Agnes Burgers

It was just about warm today, though I only had a few moments outside on the deck to revel in it. But one of those moments was spent in the company of a delightful lunchtime companion, namely a 5.9 oz. (that's what the box says) Angus cheeseburger. As the moment wore on, however, my cheeseburger companion disappeared, never to be seen again.

The amazing thing about these burgers is that they come frozen, and to render them edible, 1:20 or so in a microwave is the thing to do. Once nuked, they're remarkably good. I wouldn't have thought so, since microwaveable burgers in their own plastic bags are usually a low order of food even by my flexible standards. Pressed for time driving through North Dakota last summer, I remember well resorting to pre-wrapped burgers found at the convenience store where we bought gas. Every trip as a worst meal, and they were it. Tough and void of flavor.

Pierre Signatures Flame Broiled Angus Cheeseburgers, by contrast, are tender and flavorful. How is this achieved? Food technologists somewhere know the answer, and maybe it's a trade secret. They're a product of Pierre Foods, a sizable operation out of Cincinnati that, according to their web site, "produces a complete line of fully cooked beef, pork, chicken, turkey and bakery products for school, foodservice, vending and convenience store markets."

And places like Costco, where I met up with Pierre Signatures last month for the first time. How did that happen? Free samples. Costco was giving away quarter-slices of these little burgers, and everyone agreed (rare for us): we needed to get some right away. A classic impulse purchase, but we don't regret it. Lilly persists in calling them "Agnes burgers."