Hamburger Helper Explained

Hamburger Helper
Image Alt:	Box of Cheeseburger Macaroni flavor Hamburger Helper. The box features the words "Hamburger Helper", the name of the flavor, an image of the prepared product, as well as the brand mascot.
Type:	Packaged mix
Course:	Main course
Place Of Origin:	United States
Associated Cuisine:	American cuisine
Creator:	General Mills
Year:	1971
Served:	Hot
Main Ingredient:	Pasta or rice
Minor Ingredient:	Seasonings
Variations:	Tuna Helper Fruit Helper Chicken Helper Asian Helper Whole Grain Helper Pork Helper Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles

Hamburger Helper is a packaged food product manufactured by Eagle Foods. As boxed, it consists of a dried carbohydrate (often pasta or rice), with powdered seasonings contained in a packet. The consumer is meant to combine the contents of the box with browned ground beef ("hamburger"), water, and, with some varieties, milk to create a complete one-dish meal.

There are also variations of the product designed for other meats, such as "Tuna Helper" and "Chicken Helper". Some of these feature other starches, such as potatoes.

History

The packaged pasta brand "Hamburger Helper" was introduced by General Mills in 1971^{[1] [2] [3]} in response to a meat shortage and rising meat prices.^[4] In 2005, Food Network rated it third on its list of "Top Five Fad Foods of 1970". In 2013, the company shortened the brand's name to just "Helper".^[5]

The Hamburger Helper mascot is "the Helping Hand" or "Lefty"—a four-fingered, left-hand white glove with a face on the palm and a red spherical nose. It often appears in the product's television commercials and on packages.^[6]

In May 2022, General Mills announced an agreement to sell the brand to Eagle Foods for approximately $610 million.^[7] On July 5, 2022, the sale was completed.^[8]

Hamburger varieties

The basic (and most popular) version of Hamburger Helper is a box of dried pasta with seasoning that is designed to be cooked with ground beef. Hamburger Helper offers a variety of flavors, including Lasagna, Cheeseburger Macaroni, Bacon Cheeseburger, Philly Cheesesteak, and others.

Other varieties

There are also variations designed for other meats: "Tuna Helper" and "Chicken Helper".

• Tuna Helper became successful as the second variety to appear on the market, in 1972.
• Fruit Helper was introduced in 1973. These were dessert products made with canned or fresh fruit. The Fruit Helper line has since been discontinued.^[9]
• Chicken Helper was introduced in 1984 in response to the wide availability of inexpensive boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
• Asian Helper is a selection of four main Asian-American-style dishes, three made with chicken and one with beef.^[10]
• Whole Grain Helper options include Lemon & Herb Chicken, Honey Mustard Chicken, Cheeseburger Mac, and beef Stroganoff flavors made with whole-wheat pasta.^[11]
• Pork Helper was introduced in 2003. Varieties included pork fried rice and pork chops with stuffing. The product was discontinued shortly after its introduction.^[12]
• Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles were introduced in 2006. This product requires water and 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 despite the brand being discontinued shortly thereafter. It returned in 2013 as Chicken and Chili Helper.

In popular culture

It is mentioned in "Young Sheldon" Series 6, episode 21, 'A Romantic Getaway and a Germanic meat-based Diet.' Georgie is cooking with his baby CeeCee in his arms and tells Mandy that she is his "little Hamburger Helper helper."

A 1977 book collecting material from the satirical TV show Saturday Night Live contained an unproduced sketch called "Placenta Helper," an ad for a product which "lets you stretch your placenta into a tasty casserole." The sketch was written by Tom Davis and future United States Senator Al Franken.^[13]

The animated television series Family Guy featured Lefty the mascot in one of their famous "cutaway gags" from the 2009 episode "Business Guy". The gag involved Lefty, who appears with his neurologically impaired brother, who takes the form of a right-handed glove, representing the non-existent brand "Cheeseburger Helper".^[14]

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.^[15]

On April 1, 2016, General Mills commissioned an EP as an April Fools' Day prank, titled Watch the Stove. According to a press release, the EP was produced for General Mills by a team at St. Paul, Minnesota's McNally Smith College of Music.^[16] The EP's title is a parody of the Jay-Z and Kanye West collaborative album Watch the Throne. It contains five songs, all of which are about Hamburger Helper. It instantly achieved a viral status, played over four million times on SoundCloud in less than three days, with many listeners finding value in the brand's promotion of younger artists.^[17]

See also

• American chop suey
• Chili mac
• Makarony po-flotski

Notes and References

1. Book: The Catering Industry Employee: Official Journal of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees' International Alliance and Bartenders' International League of America . 1973 . The Alliance . 82 & 83 . 7 . 25 January 2014.
2. Web site: Mike . Hughlett . General Mills relaunches Hamburger Helper . . 2013-07-06 . 2014-04-10.
3. Saya . Weissman . Hamburger Helper Is Awesome at Twitter. Really. . . 2013-11-23 . 2014-04-10.
4. Ashman . Hollis . Beckley . Jacqueline . Product Spotlight: Hamburger Helper -- Instantly and For One . Food Processing . 4 January 2007 . 28 June 2020.
5. Web site: General Mills relaunches Hamburger Helper. Star Tribune. 7 July 2013 . 2016-03-09.
6. In Redesign, Hamburger Helper Drops the Hamburger. https://web.archive.org/web/20130709171943/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-09/in-redesign-hamburger-helper-drops-the-hamburger. dead. July 9, 2013. Wong. Venessa. 2013-07-09. Bloomberg Businessweek. 2014-04-10.
7. News: General Mills Announces Agreement to Sell Helper and Suddenly Salad Businesses to Eagle Family Foods Group. General Mills. 2022-12-30. en-US. 2022-11-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20221129093842/https://investors.generalmills.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2022/General-Mills-Announces-Agreement-to-Sell-Helper-and-Suddenly-Salad-Businesses-to-Eagle-Family-Foods-Group/default.aspx. dead.
8. News: Eagle Foods Completes Acquisition of Two Iconic Brands from General Mills. PR Newswire. 2022-12-23. en-US.
9. Book: Carolyn Wyman. Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods that Changed the Way We Eat. registration. 6 September 2013. 2004. Quirk Books. 978-1-931686-42-6. 20–.
10. http://www.bettycrocker.com/home/products/helper/asian-favorites Betty Crocker Website
11. Web site: Pasta The Whole Grains Council. wholegrainscouncil.org. 2016-03-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20160531071737/http://wholegrainscouncil.org/find-whole-grains/pasta?page=14&term_node_tid_depth=42. 2016-05-31. dead.
12. Hamburger Helper Announces Better Tasting Product Line Business Wire. www.businesswire.com. 2016-03-17.
13. Book: Saturday Night Live. 1977. Anne P. Beatts, John Head. Avon Books. 0380018012.
14. Business Guy. Family Guy . Fox. December 13, 2009. 8. 9.
15. Web site: Sam Raimi is Killed by Hamburger Helper in This Early Short Film | News Article . FEARnet . 2013-09-02 . 2013-09-06.
16. Hamburger Helper Enters the Rap Scene With (Shockingly Great) Watch the Stove Mixtape. Billboard. 2016-04-13.
17. Here's The Story Behind Hamburger Helper's Viral Mixtape Watch the Stove has been played over 4 million times . Adweek . 2016-04-04 . 2016-04-09.