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

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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.

WATCH THIS EPISODE


FROST BITES

They can't say poppers. These poppers (well, peppers) have a history. Anchor Food Products of Appleton, Wisconsin trademarked the term "Jalapeño Poppers" in 1992. Heinz got the trademark in 2001 and now licenses it to brands like TGI Fridays and Applebee’s. So Farm Rich—like every other company that wouldn't pay for the privilege—has to call theirs jalapeño peppers. Which, to be fair, is what they are anyway.

Max knows his pickling. Max thought the jalapeños tasted pickled. Turns out he wasn't wrong. The ingredient list shows the jalapeños are prepared with water, salt, and acetic acid—which is vinegar. So that's a brine. These are essentially pickled before they ever see the breading.

He knows his chicken too. Max also mentioned that chicken cooked to 150°F can be just as safe as chicken cooked to the USDA-recommended 165°F — if it stays at that temperature long enough. According to USDA guidelines, chicken held at lower temperatures for long enough periods achieves the same result. The 165°F standard is the instant-kill threshold. 150°F just takes a little longer. Your jeans in the freezer, however, are still a different story.

A very big deal. The Rich Products/Buffalo Bills deal in 1972 — $1.5 million over 25 years — was one of the earliest stadium naming rights agreements in professional sports. The other notable food company stadium: Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2001 to 2021, in a deal worth $57 million. The same Heinz, by the way, that now owns the jalapeño popper trademark. It's a small frozen world.

YOUR COLD CUTS

Farm Rich makes a lot of frozen snacks. What have you tried? What’s your favorite? And are you dipping those jalapeño peppers into something? Ranch? Marinara?

Our murder mystery role playing games needs you too. Who sounds suspicious? Who should Darren (well, Harvest, you’ll get it when you listen) be watching out for as he tries to solve the case

Hit us up on the Let's Chill page and let us know!

ENJOYING THE POD?

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