Kovie Biakolo is a writer, journalist, editor, and multiculturalism scholar specializing in culture and identity. All rights reserved. Banquet Foods is a subsidiary of ConAgra Foods that sells various food products, including frozen pre-made entrées, meals, and desserts. The turkey is made of barf and plastic." 4.2 out of 5 stars 14. Mashed Potatoes, 2 lbs. Top image: AP PhotoIn 1954, Swanson revolutionized the American meal with its TV Dinner. For many families, though, TV dinners were just the ticket. "This is probably the best turkey of the group, has good texture." "The stuffing tastes stale and almost chewy. Discover the best frozen meals today. Continue 115. "The potatoes taste like KFC mashed potatoes. 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The first production order was for 5,000 dinners, thought to be a big gamble at the time. They had about two dozen women armed with ice cream scoops filling the new trays at night. "The turkey's not awful, probably the best of them all." "Heavy on the dried herbs, and the turkey is pretty cardboard-like." Advertising Notice Stouffer's. "The veggies aren't terrible, but I hated the gravy." My only complaint is a slightly off aftertaste from the mashed potatoes, but that's to be expected with frozen food." by Banquet. Tastemakers, of course, sniffed, like the New York Times food critic who observed in 1977 that TV dinner consumers had no taste. So what's the best way to get your turkey fix on the quick and easy? The Swanson company has offered different accounts of this history. Banquet… Turkey Gravy and 12 Dinner Rolls. We're all about the homemade Thanksgiving meal here at HuffPost Taste. Ultimately, it was the Swanson company that transformed how Americans ate dinner (and lunch)—and it all came about, the story goes, because of Thanksgiving turkey. Banquet Foods and Morton Frozen Foods soon brought out their own offerings, winning over more and more middle-class households across the country. #5: Marie Callender's (LAST PLACE: STEER CLEAR), "This looked promising because of the copious mashed potatoes, but there's something wrong with the flavor. ", "The roasted vegetables are nice, but it loses points for not having mashed potatoes." The frozen, three-compartment platter sold for 98¢, which approximately converts to a hefty … With restaurants closed during Covid-19, Americans are again snapping up frozen meals, spending nearly 50 percent more on them in April 2020 over April 2019, says the American Frozen Food Institute. Because emergencies happen to the best of us, we all need a Plan B on Thanksgiving Day. But sometimes, all you end up with is the perfect storm -- you forget to defrost your turkey, your oven fails to turn on, or the fire department ends up spending some quality time at your house. "The gravy is really dark, but tastes way too salty." And the turkey is rubbery." Specialty stores like Williams Sonoma now stock gourmet TV dinners. ", "Half of this meal is applesauce! $99.89. Frozen Thanksgiving-style meals exist -- and before this taste test , that's about all we could say for them. TV dinners had found another niche audience in dieters, who were glad for the built-in portion control. Cookie Policy Hungry Man Roasted Carved Turkey Dinner 16 oz Pack of 8 3.9 out of 5 stars 2. And the TV dinner was born. from Forsythkid Critique Banquet Salisbury Steak … Pop them in the oven, and 25 minutes later, you could have a full supper while enjoying the new national pastime: television. Discover the best frozen meals today. "The turkey is really similar to deli meat." Family Size Homestyle Gravy & Sliced White Meat Turkey Dinner. As always, this taste test was in no way influenced or sponsored by the brands included. Vote Now! Privacy Statement (50) Leave a Review. $83.27. ©2020 Verizon Media. We refuse to order takeout, because Chinese food and pizza will only dampen your soul after spending the entire month of November lusting after turkey and stuffing. Is This Your Brand? ... Banquet Frozen Turkey Pot Pie - 7oz. Libbyland Dinners. Courtney Sexton, a writer and researcher based in Washington, DC, studies human-animal interactions. Price: $2.99. When tragedy strikes, be ready with a Plan B. In 1954, the first full year of production, Swanson sold ten million trays. Cornbread Dressing, 2 lbs. A TV dinner in the … : Calorie breakdown: 35% fat, 41% carbs, 24% protein. Part of HuffPost Food & Drink. But now we've tasted five popular brands, and we can say without hesitation that … well, they should still be your Plan B. Betty Cronin, Swanson’s bacteriologist, helped the meals succeed with her research into how to heat the meat and vegetables at the same time while killing food-borne germs. Forsythkid Critique Banquet Salisbury Steak Meal. Further reading: 1. TV dinners have a surprising origin and at one point dominated American markets. A TV dinner (also called prepackaged meal, ready-made meal, ready meal, frozen dinner, frozen meal and microwave meal) is a packaged frozen meal that comes portioned for an individual. $0.99. Weight: 9 5/8 ounces (31 cents per ounce) … A Brief History of the TV Dinner Thanksgiving’s most unexpected legacy is heating up again. By the 1970s, competition among the frozen food giants spurred some menu innovation, including such questionable options as Swanson’s take on a “Polynesian Style Dinner,” which doesn’t resemble any meal you will see in Polynesia. or “The best fried chicken I know comes with a TV dinner,” Barbra Streisand told the New Yorker in 1962. The next big breakthrough came in 1986, with the Campbell Soup Company’s invention of microwave-safe trays, which cut meal preparation to mere minutes. Banquet Turkey Meal. The potatoes are gummy and sweet. This smothered turkey boasts 430 calories, 11 grams of fat, and a whopping 1,370 milligrams of sodium. ", The best recipes, kitchen tips and genius food facts. See ingredients, nutrition, … All Banquet frozen meals are made with wholesome ingredients and offer a wide variety of flavors to please your entire family! California Do Not Sell My Info But will they satisfy your craving for turkey and mashed potatoes? But now we've tasted five popular brands, and we can say without … We've taught you how to cook the perfect turkey, plan the perfect meal, and be the perfect hostess. There's a reason that the 26 grams of protein is advertised on the front of the box — it's the only relatively healthy thing this dinner has going for it. Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Magazine She is a 2020 AAAS Mass Media Fellow and the co-founder and director of The Inner Loop, a nonprofit organization for writers. Check out the results of our taste test below to find out which brands to buy and which ones to leave in the freezer case. Ipsa Provisions, a high-end frozen-food company launched this past February in New York, specializes in “artisanal frozen dishes for a civilized meal any night of the week”—a slogan right out of the 1950s. Average Butterball Turkey Breast, 2.5 lbs. Recipes and more delivered to your inbox. Yet the ultimate convenience food was now too convenient for some diners, as one columnist lamented: “Progress is wonderful, but I will still miss those steaming, crinkly aluminum TV trays.”. Learn more today. Keep up-to-date on: © 2020 Smithsonian Magazine. But perhaps that was never the main draw. Restaurants from Detroit to Colorado Springs to Los Angeles are offering frozen versions of their dishes for carryout, a practice that some experts predict will continue beyond the pandemic. There are 280 calories in 1 meal (283 g) of Banquet Turkey Meal. Turkey Tv Dinner Banquet English Deutsch Español Français Português (Brasil) Italiano Norsk Nederlands Pусский Svensk Dansk 한국어 日本語 中文(简体) 中文(台灣) The first TV dinner featured turkey… "The turkey is tender and appealing, but WTF, applesauce? "The vegetables are terrible -- spongy, flavorless. Maxson Food Systems of Long Island used Birdseye’s technology, the double-belt freezer, to sell the first complete frozen dinners to airlines in 1945, but plans to offer those meals in supermarkets were canceled after the death of the company’s founder, William L. Maxson. I used to eat these all the time but when I made this particular TV dinner I would only eat the peas and the potatoes I would throw the turkey out the turkey … |, (Advertising Archive / Everett Collection). "The turkey is too sweet and the vegetables are watery." Frozen Thanksgiving-style meals exist -- and before this taste test, that's about all we could say for them. Get the best of Smithsonian magazine by email. Grab-and-go meals might be all the rage, but the ancients also craved convenience —Courtney Sexton, This article is a selection from the November issue of Smithsonian magazine. The TV dinner. 3.4 out of 5 stars with 115 reviews. It's so heavy and sweet! "The potatoes are actually okay. The stuffing is serviceable. That's a lot of salt. Absolutely -- but only if you buy the right one. Name: Stouffer's Roast Turkey. Banquet's Frozen Turkey Meal makes for a perfect dinner your entire family will enjoy! Find nutritional information, where to buy, and more. Quick and nutritious meals from the freezer. It's not horrible though, and the turkey is nice and tender." The TV dinner. "Most bang for your buck: Good tangy cranberry sauce the others don't have. The turkey is actually okay." According to the most widely accepted account, a Swanson salesman named Gerry Thomas conceived the company’s frozen dinners in late 1953 when he saw that the company had 260 tons of frozen turkey left over after Thanksgiving, sitting in ten refrigerated railroad cars. ", "This is the only offering that includes all the necessary Thanksgiving dishes: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables and cranberry sauce. Kudos for that." The brand is best known for its line of TV dinners.. Banquet was founded in 1953, with the introduction of frozen meat pies. The stuffing sucks, though." Whoever provided the spark, this new American convenience was a commercial triumph. Cronin has said that Gilbert and Clarke Swanson, sons of company founder Carl Swanson, came up with the idea for the frozen-meal-on-a-tray, and Clarke Swanson’s heirs, in turn, have disputed Thomas’ claim that he invented it. Banquet features delicious frozen breakfasts, snacks, and dinners that the whole family will love. Serves 6-8 People - Comes complete with oven-roasted 4 lb. Banquet first hit the store shelves in 1955, offering frozen dinners. Whereas Maxson had called its frozen airline meals “Strato-Plates,” Swanson introduced America to its “TV dinner” (Thomas claims to have invented the name) at a time when the concept was guaranteed to be lucrative: As millions of white women entered the workforce in the early 1950s, Mom was no longer always at home to cook elaborate meals—but now the question of what to eat for dinner had a prepared answer. Swanson took full advantage of this trend, with TV advertisements that depicted elegant, modern women serving these novel meals to their families, or enjoying one themselves. The turkey's fine, but what's up with the disproportionate amount of applesauce?" Banquet Frozen Beef Pot Pie - 7oz. "As frozen turkey dinners go, this is the least depressing. The National Wild Turkey Federation is committed to protecting the well being of our volunteers, members and event attendees. Green Beans, 1 lb. Banquet features delicious frozen breakfasts, snacks, and dinners that the whole family will love. Libbyland Dinners, the first commercially successful kiddie version of the TV … In 1950, only 9 percent of U.S. households had television sets—but by 1955, the number had risen to more than 64 percent, and by 1960, to more than 87 percent. "The vegetables are sad and watery. 17th Annual Photo Contest Finalists Announced. Some men wrote angry letters to the Swanson company complaining about the loss of home-cooked meals. But are we falling out of love with them as a country? This dinner … Terms of Use "The frozen vegetables are awful, but everything else is decent." "It's pretty to look at, but the stuffing has a sawdust aftertaste. Hungry Man Classic Fried Chicken, 16.5 Ounce -- 8 per case. To combat the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses, we are following … Shop Target for frozen meals including frozen entrees and frozen dinners. ", "Very classic flavors and elements. Thomas had the idea to add other holiday staples such as cornbread stuffing and sweet potatoes, and to serve them alongside the bird in frozen, partitioned aluminum trays designed to be heated in the oven. “In what other way can I get...a single serving of turkey, a portion of dressing...and the potatoes, vegetable and dessert...[for] something like 69 cents?” a Shrewsbury, New Jersey, newspaper quoted one reader as saying. 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