The Froze Bros

The Bros dig into a golden crispy snack with a brand name that gave Darren an unshakable political flashback before they'd even opened the box. This week: SeaPak Wild Caught Clam Strips . The story: SeaPak began in 1948 as the Sea Island Packing Company on St. Simons Island, Georgia, and pioneered individual quick freezing for shrimp. Rich Products Corporation purchased SeaPak in 1976. The clam strip itself was invented by a picky Ipswich, Massachusetts clam digger who only wanted the "foot" of the clam, and an exclusive decades-long supply deal with a growing roadside chain called Howard Johnson's . Plus: A giant moose tracks disaster. Cauliflower wings and the mystery of the bay leaf. Mango varietals and the hunt for a proper Kent. An international frozen food report from Italy. And a clamshack sunset that got Max feeling nostalgic. In the closing segment: the second half of a two-part regional food review, this time testing how New England the Bros really are—fluff...

The Bros say goodbye to Dolly Parton the only way they know how. This week: Dolly Parton’s Shrimp & Grits . Sharp white cheddar grits, seasoned shrimp, cherry tomatoes, scallions, and a scratch-made spicy sauce, all in her classic pink box. The story: Dolly's food empire built up in stages. Duncan Hines baking mixes in 2022, then a full licensing deal with Conagra in January 2024 that brought Dolly to the freezer aisle. Homestyle Meatloaf, Chicken & Dumplings, Country Fried Steak, plus desserts like Peach Cobbler and a chocolate pie the Bros were decidedly less than kind to in a previous episode. Plus: Max's backyard garden, pommes de terre, key lime pie. A wave of recalls. Nine to Five and Steel Magnolias, Dolly's Imagination Library, and a fierce debate over whether it's normal to watch your microwave the entire time it's running. In the closing segment: two New England boys take on "How Southern Are You?," a quiz from It's a Southern Thing. ...

Darren's fresh off a trip to Paris and London, Max is just back from the Jersey Shore, and the Bros are marking the occasion with a backyard cookout. This week: Philly Gourmet Pure 100% Beef Patties , in a limited-edition box celebrating America's 250th. The story: Philly Gourmet is a Quaker Maid Meats brand, founded in Reading, PA in 1960 by Stanley Szortyka. It’s still family-owned today by his kids, Sergei and Nancy. Plus: Oysters topped with a frozen margarita in London. Extra large escargot in Paris. Famous frozen custard in Cape May, New Jersey. Car phones. The Doomsday Freezer. A hot take on tater tots. And an air fryer apology. In the closing segment: Darren tests Max on America's top-ten burger toppings, and one answer turns out to be shockingly hard to guess. WATCH THIS EPISODE FROST BITES The OG Smash . Hamburgers have at least three competing origin stories , depending on who you ask and how long ago they're lying about. Some food historians trace the conce...

The Bros dig into a new kind of frozen meal this week—one dressed up as diet food, dressed down by a shipping or defrosting mishap, and dressed at least partially in a tortilla. This week: Lean Cuisine Mexican Style Beef & Cheddar Quesadilla . The story: Lean Cuisine launched in 1981 as Stouffer's answer to the aerobics-era diet boom. Stouffer's itself traces back to a 1922 Cleveland dairy stand, didn't hit the freezer aisle until 1954, and has been a Nestlé property since 1973—making this, officially, the fourth Stouffer's-family product the Bros have reviewed. Plus: The microwave susceptor tray. Fisher's Island spirit pops. A Welch's-versus-Smucker's showdown. A blueberry E. coli recall nobody's talking about. Swagelok versus Nestlé as Solon, Ohio's top employer. And a heated debate over whether MTV actually stopped playing music videos. In the closing segment: weeks after winning a piña colada-themed escape room challenge, Max cashes in his pr...

What’s in a name? Part two (see episode 76). If the name is Van de Kamp’s or Mrs. Paul’s and we’re talkin’ shark bites, the name doesn’t really matter. This week, this Shark Week : Van de Kamp’s and Mrs. Paul’s Shark Bites. The story: Van de Kamp's traces its origin back to a 1915 Los Angeles potato chip stand. Mrs. Paul's starts in Philly in 1946 with the infamous leftover crab cakes. Two totally different brands that, decades of corporate acquisitions later, land in the exact same place. Plus: Chow mein and fries. Jameson vs Jameson. Max’s bouncer fantasy. Jumping the shark emotions, and the surprisingly complicated question of how sharks actually reproduce. Candygram! In the closing segment: "Let It Go or Keep It, Bro" (or whatever we call it now) returns with frozen shark gummies, a candy that was never meant to see the inside of a freezer. watch this episode FROST BITES The Denny’s That Saved Van de Kamp’s Last Stand . Long before the freezer aisle, Van de Kam...

If you like piña coladas. If you’re not into health food. If you have half a brain. This is the episode for you. This week: Birds Eye Voila! Cheeseburger Skillet Meal . The Bros finally escape with the Godfather of Frozen Food, Clarence Birdseye . The story: Birdseye learned about flash freezing from the Inuit people in Canada and brought the process home to Gloucester (Glawstah), Massachusetts. In 1929, he sold his company to Postum Cereal Company and Goldman Sachs. Today, it’s a Conagra brand. But, before he was done, Birdseye also designed freezer display cases and patented over 300 other inventions. Plus: Noble Mick’s Pina Coladas . Cauliflower pop tarts. Hartford Whalers and the Carolina Hurricanes. Carvel flying saucers. Ötzi the Iceman and some horrifying news about 5,000-year-old sourdough starters. In the closing segment: Max navigates a cheesy 1970s dive bar escape room filled with piña colada trivia. If Max loses, Darren places a classified ad for a new co-host. If he wins, ...

The Bros review Rao's brick oven crust uncured pepperoni pizza —a frozen product from a legendary East Harlem restaurant with attitude that, as it turns out, has never actually served pizza. Max cuts his frozen pizza into slices and cooks a single piece in a toaster oven. The story: Rao's has been slinging Italian food from the same corner of East Harlem since 1896. The frozen pizzas are newcomers, launched in 2022 by a company separate from the restaurant. Campbell Soup Company picked up the retail business in 2024, but the Bros wonder: where did this sauce recipe come from? Plus: Catholic school punishments. Brushing teeth on the march. Ice cream flavors by state. And the Bros debate whether celery actually produces juice. (It does, Max.) In the closing segment: Sicilian trivia tests Darren's knowledge of flags, wars, and geographic shapes. We were supposed to be in Sicily for this episode. We're in East Harlem. Fugetaboutit. MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS June is Men's M...

Three episodes. Three courses. One picnic blanket. The main course has arrived. This week: Banquet Original Crispy Fried Chicken —eaten on the same imaginary Frozathon picnic blanket as last week. Darren also breaks out the sides: Pillsbury Grands biscuits and corn on the cob, both from the freezer. And Noble Mick's Meyer Lemon Fizz makes its debut—a bubbly citrus frozen cocktail that Max mixed with vodka and Darren shook up with prosecco. Before the chicken: did you know there are apps that will tell you if something in your freezer has been recalled? There are. Download one. Use it. Especially if you shop at a certain store that shall remain nameless. Then: Banquet has been around since 1953, it's a Conagra company, and there's not really any cute family story. What there is: bone-in fried chicken, assorted pieces, straight from the air fryer. We have taste buds and opinions. Strong ones. In the closing segment: the snow is still coming down at Swanson's estate. The...

This week we 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 T...

We’ve 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...

The Bros are back—and we've got burritos. April Fools, Froze Fam! The fake breakup is officially cancelled, the freezer aisle is open for business again, and we 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, we 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 mascot 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 Da...

It's Frozen Food Month, and we're celebrating with a long overdue review of a frozen institution. This week, we welcome back friend-of-the-pod Shaun for Ellio's Cheese Pizza . After a review of Ellio's classic cheese squares, things get…creative. We asked our listeners to submit toppings for a special fan pizza, and the results range from inspired to inedible. Caramelized onions, sardines, anchovies, pickles, artichoke hearts, ham, pineapple, and more all make an appearance. Each Bro also brings their own personal Ellio's creation to the table, with results ranging from gourmet to quite questionable. Plus: Trader Joe's recalls 3.4 million pounds of chicken. The Bros try to remember grade school math. The Weathermen were not, it turns out, meteorologists. Max pops Romanian rum candies like, well, candy. Shaun tells tales of YMCA poolside summers. And somewhere in Connecticut, Darren cooks with spirits while a blizzard threatens to knock out his power for six days...