Going Through No Brand Frozen Foods Thoroughly!

Tonkatsu, Hanwoo, Chicken, and Even Shrimp All Available!

Focus if you want reasonable consumption! Today’s special is on No Brand frozen foods. No Brand has the ideology and philosophy of ‘making products at the lowest price range with optimal materials and manufacturing methods.’ It means they help consumers shop smartly. If you live alone or are tired of delivery food, open your eyes wider! They’ve covered pork, beef, chicken, and even seafood. Let’s check out No Brand’s frozen foods that boast great cost-effectiveness right now!

Whole Loin Cheese Donkatsu (6,480 KRW)

When it comes to frozen foods, donkatsu (pork cutlet) naturally comes to mind. These days, you can enjoy crispy outside and tender inside fried food without worrying about oil, just with an air fryer. This product, which contains thick loin pork filled with savory mozzarella cheese, made me even more excited. I chose cheese donkatsu instead of regular donkatsu because I was curious if I could enjoy both the crispy fried coating and the softness of the cheese at the same time.

After simply cooking it in the air fryer, yellow oil dripped down, making it look delicious. I was a bit disappointed that the meat wasn’t as thick as I expected, but my satisfaction rose when I saw the cheese stretching out. Can’t you feel the crispiness just by looking at the photo? That’s thanks to the air fryer. Contrary to the visual, the softness of the cheese wrapped my mouth more than the crispiness. There are three pieces of donkatsu in total, and I’m very satisfied considering the price. Note that donkatsu sauce is not included.

Editor’s rating … ★★★★☆

Korean Beef Usamgyeop (19,980 KRW)

When beef has good marbling, it seems to be worth that price. Among No Brand frozen products, the meat category includes various items like samgyeopsal (pork belly), pork neck, bulgogi, and soup cuts, but I was curious about buying the expensive image of beef at a low price. The product I purchased is 500g, priced at 3,996 KRW per 100g.

It’s good to use for stir-fry or stew ingredients, but I wanted to taste the original flavor of the meat, so I grilled it in a frying pan. The savory and clean taste of the Korean beef usamgyeop had little off-flavor. The thin slices have the advantage of cooking quickly, but the downside is that they cool down quickly. It might be better to grill each piece leisurely in the pan and enjoy it.

Editor’s rating … ★★★☆☆

Spicy Chicken Wings (9,980 KRW)

Many people must be upset about the recent chicken price increase. I’m one of them, as chicken is the first thing that comes to mind for late-night snacks. While deciding to quit chicken for a while, I found this item. You can enjoy moist chicken dishes with just an air fryer, so I couldn’t resist buying it! There are about 19 chicken wings included.

The editor only enjoyed the chicken wings as a snack, and as expected, it was a taste that made me crave beer. The firm and non-dry meat and the tender yet chewy chicken skin were no less than the chicken wings ordered at pubs. Also, choosing the spicy flavor made it less greasy and easier to eat more. Let me shout here: “Let’s eat wingbong at home!”

Editor’s rating … ★★★★★

Chili Shrimp (6,980 KRW)

The shrimp and chili sauce are individually packaged. You just need to cook the shrimp in a frying pan with cooking oil, but there are no separate instructions for cooking the sauce. The editor chose the recipe of adding the thawed sauce and stir-frying when the shrimp seemed cooked, and the result was...

A bit of a failure, but I would repurchase. See the plump shrimp? However, the glutinous rice batter stuck to it, so it’s not crispy. The packaging says ‘spicy and chewy,’ and it’s exactly that without any pretense. The spicy and sweet sauce soaks well into the shrimp, making it good as a snack for kids, a late-night snack, or a beer side dish. Next time I buy it, I’ll try air-frying the shrimp first and then dipping it in the thawed sauce.

Editor’s rating … ★★★☆☆

Next time, I’ll be back with a No Brand snack edition!

Photo by Yoon Eun-ae