Turkeys and TV Dinners
After a long day of work, there’s nothing more enjoyable than plopping on the couch, tuning in to your favorite show, and eating a savory meal. TV-centric dining is an art that I’ve mastered through and through. That’s why I’m happy to announce that today is National TV Dinner Day.
The satisfaction of TV dining is magnified when the accompanying show is one of the best in history. Of course, I’m talking about none other than the History Channel’s The Food That Built America. The show has taught me scores of information about the twentieth century food industry in America, showcasing brands that we all know and love like Coca-Cola, KFC, Reese’s, Oreos, and even Gatorade.
But season 2, episode 8 is something special. It’s the history of Swanson’s TV Dinner.
Like many other world changing inventions, the origins of Swanson’s TV Dinner was the response to a problem. But the problem wasn’t that of how to best persuade Americans to spend more quality time with the tube. It was a problem of turkey excess.
According to lore, in the winter of 1953 a Swanson salesman by the name of Gerry Thomas notified his managers that the company had 260 tons of frozen turkey left over from Thanksgiving sales. But he also presented them with a revolutionary solution to the overflow: throw some frozen turkey slices along with some side dishes into an aluminum tray. This new premade meal required only an oven and twenty-five minutes to prepare, a perfect solution for the time labored family of the fifties.
And so, capitalizing on the rising popularity of television, humankind was introduced to the TV Dinner in 1954.
The world was never the same.
But there’s so much more to hear about the meal’s rise to fame. There’s tales of Betty Cronin’s remarkable feats in food engineering and the Swanson family’s contention that they in fact first conceived of the dinner.
So, check it out: The Food That Built America. Find it on a streaming service near you.
Happy National TV Dinner Day!