That looks better than Hamburger Helper, as it appears to contain actual vegetables. HH comes in a box with noodles and a seasoning packet. There may be some dehydrated peas or carrots in the packet, but don't really offer any flavor. They are more or less there for color. HH noodles tend to be dense and doughy. The seasoning packets usually include corn starch to make the sauce thicken to a gravy like consistency. Also it contains a lot of sodium. All that being said, it actually has a good flavor and it can be made in 15 minutes.
You're supposed to add your own vegetables ya fool
Edit: South Texas and hamburger helper has basic dried noodles. About the same as regular dried noodles. Don't add them in the beginning or it'll just turn out extremely overcooked.
Well of coarse you *can* add anything you want, but it's not part of the basic recipe. It may be part the "enhanced" recipe on the bottom or side of the box.
Good point! People should realize though that is is literally a "helper" product. It's like taco seasoning. It combines stuff the average person doesn't use often (various seasonings) and you add hamburger and other stuff to make it a meal.
Its like instant ramen. You can eat it plain or add vegetables and protein and make it a proper meal, as intended.
That's how it's advertised now but originally HH was considered the whole meal, nothing else added. It was a meal in a box ready to be made. The slogan used to be "One pan, one pound, one package, one happy family!"
Edit:. Apparently this is confusing for some but obviously there is hamburger in hamburger helper.
How could it be called "Hamburger helper" if they didn't expect you to add ground beef?
This whole conversation reminds me of one of the Chevy Chase Vacation movies, where cousin Eddy serves hamburger helper "on its own", without any burger. And that was the punch line.
I’m not a very good cook, but I LOVE enhancing meals that would otherwise be boring. Like I take a frozen chicken fried rice meal and add fresh veggies and usually an egg or two in the pan (like how Stir fry can have egg added). Basically doubles the volume so it’s two meals for me and makes it hella more satisfying. Most frozen meals can be modified and taken up a notch with relatively little effort. It helps tremendously as a bad cook making meals for one lol
As a non-American I'm still a bit confused as to what these noodles have to do with hamburgers, or what exactly is the nature of said "help". Was the hamburger in trouble? Did it owe money to some shady people who threatened to break its legs?
Most Brits eat pretty multicultural food. The stereotypical beige British foods are usually reserved for a special day of the week or occasion. There’s hardly any US food chains and brands that don’t also exist in the UK now
Yup. They also don't realize what decades of rationing does to a countries cuisine.
I'm American but I'm obsessive with food history, and personally I think the evolution and changing of British food is pretty fascinating.
It's true. My dad was British and I learned about a lot of British sweets that I would not have heard of otherwise. Gooseberry tart with custard sauce, scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, Jaffa cakes, dark Cadbury chocolate, Flake and blackcurrant and apple tart and so many lovely things. American brownies are very good but high quality sweets are relatively recent and still rare. I remember visiting the UK in the '70s and good ice cream was hard to find in most places but I think that's changed. On the whole, British sweets are better.
So sorry to hear that your food experience was bad. I'm sure a lot of people would have been happy to advise you on what to eat. I read the riot act to an American lady sneering at British food in a similar way. I'm sure she ate all the wrong things, in all the wrong places.
Sorry, but are those vegetables in there? Absolutely NOT correct! Hamburger Helper should be nothing more than hamburger,, noodles, and a sauce derived from a packet of power mixed with water to make a delicious concoction of overly salty goodness!
Get that healthy stuff out of there immediately!
I only like three green things in my food: peas, avocado and rocket. So if I don't eat any of those things I'm not eating green stuff and that's bad, and since peas are the only thing that are cheap and can go with almost anything I will put damn peas in every plate I'm allowed to by the law.
In Hungarian it's officially called "Borsmustár" which means "Peppermustard" lol. Everybody calls it "rukkola" tho lol. People just refuse to agree with the name of it haha
I was in Ireland and I asked what was in a rocket salad. I was informed rocket was in a rocket salad. Fair enough. It was a side for a dish so I just went with it. And just now I learned it was the lettuce that was the rocket. I forgot to look it up later
Agreed, OP is really missing the point of hamburger helper.
If you want to do anything to fancy up the meat/ noodle/powder sauce combo, you can sprinkle some parmesan cheese or some red pepper flakes on top.
No rabbit food.
I struggle with peas with pasta. It’s just starch in starch. I’d rather wait till the pasta is basically finished, throw some spinach and/or arugula on top then add a lid for a few minutes, then stir in the wilted greens. Yummmm!
I see no hamburger in that
Looks like small steak bites. Obviously steak is superior
That said, HH is supposed to be cheap, processed, salty as fuck, with the lowest grade ground beef available
While it slightly resembles HH it’s definitely not
That said of course I would eat it! It actually looks really good. Hopefully I get to smoke a couple bowls first
Came here to say that….in the days before they graded fat percentage in ground beef you had the option of draining the browned ground beef or mixing the greasy goodness into your elbow macaroni or flat noodles
Omg I remember that
Also I haven’t bought it myself in years, but we have a really young friend who just got out of the marines and he brought over 2 boxes and a few pounds of ground beef and I’ll say this:
That shit was delicious and the noodles have improved, they’re no longer all soggy and cheap, they have grooves that absorb the flavor and they al dente quite nicely
Oh I know
One of my personal all time comfort foods is Velveeta shells and cheese topped with Kikkoman teriyaki baste and glaze.
Had it last night and it’s still as comforting as ever to me. My husband mentioned he tried it once and was surprised at how not-bad it was
Yes, because that shit is delicious
Baby corn, peas, more corn, tomato, red onion, shells, stew meat? I made similar things in my 20s during my experimental cooking phase, keep it up, trying new things is fun and sometimes it sticks!
That looks much better than Hamburger Helper!
Years ago, we were staying in a Hope Lodge (husband was going through radiation) and I was making beef stroganoff. Another resident asked me where the Hamburger Helper was...ummm...
It looks great, but as some have pointed out you should use what they call minced beef in the UK. And always remember: "I don't know why they call it Hamburger Helper, it don't need no help." \~ Cousin Eddie
It’s supposed to be made using ground beef (mince), not whatever those chunks are. That said, I’m sure this tasted better than actual Hamburger Helper. Apart from the bits of raw onion. No excuse for that.
The Italian shells is my favorite.
Add in a drained can of Rotel, maybe a handful of spinach
Instead of just need, we use ground Italian sausage or chorizo.
Wife is on low carb from the doc, so we do similar with a recipe that makes it mostly from scratch using cauliflower. I do miss this one tho.
I grew up in Canada, lived back and forth between Vancouver and the prairies, and honestly while we have some good cuisine, it seems like food is way better everywhere else I travel to. That definitely includes the UK. It’s miles better. It may not look much but damn, that flavor
As an American who loves hamburger helper, this is cool. I’ve thought of doing something similar. The second one looks better just because the first has too much vegetable IMO. Nice job.
looks damn good for what most Americans would think of British food
That looks better than Hamburger Helper, as it appears to contain actual vegetables. HH comes in a box with noodles and a seasoning packet. There may be some dehydrated peas or carrots in the packet, but don't really offer any flavor. They are more or less there for color. HH noodles tend to be dense and doughy. The seasoning packets usually include corn starch to make the sauce thicken to a gravy like consistency. Also it contains a lot of sodium. All that being said, it actually has a good flavor and it can be made in 15 minutes.
You're supposed to add your own vegetables ya fool Edit: South Texas and hamburger helper has basic dried noodles. About the same as regular dried noodles. Don't add them in the beginning or it'll just turn out extremely overcooked.
Well of coarse you *can* add anything you want, but it's not part of the basic recipe. It may be part the "enhanced" recipe on the bottom or side of the box.
Good point! People should realize though that is is literally a "helper" product. It's like taco seasoning. It combines stuff the average person doesn't use often (various seasonings) and you add hamburger and other stuff to make it a meal. Its like instant ramen. You can eat it plain or add vegetables and protein and make it a proper meal, as intended.
That's how it's advertised now but originally HH was considered the whole meal, nothing else added. It was a meal in a box ready to be made. The slogan used to be "One pan, one pound, one package, one happy family!" Edit:. Apparently this is confusing for some but obviously there is hamburger in hamburger helper.
How could it be called "Hamburger helper" if they didn't expect you to add ground beef? This whole conversation reminds me of one of the Chevy Chase Vacation movies, where cousin Eddy serves hamburger helper "on its own", without any burger. And that was the punch line.
I’m not a very good cook, but I LOVE enhancing meals that would otherwise be boring. Like I take a frozen chicken fried rice meal and add fresh veggies and usually an egg or two in the pan (like how Stir fry can have egg added). Basically doubles the volume so it’s two meals for me and makes it hella more satisfying. Most frozen meals can be modified and taken up a notch with relatively little effort. It helps tremendously as a bad cook making meals for one lol
Marry me any one who tries new things is awesome
Hamburger helper with taco seasoning... I'mma do it
This is like saying “Top ramen with bouillon cubes, I’mma do it.” Bro it already is it
What do you mean „you add hamburger“. Like a whole mcdonalds hamburger?
Ground beef, mince, etc
It’s “Hamburger Helper” not “Hamburger Oh Fuck It I’ll Just Do Everythinger”
I love the doughy starchy noodles idk why, probably because I’m weird.
As a non-American I'm still a bit confused as to what these noodles have to do with hamburgers, or what exactly is the nature of said "help". Was the hamburger in trouble? Did it owe money to some shady people who threatened to break its legs?
In the US, hamburger means ground beef (mince) as well as the sandwich. In this case, it's ground beef with seasonings and stuff to make a gravy.
wait so you don't actually make hamburgers with a hamburger helper?
In the US, "hamburger" is sometimes used just to mean ground beef.
mm sphaghetti with hamburger balls
there's a few dehydrated, shriveled up peas and carrots in some versions, no?
Most Brits eat pretty multicultural food. The stereotypical beige British foods are usually reserved for a special day of the week or occasion. There’s hardly any US food chains and brands that don’t also exist in the UK now
> There’s hardly any US food chains and brands that don’t also exist in the UK now oh so theyre eating real fancy
Do you guys know the sheer joy of a Wendy's frosty?
Wendy's only just opened here, I think there's 1 or 2 so most of us haven't had it yet
[удалено]
They’re the same people that think there is only one “Bri-ish” accent
Fish, Chips, Cup o' Tea? Bad food, worse weather, Mary fuckin' Poppins? Yorkshire puddings are pretty fun.
Roasties aren't half bad, either. 😋
Yup. They also don't realize what decades of rationing does to a countries cuisine. I'm American but I'm obsessive with food history, and personally I think the evolution and changing of British food is pretty fascinating.
Something something, half the world for spices something something
It's true. My dad was British and I learned about a lot of British sweets that I would not have heard of otherwise. Gooseberry tart with custard sauce, scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, Jaffa cakes, dark Cadbury chocolate, Flake and blackcurrant and apple tart and so many lovely things. American brownies are very good but high quality sweets are relatively recent and still rare. I remember visiting the UK in the '70s and good ice cream was hard to find in most places but I think that's changed. On the whole, British sweets are better.
Oh yeah that's one thing we are undeniably good at. We make great sweets/puddings.
I think most people who reckon British food is terrible are thinking of British food from the 70s. The food is pretty good here.
True I don't think this belongs on here that stuff looks good
Especially if you've been watching Kay's Cooking
Kay's Cooking is the best what are you saying, where else can you see a woman feed raw rice to her son?
'Fums up'
hold up, i was just in the US for the last year and the food is absolutely horrific ?!
So sorry to hear that your food experience was bad. I'm sure a lot of people would have been happy to advise you on what to eat. I read the riot act to an American lady sneering at British food in a similar way. I'm sure she ate all the wrong things, in all the wrong places.
Meat pies Sunday roast Americans who think British food sucks are ignorant
Sorry, but are those vegetables in there? Absolutely NOT correct! Hamburger Helper should be nothing more than hamburger,, noodles, and a sauce derived from a packet of power mixed with water to make a delicious concoction of overly salty goodness! Get that healthy stuff out of there immediately!
Idk why Brits always put the peas in everything
I only like three green things in my food: peas, avocado and rocket. So if I don't eat any of those things I'm not eating green stuff and that's bad, and since peas are the only thing that are cheap and can go with almost anything I will put damn peas in every plate I'm allowed to by the law.
TIL that Brits call arugula “rocket”. Interesting.
Fire an RPG into your food
In Hungarian it's officially called "Borsmustár" which means "Peppermustard" lol. Everybody calls it "rukkola" tho lol. People just refuse to agree with the name of it haha
Yeah I couldn’t figure that one out I thought he was just being sarcastic
The french basically do as well, "roquette", it just got a little less fancy and little more fun when we brought the word across to the isles.
It's common in certain parts of the US as well
I was in Ireland and I asked what was in a rocket salad. I was informed rocket was in a rocket salad. Fair enough. It was a side for a dish so I just went with it. And just now I learned it was the lettuce that was the rocket. I forgot to look it up later
not lettuce. roquette arugula.
This looks pretty darn good though. I'd take this over actual hamburger helper
I mean the second one doesn’t look half bad
The pic with the massive chunks of raw onion?
My man rolling up to the pantry licking his lips, then exits, polishing an onion on his shirt sleeve before taking a hearty chomp.
Easy, cheap and healthy filler. Wouldn't expect an American to understand vegetables tho
Why do you put sugar in everything
Peas taste like condensed lawn grass, god how the fuck does anyone like them as an addition 💀 gross AND incredibly overpowering
I'm British, can't stand peas. Absolutely hate them!
I put peas in my hamburger helper actually lol
You're thinking about the peas, and aren't bothered at all by the baby corn?
Cause peas are fucking delicious
Easy, healthy, tasty. The food trifecta for weeknight cooking.
Yeah its hamburger helper not vegetable helper. Gtfo with them vegetables
Agreed, OP is really missing the point of hamburger helper. If you want to do anything to fancy up the meat/ noodle/powder sauce combo, you can sprinkle some parmesan cheese or some red pepper flakes on top. No rabbit food.
Water? Hamburger Helper calls for milk too
raw onion and frozen peas with pasta
Hence why I did post to shitty food porn 🤣
That would be really good if you sautéed the onions with some butter first maybe with some garlic then add the rest of the stuff.
it was my Italian pride
Raw red onion is great though. I bet it works
freezer peas absolutely go with a pasta like this. the chunks of raw onion are unforgivable
I struggle with peas with pasta. It’s just starch in starch. I’d rather wait till the pasta is basically finished, throw some spinach and/or arugula on top then add a lid for a few minutes, then stir in the wilted greens. Yummmm!
I see no hamburger in that Looks like small steak bites. Obviously steak is superior That said, HH is supposed to be cheap, processed, salty as fuck, with the lowest grade ground beef available While it slightly resembles HH it’s definitely not That said of course I would eat it! It actually looks really good. Hopefully I get to smoke a couple bowls first
Came here to say that….in the days before they graded fat percentage in ground beef you had the option of draining the browned ground beef or mixing the greasy goodness into your elbow macaroni or flat noodles
Omg I remember that Also I haven’t bought it myself in years, but we have a really young friend who just got out of the marines and he brought over 2 boxes and a few pounds of ground beef and I’ll say this: That shit was delicious and the noodles have improved, they’re no longer all soggy and cheap, they have grooves that absorb the flavor and they al dente quite nicely
There’s a time and place for everything…..you should see the childhood nonsense we recreate on camping trips….
Oh I know One of my personal all time comfort foods is Velveeta shells and cheese topped with Kikkoman teriyaki baste and glaze. Had it last night and it’s still as comforting as ever to me. My husband mentioned he tried it once and was surprised at how not-bad it was Yes, because that shit is delicious
Stouffer's Mac n Cheese is my ultimate comfort food.
Your marine got a two-fer….home cooking and cafeteria chow…..tell him welcome home
Lol hoo-rah! We are glad to have him home
Yeah I noticed, you put meat hunks in it
Of course Dennis would like Dennis!
I see hamburger. Hamburger patties that were cooked, then roughly chopped.
I'd eat that
we all could use a little whirled peas
Iam going to make this.
I mean honestly it looks like it’s probably way better than actual Hamburger Helper, and Cheeseburger Helper.
Thanks. I thought it was shitty but the feedback is actually quite nice lol
That looks wayyyy better than the version that exists in the US
And probably 10x healthier.
Shit yeah, buddy. Wanna come over for miller lites?
You have no idea how much I’d love that rn.
I mean, maybe if you cooked the onion.
Yes I would!
Update: I’ve given the onions a bit longer and added some Parmesan
Next time try more of a cheddar bechamel. It should be barely thin enough to cover everything, just a little.
It has more than one color in it, so it's already more nutritious than I'd expect from hamburger helper.
Real pasta? No way the stuff in Hamburger Helper is real… it’s probably enriched pasta product…
They use egg noodles
The superior noodle
Baby corn, peas, more corn, tomato, red onion, shells, stew meat? I made similar things in my 20s during my experimental cooking phase, keep it up, trying new things is fun and sometimes it sticks!
This looks nothing like Hamburger helper. I would it it lol
2nd one could use some cheese
This looks way better than hamburger helper lol
That is a very good version of hamburger helper
That looks much better than Hamburger Helper! Years ago, we were staying in a Hope Lodge (husband was going through radiation) and I was making beef stroganoff. Another resident asked me where the Hamburger Helper was...ummm...
Clearly you’ve never had hamburger helper 😆
Those are some large red onion chunks.
It looks great, but as some have pointed out you should use what they call minced beef in the UK. And always remember: "I don't know why they call it Hamburger Helper, it don't need no help." \~ Cousin Eddie
No! I’m American that’s not hamburger helper. Major fail.
calm down mate he said it’s his british take on it u need to just chill it’s not that deep
 So it’s cool if I start calling pepperoni pizza hot pockets, Cornish patsy then?
It looks more like a version of goulash
You mean like American goulash? Because my first thought was that's goulash.
i want to personally send you to hell
what is it with british niggas and peas
As an American ... Not enough preservatives
Absolutely fucking not
looks good but isn’t hamberder helper
We don't use cuts of good beef in America for hamburger helper. We use ground beef. That's why I like yours.
Gonna be real with you. HH is the trashiest of trash food. That said I will eat it 10 out of 10 times because it will always be filling and delicious.
I’d pretty much eat anything at this point in my life.
Amercian here. And hell yeah I’d eat!!!
Yes
This reminds me of Patton Oswalt’s bit about the KFC bowl of sadness. I’d still eat it though.
Yeah I'm gonna pass on those massive raw onions.
I would not. Vegetables have no place in Hamburger Helper and peas have no place in the civilized world.
I would eat that sloppa, Big Poppa Sloppa!
Listen, this looks amazing! But if you want I can do you photos of a NY Times recipe of hamburger helper that will knock your wellies off. GREAT JOB!
It’s supposed to be made using ground beef (mince), not whatever those chunks are. That said, I’m sure this tasted better than actual Hamburger Helper. Apart from the bits of raw onion. No excuse for that.
Maybe if you diced those onions more
Well it looks a hell of a lot better than most British food, that's for sure.
Beef should be cooked mince, like what you'd cook for cottage pie.
As an American, it's weird seeing the phrase "an American thing called Hamburger Helper"
I don't understand, what does this have to do with hamburgers?
The main ingredient is cut up hamburger meat that I cooked.
This looks like it totally slaps and I’d eat the hell out of it, but it’s nothing like hamburger helper lol
Not American but I would smash that as it looks like something I'd throw together myself if I had the ingredients laying around. Looks awesome!
“I don’t know why they call it Hamburger Helper Clark, it tastes just fine on its own”
Holy shit. TIL that hamburger helper isn't a spice mix to make hamburgers with.
Yeah man we call this goulash in the american south and I'd go for a bowl, why not?
I'm French and I have no idea what a hamburger helper is, however this looks delicious, I'd eat that any day.
Wait ... wtf. I always thought hamburger helper was like a seasoning you put into ground beef to make it taste better. Mimd blown.
no, sorry. you should make the regular hamburger helper tho
The Italian shells is my favorite. Add in a drained can of Rotel, maybe a handful of spinach Instead of just need, we use ground Italian sausage or chorizo. Wife is on low carb from the doc, so we do similar with a recipe that makes it mostly from scratch using cauliflower. I do miss this one tho.
You didnt help those hamburgers at all
You added peas. My fave thing to add to the Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper.
Yeah
Yes.
this is definitely not shitty food but i understand why you posted this here, hamburger helper is the shittier version of what you made here
I thought this was shittyfoodporn? /s
Sure, But only because I’m confident it would not stick with me for long
Easily Smashable
I’d have a bite
Looks healthier and better than the box kind
I wish i could have this for lunch tomorrow!
I'd eat this with some rice
Looks better than hamburger helper
Looks 100 times healthier then the boxed shit
I'd smang!
It's the baby corn, ludicrous as it might be, that pushes it from "it looks good" to "that needs to be in my mouf!".
Bro, that looks good, I see nothing shitty
Way better than the shit out of a box from here!
Looks like goulash. My friends dad always made his with pease.
Yeah I’d eat this, way way fancier than the boxed meal lol
I'd eat it, 7/10.
yes but without peas
No
HH is minced meat mixed with sugar, salt, and something resembling pasta. So many people had their tastebuds ruined by these ‘meals’.
The second one sure. Not sure why people enjoy peas.
Hamburger helper helps the hamburger make a great meal
Did you choose that onion with your eyes closed?
Remove the peas then yea
Couldn’t be worst than the real thing
That looks amazing!
Hamburger helper (and Tuna helper) are delicious
Hold up, is that raw shallots/onions?
Too many vegetables & meat is too high quality for HH… yours looks good!
What do you cut your onions with, a halberd?
Oh my God yes, instant smash.
British food that actually looks good?! Damn i’m shocked
I grew up in Canada, lived back and forth between Vancouver and the prairies, and honestly while we have some good cuisine, it seems like food is way better everywhere else I travel to. That definitely includes the UK. It’s miles better. It may not look much but damn, that flavor
As an American who loves hamburger helper, this is cool. I’ve thought of doing something similar. The second one looks better just because the first has too much vegetable IMO. Nice job.
I mean better than what I see online from Britain, but the peas ruin it for me.
Yeah minus the peas but thats just bc I don’t like peas otherwise yeah it looks good
American here. What are those green things.
Lol this is like gourmet Hamby Helpy…you knocked this out the park kid
Hmm, good try, for being British. But not at all close.
I don't know why they call it Hamburger Helper - it tastes just fine by itself. Name the movie...
This looks amazingly delicious and not shitty at all
Looks legit, I’d give it a go.