Even though I’ve been getting burned out on Chef Boyardee, I went to the store this morning looking for a can of their beef ravioli for lunch. Well, actually, I went to the store with the intention of buying a ramen noodle cup but, after not being able to find them, I ended up in the Chef Boyardee aisle instead.
While there, I noticed beef ravioli in meat sauce from the brand Our Family. I hadn’t tried it before and it was a couple pennies less so I figured I would buy that one instead.
I have purchased Our Family products in the past and, for the most part, they offer decent value for a lower price. However, I have also noticed that the majority of Our Family items do offer somewhat lesser quality than the more expensive brands. Their baked beans, for example, aren’t as thick as baked beans from a national brand like Bush’s.
This was pretty much the same thing with the canned beef ravioli I purchased and opened with a can opener.
Taste wise, I had no complaints about this product. When you pay a little more than a dollar for something, you really can’t expect a whole lot. But, for the money, it wasn’t too bad. The sauce had a decent blend of seasonings and the ravioli was tender and had a reasonable amount of meat inside it. Compared to the Chef Boyardee brand, I would say this tasted roughly the same.
However, there were some little things about it that made me wonder if two cents was enough of a savings.
For one, there wasn’t as much meat in the sauce as the more expensive Chef Boyardee brand. I usually save that part for last and was disappointed when there wasn’t anything to scoop up with my fork.
The ravioli itself was also a bit on the small side. When I first opened the can, I thought I grabbed a can of mini ravioli by mistake. That wasn’t the case. Yet, the ravioli was definitely smaller than the more expensive brand. It did, however, prove to be about as filling as the Chef Boyardee ravioli.
Overall, I feel the Our Family brand did offer me a quality product. However, given the fact I did have to make the sacrifices I mentioned above, I do think I would purchase the Chef Boyardee brand the next time simply because I’m not saving enough money to make it worth buying this brand instead. But, if the price were reduced further, I would definitely consider this as an alternative.
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