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Hamburger Helper

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Hamburger Helper is a line of General Mills packaged food products sold under the Betty Crocker brand. Most products consist of boxed pasta bundled with a packet(s) of powdered sauce or seasonings .

The contents of each box are combined with browned ground beef, water, and sometimes milk to create a complete dish. The product line also features products with other starches, such as rice or potatoes.

History

Hamburger Helper was first introduced in 1971.[1][2][3] In 2005, Food Network listed Hamburger Helper as number three in its list of the "Top Five Fad Foods of the 1970s".[4]

In 2013, the company rebranded to just "Helper."[5]

The Hamburger Helper mascot is the "Helping Hand" (or "Lefty"), an Anthropomorphic animated, four-fingered, left-hand glove, which appears in the product's television commercials and packages.[2][3][6]

Varieties

The basic and most popular version of Hamburger Helper is a box of dried pasta with seasoning which must be cooked with ground beef. There are many flavors such as lasagna, cheeseburger macaroni, bacon cheeseburger, philly cheesesteak, and many more. There are also variations using other meats like tuna and chicken.

Other products

Tuna Helper'jccimseiijd8oihciuluhci was the second variety to appear on the market, in 1972, and is the 2nd best seller within the product line.[2]

Fruit Helper was introduced in 1973. These were dessert products, made with canned or fresh fruit. The Fruit Helper line has been discontinued.[7]

Chicken Helper was introduced in 1984 in response to the wide availability of inexpensive boneless, skinless chicken breast.[2]

Asian Helper is a selection of four Asian-American-style dishes: three made with chicken and one with beef.[8]

Whole Grain Helper options include Lemon & Herb Chicken, Honey Mustard Chicken, Cheeseburger Mac, and Stroganoff flavors made with whole-wheat pasta.[9]

Pork Helper was introduced in 2003. Varieties included Pork Fried Rice and Pork Chops with Stuffing. It was discontinued shortly after its introduction.[10]

Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles were introduced in 2006. This product requires water and a brief cooking in the microwave to produce a single serving portion of some of the most popular flavors. Chicken Helper flavors were added in 2007 though the brand was discontinued shortly after. It returned in 2013 as Chicken and Chili Helper.

Chili Macaroni is a variety to prepare chili mac.

In 1979, Scott Spiegel wrote, produced and directed a short film entitled Attack of the Helping Hand, which featured a "Hamburger Helper" oven mitt as a killer glove.[11]

References

  1. ^ The Catering Industry Employee: Official Journal of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees' International Alliance and Bartenders' International League of America. Vol. 82 & 83. The Alliance. 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Hughlett, Mike (2013-07-06). "General Mills relaunches Hamburger Helper". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  3. ^ a b Weissman, Saya (2013-11-23). "Hamburger Helper Is Awesome at Twitter. Really". Digiday. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  4. ^ "Top 5 Food Fads of the70s". Television Food Network G.P. 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  5. ^ "General Mills relaunches Hamburger Helper". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
  6. ^ Wong, Venessa (2013-07-09). "In Redesign, Hamburger Helper Drops the Hamburger". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  7. ^ Carolyn Wyman (2004). Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods that Changed the Way We Eat. Quirk Books. pp. 20–. ISBN 978-1-931686-42-6. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  8. ^ name = "Betty Crocker Website" url=http://www.bettycrocker.com/home/products/helper/asian-favorites
  9. ^ "Pasta | The Whole Grains Council". wholegrainscouncil.org. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  10. ^ "Hamburger Helper Announces ``Better Tasting Product Line | Business Wire". www.businesswire.com. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  11. ^ "Sam Raimi is Killed by Hamburger Helper in This Early Short Film | News Article". FEARnet. 2013-09-02. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
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