The Froze Bros

Frozathon 3 Spring Picnic: Farm Rich Jalapeño Peppers (Ep 66)

Three episodes. Three courses. One spring picnic. And a literal mystery waiting at the end of each episode that Darren knows almost nothing about.
First up: Farm Rich Jalapeño Peppers—breaded jalapeño peppers filled with cream cheese, cooked in the air fryer, and eaten on a picnic blanket that exists entirely in the imagination. Also: the Bros can't call them poppers. Somebody's got a trademark on that. You know who you are.
Before the appetizer, Darren and Max revisit the Hot Pockets episode—specifically, what Reddit had to say about it. Fifty-one thousand views and counting on the frozen dinners subreddit, and the comments are not exactly a ringing endorsement. Turns out the Froze Bros weren't the harshest critics in the room.
Then: a Buffalo, New York family started making non-dairy whipped topping from soybean oil in 1945—decades before Cool Whip existed. They pivoted to frozen snacks in 1977, held naming rights to the Buffalo Bills stadium for 25 years, and never sold out to the big players. Rich Products Corporation is still a family company. And if you wanna grab a snack, grab a snack.
Also: it’s birthday month for Darren, and Max has been planning something special. In the closing segment: a murder mystery role playing game like neither of us has ever done before. The snow is coming down. The guests are stranded. And a dinner party is about to take a very dark turn. Murder on the Mountain begins.
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com
Watch this episode at www.youtube.com/@FrozeBros
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
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Learn more about this episode's food at farmrich.com/products/jalapeno-peppers

Pants Pants Revolution: Stouffer's Salisbury Steak with Lukas (Ep 65)

The Froze Bros welcome Lukas—Max's old pal, first-time guest, and a man who claims to have eaten Stouffer's Salisbury Steak with Mac and Cheese approximately 500 times.
It turns out Lukas knows the right way to eat this meal—a method involving a fork, some patience, and a mixing (or revolution, if you will) that transforms the contents of two tray compartments into one glorious, gravy-soaked mess.
Before the steak, there's the matter of what's in Lukas's freezer. Jeans. And trash. There’s apparently a whole science (or pseudo science) to freezing your denim instead of washing it.
Then: Dr. James Salisbury once fed men nothing but baked beans and oatmeal until they were “very flatulent,” then prescribed chopped beef as a revolutionary remedy. He also brought his "muscle pulp of beef" to the Union Army during the Civil War, where diarrhea was killing more soldiers than cannon fire. Darren reports from the encampment.
In the news: a woman in Oregon is suing Trader Joe's after finding a rubber glove tip in her juice—and wondering if the glove’s former contents is in her stomach. And: a frozen food manufacturer has filed for bankruptcy.
In the closing segment: it's cinco de mayo, and the packaging of Kozy Shack Crème Caramel Flan explicitly says "Do Not Freeze." The Bros did not listen. Do they ever?
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com
Watch this episode at www.youtube.com/@FrozeBros
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
Follow The Froze Bros on Instagram and Facebook
Learn more about this episode's food at www.goodnes.com/stouffers/products/salisbury-steak-for-one

One Hand on My Pocket (And the Other One's Getting #$%@ Censored): Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza (Ep 64)

It took forty years, but Hot Pockets finally caught up with Darren. This week, the Bros review Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza—and for the first time in recorded Froze Bros history, one of your hosts takes his very first bite of the episode's food live on mic.
Digging further in: two Iranian Jewish brothers, Paul and David Merage, founded Chef America in the 1970s with Belgian waffles and a hunch about microwaves. A rebrand in 1983 became a frozen food institution. And a $2.6 billion sale to Nestlé in 2002 made everybody very comfortable. But since 2024, the crisping sleeve is gone. Pour one out.
In the news: Trader Joe's settled a class action lawsuit for $7.4 million over some receipts that showed a few too many credit card digits back in 2019. Nobody was actually harmed. Someone sued anyway.
Plus: Google Blogger had impure thoughts about our corn dog post and tried to censor us. The Reverse American cooking method gets its podcast debut. Do you know who Clarence Birdseye, Eggert Johansen, Ettore Boiardi, Nels Lindström, and Rose Totino are? Does Max? And Woodrow Wilson was not, it turns out, president in the 1920s.
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com
Watch this episode at www.youtube.com/@FrozeBros
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
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Learn more about this episode's food at www.goodnes.com/hot-pockets/products/pepperoni-pizza-4pk

Waffle Long Wait: Alexia Sweet Potato Waffle Cut Fries with Erin (Ep 63)

Eighteen months. Sixty-two episodes. Zero french fries. That changes now.
The Froze Bros welcome Erin—improv friend, Boston Marathon fan, and the guest who finally drags the Bros into the frozen fry case. This week's review: Alexia Sweet Potato Waffle Cut Fries, seasoned with garlic, onion, and pepper.
Darren digs into the history: a brand born in Long Island City in 2002, acquired by Conagra in 2007, with production eventually handed off to potato giant Lamb Weston. Sweet potatoes, meanwhile, have been cultivated since at least 2500 BCE in Peru, and somehow made it to Polynesia centuries before Europeans, which is either one of the world’s great unsolved mysteries or proof that ancient mariners had excellent taste in side dishes.
In the news: the Palm Beach Cardinals suit up as the Frozen Iguanas, paying tribute to a species that goes into paralysis when the temperature drops below 50°F. That's Florida, man.
Plus: Patriots Day and who celebrates it. What Fenway means to Max. How Darren gets outed as a Yankees fan. Zoologists and other cold-blooded creatures. And a spirited debate over whether Alexia's potato plant really powers itself on potato gas—or whether that's just biogus.
In the closing segment: the Froston Marathon. Max and Erin have to name 26.2 frozen food brands to cross the finish line. They start strong, but will they beat Heartbreak Hill and cross the finish line to yell, “Winner winner frozen dinner?!”
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
Follow The Froze Bros on Instagram and Facebook
Learn more about this episode's food at www.alexiafoods.com/sweet-potatoes/sweet-potato-waffle-cut-fries-garlic-onion-pepper
There is no video recording of this episode, but you can listen at www.youtube.com/@FrozeBros

Deep in the Heart of Glasgow: Deep Indian Kitchen Chicken Tikka Masala (Ep 62)

The Froze Bros have been thinking about this one for almost a year. (Thinking’s hard, bro.) This week, Darren and Max finally review Deep Indian Kitchen Chicken Tikka Masala—roasted white chicken, creamy sauce, cumin basmati rice—and it was worth the wait.
Before they dig into their meal, they dig into the history: a dish whose origins are genuinely up for grabs. Did chicken tikka masala begin on a stormy night in Glasgow when a Pakistani chef poured a can of tomato soup over a bus driver's dry chicken? Or is that story all wet?
Whatever the history, a New Jersey family founded Deep Foods in 1977 when a mom started making Indian snacks in her home and selling them to neighbors. The company was named for son Deepak, and deep means lamp and enlightenment in Hindi. Almost 50 years later, every purchase benefits a foundation supporting over 35,000 children in rural India.
Plus: The recalls keep coming. A listener has a frozen waffle emergency with a relationship hanging in the balance. The People’s Choice Awards for podcasting may be over, so are we doing this for nothing?
In a closing segment: it's National Twinkie Day, the snack cake turns 96, and Darren can’t tell 96 from 76. The Bros also polish off their last Girl Scout Cookies of the season, and frozen Thin Mints get vindicated by science.
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com
Watch this episode at www.youtube.com/@FrozeBros 
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
Follow The Froze Bros on Instagram and Facebook
Learn more about this episode's food at https://deepindiankitchen.com/products-all/entrees/chicken-tikka-masala

Dane Good Balls: Feel Good Foods Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancake Balls with Shaun and Kristen (Ep 61)

The Froze Bros have a full table this week. Returning guest Shaun brings along Kristen as the show's official Gluten-Free Correspondent, and the team reviews Feel Good Foods Buttermilk Pancake Balls—certified gluten-free, Danish-style, dippable, and poppable.
The Bros get into the company's origin story, the surprisingly deep history of the pancake ball, and whether the Danish really deserve credit for this. What exactly is an æbleskiver? And did Vikings seriously cook them in their dented shields?
In the news: the Ajinomoto/Trader Joe's glass recall keeps growing. The source has been identified, and sufferin' succotash it's the carrots! Also: a Norwegian man once brought his grandfather's frozen body to Colorado. “Tuff shed,” you say? Well, the town threw a festival about it.
Plus: the gluten-free tax is real, the sog factor is realer, a serving size of two balls is a joke, Shaun brings a brand new game called Tip of the Iceberg, and that’s just the—well, that’s just the start of what we get into.
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com
Watch this episode at www.youtube.com/@FrozeBros 
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
Follow The Froze Bros on Instagram and Facebook
Learn more about this episode's food at www.feel-good-foods.com/product/buttermilk-pancake-balls

Fool Me Once, Feed Me Twice: Tina’s vs. El Monterey Beef & Bean Burritos (Ep 60)

They said it was over. They lied.
The Bros are back—and they've got burritos. April Fools, Froze Fam! The fake breakup is officially cancelled, the freezer aisle is open for business again, and Darren and Max have some words about what just happened.
This week's face-off pits two of the cheapest frozen burritos against each other: Tina's Beef & Bean vs. El Monterey Beef & Bean. One of these brands claims to be America's number one selling frozen burrito. So does the other one. Somebody's lying—or maybe nobody is. Either way, the Bros dig into the histories: a family that fled the Mexican Revolution and built an empire on Grandma Rosie's recipes, a mysterious company called Camino Real Foods that invented a founder who doesn't exist, and a brief but unavoidable detour into why you may have heard the name "Tina" in a completely different context.
In the closing segment, Darren unveils Stick Figuring—a game where Max tries to identify famous moments in frozen food and Froze Bros history from Darren's extremely crude hand-drawn illustrations.
Plus: Hot Dr. Pepper. Rita’s Water Ice. Zooming in on the matrix formerly known as the Whimsey-Meter™. Noble Mick's sends a care package. Ellio's sends swag. A listener in Virginia binged 40 or 50 episodes. And Max has the hiccups.
Welcome back, folks. We missed you. That whole day we were gone.
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com
Watch this episode at www.youtube.com/@FrozeBros 
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
Follow The Froze Bros on Instagram and Facebook
Learn more about this episode's food at www.tinasburritos.com/burritos/single-packs/beef-%26-bean and elmonterey.com/products/classic-burritos-chimichangas/beef-bean-burrito/singles

Froze Bros Doze Show

It's been a great run. But you've probably noticed things haven't been quite right between Darren and Max lately. The Bros have reached the end of the freezer aisle. Darren has a few words, and that’ll be it.
Fro yo' later, folks.

State Fair All Beef Corn Dogs: Woes Between Bros (Ep 59)

We won't mince words—or mince meat—this was a rough one. The Froze Bros celebrate National Something on a Stick Day (March 28) by trying to pull the sticks out of their…freezers and reviewing State Fair All Beef Corn Dogs. Turns out the hot dog has a longer history than you'd think. Frankfurt, Germany claims 1487, but the bun didn't show up until 1867. The corn dog got wood in the mid-20th century in Texas. No bun intended.
The Bros have no shortage of opinions about length, girth, and the batter-to-hot-dog ratio. Wait. What did you think we were talking about? Also: what exactly is a byproduct, and if there are none in here, why does it still look like this?
In the news: frozen seafood takes center stage at the Seafood Expo North America in Boston, where a coconut margarita haddock and some sauceable Wild Alaska Pollock nuggets walk away with top honors. And: TAST!EZ debuts game night loungewear with tear-away napkin sleeves, and the Bros try—and fail—to get their hands on a set.
Plus: Sara Lee's corporate connection to State Fair. Rodgers and Hammerstein, musically relevant too. The sustainable forestry implications of corn dog sticks. The correct way to store a box of corn dogs in the freezer (it matters, and don’t flail around when you take them out). And how many hot dogs you'd have to eat to age in reverse.
As for the closing segment. Well, there was supposed to be one. There wasn't. It might as well be froze.
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com.
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
Follow The Froze Bros on Instagram and Facebook.
Learn more about this episode's food at www.corndogs.com/products/beef

Sara Lee Classic Pound Cake with Kenzie: What the Schmutz? (Ep 58)

The Froze Bros welcome new guest Kenzie, who may be (or is she?) Sara Lee's third cousin. That potential conflict aside, the Bros review Sara Lee Classic Pound Cake, a frozen institution that's been virtually unchanged since 1951. Showing off the cake’s versatility, the Bros test how far this dessert (does it have to be dessert?) can go. And showing off the cake’s signature baking pan, just what is that schmutz on the outside? And will anyone taste it?
In the closer, it's Ice Cold Draft: Spring Break edition. The Bros and Kenzie each build their ideal frozen food travel squad. Darren heads to Cancun with buddies and a literal wingman. Max takes a ferry and disconnects from reality. And Kenzie has some strong opinions about who doesn't get an invite.
Plus: Smucker's owns Hostess and penetrates American homes. The correct pronunciation of Oregon. A brief personal history of polishing shoes and butlering. The 1747 recipe for pound cake calls for one hour of beating it. Darren has never seen a loaf of Sara Lee bread. And nobody—nobody—doesn't like frozen eats.
Music by Substrates
Check out The Froze Bros online at www.thefrozebros.com.
Buy us a Cold One here. Every donation goes toward more frozen finds, production costs, and feeding our ice-cold obsession.
Follow The Froze Bros on Instagram and Facebook.
Learn more about this episode's food at https://saraleedesserts.com/products/product-details/classic-pound-cake