How My Review System Works

So I was looking back over some of my reviews I'd done the past month or so, and while I've got it all arranged, organized and contained in a precise layout I want to work with, I realized that I never actually explained how my review system works for the Macaroni & Cheese meals I cook. It's a system I planned out, set up, and implemented for a couple of specific goals I had in mind:

1. To be informative in bite-sized ways. (you know, I want these posts to be edible... as well as nutritious!)
2. To allow for explanation or elaboration on anything that needed to be addressed. (Can I say what I need to say in a sentence? Or does it need more explanation/jokes/education?)
3. To allow for an entertaining read accompanied with captioned pictures (so that you're not just skimming a shopping list of factoids.... although that's certainly and relevantly helpful for food shoppers.)
4. Most importantly, to allow room for improvement as I do this more and more. (Yep, I'm not going to stop tweaking how I do this... and I want to keep improving the way I review!)

I'd like to think that right now I'm properly covering each Macaroni & Cheese dish in the best way that I can, although as time goes on I certainly look to enhance what I'm doing in any way I can (and go back to previous posts to make the adjustments accordingly.)

So let's get started, shall we? I'll set this up just like a review, although I'll fill in the explanations with how each section works. (So it's really like a review of.... my review? Deep stuff.)

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First, what you'll see at the top of each review:
(this one taken from my previous post)

     Nutritional info - daily value:
      Servings: 2.5 per box
      Calories: 270, (280 prepared)
      Fat Calories: 35, (40 prepared)
      Total Fat: 4g, (6-7% dv)
      Saturated Fat: 2.5g, (13% dv)
      Trans Fat: 0g
      Cholesterol: 10mg, (3-5% dv)
      Sodium: 530mg, (22-23% dv)
      Total Carbs: 47g, (16% dv)
      Fiber: 2g, (8% dv)
      Sugars: 5g
      Protein: 10g, (11-13% dv)
      Vitamin A: 2-4% dv
      Calcium: 10-15% dv
      Iron: 4% dv
      Thiamin (Vitamin B1): 10% dv
      Folic Acid: 10% dv

Essentially, I'll start each review with a shot of each box or package I'll be looking at, cooking, and tasting (the food of course. Not the box, silly goof). I'll almost always shoot this one on the same spot on my kitchen counter in front of our new toaster and spice rack... which so far I've found it makes for a good backdrop.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the nutritional info posted to the right of each pic. This is taken directly from the box itself, and I've kept it highlighted the same as how they arrange it so that you can refer back to it easily and jump right to the important and relevant info. (I've got dv next to just about everything, which stands for daily value)

Shortly after a brief introduction or lead-in, I've provided a quick-glance section where you get my full experience of the meal summarized in 3 simple questions and answers. This part is made to be less objective (that stuff is described in more detail in the bulk of the review below it) and more of my subjective experience of each dish. If you read nothing else on the page (though I can't imagine why you'd skip the rest), this is the section (along with the Overall section) is where you can get the gist of my review:

What I expected: My single sentence account of what I predicted the meal would taste like based off of what I know.

What I got: My single sentence account of what I actually tasted, based on tangible experience with the meal.

What other question I can make up on the spot: This question is more for wittiness, or just simply another observation I can make out of the meal (however closely related or far off it is to the actual dish I'm reviewing).

Pair-ability:
This is typically where I'll show a shot of the Mac & Cheese dish (pictured below from my Knorr Cheesy Bacon Macaroni review) I just cooked in a top-down view on a plate with other food items I happen to be eating that night. This selection is usually random for the most part, although I try my best to pair it with some sort of meat and/or veggie to go along with it. And I do my darndest to pair it with something green to balance it all out...

...Except not this meal. Corn grew from the green, right? Does that count?

While I don't determine how great a Mac & Cheese dish is with this section, I do take what I pair with it into consideration of how I plan to go about making with different mac & cheeses in future meals. Plus, this can give you an idea of some things to consider making with it (if you can't think of anything offhand).

Preparation: 
This section is where I'll describe, post pics, and grade how my experience preparing the meal is (essentially, the one section that has little to do with the actual taste itself unless it's by how the preparation affects it.) This isn't just a build-up to the meal itself though. It encompasses a before/after experience (in other words, how tough is the cleanup?). If preparing a meal does something out of the ordinary (something that isn't my fault), I'll usually point it out here. In addition, I'll describe how it's prepared, especially if something is different than other Mac & Cheeses.

I may end up adding in some more info here in the future. I've debated whether or not I want to place the actual cooking instructions online, although it may come in handy for those who have started cooking and for whatever reason lost the box in the process or just don't have access to the info for whatever reason. Right now, I'm mostly just preparing these meals with their stove-top directions (and sometimes deviating if I find a better way to cook them), although I may revisit these meals to explore how it is to make the microwave versions (and post the differences here). If it's something that will truly help, I'll put it in.

Shape-o-meter:
Here I'll mostly be talking about the noodle/shell/spongebob/whatever shape that each Mac & Cheese meal comes with. I won't just describe how it looks, but also take into consideration the texture of the noodle and how well it cooks as well as its firmness/softness level. This section is a little tougher to grade because while I've got my own personal preference on how I like my noodles cooked (I tend to fall under the "firm but with no crunch and not soggy" category), it doesn't necessarily mean that it's how you may prefer it. Basically, if a noodle ends up being a little firmer or softer, I'll put that out there and let you be the judge based on what you like.

I'm working on a noodle gauge meter graphic that will help with this and make it easier to determine if this is one you'll like. Stay tuned...

Size-o-meter:
This section deals more with the portion size of the meal itself. Is it big enough to feed several people? Will it fill you up, or leave you wanting more? What portion sizes would work best for your needs?

While I will grade this one based on what the box comes with (this includes other package contents like cheese, toppings, etc.), it's ultimately up to you on how you divide the meal out.

Flav-o-meter:
Ahh, here is the meat of the review (meat? err- no, this is the cheese of the review!) where I go into everything about the meal's taste. Everything from how flavorful it is, how cheesy/dry it is, how the noodles affect the taste, extra toppings that affect the overall flavor. Bottom line: Does this taste good to me? Again, while I do have my own preferences, I'll present my experience as best as I can (and keep it objective enough) so that you can arrive at your own conclusion. Ultimately, much of my overall grade centers on the taste (that is why you're eating this, right?).

So until an invention comes along one-day where you can taste what's shown on your computer screen, this is the best I can do. But until then.... please don't lick your computer screen, that's gross.
 
Nutriti-o-meter:
Even though I open the review with the nutritional facts, if anything nutritionally is out of the ordinary or needs to be pointed out, this is the section to do it. What it all comes down to is this: Is this meal something you can enjoy with or without a healthy diet? Or is this dish more of a guilty pleasure?

Overall:
This won't need too much explanation, but I'll basically sum up all the important bits from throughout the review. If a meal is highly recommended, I'll make sure to point out all the good stuff to drive home the fact that if you're a Mac & Cheese fan, you need to try this. Or if the meal stinks, I'll give you all the reasons you might want to stay away. Most of the time I'll go through both pros and cons of everything to keep the summary balanced. (pros and cons list... I think I'll add that in :) )

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So there you have it. My current review system. It's certainly not perfect, but it gets the job done. As always, I'm all ears for any ways you have to improve upon it. If you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in a Mac & Cheese review, please let me know and I'll do my best to implement it if it aids the review. Thanks for reading, and cheers!