Whether it’s the recovery from the heavy meals of the holidays or it’s the fresh start of a new year, January is the month everyone decides to eat healthy. I also made the grand declaration that 2022 would be the year I eat healthy.
But I didn’t want to bore you with details of an actual diet. No, dear readers, that is not what Trial & Error is all about . Trial & Error is about me doing things that scare me. It’s about trying out things that you wouldn’t try out yourself.
Trial & Error is about me eating things that look like this.
Yes, that right there is chicken.
And rice.
And broccoli/spinach.
In a vacuum-sealed bag.
In the microwave.
In the shape of a square.
I purposely didn’t edit any photos in this post at all so you could see them in their natural form.
These squares are from a new startup out of Miami called SQUAREAT. They sent me a bunch of boxes of their different meals to try out. An employee even called me before they sent the boxes to make sure I would treat them fairly and not trash their product that they’ve worked for years to create.
Of course, I would never do that. I understand how difficult it is to do something new and different, especially in the food world. I appreciate the time and energy it takes to launch a product and ship it out to customers.
At the same time, I am not going to praise a product I don’t like just because it was sent to me for free. So, keep all this in mind as you read on. I am going to give my 100% honest feedback on these food squares.
I know you have some questions. Here’s my best attempt to answer them.
First, Why?
That’s the first question everyone who saw the squares at my house asked when I showed them. And, to be honest, I couldn’t really come up with a great reason myself. I knew the squares were made of real food formed into the shape of a square and put in boxes labeled things like Mediterranean, Classic, Vegan BBQ, and others. I knew that the company promises they are healthy, delicious, easy-to-make, meals. But, I couldn’t put my finger on why they are in the shape of a square, and why a potential customer would order SQUAREEAT.
So I asked the CEO of SQUAREEAT, Paolo Cadegiani, what he says is the top selling point for this product. Essentially, why does it exist?
Above all, SQUAREAT is portion-controlled. Our 45g single serving Squares are designed to satisfy any dietary need. You can fully customize your own diet, picking the Squares you want at your own terms at any time. The long-lasting nature of our product, up to 2 weeks, makes it even easier to enjoy whenever you want, giving you the flexibility to decide how to perfect your diet on a daily basis.
If you’re like me, that doesn’t really get to the heart of the matter. For me, the toughest part to overcome with SQUAREEAT is…well…the fact that it’s chicken, sea bass, asparagus, rice, quinoa, and more formed into a small cube.
It’s a lot to get past when you’re trying it for the first time. I even asked him about that. Surely I wasn’t the first person to point out the strangeness of the product. He said they’ve been compared to the graphic novel/movie/show Snowpiercer which is set in a dystopian future and food is served via unappetizing protein blocks made of cockroaches.
“Think about it: portion controlled, already seasoned, portable, long lasting, tasty, with all nutrients well preserved. SQUAREAT, our solution, is a ‘ready to eat’ food made with 100% natural ingredients,” says Cadegiani.
Sold yet?
How?
How do they make them? Well, that’s a secret they’ve developed over the two years it took to create the Squares.
How do you prepare them to eat? That’s where it gets interesting. You can microwave them, pan fry them, cook them in the oven, or, really any other way you like to heat up food.
Sous vide? Oui, oui.
Over an open campfire? Light it up!
Using a magnifying glass and the sun? Get on out there and try it.
You can also eat them cold.
But I hate cold food so I did not do this. I also did not use a magnifying glass and the sun.
Anyway, this was a big selling point for SQUAREAT and one I did appreciate, I liked that it took very little thought to make them for lunch. And they were easy to tote around. I tried multiple different cooking methods to bring out the different flavors and textures.
Ok and now it’s time to answer the real question you’ve been dying to ask.
Was it any good?
Define good.
No, really.
What do you mean by good?
Do you mean, was it like a filet mignon at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse?
Or do you mean, was it as good as, say, an Epic Bar?
Or, perhaps, do you mean, would it be good compared to an MRE that soldiers eat?
Or, and I think this is the one you actually mean because this is the one I’m going to actually answer, was it good for a strange cube of vacuum-sealed chicken, salmon, and carrots?
Hmm.
Let’s see.
Yes?
Really, it depends. Some of the squares were surprisingly good for what they were. Like I thought the chicken would be disgusting. It reminded me of cat food in appearance. But it was pretty good. I could envision taking a chicken square as a post-workout protein snack. Sea bass and salmon were also decent.
Overall though, the texture bothered me on too many of the squares. The only one I just couldn’t stomach was asparagus, which is already a dicey proposition in its normal shape. The asparagus square had a consistency similar to jello. If I’m going to eat something that makes my pee smell awful I should at least enjoy it.
And I don’t eat fake meat in any form so the plant-based BBQ was always going to be a tough sell. Many of the meals come with little sauce packets to add flavor, which were all fine, but a little too watery.
Some people can’t enjoy a food if the texture is strange. I’m not extreme when it comes to texture. For example, I don’t love the sponginess of mochi, but I won’t spit something out if it has an odd texture either.
If you are a texture person, SQUAREAT is not for you. Though they claim, and this is a direct quote from Cadegiani, that the squares “have an even better texture compared to regular food,” this is far from the truth. To be honest, I don’t even know how something could have a better texture than the food is supposed to have. But the truth is, the texture on most of the squares doesn’t even come close to that of regular food.
That said, there are ways to improve the texture. I found that pan frying the squares with a little olive oil gave them a slightly crunchy outside. However, taking the time to pan fry them kind of took away from the major appeal of a quick and easy meal on the go.
Should I buy it?
At first glance, I would have said there’s no way I’d end up endorsing this product. Just looking at them on a plate was enough to make me gag a little bit.
And, frankly, I still don’t fully understand SQUAREAT from a practical standpoint. However, the more I’ve thought about it the more I see some of the benefits. If you’re looking for clean protein without the funky taste of a protein bar or protein powder, a 45G square of chicken or salmon is a quick way to get good animal protein. Or maybe you need more vegetables in your life and you can’t stand the texture and taste of normal veggies. SQUAREAT could be a good solution. After all, you can easily take down one of these squares in 2-3 bites and be done with your veggies for that meal.
As far as cost goes, 10-meal plans range from $125-159 and each meal consists of six squares. So the cheapest plan is about $2 per square. Again, I don’t know that I would order this product myself, but I am not here to totally discount it or to say the idea itself will never work.
Walk down the health food aisle at a Whole Foods and you will see many ideas that are just as far fetched. I’m sure people thought protein powder and protein bars were equally crazy when they started. Maybe SQUAREAT is the next Clif Bar. Or maybe they’re the next New Coke.
Thanks again to SQUAREAT for sending the squares my way.
Next week I’ll have a fun and hopefully educational interview for this month’s Trial & Expert. If you’re not subscribed to the T&E Club you can do so here.