CATEGORY

Frozen Peas

2007 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER

Birds Eye Foods

What Makes Great Frozen Peas?

Sweet green peas are the perfect side dish for lighter dishes like fish and quiche or heartier dishes like pork chops and honey baked ham. Peas are also a major ingredient in casseroles, pasta dishes and soups, to name a few. Packaged at the height of freshness, frozen peas bring a scrumptious tenderness and a nice color to any plate. They can be boiled, steamed or even sautéed with mint and butter for a fresh and succulent edge.

Our chefs define high-quality frozen sweet green peas as having a vibrant green color with plump skins; they should not be shriveled. They should have a relatively consistent size to ensure even cooking, and most of the peas should be intact with just a minimal amount of empty skins. The moderate aroma should have a complex character with fresh, grassy, vegetal and natural sweet notes. There should be no aroma off notes coming from poor harvesting, handling or packaging.

Sweet green peas are in taste balance when sweetness is the leading basic taste. A minimal level of saltiness should follow. There should be no sourness or bitterness in frozen peas.

High-quality frozen peas will have a moderate level of flavor. The flavor character should be slightly more complex than the aroma character, the same vegetal, grassy, fresh and naturally sweet notes following through. There should be no inappropriate off notes detracting from the overall flavor. 

Sweet peas should have a tender texture that delivers a delectably chewy interior with just the right amount of moisture and juiciness. Peas should not be mushy or shriveled and dry. Sweet green peas should have a clean mouthfeel with a moderate dissolve.

Product Category Definition

The category judged was defined as frozen sweet green peas for the consumer market, not including fresh or canned peas, peas in sauce, or other frozen vegetables and vegetable blends.

Other Leading Brands:

Pictsweet, Green Giant