# What happened to frozen sliced beef and gravy?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** food-cooking
**Created:** [June 3, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603 "2026-06-03T22:42:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chalybeate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chalybeate)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/1 "2026-06-03T22:42:52Z")
When I was growing up in the 1980s, I ate a lot of frozen food. One of my favorites was sliced beef and gravy. The beef was real beef with visible grain. You could get sliced beef and gravy TV dinners, family sized trays of beef and gravy and in Cookin’ Bags. Cookin’ Bags were sealed clear plastic pouches filled with sliced beef and gravy, sliced turkey and gravy, or Salisbury steak and gravy and frozen. The cooking instructions were to bring a pot of water to boil and boil the unopened bag for a few minutes. These were a godsend for the pre-microwave days, because it was simple to prepare and faster than cooking a TV dinner in the oven. You could also cut a slit in the bags and cook them in a microwave. You can still get sliced turkey and gravy and Salisbury steak and gravy TV dinners and family size trays. but sliced beef has disappeared. What happened? Did the price of beef get too expensive for Banquet to make a profit off of it? It was quite delicious. If Banquet or Swanson made sliced beef and gravy TV dinners or family size trays, I would eat them a couple of times a month.
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/2 "2026-06-03T23:10:55Z")
I thought they were replaced with microwavable TV dinner trays.
I have seen containers of sliced beef in the frozen food section at the grocery store.
[ ](https://photos.prontohomedelivery.com/media/Pro%20Shop%20Pics/nsp11-2025-1/Frozen%20Beef/22e2d147-f162-4ba0-a8a9-d04ee34f7477.jpg)
[ ](https://images.heb.com/is/image/HEBGrocery/001805058-1)
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2026, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/3 "2026-06-03T23:26:23Z")
The plastic pouches, boil-in-bag tech had many problems when micros became so unbiquitous in every house. (Trust me, don’t put boil-in-bag rice in the microwave. Ever)
Who knows what kind of toxic plastics were leeching into your food.
I wouldn’t buy them if they were available.
Surely you can find a decent, sorta the same thing. There were these things that are not frozen or fridged, called **Complete Meals.** They are in ovoid single serving containers for the microwave.
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### Author:  [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/4 "2026-06-03T23:28:21Z")
Still available Instead, look for the vacuum packs of precooked, beef chicken pork, reheat in a skillet add your own sides. Safe to store in fridge until needed. Hormel and Kevin’s natural
Foods
> **[Eating Clean - Kevin's Natural Foods](https://www.kevinsnaturalfoods.com/?utm_medium=search&utm_source=google&utm_term=brand&utm_content=rsa&utm_campaign=kevins_google_ppc_fy25_null_knfhp_consideration_brand&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23370194283&gbraid=0AAAAACadTHkb6RorbsXdKcU80AMHJ77rt)**
>
> Clean ingredients, real flavor. Our products are keto and paleo-certified, and dairy, gluten, and soy-free. Find our Kevins Natural Food options in-store.
Brands I use.
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/5 "2026-06-03T23:31:56Z")
Are you thinking of Chipped Beef (aka shit on a shingle)? My grandma loved that stuff. My siblings and I could not stand it.
[ ](https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEYAa0ad8rwxLCyxp9zPey-cOj1hTbPK1dDdTuOuErHk2jUcyRDiScGmMDfUCkJvma5144Q_NANl5oCi5JAW3xEGpL81CJJrL1aZxBvW4zf063Sp8uOMzU)
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/6 "2026-06-04T01:21:44Z")
I believe it depends on the brand. Some are microwave safe; some are not. As with anything else, check the box for warning and instructions.
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### Author:  [@chalybeate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chalybeate)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/7 "2026-06-04T02:36:39Z")
No, it was thin brown gravy like the gravy that comes with Salisbury steak, not thick, creamy white gravy, Funny that you mentioned Stouffer’s. I’ve tried several of their products, and I haven’t liked any of them. They all have the same weird, unpleasant taste that I don’t like. Even their pepperoni pizza is gross. I’ve liked the same products from other brands. I don’t know how to describe that taste, but it’s kind of bitter with possibly a hint of onion.
As far as the Compleats, I tried one of these and didn’t like it. It didn’t have much flavor to it. The old sliced beef with gravy was a lot better.
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### Author:  [@chalybeate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chalybeate)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/8 "2026-06-04T02:51:05Z")
Steak-umm steaks are raw, not cooked like the sliced beef TV dinners. They also aren’t smothered in gravy. They are usually made into Philadelphia-style cheesesteak sandwiches, but they can be used in other ways as well. I like to fry them up and eat them on a bun with Arby’s sauce or barbecue sauce. I’ve never tried them with brown gravy, however,
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/9 "2026-06-04T03:13:16Z")
You didn’t like Hormel Compleats but have you tried [Hormel Square Table](https://www.hormel.com/brands/hormel-square-table-entrees/)? They have these in my grocery store with the Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes and ham steaks.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/10 "2026-06-04T12:43:19Z")
> [@chalybeate](#):
>
> No, it was thin brown gravy like the gravy that comes with Salisbury steak
Try looking for Italian-style sliced beef with gravy.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/11 "2026-06-04T12:44:49Z")
I have been googling to try to find a picture of what the OP is talking about. And I have found a couple of pictures, one of [Banquet Sliced Beef Meal](https://www.google.com/imgres?q=sliced%20beef%20and%20gravy%20banquet%20frozen&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.freshop.ncrcloud.com%2F00031000109103%2Fd06c51d59cc8d76a54404876e0696afc_large.png&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ramseycashsaver.com%2Fshop%2Ffrozen_foods%2Fbanquet_beef_dinner%2Fp%2F3131215&docid=sDi5blNxBUxeaM&tbnid=c04t3WDxAi49TM&vet=12ahUKEwiWm8fmzO2UAxWdMdAFHWCUMkIQnPAOegQIGhAB..i&w=512&h=512&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwiWm8fmzO2UAxWdMdAFHWCUMkIQnPAOegQIGhAB) and one of [Banquet Family Size Brown Gravy & Sliced Beef](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFu1T3cw2aDTfnWeeUEhmOJO48YYqGac4o7MvtRDGdEDbC_Xs6vQA2k-I&s). But I can’t find any linkable web pages or images that display them. And I found links to “dead” pages that say “Sorry, the store does not carry the product you’re looking for.”
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### Author:  [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/12 "2026-06-04T12:59:08Z")
Hormel square table is really tasty!
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/13 "2026-06-04T13:13:52Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> You didn’t like Hormel Compleats but have you tried [Hormel Square Table](https://www.hormel.com/brands/hormel-square-table-entrees/)? They have these in my grocery store with the Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes and ham steaks.
Oh, yeah; the refrigerated section. At least one of our local grocers carries [Brookwood Farms Sliced Brisket](https://storage.googleapis.com/images-bks-prd-1385851.bks.prd.v8.commerce.mi9cloud.com/product-images/detail/0ab7a197-305e-4284-bb24-335caebff209.jpeg) in the same area. Not really any gravy to speak of but it’s pretty good; we’ve used it for barbecue sandwiches.
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### Author:  [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/14 "2026-06-04T14:10:01Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#):
>
> Try looking for Italian-style sliced beef with gravy.
Italian beef is a staple here in Chicago and the thin, brothy gravy is often called juice. It’s frozen (edit: not always frozen, some stores slice to order at the deli) in white tubs and, its excellence acknowledged, is different from OP’s bagged & boxed but, still, pretty close.
I’m not sure how widely distributed it is outside the region but the Buona Beef brand retail tubs are great and I see them at Aldi. Aldi also carries giardineria, dingding!
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/15 "2026-06-04T14:21:53Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#):
>
> Aldi also carries giardineria, dingding!
I wouldn’t be surprised if this is regional. Like Subway offering giardiniera as a topping in the Chicagoland area.
I know what the OP is talking about. Italian beef is great, but it’s not exactly the same as these beef & gravy convenience foods of the 80s. I believe we’re talking about this thing:
[ ](https://scontent-ord5-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/492072805_1104862091667483_3123314458875497556_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=833d8c&_nc_ohc=Y8R9Dawn9JEQ7kNvwHYNHvj&_nc_oc=AdrARttWGcb6QRk-NLuxcYmh8Luznb8NQ7TbiLg-DUX76ySHvU_eq4lYJKQLIz0obAw&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-3.xx&_nc_gid=1lgFowbmILY1RIf98rPtfw&_nc_ss=7b289&oh=00_Af9DzzqaEK9J70Xz2OZiadMEdz-WGZi47_EAMf7y-z8qsw&oe=6A2770B6)
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/16 "2026-06-04T15:08:09Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#):
>
> Italian beef is a staple here in Chicago and the thin, brothy gravy is often called juice. It’s frozen (edit: not always frozen, some stores slice to order at the deli) in white tubs and, its excellence acknowledged, is different from OP’s bagged & boxed but, still, pretty close.
Yep. I’m originally from down Kankakee way and Dad would sometimes bring home [Gaucho-brand Italian beef](https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.JkcOjevOSfewgKv3w8TofQHaMV?r=0&rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain&o=7&rm=3) as a treat. I don’t know what [an Argentinian cowboy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaucho) has to do with Italian beef and the brand no longer exists.
I didn’t have Buona until I found heavily discounted tubs in a DC-area grocer.
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### Author:  [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/17 "2026-06-04T15:50:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I wouldn’t be surprised if this is regional.
I wouldn’t either, I’ve confirmed the Buona tubs aren’t at every CONUS Aldi. The giardineria is their Tuscan Gardens private label-housebrand which suggests to me a wider distribution.
It’s interesting seeing the local products at Aldi because they put large effort and research in maintaining a low number of SKU/items in their stores. Items don’t easily make it on the shelves compared to local independent groceries. But, sure enough, demand must be so great that Turano bread & El Milagro tortillas are in there.
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### Author:  [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/18 "2026-06-04T16:18:54Z")
The company that made them went out of business because the factory was filthy.
[The Disturbing Reason Freezer Queen TV Dinners Were Discontinued](https://www.foodie.com/1842077/disturbing-reason-freezer-queen-tv-dinners-discontinued/?zsource=yahoo)
> The brand was big in the 1980s, when its boil-in-bag entrees provided an easy and foolproof meal idea for those strapped for time or cooking.
> What stopped the Freezer Queen momentum? The answer is actually completely gross — its Buffalo, New York plant was shut down by the local health department in 2006 due to appalling violations including live roaches in the gravy vat and food debris on machinery. Rather than clean up its act, Home Market Foods, the parent company of Freezer Queen, opted to shutter operations indefinitely.
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### Author:  [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/19 "2026-06-04T16:22:51Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#):
>
> …live roaches in the gravy vat…
Mmmm! The least they could have done is represent that on the packaging. A smiling cartoon roach peeking out from under a slice wouldn’t seem very threatening.
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-frozen-sliced-beef-and-gravy/1030603/20 "2026-06-04T16:25:14Z")
Hey if Pizza can have a rodent mascot…
Oh, I just named it "_Roached Beef"!_
Great, right?
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