Me, I love the stuff. I grew up with it (although we didn’t eat it constantly, it was more like a “once a month” sort of thing) and some of the kinds they have now are really delicious, I think.
Do you like any kinds? Do you like or dislike it in general?
I’m making this poll very simple. Either yes or no. I’m not adding anything else in (like “it’s okay”, for example), because that would probably win and I want a more solid answer from people.
So if you just have it from time to time and think it’s just okay, that would be a “Yes” answer.
…Unless you have it from time to time just for the kids or something and can’t stand it yourself every time you eat it and just wind up forcing yourself to…in which case, choose “No”.
What’s weird is that even though I grew up in a poor, Midwestern family where ground meat was as much of a staple as possible…I can’t say I’ve ever had Hamburger Helper.
We had tacos, chili and sloppy joes all the time but mom made the meat from her own ingredients.
I wonder if Hamburger Helper was “too exotic” for my dad?!
You got ground beef. You got pasta. You got some kind of sauce which may or may not include cheese. What’s not to like?
I mean, if I wanted do, I could probably make something similar to Cheeseburger Macaroni or Cheesy Lasagna or Chili Macaroni with the spices in my kitchen and something more closely related to actual cheese than the dehydrated powder in the box, but it’s fast, it’s cheap, and it’s filling. It’s good food in the same way that Taco Bell is.
I don’t use them because I do enjoy the work of cooking and since I cook for other people a lot, I want to put the time and effort in to make something a little more special and with better flavor and complexity than you generally get out of the Helpers.
But when I cook alone and know no one will see the kitchen trash, Hamburger Helper and Tuna Helper show up there a lot on weeknights because they’re quick, easy, and I don’t have to think.
I’ll vote on the “yes” side of the aisle. It’s fine. Maybe a bit saltier than I typically like my foods, but not disgusting or something I hate. My wife used to make a lot of it when we were dating. I generally don’t keep it around the house because if I want to make a noodle-hamburger dish I can usually whip it up with ingredients on hand and adjust it more to my tastes, but it’s perfectly serviceable and something I’d be happy to be served up for dinner.
I voted no, but only because I don’t need whatever overly-processed and overly-salted ingredients are in that box. If I have noodles, I have ground beef, and I have my standard pantry, I can make my own Hamburger Helper just fine.
I like it the way that adding peanut sauce to ramen gives you the poor man’s Pad Thai. It’s quick and easy and cheap and with some imagination it can be delicious. Ate it a lot when single and still eat it rarely as a married man.
During my sports mom years, my family ate a fair amount of the stuff. It’s ok just as the directions say, but it can be pretty tasty with even a minimum amount of customization. Since my hubby and sons would happily eat any pasta dish covered in a tomato-y sauce, particularly with post-sports practice/game appetites, I went with the flow and prepared it. Our favorite add-ins were fresh basil and oregano, grated parm, and some minced onion/garlic.
Back then they had a meat loaf variety and one that resembled shepherd’s pie with a biscuit crust on top and the sauce and meat underneath. Those were both big hits, along with the taco flavor meal.
Yes, but I rarely use ground beef (most of the time, I use tuna; occasionally, chicken - note that I always use Hamburger Helper when I do this, not Tuna Helper or Chicken Helper), and when I do, it’s usually just 1/2 pound instead of the full pound called for in the instructions; a full pound tends to overwhelm the pasta.
I love Hamburger Helper. My favorite one is the spaghetti. I found microwave directions online. Brown the meat, drain, add hot water, pasta, and sauce mix. Nuke on high for 12 minutes. It beats Chef Boy-ar-dee or Banquet frozen. I’ll cut the ground beef to 1/2 lb. and add a few meatballs.
I’ve always wondered if there is a correlation between how often a family eats hamburger helper and the likely hood of a giant wooden fork and spoon being somewhere on the wall as decoration.
But hamburger helper is fracking food of the gods compared to its nasty assed cousin potatoes all rotten
