I’ve always been inquisitive about how things work.  A few years ago, I even bought a book called “How Stuff Works.”  My inquisitive nature isn’t limited to machines or technology, it also carries over into the culinary industry.

One recent pondering led me to ask “what makes a Lean Pocket leaner than a Hot Pocket?” I normally wouldn’t harp on this because I’d buy the Hot Pockets and move on. But, since I’m lazy, my wife does the shopping. And, since she cares for my health, she gets the Lean Pockets. So, I’m back to spending time at lunch staring at a box wondering about what makes it so. I thought that the answer was that they simply put less meat-and-cheese-like-substance into the bread. At lunch today, I cut open my pocket to reveal the cold, hard truth. (In this case, it’s actually the crispy, warm truth):

So there you go.  It’s a pastry with a whiff of flavor inserted…that’s why it’s so lean.  The UltraLean Pockets are just a plastic bag that you open, throw away, and then eat your napkin.