"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 7/15/2014 4:24 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> Gary wrote:
>>>
>>> Hamburger Helper is not really junk. It's mostly ground beast that
>>> you use anyway, and some noodles that you would use too. Your only
>>> "junk" argument is with the spice mix and you would make a spice mix
>>> too. What's the problem?
>>>
>>> They have some decent varieties and it's no cop out to use them. Many
>>> people buy them too. It's a quick fix when you are pressed for time.
>>> Taste-wise....probably better than what half the people here make
>>> themselves from scratch. Seriously.
>>
>> Hamburger helper and the like are very expensive when you factor in
>> how little you get aqt that inflated price... you pay for that small
>> can and all the profits made by all the middlemen... it's far less
>> expensive to prepare a big batch from scratch and freeze portions. And
>> what one prepares themself will probably be a far better product, at
>> least they'll know what/who is in it. Hamburger Helper and other
>> products of that ilk are much more a convenience, good to have a
>> couple cans
>
> Hamburger helper doesn't come in cans.
>
>> for when one doesn't feel like cooking and/or hasn't the
>> time.
>
> How is this a time saver? The same amount of time goes into it than
> making something similar from scratch. You still have to cook the
> noodles. You still have to brown the beef. You're still going to be
> making a simple sauce to simmer and cook the mixture down in. The time
> savings is insignificant. The benefit is the sauce won't consist of a
> chemical-laden artificial ingredients powdered packet.

The noodles are par boiled and you just pretty much add them to your sauce
and meat then stir. Done very quickly after that.