# Hamburger Helper - what say ye? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297 "2006-05-11T00:11:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/1 "2006-05-11T00:11:46Z")
Dare I call it the ultimate convenience food? Maybe that’s a bit much. Regardless, what do you think of it? 1 - Food of the Gods!! 2 - Cheap, quick, easy, and not too bad - kinda like my love life 3 - You’re kidding, right? 4 - Option funnier than I thought of My vote - 2. It’s OK for an easy meal. I jazz it up with onions or mushrooms or other veggies depending upon the variety. It’s not a regular part of my pantry, but occasionally, we find it makes tolerable grub. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/2 "2006-05-11T00:16:22Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Cheap, quick, easy, and not too bad - kinda like my love life. Cheeseburger macaroni is my favorite. I can handle it about once a month. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/3 "2006-05-11T00:17:23Z")
I don’t know why they call it hamburger helper. It does just fine by itself. I like it better than tuna helper myself. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/4 "2006-05-11T00:18:10Z")
The Stoganoff is divine. Nummy-num-num! 🙂🙂🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/5 "2006-05-11T00:18:45Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > 2 - Cheap, quick, easy, and not too bad - kinda like my love life I only like a couple of flavors, but it’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Yogurt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/f0a364/32.png) [@Yogurt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogurt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/6 "2006-05-11T00:20:18Z")
As a bachelor HH is King. I cook it or Chicken Helper probably once or twice a week. It’s not the best, but once you figure out what additions to make it’s not too bad and requires minimum prep and cooking time. That and the George Forman grill sustain me… Without them 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/7 "2006-05-11T00:25:51Z")
I have never in my life made HH, but it just screams for customization like you do - extra veggies here, perhaps a jalapeno there… Maybe. Just maybe one day, in the not so distant future. ---
**Author:** ![MissMossie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MissMossie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMossie)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/8 "2006-05-11T00:29:34Z")
It’s a bit too salty for my tastes. If I’m going to be adding extra veggies and whatnot, I might as well just do a stir fry. It’s just as easy and sooo much nummier. I used to really like HH though. In more recent years, I’ve stopped eating any sort of boxed meal/side dish like that and so they all seem super salty to me. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/9 "2006-05-11T00:29:51Z")
I used to depend on it a lot. However, I noticed that most of them are just a sauce and a starch, with a few seasonings sometimes, which I can make myself very easily. Egg noodles and other pastas are very easy to cook, and so are sauces, so I’ve pretty much given up on Hamburger Helper. I will admit to using cream soups as sauces on occastion. I particularly like to use cream of celery soup in tuna casseroles and pot pies. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/10 "2006-05-11T00:36:43Z")
Used to be a staple in my parent’s household. It’s _okay_. I used to mix my mashed potatoes into it, and it was a strange, mushy yumminess. The standard was just cheesy noodles and burger, or the potato-chip-esque kind with burger. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/11 "2006-05-11T02:56:02Z")
I’m 44 years old, and I’ve never eaten it, that I’m aware of. There are so many things I’ve never had. Corn Dogs, Sno-cones, those freezy-things you get at convenience stores, octopus. Have I missed much? StG ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/12 "2006-05-11T03:19:14Z")
#1, all the way. Gimme a million bucks and I’ll still have Hamburger Helper at least once a week. I’d just be eating it off some nicer plates is all. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/13 "2006-05-11T03:20:35Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I’m 44 years old, and I’ve never eaten it, that I’m aware of. There are so many things I’ve never had. Corn Dogs, Sno-cones, those freezy-things you get at convenience stores, octopus. > > Have I missed much? > > StG No except for corn dogs. Corn dogs dipped in mustard is a heavenly delicacy. That is a must try. Icees are also very good but the competitor versions are sickly sweet. Octopus and squid don’t offer much on their own because they are like eating rubber. However, calamari (fried squid like onion rings) is quite good and popular in the Boston area. ---
**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/14 "2006-05-11T03:39:03Z")
Option #3 for me: it’s just too darn salty for my tastes, and it makes an awkward amount. Too much for just me, but not enough for me and someone else, assuming that’s all that’s being eaten. If I need to whip up something quick and easy to eat, that’s what cereal is for. 🙂 * * * \<\< Who’s General Failure & why’s he reading my disk? \>\> ---
**Author:** ![The\_Swan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Swan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Swan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/15 "2006-05-11T04:03:40Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > No except for corn dogs. Corn dogs dipped in mustard is a heavenly delicacy. That is a must try. Icees are also very good but the competitor versions are sickly sweet. Octopus and squid don’t offer much on their own because they are like eating rubber. However, calamari (fried squid like onion rings) is quite good and popular in the Boston area. Heathen. Grilled baby octopus is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten…many times. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/16 "2006-05-11T04:07:49Z")
#3 I just don’t go in for boxed meals I do make my own homemade Hamburger helper type dinner, though with ground beef, left over noodles and frozen mixed veggies. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/17 "2006-05-11T04:53:08Z")
I’ve had it a couple of times when I really needed to feed the kids in a big hurry. However, it is too expensive to mess with most of the time. A 1 lb. box of elbow macaroni costs less than a buck. Throw in some seasoning and you have the same thing you get out of the box for about 1/2 the price (or less). (And, as noted, it works better if you are adding some veggies or spices of your own, so why pay the high cost and still do the work?) (I’ve had the same fight with my kids over Lunchables. For the cost of four packages of Lunchables, I can buy enough crackers, peanut butter, Cheez Whiz, and (lean) lunch meat to make “lunchables” by hand for two weeks. (And I can better control the amount of fat, sugar, and sodium that goes into them.)) HH and Lunchables and the other prepared foods are not evil, but they certainly seem to be a high cost trade-off for five minutes of work. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/18 "2006-05-11T05:40:58Z")
I attempted to make Hamburger Helper once, but I ended up with a frying pan full of unappetizing liquid yellow goop. I’m still not sure exactly what I did wrong, but it’s put me off cooking for at least a year. Pretty much all I know how to cook is frozen pizza and Jell-O. I eat a lot of sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/19 "2006-05-11T11:21:26Z")
#3. The grandkids are visiting for a while so it was served for dinner the other night. I opted for a nice salad instead. I can duplicate most of them without the box and it tastes better too. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297/20 "2006-05-11T11:30:28Z")
Meh. I do the same thing with hamburger, Rice-a-Roni and frozen mixed veggies. I call it fazoo. It makes a lot more than a box of HH and doesn’t cost that much more. Robin [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamburger-helper-what-say-ye/356297.md?page=2)