I compared prepared foods at Whole Foods and Wegmans on a $15 budget and found the cult-favorite regional chain blew the competition out of the water

I went to Whole Foods first. The prepared foods were priced at $9.99 a pound. I got my meal for $12.40 after tax.

It looked delicious, and I had high expectations. After all, these were cooked by real chefs, right?

I got chicken, fish, potatoes, veggies, and rice.

My first bite of the BBQ Soy Nugget had a very artificial taste. I didn't notice anything organic or healthy about it — just sweet.

I tried to pair it with some rice. Still a no-no for me.

Moving on to the next menu item, General Tso's Chicken Wings. They tasted good, just the right amount of sweetness and spiciness smothering the crispy, sticky skin.

Time to switch from chicken to some Hoki Francese. Again, the sauce was the best part.

I quickly had another piece, but it was much tougher than the first one. I tried to find more sauce at the bottom, but there was none. It probably dried on my way back to the office.

The Home Fries gave me another roller-coaster experience. The first chunk was perfectly roasted and seasoned ...

... while the second one was apparently left out of the seasoning process and also overly roasted. Poor chunk. Poor me. The edges were hard to chew.

I then moved on to the cauliflower. It tasted like a big spoon of buffalo sauce — very strong and spicy.

My hand was shaking as I reached to my second cauliflower. I have to say that the chef of this dish did a perfect job seasoning them evenly. Every bite was like swallowing another spoonful of buffalo sauce.

Naturally, I needed something to calm my taste buds — and my heart. So I turned to the Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

The smooth texture and flavor cheered me up as the mashed potatoes melted on my tongue. I decided that they were the best part of the whole meal.

When I finally got to the Vegetable Biryani, it was already cold and dry. Still, I tried some. It was tasteless. Might as well just get the white rice.

I finished my meal feeling not really full or satisfied. There was some leftover rice and cauliflower, but I'd prefer to stay a bit hungry.

Next, I hit up Wegmans. The price of prepared foods there was the same as at Whole Foods. My meal cost $12.07 after tax. The "Every day you get our best" slogan on the receipt seemed like a good sign.

Not only did Wegmans offer a much bigger menu, a worker told me that customers could even order things not on the menu if they phone the kitchen in advance. I got a similar combination of foods as my Whole Foods meal.

Nothing tastes as bad and frustrating as cold chicken, so it was my first priority. I grabbed the fried chicken from the winter menu first.

The skin was crispy and tasty, but the meat inside was lacking in flavor.

I then tried the Garlic Parmesan Wings on the regular menu for a comparison.

I was expecting a totally different flavor, but instead, the taste was very similar. The garlic one was much more greasy, though.

I moved on to some vegetables, the Cauliflower & Spinach Gratin, to balance the oily chicken.

While Whole Foods' cauliflower was too salty and strong, Wegmans' was overly soaked in a tasteless sauce.

Discouraged, I grabbed some Spicy General Tso Chicken. And, it blew my mind.

It seemed like the chef had used some real Chinese spices and chilis. I felt like I was eating takeout from a good Chinese restaurant.

Then, the steamed fish took the game to the next level. The skin was slightly crispy, and the meat was soft.

And, the sauce was fantastic and sophisticated. It was the best fish I'd had in months.

I paired it with some rice. The rice was a bit tough but was okay as a side.

I was on a ride until I hit the Kung Pao Chicken. I mean, I am Chinese, and I had never seen any Kung Pao Chicken that looked like this in my whole life. It was more like grilled chicken.

Though it was perfectly grilled, it didn't have much flavor.

Finally, I got to try the Beef & Udon Noodle, one of my favorite Japanese dishes. I just have to have them whenever I see them, regardless of the quality.

I didn't expect much, but Wegmans surprised again. The udon was so chewy and well-sauced that I wished I had grabbed a whole box of it.

The beef, on the other hand, was overcooked.

In general, I felt the Wegmans meal was worthwhile. There were ups and downs, but I did taste some quality, filling foods for just $12.

The two meals failed to convert me to a prepared food fan. It's convenient, yes, but not that cheap, and not that good. Spending $15 on frozen foods from these grocery stores might be a better investment.

But if Wegmans had more locations near my place, I'd definitely go more often for the three dishes that won over my stomach.

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