I tried eight frozen meals from Gordon Ramsay's "By Chef Ramsay" line.
Ivy Carbone
I tried eight meals from Gordon Ramsay’s frozen-food line and ranked them from worst to best.
Unfortunately, the chicken Marsala and lemon-caper chicken missed the mark for me.
However, I loved the Alfredo lasagna with chicken and the spicy cheese ravioli.
I don’t typically associate Gordon Ramsay with frozen meals. In 2020, the celebrity chef told Business Insider reporter Rachel Askinasi that “microwaves are for lazy cooks.”
So, I was especially surprised to see “By Chef Ramsay” — a line of frozen meals — at my local Walmart.
The “Hell’s Kitchen,” “MasterChef,” and “Kitchen Nightmares” star first announced the line as a Walmart exclusive in 2023, but select products have since expanded to other grocers, like Giant and ShopRite.
After a trip to my local Walmart, I was able to get my hands on eight of Ramsay’s frozen entrées to try. Considering these were endorsed by Ramsay himself and cost $5.94 each, I definitely had some high expectations going into this taste test.
Here’s how they ranked, from worst to best.
I wasn't a fan of the chicken Marsala.
Ivy Carbone
I love mushrooms and am usually a huge fan of chicken Marsala. But Ramsay’s version, which was served over linguine, fell flat for me.
The sauce wasn’t mushroom-y enough for my taste and seemed rather gelatinous in texture.
Unfortunately, the pasta didn’t seem to cook evenly, either. Some of the noodles were hard, while others were soft.
Plus, I didn’t think the flavor was anything special. The roasted chicken also had a couple of chewy bits, making this one my last-place choice.
Unfortunately, the lemon-caper chicken was a miss for me.
Ivy Carbone
This meal consists of a breaded chicken cutlet topped with lemon-caper sauce. It’s served alongside broccoli and potatoes.
Unfortunately, the large piece of chicken didn’t heat well in the microwave — I thought it tasted stringy, dry, and a bit rubbery. Plus, the breading became mushy after it came out of the microwave, which was especially disappointing when it dominated the flavor of the lemon sauce.
However, the potatoes were nice and fluffy inside, and the broccoli had a little bite to it, adding some texture to the meal.
Although I didn’t love this dish, I thought the portion size was generous.
The slow-roasted beef in red-wine sauce wasn't my favorite.
Ivy Carbone
There were large chunks of beef swimming in this red-wine sauce, but sadly, I found them to be rather chewy and tough. I also wasn’t a fan of the sauce.
The potatoes, however, were cooked very nicely — not crispy, but very soft and fluffy inside. I also liked the pearl onions and thought they added a pleasant pop of onion flavor to the dish.
When I looked at the description of the meal on the back of the box, I noticed there was bacon in it. By taste alone, I never would have guessed this, as I couldn’t really detect the flavor.
Overall, even though the potatoes and onions were good, I probably wouldn’t purchase this one again.
I thought the fish and chips cooked nicely in the air fryer.
Ivy Carbone
The fish and chips was the only entrée that needed to be cooked in the air fryer or the oven.
As per the box instructions, I did mine in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 minutes, flipping everything halfway through.
The little fish nuggets were quite delightful and honestly reminded me of an adult version of fish sticks — very nostalgic-tasting. The fish inside was a bit dry and flaky, but the outside breading was great. My only complaint was that the exterior of some of the larger pieces got a little soggy.
The chips were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, but otherwise bland in flavor.
Overall, this meal was OK, but I’m not sure I would go out of my way to purchase it again.
The shepherd's pie reminded me not to judge a book by its cover.
Ivy Carbone
Visually, Ramsay’s shepherd’s pie wasn’t impressive. The mashed-potato-and-cheese mixture was very thin and soupy — not quite the texture I typically expect from mashed potatoes. Plus, it didn’t totally cover the top.
However, even though the beef-and-veggie filling was soupy from all the gravy, it was quite flavorful. And, after I took a bite, I really enjoyed the buttery potatoes.
Even though this one didn’t look like a classic shepherd’s pie, the taste was spot on. I only wish there were more peas and carrots.
Next time, I'd make some tweaks to how I cook the mac and cheese.
Ivy Carbone
I really enjoyed the flavor of Gordon Ramsay’s four-cheese macaroni, but the cheese sauce — made with fontina, mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan — was a bit grainy in texture for me. I also didn’t think the breadcrumbs added much, since they were soggy.
Next time, I’d heat it in shorter increments and mix more frequently. I think this would’ve helped the sauce homogenize better and ultimately be less grainy at the end.
On a positive note, I really enjoyed the large, curved, tubular noodle shape and how it held onto a lot of the sauce. Overall, this mac and cheese was quite flavorful, so I would purchase it again.
The Alfredo lasagna with chicken was delicious.
Ivy Carbone
When I think of lasagna, I don’t typically picture Alfredo sauce. But this dish was really good.
The cheesy sauce was delicious, and the grilled chicken, chopped into small pieces, wasn’t chewy. Although the lasagna noodles were a bit thick, I really enjoyed them.
As with a few of the other meals, the breadcrumbs on top didn’t stay crispy, but they added some flavor.
I loved the spicy cheese ravioli.
Ivy Carbone
The spicy ravioli was by far my favorite of the frozen meals I tried. The ricotta filling was flavorful, and the sauce was chunky, spicy, and herbaceous. There wasn’t too much of a kick, but it definitely got me a little in the back of my throat.
I also thought there was a good ratio of pasta to filling. The latter was about what I expected for a frozen item — a little soft, but it really held onto the spicy tomato sauce.
I really enjoyed this meal and would purchase it again. My only wish was that the portion size were bigger.
