Review: Hamburger Helper Potatoes Stroganoff

I'm pretty sure that if you have never heard of Hamburger Helper, one of two things is happening in your life. One, you live under a rock or two, you are not from the United States. This "meal in a box" style dinner has been around for decades, helping newbie housewives keep their spouses from starving until they could learn how to make a homemade goulash.

Hamburger Helper Potatoes Stroganoff falls into this same category. Only, instead of the usual pasta associated with this meal, the good folks at HH have included dried potatoes. (Kind of like a potato chip, without the flavor.) Add your milk, your butter, and your hamburger and -- Voila! A meal the whole family will love.

One thing I have learned over the years about Hamburger Helper by talking to friends and family members is, you either love it or you hate it. There is really no in between. (Or, there is always that group that lived off it during a certain period of time and can no longer look at the cute little hand mascot without cringing. And possibly gagging.) It's sort of like those ramen noodles you ate during college '" they were cheap sustenance, but now you've grown up and moved onto real food. With flavor.

In our case, our household was split. I, the ever picky foodie, thought it lacked flavor and resembled nothing of the traditional stroganoff sort. My husband, a good Midwestern "meat and potatoes" man who once survived on MREs while stationed in the Middle East, found it quite delicious. Again, the Hamburger Helper box strikes a "love or hate" relationship.

I have also found that not all stores carry it. If yours is one that doesn't, but you are curious enough to go searching, websites such as Amazon.com do carry it. But be prepared to shell out for an entire case, as they do not sell them by the individual package.

Verdict: Two thumbs down. Instead of wasting your money, put in the effort to find a good potatoes stroganoff recipe, peel the spuds, boil '˜em, and make your own. Sometimes convenience just isn't worth eating gruel.