - Bachelor on the Cheap

BachelorontheCheap.com

This strays from my goal to eat gluten-free, but there are times when a quick and convenient breakfast is desired and a breakfast burrito I can pop in the microwave fits the bill.

Having sampled Red's Egg'wich in the past, a solid breakfast option, I decided to give Red's Meat Lovers Breakfast Burrito a try.

Convenient packaging will store longer in the freezer, with no freezer burn issues that you get with all-in-one-big-bag packaging.

A flour tortilla filled with pork sausage, bacon, egg, Pepper Jack, and White Cheddar cheese, these burritos have 350 calories each, packing 16 grams of protein, and 32 carb grams.  They are a bit high on the sodium count, with 740mg, 32% of the daily recommended intake.  This isn't something I'm going to eat every day.

You can prepare these in an air fryer, conventional oven, and the ever-so-convenient microwave oven.  Ready in less than two minutes, I took that first bite.

They're OK.  I sampled one prepared in the microwave as well as one prepared in the oven. The portion of pork sausage is decent, but it's under-seasoned, Jimmy Dean makes better pork sausage.  The bacon is minced, a subtle presence, so I would hardly call this a "Meat Lovers" burrito.  The egg was fluffy but like the pork sausage is also under-seasoned.  The saving grace was the two-cheese combo of Pepper Jack and White Cheddar.  It's like Red's hopes that the cheese combo carries the overall flavor profile.  While the Pepper Jack does make up for the lack of seasoning in the sausage, there's not enough of it to give you a "Wow, good breakfast burrito" bite.  The burrito prepared in the oven was the better option, giving the tortilla some added texture.

Opening up a burrito for a pic is almost never pretty, but you needed to 'not see' the bacon... it's a mince.

Costing me $15.49 for a 10-count box of burritos, I'm giving Red's Meat Lovers Breakfast Burrito 3 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars.  At $1.55 each, the individually wrapped burritos are convenient and will keep well in the freezer, but they really don't qualify as a meat lovers burrito and the cheese shouldn't be the flavor profile star.  This is a very borderline repeat buy, a very Plan B option.  My favorite breakfast sandwich is still the Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissant, which "buy" the way, is a cheaper and much tastier option than Red's.

Related: Food Review: Red's Egg'wich

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

A perfectly prepared steak

BachelorontheCheap.com

It's been a while since I've enjoyed a steak dinner at perhaps the best bang-for-your-steak-buck in Wichita, A & J's Music Room.

Thursday night is steak night, for $10.99 you get a 10-ounce top sirloin steak and a choice of two sides.  If you're an early arrival, there's Happy Hour from 2 -6 p.m., with $1.75 well drinks and $2.50 domestic bottles.  

Meeting up with Jennifer for a casual date night dinner after work, I arrived at A & J's at about 5:20 pm, hoping to beat the anticipated steak night dinner crowd.  Jennifer arrived soon after.   We didn't have any trouble finding a seat, the place was at about half capacity.  Our server greeted us right away and she took our drink and meal order.  Both of us went with a salad with Ranch dressing and asparagus to go with our steaks.

Our drinks were quickly served and the salads soon followed.  A & J's serves up a nice bowl of chilled salad, nothing fancy, but refreshing, and the dressing is served on the side.  Enjoying the salads and some small talk pleasantries, the timing of the steaks was perfect, just after we finished the rabbit food, they were delivered to our table.  The steaks were perfectly cooked to order, medium rare, thick, tender, juicy, and seasoned well.  There was no need for any salt, pepper, or steak sauce, they were excellent as prepared.  The asparagus was also cooked perfectly, tender crisp, seasoned well, and just the right amount of butter.

Enjoying our meal and the table cleared, Jennifer and I continued to visit as the steak dinner crowd started filing in, including a large group for a birthday party.  A & J's makes a good steak dinner, a perfect compliment to the laid-back atmosphere of the place.

If you're looking for a satisfying dinner that won't break the bank, consider A & J's Music Room and their Thursday Night Steak Dinner.  Located at 1602 S Meridian Ave, Wichita, KS 67213, the food was good and it was served quickly, as was our first round of drinks.  The only knock I had, and it's minor, was a lack of follow-up on a drink refill.  Our check was delivered to the table with a courteous, "I'll take that whenever you're ready" by the server, but she didn't ask if we needed anything else.  Despite that minor thing, it's still a good steak at a great price and worthy of a repeat visit.  It was a Bachelor on the Cheap wallet-friendly date night dinner.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

This is a great street food treat!

BachelorontheCheap.com

Korean-style corn dogs are perhaps the most popular street food in South Korea, so popular in fact, the treat is now enjoyed worldwide.  They're crunchy, sweet, and salty all in one delightful bite and so when I saw them in the frozen section at Costco the other day, I just had to grab a bag!

Korean Corn Dogs are typically served up in three ways, coated with panko bread crumbs; with potato; or crunchy ramen noodles.  We're talking a hot dog or cheese, or both, dipped in corn dog batter, then topped with the panko, or the potato bits, or the ramen noodles, then fried to perfection.   Today I sampled a crispy potato variety.  There's no hot dog in this, it's fried Mozzarella on a stick giving it that the corn dog feel, coated in batter and potato bits.  

Individually wrapped, freezer friendly.

You can prepare the Han Chef Korean Style Crispy Potato Corn Dogs in a conventional oven, using an air fryer, in the microwave, or as recommended by Han Chef, using the microwave plus the air fryer.  I opted for the conventional oven.    Individually wrapped, these treats are super convenient and I had a very tasty snack in 12 minutes.  I was pleased with how they turned out, the exterior was nice and crunchy, and it's a frozen product that maintains its deep-fried preparation.  You get the slight sweetness and light crispness from the corn dog batter, the potato chunks are seasoned well and crunchy, and the portion of Mozzarella cheese is generous with a nice cheese pull.  I suspect they'd be even better in an air fryer and one of these days I'm going to buy one.

Oven preparation

Costing me $12.49 at Costco for 8 corn dogs, which breaks down to $1.56 each, not a bad price for a delicious street food treat.  I'm giving Han Chef Korean Style Crispy Potato Corn Dogs 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap Stars.  They're reasonably priced, super convenient, and they definitely satisfy a decadent food craving.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike

Generous portion of Mozzarella cheese