Bonnie: Steam heat is the hottest thing in the freezer.

Seems there’s a new, patented microwave-bag technology that allows foods to steam right in their bags. That’s why in the past few months in Supermarket Sampler (my syndicated column), I’ve reviewed many frozen products that steam in the microwave, including Birds Eye Steamfresh, Healthy Choice Asian Steamers, Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers, Ore-Ida Steam n’ Mash and today’s FeaturedBite, Phillips Steamer Creations, specifically the Steamed Spiced Shrimp.

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As you know, steaming is a healthy way to cook food, as you’re cooking in heated vapor (AKA water), not fat. I like that. And I like it when companies add only ingredients that I’d add at home, and have what I call a “clean” ingredient list. That’s true of Phillips Steamed Spiced Shrimp, which contains only shrimp, lemon juice, parsley and seafood seasonings. The other Steamer Creation flavors, although tasty, contain way too many additives for me to recommend them.

Just microwave the frozen shrimp for five minutes and you have an elegant, tails-on appetizer or a light entree to serve over pasta or rice. It’s simple to prepare, delicious to eat and leaves you with no clean up.

Those of you who’ve traveled in the Mid-Atlantic States might recognize the Phillips name from its restaurants, or you might be familiar with its canned crab. Phillips Restaurant is where I sampled my very first fresh crab decades ago.

(Yes, this is another one of my segues.) I was a judge at a chicken-cooking contest in the Delmarva Peninsula, and Joanne Hayes, my at-that-time new friend — later to become my cookbook co-author — thought it unconscionable for us to be in the area and not eat any crab.

She convinced me to drive as many food editors who could squeeze into my car to Phillips for fresh crabs before dinner. We ordered steamed crabs, crab cakes and the bill, as we needed to return for the awards dinner before we were missed. Satiated and happy, we arrived in time for dinner. The late Frank Perdue, my dinner partner, never noticed me just cutting and moving my chicken dinner components around the plate, nor did he notice that I reeked of crab. That, or he was too much of a gentleman to say so.

Bryan: Seafood is one thing I don’t mess around with. For some reason, I’ve accepted the fact that I will (rarely) enjoy beef or chicken in a fast-food environment, but wouldn’t look twice at their fish offerings. No clams casino at the diner, no Long John Silvers’ offerings, no popcorn shrimp from Popeyes for me. I used to try to stick to the old adage of “can’t see the water, don’t sea the food,” but that just doesn’t work anymore (said the man living in Atlanta).

Much has changed over the years. You can now get quality, fresh sushi in Park City, Utah, with no ocean for days: The world has grown much smaller, my friends. With advancements in freezing methods and ever-faster means of transportation, there is no reason why everyone, everywhere can’t enjoy seafood. Phillips has taken a bit of this convenience and brought it directly to your freezer.

I recently had the pleasure of sampling Phillips Honey Chipotle, Garlic Herb and Spiced Shrimp varieties of Steamer Creations. This product has really taken any bit of confusion or process out of preparing shrimp, something that might intimidate a first-timer not wanting to poison the family ;-). Toss the bag in the microwave directly from the freezer, nuke for four minutes, take it out, shake it up and nuke it one minute more. Shrimp is done and delicious. The flavor combos are properly balanced, not overly salty and in the right proportion to the protein (such a rarity despite the extensive R&D done by most food companies). Phillips has made a quality dinner sooo easy for novice and expert alike.

The tails are still on the shrimp while they’re in the bag, so you may feel the need to de-tail them prior to plating. It’s up to you. Try them tossed with angel hair pasta, topping rice (Fox River, maybe) or simply wrapped in leaves of Boston lettuce with some diced mango and onion. I love this product.

Eric: Who doesn’t love shrimp? They have such a subtle, sweet taste, they’re low in fat, they’re high in protein and best of all, they leave you sitting on the loo (a gentler word for toilet), hands clenched, as you pray to the god of shrimp to make the pain go away….

Flashback to the first, and reluctantly second time, I tried the shrimp from the Phillips Steamer Creations line. I’ll preface this by saying that while growing up I had a weak stomach and I knew the bathroom of a restaurant better than I knew the table. The first time I tried this shrimp I was with my girlfriend (a shrimp enthusiast). I prepared a simple bed of Jasmine rice, placed the shrimp on it and opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio. We sat down, caught up with each other’s day and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. The shrimp were tender and the sauce was amazingly tasty. We then headed out for our usual after-dinner walk – that’s when the story takes a turn for the worse.

Ten minutes away from the apartment, it became a scene out of “Chariots of Fire” – my girlfriend and I racing each other back to claim first rights to the “throne.” Thirty minutes later, we were both heading to the freezer to throw out the remaining bags of the shrimp. Hesitant, I kept the bags and told myself, “This couldn’t happen twice!” A week later, and déjà vu….

A few weeks after that, I found myself sitting at the table in my mother’s house with platter full of these shrimp in front of me. Hesitantly I took a bite, sat back, and waited for the dramatic effect. Nothing. I took another bite and still no gurgling in my stomach. This started to make me wonder – “as amazing as this product is, was it possible that the particular bags I had received were mishandled? Maybe slightly defrosted?” Although unfortunate circumstances made me question this product, after further tasting, I would still stand by it as being one of the best steamable shrimp products on the market; The shrimp tastes great and the sauce is one of the best frozen sauces I’ve had in a while. Bon Appétit!