Product Review: It's All Good BBQ Skewers

It's All Good is part of Gardein's line of meat analogs that began popping up in local groceries within the past few months. These mock beef skewers had piqued my interest a few months ago but I was put off by the fact that they were pretty pricey. Yesterday, I noticed they were on sale at Whole Foods and picked up a pack thinking they'd make for a good, quick dinner. It was fortunate that I did that because the baked tofu I made last night for this week's lunches turned out inedible. It's All Good stepped up to the plate and became lunch.

The skewers look like turds on a sticks when uncooked. It was a little off-putting. After microwaving for 2 1/2 minutes they really took on the appearance of meat. The smell was pretty appealing, too. Upon the first bite I was a little alarmed; the taste and texture was very close to real beef. After getting over the initial shock, I really enjoyed these. They were pretty tasty straight out of the package, without any kind of added sauce. These would be probably be a great addition to a stirfry for a really quick dinner.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, I'd give these an 8. They'd be great to have on hand for a night when you don't feel like cooking or to replace the tofu you made for lunch that tasted like hot garbage. The downside is that they're not really cheap. A pack with 4 small-ish skewers will run you $4.99. Those 4 skewers will feed two people with moderate appetites. Cooking these for a family would probably get pretty expensive. They're worth it but they'll remain an every-once-in-a-while treat for me.