#2… I usually keep a box on hand, in case I get tired of my usual things to do with ground beef from scratch. Often takes me a while to actually use it. Lasagna’s my favorite.
I tried a store-brand ‘hamburger assistant’ or whatever earlier this spring, and could hardly choke it down - threw out most of it. 
There are so many ridiculously EASY and TASTY dishes to make with ground beef and a well stocked spice cabinet, that I wouldn’t ever see the need for it.
I don’t know what the ingredient list on Hamburger Helper is, but I’ll guarantee you there are things in there that I don’t think people should be eating [del]on a weekly basis[/del] ever.
#3 - Just don’t like stuff out of a box
What Trunk said.
You can easily make you’re own, without all the sodium and reconstituted crud.
I was a teenager when Hamburger Helper first appeared, and I remember my mom bought it just to see what all the TV commercial fuss was about.
She soon figured out that it was a big nothing.
We, who at the time were all about convenience foods, never liked it much.
Snobs! HH is the food of the gods, for sure–especially, as has been mentioned already, the Stroganoff.
In grad school my now-wife was too poor to buy the real thing, and so used to eat the generic–Panburger Partner. There really is such a thing. Perhaps not as gloriously delicious as HH, but still pretty darned good.
Another Cheeseburger Macaroni lover here. I make it with all water though instead of adding milk.
Too expensive? I actually like it because it’s so cheap. I can usually get it for around $1.50. I make it with only a half-pound of ground turkey (otherwise the meat-noodle ratio is off), and add frozen or canned veggies, so in the end, it makes a complete meal for two (plus lunch for one the next day) for about $4. Not bad!
I like the stroganoff, the lasagne and the zesty italian.
When I was single, I would make a batch, put it into 5 plastic containers, freeze them and take one to work each day. A whole week’s worth of lunches for $4!
We eat it very, very rarely. I’ve probably made it twice in the last 15 years. Tuna helper, on the other hand, that stuff we love. It’s just unfortunate tuna is so expensive these days - we haven’t had it for a long time either.
Canned tuna? I haven’t noticed it going up in price.
Fresh might be another story, but if you have fresh tuna you probably wouldn’t waste it on tuna Helper.
Yep - canned - if it’s fresh, my son refuses to eat it. Yes, I have an odd child.
It’s at about 1.99 a can or something outrageous like that - I'm used to paying like .40 or $.50 a can - I can’t justify $1.99 for that tiny little thing.
I know - I’m cheap - but sooner or later it goes on sale for .40 or .50 - then I buy like a case. 
I say you’re the heathen!
How can you eat a cute widdle baby octopussy?
Me too. I think it’d be cool if Campbell’s would market a cream soup without the celery, chicken, mushroom, onion, or whatever. Sometimes all I want is the sauce – I can add my own flavor.
I know how to make a white sauce, but it takes an extra pan, and time. Give me Cream of Nothing!
Missy - Where do you live? I can find chunk light tuna for about 55-60- cents a can (Starkist). Aldi’s has their house tuna for 39 cents/can. Solid white albacore is more expensive, but it always has been.
StG
Northwest suburbs of Chicago. And D’OH - I hadn’t thought of Aldi - and there’s one right down the street from me! I’ll hit it on the way home. 
It is not horribly expensive, but compare the actual prices. For your 1.50, you are getting between 1/3 and 2/3 the noodles found in a .99 box of Mueller or Barilla or equivalent. To that, they have added some spices and MSG that you could buy separately and mix up into snack bags once a month, paying the equivalent of a nickel a serving, so between paying more for less pasta and more for less spice, you are spending 1.50 for about .80 worth of food if bought separately and mixed yourself.
If you have the cash and like the flavor, go for it. However, when I had kids that wanted to eat it every day while we were in a money crunch, I decided that I could make up my own for less money with a lot less sodium and fat.
My roomies and I have the Kroger brand weekly, usually going with Faux lasagna. Though lately we’ve gone to tuna helper (it’s even easier, we don’t have to thaw the meat).
Not to bring anyone down too much but here are the nutritional facts on HH.
That’s almost 900 calories per serving with 25% coming from saturated fat. And that’s before you add the hamburger. Sodium is pretty scary too.
:eek:
a) I hate their commercials.
b) I really hate their commercials.
c) I’ve never actually had Hamburger Helper. But isn’t it just as easy (and possibly cheaper) to do it yourself? The cooking intensive part of the meal is browning the hamburger - which you have to do anyway. Toss in noodles & cheese and tada! Why pay them for that - especially given their commercials?
My wife and i love the El Paso Taco kind of Hamburger Helper. Their lasanga is good too.
Their Chicken Jamalaya is good for Chicken Helper.
Everything else is horrible.
Hey, there’s faux Hamburger Helper recipes online, you know. This one’s pretty good, and you can use it for Chili Mac, Potato Beef, Lasagne or that coveted Strogonoff. To reduce the sodium, use low sodium bullion granules. Much cheaper than HH. I keep a jar full of the stuff in my pantry and scoop out what I need.
Meh. I’ve had it, but I don’t really like it. I suppose that’s because I don’t like beef very much; it sure isn’t because I have high class tastes. I mean, I could live off of Kraft Mac & Cheese. Seriously.
Come to think of it, I don’t much like Tuna/Chicken Helper, either; heck, I don’t even like homemade casserole, or macaroni & cheese with hot dogs. Dishes that mix meat with vegetables and/or pasta just aren’t my thing, I guess.