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"Topical Freeze: Tina's Burritos with Jamelle Bouie" is Episode 251 of Doughboys, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Topical Freeze: Tina's Burritos with Jamelle Bouie" was released on May 14, 2020.

Topicalfreezelogo

"Tomorrow, a review of Tina's Burritos... (with @jbouie)" - @doughboyspod

Synopsis[]

As Topical Freeze continues, writer Jamelle Bouie (The New York Times, CBS News) returns to the pod for a locked down evaluation of the #1 frozen burrito brand, Tina's Burritos. The crew get salty about Pop-Tarts in a new edition of Cereal.

Nick's intro[]

Like Oliver Evans, the inventor of the refrigerator, or Percy Spencer, the inventor of the microwave, you probably don't know the name of Clarence Birdseye. But the taxidermist by trade with an ornithological/optical-orifice for a name is another man whose kitchen innovation forever changed the way people eat.

Clarencebirdseye

Clarence Birdseye

After a stint working for the United States Department of Agriculture, Birdseye was transferred to Labrador, a frigid half-province of Canada, and while stationed there, an Inuit native to the region taught him the process of freezing fish at sub-zero temperatures under massive blocks of ice. Birdseye noticed the rapid chill technique, as opposed to the slower process in use in the States, led to fewer and smaller ice crystals which less muted the fish's flavor upon reheating.

So in the 1920s, Birdseye shifted careers to the kitchen, using Inuit cultural knowledge as an inspiration for a scalable technology he called his quick-freeze machine, and the process became known commonly as flash-freezing.

Flash-freezing gradually became industry standard for its ability to preserve a fresh taste in a frozen product - at first, vegetables, then meats, and, in time, fully prepared meals for home reheating.

In the 1980s, as flash-frozen food had become as American as McDonald's Apple Pie, and as domestic demands for Mexican food grew in the States, a frozen-burrito company opened in Los Angeles, making their own tortillas in house before filling them with starch and protein and flash-freezing the assembled wrap.

Today, as sales have reportedly made it the #1 brand in the "Brrr-ito" sector, you'll find this budget-friendly Angeleno original in your grocer's freezer aisle, not far from a brand of frozen vegetables called, in honor of the inventor of the quick-freeze machine, Birdseye.

This week on Doughboys, our month of frozen-food reviews, Doughboys Topical Freeze continues with Tina's Burritos.

Fork rating[]

Tinas1

Tina's Burritos

guest / host ordered rating
Nick Wiger
  • Bean & Cheese
  • Beef & Bean
  • Beef & Bean/Green Chili
  • Red Hot Beef
  • Beef & Bean Chimichanga
  • Tina'a Cantina Egg, Bacon & Cheddar Cheese
  • Tina's Chimi Steak & Cheddar Cheese
2.75 forks
Mike Mitchell
  • Beef & Bean
  • Beef & Bean/Green Chili
  • Red Hot Beef
  • Beef & Bean Chimichanga
  • Beef & Bean Sriracha
4 forks
Jamelle Bouie
  • Beef & Bean
  • Bean & Cheese
  • Red Hot Beef
2.5 forks

Spoonman's Bite of the Night goes the Beef & Been Burrito. Mitch also gives Tina's a Late Night Bite Award for being fun to eat late at night.

Cereal / Snack or Wack[]

Tinaspretzel

Pop-Tarts Pretzel

In Cereal, The Doughboys try different varieties of cereal, one bowl at a time. In Snack or Wack, The Doughboys have a snack and decide if it is 'good' or 'bad.'

However, in this episode, they have, not a cereal, but two new flavors of Pop-Tarts: Pretzel Chocolate and Pretzel Cinnamon Sugar. Nick was able to try both flavors, Jamelle just had the Cinnamon Sugar. They rate them Snack or Wack.

Nick was confused by them, preferring the Chocolate, but not liking either. Jamelle did not think they were pretzel-y enough.

(Mitch was not able to try find these, but he would make up for it and try them during this episode. He liked them and considered them a Snack.)

guest / host Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar
Nick Wiger Wack Wack
Jamelle Bouie - Wack

Spoonman's Treat or Skeet[]

In Snack or Wack, The Doughboys have a snack and decide if it is 'good' or 'bad.' During the pandemic lockdown, Mitch would do a solo version he called Treat or Skeet.

Tinasnickers

Salty & Sweet Snickers

Since Mitch was not able to locate the Pretzel Pop-Tarts, he got his own snack: a Salty & Sweet Snickers.

Mitch wanted it to be saltier, but generally seemed to enjoy the candy bar. He called it a Snack, but notes it is not better than a regular Snickers.

guest / host rating
Mike Mitchell Treat

Roast Spoonman[]

Tinaroast

Tom Nook

Tom Yum Nook

–Jasmine

Quotes[]

No, I know your name. I feel confident I could recite your name. I'm choosing not to, but I know what your name is.

–Nick Wiger to Mitch

Nick: Pie-in-the-face incidents are probably way down. Also, old ladies can cool their pies in the windowsill without any worry.

Mitch: That's not right! An old lady, when she puts a pie on a windowsill, she should live in fear that it's gonna get snatched. That's what I think!

–The Doughboys re: the quarantine lockdown

I got some advice: dump the goon, get with The Spoon.

–The Spoonman Mike Mitchell hitting on Shannon from The Feedbag

The Feedbag[]

Is it weird that my 33-year old boyfriend did not know that a sweet potato was a real plant until today? I asked him what he thought they made sweet potato fries out of, and he said he thought it was just a recipe. Last year, he also learned to eat a jelly bean for the first time. He thought you just sucked on it and thought it was weird they didn't have a flavor.

I am concerned about other things he doesn't know. What can I do to help him to learn very basic food facts?

–Shannon

Related Episodes[]

Topical Freeze episodes Jamelle Bouie episodes

Photos (via @doughboyspod)[]

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