TV dinners are quite common in today’s world, but many people do not realize just how far back its roots can be traced. Would you believe that the first TV dinner was created in the 1950′s? But who made it? How was it conceived of? Let’s take a journey into the past and find out just how this culinary staple was conceived of.

The problem with tracing the origins of the TV dinner is that so many people want to claim responsibility. For instance, Gerry Thomas, a former Swanson executive claims that he came up with the idea for the TV dinner when he was face with a surplus of frozen turkey. This claim has however been challenged by members of the Swanson family, though many acknowledge that the invention was not original regardless.

In the year 1944 William L Maxson created frozen dinners that were served on airplanes as a method of saving money. In 1948 creators began to add frozen fruits and vegetables. Quaker also started to create its own frozen dinner line, serving them on aluminum trays and working with other companies to create meals that existed beyond the standard TV dinner options.

The first TV dinner options included either; Salisbury Steak, Meatloaf, Fried Chicken, or
Turkey with side choices of Mashed Potatoes and Carrots or Green peas and later on coming with a dessert. Not very diverse, but they were simple comfort food choices people seemed to like. Read more…