Spring Roll With It

There are a few things in life I trust: my GPS, coffee before 9 a.m., and food that doesn’t require me to do actual cooking. Enter SUMM! — a brand that appears to have emerged from someone’s family kitchen in 1986 and miraculously made it to my refrigerator, still fresh and ready in under 10 minutes. Which is roughly how long I usually spend contemplating if cereal counts as dinner.

Now, SUMM! doesn’t bother with freezing — a bold move for a convenience food. Their lineup includes spring rolls, gyoza, and lumpia, all made in a nut-free facility and without artificial MSG. It’s like someone finally cracked the code on how to make fast food feel less like a sodium bomb and more like a weeknight win.

I started with the Sesame Ginger Chicken Gyoza Dumplings, because if there’s a dumpling nearby, I’m legally required to eat it. These are generously filled with chicken and vegetables, plus just enough sesame and ginger to feel like I’ve accomplished something culturally enriching without needing a passport. They come in a convenient twin pack, which sounds like it’s meant to share, but let’s be real: one pack is “me now” and the other is “me in 20 minutes.”

Then there’s the Thai Basil Chicken Spring Rolls, which I prepared in the air fryer and immediately regretted not buying more of. They’re crispy, golden, and filled with chicken, vegetables, and that whisper of Thai basil that makes you feel vaguely worldly. Plus, the included sweet chili sauce is house-made, which I assume means someone lovingly stirred it while listening to lo-fi beats and contemplating the balance of sweet and heat.

Feeling brave, I moved on to the Pork & Shiitake Gyoza Dumplings. What wins me over is the consistency. Whether it’s the spring rolls or gyoza, every product is fully cooked, quick to prepare, and doesn’t scream “frozen aisle despair.” They’re available in actual stores like Sam’s Club, Costco, Safeway, Albertsons, Shaw’s, Star Market, Publix, Vons, Giant Eagle, which means no shady freezer section diving required.

If your idea of meal prep is moving takeout containers from one shelf of the fridge to another, SUMM! might be your new weeknight hero.