Hamburger Helper

{{Infobox food

| name = Hamburger Helper

| image = ProdPack-Hamburger-Helper-CheeseMac-Small.jpg

| image_size = 240

| image_alt = Box of Cheeseburger Macaroni flavor Hamburger Helper. The box features the words "Hamburger Helper", the name of the flavor, an image of the prepared product, as well as the brand mascot.

| caption = A box of the Cheeseburger Macaroni variety.

| type = Packaged mix

| course = Main course

| place_of_origin = United States

| associated_cuisine = American cuisine

| creator = General Mills

| year = 1971

| served = Hot

| main_ingredient = Pasta or rice

| minor_ingredient = Seasonings

| variations = {{plainlist|

Tuna Helper
Fruit Helper
Chicken Helper
Asian Helper
Whole Grain Helper
Pork Helper
Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles

}}

Hamburger Helper is a packaged food product manufactured by Eagle Foods. As boxed, it consists of a dried carbohydrate (often pasta or rice), with powdered seasonings contained in a packet. The consumer is meant to combine the contents of the box with browned ground beef ("hamburger"), water, milk, and sometimes mayonnaise to create a complete one-dish meal.

There are also variations of the product designed for other meats, such as "Tuna Helper" and "Chicken Helper". Some of these feature other starches, such as potatoes.

History

The packaged pasta brand "Hamburger Helper" was introduced by General Mills in 1971{{cite book |title=The Catering Industry Employee: Official Journal of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees' International Alliance and Bartenders' International League of America |year= 1973 |publisher=The Alliance |volume=82 & 83 | page=7 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=1aqcAAAAMAAJ&q=hamburger+helper |access-date=25 January 2014}}{{cite web|first=Mike |last=Hughlett |url=http://www.startribune.com/business/214422161.html |title=General Mills relaunches Hamburge r Helper |work=Star Tribune |date=2013-07-06 |access-date=2014-04-10}}{{cite magazine|first=Saya |last=Weissman |url=http://digiday.com/brands/hamburger-helper-twitter/ |title=Hamburger Helper Is Awesome at Twitter. Really. |magazine=Digiday |date=2013-11-23 |access-date=2014-04-10}} in response to a meat shortage and rising meat prices.{{cite journal |last1=Ashman |first1=Hollis |last2=Beckley |first2=Jacqueline |title=Product Spotlight: Hamburger Helper -- Instantly and For One |journal=Food Processing |date=4 January 2007 |url=https://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2007/003/ |access-date=28 June 2020}} In 2005, Food Network rated it third on its list of "Top Five Fad Foods of 1970". In 2013, the company shortened the brand's name to just "Helper".{{Cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/general-mills-relaunches-hamburger-helper/214422161/|title=General Mills relaunches Hamburger Helper|website=Star Tribune|date=7 July 2013 |access-date=2016-03-09}}

The Hamburger Helper mascot is "the Helping Hand" or "Lefty"—a four-fingered, left-hand white glove with a face on the palm and a red spherical nose. It often appears in the product's television commercials and on packages.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-09/in-redesign-hamburger-helper-drops-the-hamburger|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709171943/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-09/in-redesign-hamburger-helper-drops-the-hamburger|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 9, 2013|title=In Redesign, Hamburger Helper Drops the Hamburger|last=Wong|first=Venessa|date=2013-07-09|magazine=Bloomberg Businessweek|access-date=2014-04-10}}

In May 2022, General Mills announced an agreement to sell the brand to Eagle Foods for approximately $610 million.{{Cite news|url=https://investors.generalmills.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2022/General-Mills-Announces-Agreement-to-Sell-Helper-and-Suddenly-Salad-Businesses-to-Eagle-Family-Foods-Group/default.aspx/|title=General Mills Announces Agreement to Sell Helper and Suddenly Salad Businesses to Eagle Family Foods Group|work=General Mills|access-date=2022-12-30|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129093842/https://investors.generalmills.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2022/General-Mills-Announces-Agreement-to-Sell-Helper-and-Suddenly-Salad-Businesses-to-Eagle-Family-Foods-Group/default.aspx|url-status=dead}} On July 5, 2022 the sale was completed.{{Cite news|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eagle-foods-completes-acquisition-of-two-iconic-brands-from-general-mills-301580773.html/|title=Eagle Foods Completes Acquisition of Two Iconic Brands from General Mills|work=PR Newswire|access-date=2022-12-23|language=en-US}}

Hamburger varieties

File:Hamburger Helper.jpg

The basic (and most popular) version of Hamburger Helper is a box of dried pasta with seasoning that is designed to be cooked with ground beef. Hamburger Helper offers a variety of flavors, including lasagna, ranch and bacon, stroganoff, chili macaroni, and others.

Other varieties

Image:ProdPack-TunaHelp-CreamyPasta-Small.jpgThere are also different varieties of Hamburger Helper, such as Tuna Helper, for tuna, and Fruit Helper, a discontinued variety for canned fruit that would make desserts.

Tuna Helper became successful as the second variety to appear on the market, in 1972.

Fruit Helper was introduced in 1973. These were dessert products made with canned or fresh fruit. The Fruit Helper line has since been discontinued.{{cite book|author=Carolyn Wyman|title=Better Than Homemade: Amazing Foods that Changed the Way We Eat|url=https://archive.org/details/betterthanhomema0000wyma_m1j6|url-access=registration|access-date=6 September 2013|year=2004|publisher=Quirk Books|isbn=978-1-931686-42-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/betterthanhomema0000wyma_m1j6/page/20 20]–}}

Chicken Helper was introduced in 1984 in response to the wide availability of inexpensive boneless and skinless chicken breasts.

Asian Helper is a selection of four main Asian-American-style dishes, three made with chicken and one with beef.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bettycrocker.com/home/products/helper/asian-favorites |title=Betty Crocker Website |access-date=2016-03-04 |archive-date=2015-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627061514/http://www.bettycrocker.com/Home/Products/Helper/Asian-Favorites? |url-status=dead }} With the acquisition of the brand by Eagle Foods, the line has been discontinued.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Whole Grain Helper was a selection of four dishes made with whole grain pasta, two with chicken and two with beef.{{Cite web|url=http://wholegrainscouncil.org/find-whole-grains/pasta?page=14&term_node_tid_depth=42|title=Pasta {{!}} The Whole Grains Council|website=wholegrainscouncil.org|access-date=2016-03-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531071737/http://wholegrainscouncil.org/find-whole-grains/pasta?page=14&term_node_tid_depth=42|archive-date=2016-05-31|url-status=dead}} The line has also been discontinued.

Pork Helper was introduced in 2003. Varieties included pork fried rice and pork chops with stuffing. The product was discontinued shortly after its introduction.{{Cite press release|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20030618005809/en/Hamburger-Helper-Announces-Tasting-Product-Line|title=Hamburger Helper Announces Better Tasting Product Line {{!}} Business Wire|website=www.businesswire.com|access-date=2016-03-17}}

Hamburger Helper Bold was introduced at some point.{{When|date=March 2025}} It was a spicier version of Hamburger Helper.

Helper Mac & Cheese was a microwavable mac and cheese dish, with flavors such as pizza and nacho. It was discontinued following the brand's acquisition by Eagle Foods.

Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles were introduced in 2006. This product requires water and brief cooking in the microwave to produce a single serving portion of some of the most popular flavors. Chicken Helper flavors were added in 2007 despite the brand being discontinued shortly thereafter. It returned in 2024, as Hamburger Helper Microwavable. The 2024 re-release is made with dehydrated beef and comes in 4 flavors: Beef Pasta, Cheeseburger Macaroni, Chili Macaroni and Tomato Basil Macaroni.

In popular culture

A 1977 book collecting material from the satirical TV show Saturday Night Live contained an unproduced sketch called "Placenta Helper," an ad for a product which "lets you stretch your placenta into a tasty casserole." The sketch was written by Tom Davis and future United States Senator Al Franken.{{cite book|title=Saturday Night Live|year=1977|editor=Anne P. Beatts, John Head|publisher=Avon Books|isbn=0380018012}}

In 1979, Scott Spiegel wrote, produced and directed a short film entitled Attack of the Helping Hand, which featured a "Hamburger Helper" oven mitt as a killer glove.{{cite web|url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/news-article/sam-raimi-killed-hamburger-helper-early-short-film |title=Sam Raimi is Killed by Hamburger Helper in This Early Short Film | News Article |publisher=FEARnet |date=2013-09-02 |access-date=2013-09-06}}

The animated television series Family Guy featured Lefty the mascot in one of their famous "cutaway gags" from the 2009 episode "Business Guy". The gag involved Lefty, who appears with his neurologically impaired brother, who takes the form of a right-handed glove, representing the non-existent brand "Cheeseburger Helper".{{Cite episode |title=Business Guy |series=Family Guy |network=Fox |airdate=December 13, 2009 |season=8 |number=9}}

On April 1, 2016, General Mills commissioned an EP as an April Fools' Day prank, titled Watch the Stove. According to a press release, the EP was produced for General Mills by a team at St. Paul, Minnesota's McNally Smith College of Music.{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7318794/hamburger-helper-watch-the-stove-mixtape|title=Hamburger Helper Enters the Rap Scene With (Shockingly Great) Watch the Stove Mixtape|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2016-04-13}} The EP's title is a parody of the Jay-Z and Kanye West collaborative album Watch the Throne. It contains five songs, all of which are about Hamburger Helper. It instantly achieved a viral status, played over four million times on SoundCloud in less than three days, with many listeners finding value in the brand's promotion of younger artists.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/heres-story-behind-hamburger-helpers-viral-mixtape-170598 |title=Here's The Story Behind Hamburger Helper's Viral Mixtape Watch the Stove has been played over 4 million times |magazine=Adweek |date=2016-04-04 |access-date=2016-04-09}}

It is mentioned in Young Sheldon Season 6, episode 21, 'A Romantic Getaway and a Germanic meat-based Diet,' which aired on May 18, 2023. Georgie is cooking with his baby CeeCee in his arms and tells Mandy that she is his "little Hamburger Helper helper."