# Urgent!  How do you double hamburger helper?



## rockey_f_squirrell (Jun 23, 2016)

getting ready to cook now.  i am wondering do you double everything or is there a reduction ratio so some of the ingredients.

i am talking about making 2 boxes of cheeseburger macaroni helper


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## Andy M. (Jun 23, 2016)

Double everything.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Jun 23, 2016)

I haven't bought a box of any kind of "helper"
in years... what's in that stuff anyways?

From Bettycrocker.com:

_Cheeseburger Macaroni

Enriched Macaroni (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Corn Starch, Salt, Enriched Flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Sugar, Ricotta Cheese* (whey, milkfat, lactic acid, salt), Tomato*, Monosodium Glutamate, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Paprika, Spice, Color (yellow lakes 5 & 6, yellows 5 & 6), Mono and Diglycerides, Cheddar Cheese* (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Yeast Extract, Enzyme Modified Blue Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Cream, Whey, Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Butter Oil, Nonfat Milk, Blue Cheese* (milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), Sodium Caseinate, Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent), Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Calcium Caseinate, Enzymes.*Dried_


YIKES!


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## Chef Munky (Jun 23, 2016)

What Andy says.


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## Cooking Goddess (Jun 23, 2016)

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> I haven't bought a box of any kind of "helper"
> in years... what's in that stuff anyways?....
> 
> 
> YIKES!



All those asterisks and parenthetical entries! 

I hate seeing "sugar" up there above things like "dried cheese" and "dried tomato". For crying out loud, it isn't dessert.


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## Chef Munky (Jun 23, 2016)

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> I haven't bought a box of any kind of "helper"
> in years... what's in that stuff anyways?
> 
> From Bettycrocker.com:
> ...



See what you haven't had in years?
YIKES!


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## GotGarlic (Jun 23, 2016)

Do we really need to shame people for taking shortcuts? I'm sure we all do occasionally. If not - congrats on your perfection


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## rockey_f_squirrell (Jun 23, 2016)

thank you all for your replies and imputs.  but when i had the hamburger ready there were not yet any replies.  with impatient kids i had to wing it.

i did a 150% method  so when it called for 2 cups of milk i did 3.  it turned out pretty good.  i did the straight double in the past and it was too runnery.  that experience is what made me prompt this question.

as far as the ingredients...  well i eat hot dogs in good faith...if ever in louisiana they have some of the best food as long as you dont ask whats in it.
sorry to dissappoint when you are poor like us we deal with what we can get a hold of.


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## rockey_f_squirrell (Jun 23, 2016)

i had a longer more detailed reply... i got an older slide out keyboard phone with primitive web browser.  one little glitch and it wipes out my whole screen i typed out and reesets thee text box.

so if you see bad grammeer and messed up text thats why


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## Cooking Goddess (Jun 23, 2016)

rockey_f_squirrell said:


> ...as far as the ingredients...  well i eat hot dogs in good faith...if ever in louisiana they have some of the best food as long as you dont ask whats in it...


Like the saying "don't ask how they make the sausage". 

I was going to suggest an equally quick but less processed way of fixing a quick meal like Hamburger Helper, but my own Helper had shown up with the grilled sausages. I didn't want to offend without an alternate suggestion, but I still did a post-and-run. Oops.

You might want to pick up a 2# block of Velveeta. It keeps for-ev-er in the fridge. The next time you want that kind of quick meal, cook your macaroni or any other kind of short pasta. I find whatever is "on sale" works best.  While the pasta is draining, use the same pot to saute the ground meat. Add a can of tomato paste, a goodly amount of Velveeta, and the macaronis. Less salt and other additives, practically no sweetener, and still a good meal. Want just "mac and cheese"? Omit the tomato sauce. Want a tuna-noodle creamy thing? Use macaronis, a can of tuna, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a few Tbsp of cream cheese, if you have it. Frozen peas tossed in, too, if you want.

Most any of those boxed shortcut meals have a semi-from scratch version that is cheaper, just as easy to make, and less processed version. Between all of us here, we've probably all hacked at least one of those boxes, so if you give us enough warning we can make suggestions even before you head out the door to shop.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Jun 23, 2016)

I wasn't trying to "shame" anybody here with my post, but I was recalling why I no longer buy helper anything, as CG stated there are alternatives to that, and isn't that why we're all here? To share in different methods of putting nutritious food on the table for our loved ones...
And, heh, we've (my husband and I) have been _poor like us we deal with what we can get a hold of._ YUP!  I think all of us here at some point in our lives have been there. 
Rockey_F_Squirrell make no mistake, you aren't disappointing any of us.  We're here to uplift and encourage each other... my tongue in cheek post was more poking fun at Betty Crocker, that wholesome conglomerate ... NOT you honey! We love new kids on the block and surely would love to point you in different directions of nutritious, inexpensive meals for you and your family.  Search some of the previous threads and the way that we all encourage each other at DC.
So, there's no shame goin' on here, that's for sure.


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## Katie H (Jun 23, 2016)

I've never been a "boxed" food user even when, as a single mom of several little ones, I faced eviction multiple times and struggled financially.  Just that I've always cooked from scratch.  Maybe what I prepared was minimal and mediocre but we all had something to eat.

I have ventured into the boxed food world and discovered that I can't eat any of what I've tried due to the salty taste, to me, of what I've tried.  I've never been much of a salt eater and all the packaged foods seem extremely salty to me so I stay away from them.

I think many families rely on the "helper" types of foods because of time constraints and what might be viewed as an economical way of feeding themselves and/or their families.  In the end, I believe my own scratch foods are prepared in about the same amount of time and are less expensive.

I wish Rockey well in his journey to feed his family.  It's not the easiest thing to do when moths fly out of one's wallet.


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## Aunt Bea (Jun 24, 2016)

My cooking experience is similar to Katie's.  

I started cooking before Hamburger Helper came along and I didn't always have a can of cream of something soup in the cupboard.  I made this simple skillet dinner and it's many, many variations.

1 pound ground meat  Sausage, turkey, hamburger, venison, etc...
2 Tablespoons flour
3 cups liquid  A combination of milk, water, tomato juice, beef broth, chicken broth etc... 
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, onion, powder, garlic powder, etc..., to taste.
2 1/2 - 3 cups of uncooked egg noodles

Brown meat in skillet and break into crumbles as it cooks, drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pan, sprinkle flour over ground meat and stir for a minute or so,  gradually add the liquid and continue stirring, add Worcestershire sauce and season to taste, stir in egg noodles and simmer for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally, until the egg noodles are tender.

This can be made a thousand different ways with the addition of mushrooms, green beans, mixed vegetable, an onion, minced celery, etc...

You can also cut the liquid amount down to 1 1/2-2cups, leave out the noodles and make a thicker mixture to serve over mashed potatoes, rice, biscuits, etc...

Good luck!


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## di reston (Jun 24, 2016)

I confess ignorance!  What the hell is a 'helper'? I await replies so that I can understand what 'helper' means, then I can take into consideration when i try dishes both old and new. Many thanks



di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast-    Oscar Wilde


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## Aunt Bea (Jun 24, 2016)

di reston said:


> I confess ignorance!  What the hell is a 'helper'? I await replies so that I can understand what 'helper' means, then I can take into consideration when i try dishes both old and new. Many thanks
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Take a look!

Helper


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jun 24, 2016)

There are a good many budget freindly dishes that taste great, if you get tired of Helper type boxed meals.  Here's a few.

1. Goulash.  Though not the authentic Hungarian dish, it was delilcious.
    Brown 1 lb. ground beef.  While that's going on, boil a cup of elbo macaroni for about ten minutes, or whatever your favorite pasta shape is.  When the pasta is done, drain and add the drained ground beef.  Add a can of diced tomato, along with a teaspoon each of dried oregano, basil, and thyme.  Dice and onion and add it.  Dice a bell pepper and add it.  Cover and let simmer until the veggies are softened.  You can also add mushrooms to this if so inclined.

2. New England Boiled Dinner - 1 chunk of inexpensive cut of beef (corned beef, rump roast, etc.) 3 potatoes washed and cut into bite-sized chunks; 3 carrots, washed, peeled and sliced into small chunks; 1 stalk celery, washed and sliced; 1 head of green cabbage, quartered with eaqch quarter sliced in half; salt and pepper to taste.  Cover everything with water, cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer for an hour.  Serve with crusty, buttered bread.

Gotta go, but others can give you a bunch of budget friendly meals that are nourishing and delicious, and easy to make.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## GotGarlic (Jun 24, 2016)

> Cheeseburger Macaroni
> Enriched Macaroni (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Corn Starch, Salt, Enriched Flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Sugar, Ricotta Cheese* (whey, milkfat, lactic acid, salt), Tomato*, Monosodium Glutamate, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Paprika, Spice, Color (yellow lakes 5 & 6, yellows 5 & 6), Mono and Diglycerides, Cheddar Cheese* (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Yeast Extract, Enzyme Modified Blue Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Cream, Whey, Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Butter Oil, Nonfat Milk, Blue Cheese* (milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), Sodium Caseinate, Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent), Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Calcium Caseinate, Enzymes.*Dried



Reading food labels involves understanding what's on them, not just how many there are, so let's take a closer look at these ingredients. We all know that processed foods tend to be high in fat, salt and sugar. Beyond that, though, with the exception of Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, I’d like to know why anyone objects to any these ingredients. If you think about it, you probably use most of them when you make a similar dish from scratch; you just don’t call them by their chemical names.


Enriched Macaroni (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid) – pasta with added B vitamins (those are their chemical names) and iron, aka ferrous sulfate
Corn Starch – for thickening
Salt – for seasoning
Enriched Flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid) – flour with added B vitamins and a different form of iron
Sugar – for flavor
Ricotta Cheese* (whey, milkfat, lactic acid, salt) – these are the ingredients in ricotta cheese, whether homemade or factory-made
Tomato* - self-evident
Monosodium Glutamate – MSG, for added savory flavor
Maltodextrin – a thickener, it’s easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and is either moderately sweet or almost flavorless. 
Citric Acid - a weak organic acid found in citrus fruits, used for flavoring
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil – fat used for making sauce. Not the best one, but not horrible if not over-used. This processing makes it shelf-stable.
Modified Corn Starch - used as a stabilizer, thickening agent, or an emulsifier
Natural and Artificial Flavor – self-evident
Paprika – self-evident
Spice – self-evident, although not specified
Color (yellow lakes 5 & 6, yellows 5 & 6) – if you buy any orange cheddar cheese, there is color added to it; it’s a creamy color naturally.
Mono and Diglycerides – fats that are naturally present in various seed oils
Cheddar Cheese* (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes) – more cheese
Yeast Extract - the common name for various forms of processed yeast products made by extracting the cell contents (removing the cell walls); they are used as food additives or flavorings, or as nutrients for bacterial culture media
Enzyme Modified Blue Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes) – cheese ingredients
Cream – self-evident
Whey – self-evident
Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes) – more cheese
Butter Oil – aka butter fat
Nonfat Milk – self-evident
Blue Cheese* (milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes) – more cheese
Sodium Caseinate – milk protein
Silicon Dioxide (anticaking agent) – occurs naturally in foods and is very important for normal development of bones; it's also necessary to maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails.
Sodium Phosphate – a type of salt, used as an anti-clumping agent
Sodium Citrate - used as an acidity regulator in food and drinks, and also as emulsifier for oils. It enables cheeses to melt without becoming greasy.
Calcium Caseinate – dried milk protein that dissolves easily in water
Enzymes - enzymes accelerate, or catalyze, chemical reactions.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jun 24, 2016)

Cooking Goddess said:


> All those asterisks and parenthetical entries!
> 
> I hate seeing "sugar" up there above things like "dried cheese" and "dried tomato". For crying out loud, it isn't dessert.



I'm more bothered by the salt that is so high on the list, even above the sugar.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jun 24, 2016)

A couple of things I used to throw together on a Sunday afternoon for my kid to heat up in the microwave for lunch during the summer when there was no school, but there was still work:

Cook up two pounds of ground beef, and add 2 cups of spaghetti sauce, home made or jarred and divide it in half. Served on burger buns, I called them Sloppy Guiseppes. Add a pound of some type of small macaroni like elbows or tiny shells to the other half and add a little more sauce if necessary and you have home made beef-a-roni.


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## GotGarlic (Jun 24, 2016)

Kaneohegirlinaz said:


> I wasn't trying to "shame" anybody here with my post, but I was recalling why I no longer buy helper anything, as CG stated there are alternatives to that, and isn't that why we're all here? To share in different methods of putting nutritious food on the table for our loved ones...



I'm sure you didn't intend it, but the way it came across was, "I quit eating that stuff a long time ago because OMG LOOK AT THAT LONG LIST OF INGREDIENTS AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" 

I think you can understand how that might not be perceived as encouraging


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## rodentraiser (Jun 24, 2016)

I'm trying to eat a little more - I guess healthier isn't exactly the word (re: the two cups of cream I put in the Alfredo sauce), but I think I am eating less processed food than I used to. However, when I want a treat of cheese, salami, and crackers, I still grab the canned cheese and once in a while I will get a box of Hamburger Helper. After all, there's a lot of stuff we could make from scratch that we don't, like cream soups, sour cream, breads, cheese, spaghetti sauce, butter, regular soup, pasta noodles, etc. Sometimes trying to save time is as real as trying to save money.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Jun 24, 2016)

GotGarlic said:


> I'm sure you didn't intend it, but the way it came across was, "I quit eating that stuff a long time ago because OMG LOOK AT THAT LONG LIST OF INGREDIENTS AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
> 
> I think you can understand how that might not be perceived as encouraging



GG, I appreciate your observation and opinion, as it is yours and of which you are entitled to
BUT
That is NOT at all what I meant, which is a problem when ever human beings converse other than face to face, misunderstandings occur.
My post was pointed at Betty Crocker, that wholesome conglomerate, not the OP.
My point/thought was that scratch cooking is a better bet and can be just as inexpensive, as others here have pointed out.  
BUT, yes, I did not articulate that specifically, which I probably should have in my original post, thank you for pointing that out to me.
And to Rockey_F_Squirrell, if there was any offense taken in my original post, please except my sincere apology.


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