It’s a bit of a regional usage, I think. I never call ground beef “hamburger,” nor have I noticed anybody who usually calls ground beef “hamburger,” but it is widely understood in context, I think.
In Canada we call it hamburger. It’s obviously a widespread usage, since the product IS called ‘Hamburger Helper’.
Related: packaged scalloped potatoes, or potatoes au gratin (the dehydrated spuds look like potato chips) prepared as per the package (always takes longer to cook than suggested) with sliced smoked sausage mixed in. This is one of our favorites, not a month goes by that we don’t have it.
Whoops, I didn’t realize that posted. Thought I had exited the page. I do concede that “hamburger” is probably widely used for “ground beef,” but it’s not common around the people I know. There are certainly regional patterns to its usage. See the long thread here about this topic, for instance.
Yea, I’ve been known to eat it on occasion, but that’s one thing I’ve never gotten over, the strong chemical taste of the dried sauce packets… I’m not sure what it is exactly- if it’s a thickener or something like MSG?- but anyway… it doesn’t hinder me from eating it… it is just very distinctive, and maybe what draws me back to it, in some perverse way. The Salisbury steak version isn’t too bad because that flavor is what I am conditioned to and actually seeking out in a real salisbury steak. Their lasagna hamburger helper is kinda off. Stroganoff is just weird tasting.
And then to hit rock bottom, sometimes I have had to get the generic aldi’s hamburger helper knockoff which is even cheaper and one step below the cheap and already economy hamburger helper… none of that high priced, high phalutin’ name brand hamburger helper that cousin Eddy gets.
I’ve cut up a partially cooked ham steak and put it in one of those mixes.
I can’t eat most sausage, but my husband and daughter are quite fond of beanie weenies made with sausage rather than plain hot dogs. Especially if I put plenty of chopped onions on top.
And you know, that scene in NL’s Vacation is rather deceiving and nonrepresentative of actual hamburger helper because Eddy is grilling hamburgers and hamburger helper has nothing to do with actual hamburgers. That’s one of those scenes that I sometimes see in movies that is an incomplete and inaccurate culinary representation. It shows a gaff in writing and a lack of coordination in direction and a strange ignorance. I’ve seen it many times.
Something similar in the “culinary gaffe genre” of 80’s movies… the burger training scene in Fast Times.
Same here.
My mom never would have allowed me to eat boxed meals (not counting cereal) and she did all the cooking. Same reason I didn’t have Kraft mac and cheese until college. The various helper meals never looked appealing enough for me to buy once I was fending for myself.
Oh, my Mom never made Hamburger Helper, regularly, My Dad did occasionally, I think we tried it as something “new” as a family when it first came out lo these many years ago, mostly as a budgetary measure, but no one really liked it with some kind of zeal, it wasn’t very regular or in rotation at family meals. My Mom and Dad were much better cooks than that. But since we tried it new, it was kind of a novelty dish and occasionally EATEN WHEN WE THREW SOMETHING TOGETHER. fOR THE TIME INVOLVED IT IS VERY FLAVORFUL AND FILLING. hITS THE HOGH NOTES AND IS CONVENIENT. It’s a 70’s thang.
Huh. I hadn’t thought about it, but I call it ‘ground beef’. I must have called ground beef ‘hamburger’ at some point, and its usage in the Hamburger Helper is obvious; but I can’t remember calling it anything but ‘ground beef’ in my adult life.
I’ve often wondered if pilots misspeak when they call Brown Ground.
Damn, I haven’t thought about Hamburger Helper in years. I think I’m going to go out and get some.