BzzAgent: Kroger/ Ralph's Meals Fresh House Salad with Bacon Kit

Located with the bagged salads at your local Ralph's, you will find a variety available from Caesar's Salad both "lite' and original but I went for the one with Bacon. The salad kit comes with everything you need except a fork! You get a generous ranch dressing packet, a shredded cheddar cheese packet and bacon. They even included little croutons to compliment the side or you can make this a meal.



Overall Taste and Texture:
I was at the store when the salads were being stocked and all that was available was the Caesar Lite version and the House Salad with Bacon. Even though a brand-new box with the salad kits were being stocked, you could see that the kits experienced some temperature fluctuations because the lettuce and greens were sweaty and even limp. I picked the best bag I could find to go with my dinner. The employee was very nice and even went to check for "better bags" and other kits but this was all that was available.

Upon opening the salad kit at home, I noticed my fears were confirmed because the lettuce had an off smell so I washed it even though the bag stated triple washed on it. Once washed, the greens came back to life in the cold water and I then used a salad spinner to make sure everything was dry enough for assembly. A few leaves did have to go in the trash because they just had gone bad. Not exactly open, mix and serve but worth the process to make sure I got the crispest and cleanest lettuce. The cheese had a little too much corn/potato starch, which is used to keep the shreds separate so I skipped on adding it and left it for Hubby's baked potato. The bacon was not crisp but I placed it in a cup and gave it a 10 second zap in the microwave, that fixed that right up and it smelled delicious. The dressing is a little on the sweet side so I went light with it and also added sliced cucumbers and tomatoes to my salad.



The overall taste and serving portion is great if you are in a hurry but I would not consider this a prime quality product. I think it' may be my not so local Ralph's store that may not be keeping things as they should because the salad's greens could have been much better. I get better quality from a cheaper head of lettuce and the price tag does not justify the not convenient process I got out of this bag. In theory, the product should have been easier and better than the final results. I can say the croutons were crisp and more flavorful in taste than the dressing. Again when it comes to bread, Ralph's does very well!



I received the above product free of charge from BzzAgent and Ralph's. I am not obligated in providing a positive/favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.