Hamburger Helper is a line of packaged food products primarily consisting of boxed pasta bundled with a packet or packets of powdered sauce/seasonings. The contents of each box are combined with browned hamburger meat, water and milk to create a complete dish. The product line also features products with other starches such as rice or potatoes instead of pasta.
Although the classic boxed Hamburger Helper products only supply the starch item and the sauce packets, some varieties of the product now include hamburger meat/ground beef. These include a frozen food line, which features some of the brand's classic varieties in a complete meal kit form, with frozen ground beef and frozen sauce packaged separately from the noodles in the same bag. There is also an "instant" version of Hamburger Helper containing dehydrated meat, noodles and seasonings in a small pouch, requiring only water to be added.
The Hamburger Helper mascot is the "Helping Hand", an anthropomorphic animated, four fingered left-hand glove, which appears in the product's television commercials and on the packages.
History
Hamburger Helper was first introduced in 1971. In 2005, the American-based Food Network listed Hamburger Helper as number three in its list of the top five fad foods of the 1970s.MaryMc's Seventies Party Ideas
In 2007, General Mills removed the microwave cooking directions from Hamburger and Tuna Helper, mainly due to the launch of the Microwave Singles line, which was especially formulated for microwave cooking. Directions for a limited number of flavors are still listed at the Hamburger Helper FAQ at BettyCrocker.com. Directions are still commonly found on private label versions of Hamburger Helper.
Varieties
Hamburger Helper is available in numerous flavors, organized into various "Favorites" categories. These include:
- Homestyle Favorites
- Beef Pasta (formerly called "Beef Noodle")
- Beef Stroganoff
- Potato Stroganoff (includes dehydrated potato slices)
- Salisbury
- Sloppy Joe
- Patty Melt
- Italian Favorites
- Lasagna
- Four Cheese Lasagna
- Spaghetti
- Cheesy Italian Shells
- Italian Sausage
- Tomato Basil Penne (Formerly called "Zesty Italian")
- New Orleans Favorites
- Cheesy Jambalaya
- Cheesy Favorites
- Cheeseburger Macaroni
- Double Cheeseburger Macaroni
- Three Cheese
- Chili Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese Melt
- Philly Cheesesteak
- Cheesy Hashbrowns
- Bacon Cheeseburger
- Cheesy Baked Potato
- Cheesy Ranch Burger
- Mexican Favorites (co-branded with Old El Paso brand)
- Cheesy Nacho
- Chili Macaroni
- Cheesy Enchilada
- Cheesy Beef Taco
- Crunchy Taco
- Double Cheesy Quesadilla (originally "Double Cheese Quesadilla")
- Discontinued
- Beef Romanoff (still available in Canada)
- Beef and Garlic Potatoes
- Beef Stew
- Cheddar & Broccoli
- Hash
- Macaroni & Cheese
- Meatloaf
- Pizza Bake
- Rice Oriental (Officially discontinued, but occasionally still available in some stores)
- Wild Rice & Mushrooms
- Wagon Wheels (also called "Barbecue")
- Zesty Italian
Other helpers
Tuna Helper is designed to be used with tuna. Tuna Helper was the second variety to appear on the market, but has quickly lost popularity to Chicken Helper. Tuna Helper is designed to be prepared with one 6 oz. can of tuna, though many cooks double the amount. Recent packaging has started to give the instruction "Add 2-5 oz. cans of tuna". Tuna Helper has seen very few changes to its offerings since its introduction. Most are variations on cream or cheese based tuna casseroles. Since tuna does not need to be browned, the instructions begin with combining all ingredients together. Tuna helper is not low-fat, as the instructions call for 1/4 cup butter and milk. However, by omitting the butter and using skim milk or all water, the calories and fat can be significantly lowered. Tuna Helper can be prepared with canned chicken, turkey, or ham.
Tuna Helper® Flavors:
- Creamy Broccoli
- Fettuccini Alfredo
- Creamy Pasta
- Creamy Parmesan
- Cheesy Pasta
- Tuna Tetrazzini
- Tuna Melt
Chicken Helper appeared as an answer to the wide availability of inexpensive boneless, skinless chicken breast which was being used as an alternative to beef. Chicken Helper dishes are designed for use with sliced or cubed boneless skinless chicken breast. It is prepared in almost the same way as Hamburger Helper except that it does not need to be drained. Like tuna helper, chicken helper calls for butter and milk in many flavors. This raises the fat and calories. Also like tuna helper, skim milk can be used and butter can be replaced by healthier oils, or cooking spray. While designed for boneless skinless breast, Chicken Helper can be prepared with any chicken including canned chicken, or any other fowl, particularly turkey.
Chicken Helper® Flavors:
- Creamy Chicken & Noodle
- Fettuccini Alfredo
- Cheesy Chicken Enchilada
- Chicken Fried Rice
Asian Helper is a selection of 3 (two hamburger and one chicken) Asian American style dishes. Only Mongolian Beef is new, as Chicken & Beef Fried Rice were previously offered. Wholesome Helper is the Cheeseburger Mac and Stroganoff flavors made with whole-wheat pasta.
In 2006, Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles were introduced which require only the addition of water and brief cooking in a microwave to produce a single serving portion of some of the most popular flavors. This concept was expanded to include the Chicken Helper line in 2007, but has been discontinued.
Some vegetarians use artificial ground beef (usually soy-based) instead of genuine meat when preparing Hamburger Helper. Ground pork, lamb, chicken, or turkey meat can also be substituted. However, some Hamburger Helper varieties contain meat products (such as beef extract, found in the Tomato Basil Penne and the Stroganoff flavors).
Many private label producers have versions of the most popular varieties of Hamburger Helper.
