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Microwave egg fried rice, tried and tested
Fancy a Chinese takeaway? Skip the inevitable delivery delay and enjoy a tasty meal in three minutes!
It's official: Chinese is one of the UK's favourite takeaways. And egg fried rice is a staple on any take-out menu. It's deliciously moreish, be it served as a tasty side dish or heaped into a bowl as a hearty main meal.
Its popularity has also seen it go from takeaway to supermarket shelves. Supermarket, microwave egg fried rice is quick, easy and fuss-free - just set the timer, pop your feet up, then enjoy.
Although this may be cheaper and quicker than ordering take-out, can store-bought egg fried rice really rival that of your local Chinese restaurant? The GHI decided to find out...
How we test
From microwave rice hero Uncle Ben’s to M&S's in-house attempt, our panel of consumer testers tried eight egg fried rice dishes, judging them on aroma, flavour, texture and overall deliciousness.
Waitrose Oriental Egg Fried Rice
Overall score: 85/100
Here, peas and spring onions are tossed though fragrant, fresh-smelling rice. This dish has a deep savoury flavour, made richer by a subtle hint of ginger and sesame oil. Fluffy free-range egg pairs beautifully with the light grassy taste of the spring onions, and the peas add bite to the sticky long grain rice.
Key specifications
Volume: 350g
Cooking time: Under 5 minutes
Overall score: 84/100
Toasted sesame oil gives this dish a Chinese takeaway aroma that left our testers salivating. The long grain rice has a pleasing bite and its buttery flavour complements the egg, making it easy for us to forgive its touch-too-salty taste. Big juicy peas also freshen things up.
Key specifications
Volume: 300g
Cooking time: Under 3 minutes
Overall score: 71/100
If you like your rice al dente, these grains should offer enough bite to satisfy your cravings. It has a stocky, eggy aroma and it's seasoned well with salt and milder white pepper. Unfortunately, the dull-looking peas are mushy and flavourless. Overall though, not bad considering the price.
Key specifications
Volume: 250g
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Overall score: 68/100
Generously seasoned with spices, this rice is packed with chives, onions and roasted garlic for a tempting fragrance. It's cooked just right and has a yummy fried egg taste, but it needs a pinch more salt to bring all the flavours together.
Key specifications
Volume: 250g
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Overall score: 67/100
This egg fried rice is peppered with plentiful cuts of scrambled egg and bright green peas for an appetising appearance. The fresh eggy scent appealed to our testers, as did the savouriness of the sesame oil, onion and ginger puree, but this dish lacked deeper flavour overall. The mostly soft rice has a slight al dente bite that mimics authentic fried rice.
Key specifications
Volume: 400g
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Overall score: 63/100
Plentiful rice with a meagre amount of peas and egg is on the menu here. This offering has a comforting sweet and savoury aroma of peas, garlic, ginger and sesame seed oil - it smells just like a Chinese takeaway. Our testers found it fresh but bland, so serve it with a flavoursome accompaniment.
Key specifications
Volume: 300g
Cooking time: Under 3 minutes
Overall score: 62/100
Soft, well-cooked rice is mixed with peas and small, sparse cuts of egg. Despite the addition of toasted sesame seed oil, garlic and ginger puree, many found the flavour bland and disappointing.
Key specifications
Volume: 300g
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Overall score: 59/100
Unfortunately, this egg fried rice got the thumbs down from our testers. Its strong sesame oil scent is enticing and, though stodgy-looking, the rice is surprisingly al dente. But the flavour was an uninspiring let-down. Despite its exciting ingredients - including garlic and ginger puree, molasses and seasoning - this dish is bland and flavourless.
Key specifications
Volume: 250g
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Janet Leigh is the acting food testing manager at the GHI. From Easter in January to Christmas in July (and all that falls in-between), she leads the taste test team as they munch their way through sample after sample trying to find you the best products on the market. Whether it’s the latest trending foods or your cupboard staples, she covers it all. She now writes for Digital Spy
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