The $40 bag of frozen cauliflower wings that turned into mush and why I'm never buying pre-breaded air fryer stuff again

So I was at the grocery store last week and saw this bag of frozen cauliflower wings, already breaded and seasoned, thought hey this will be perfect for the air fryer. Paid $40 for two bags. First batch I did what the bag said, 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Came out looking like someone dropped them in a puddle. They were soggy on the bottom, sticky, just gross. Second bag I tried less time, more time, shaking the basket halfway, nothing worked. It's like the breading just absorbs moisture and turns into paste. My girlfriend said they tasted like wet cardboard with hot sauce. I'm out $40 and now I just buy regular frozen cauliflower and season it myself. Has anyone else had luck with those pre-breaded frozen veggies or is it all a scam?

3 comments

3 Comments

paulschmidt2mo ago

$40 for two bags is insane, that's like a full meal at Chipotle. The breading on those things just turns to mush no matter what you do, it's a texture fail. I'd rather just roast my own cauliflower with some seasoning and save the cash.

rowanellis1mo ago

The frozen section keeps getting pricier, I swear it's up at least 30% compared to a couple years ago. Paul's right about the texture, that breading always goes limp inside the bag, no matter how you try to fix it. I tried Adam's oil trick once and it helped a little, but it's still not the same as fresh cauliflower roasted at home with a good spice blend. At forty bucks for two bags, you could buy a whole head of cauliflower and half a dozen other vegetables for that money.

adam7512mo ago

Same problem here man. I've found tossing them in a little oil first helps the breading crisp up instead of steaming.