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Phentex

(16,330 posts)
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 10:47 AM Jun 2020

Does the mention of salisbury steak make you gag?

I was looking at a site for vegan recipes and came across one for Salisbury steak. In MY defense, I am running out of meal ideas that I am not tired of making and grocery shopping today isn't what is used to be.

My husband shuddered. Made that face like he smelled something terrible. I said ?

"That's the nasty stuff from tv dinners.Why would anybody want to make that?"

Isn't it basically hamburger with mushroom gravy? Is that horrible?

We didn't have tv dinners when I grew up. I bought them a few times when I was in my 20's but I remember fish sticks or something.

Thoughts?

33 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Does the mention of salisbury steak make you gag? (Original Post) Phentex Jun 2020 OP
I remember salisbury steak tv dinners from way back. We loved them. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2020 #1
Nasty stuff from grade school lunches, JenniferJuniper Jun 2020 #2
I probably liked it... Phentex Jun 2020 #7
It's basically oblong shaped hamburger with a brown gravy. PoliticAverse Jun 2020 #3
Thanks. Phentex Jun 2020 #6
I make it occasionally. luvs2sing Jun 2020 #4
Yeah, I looked at it like a cousin to meatloaf... Phentex Jun 2020 #5
It is similar. Pan-fried meat loaf. luvs2sing Jun 2020 #9
Nope! I make it with mushroom gravy and Phoenix61 Jun 2020 #8
That sounds delish. n/t ms liberty Jun 2020 #12
I make it a lot, too. Blue_playwright Jun 2020 #28
my wife(from Japan) grew up calling it Hamburg Steak The Polack MSgt Jun 2020 #10
A Salisbury steak is GOOD eating, if you ask me. Laelth Jun 2020 #11
Oh the tuna casserole... Phentex Jun 2020 #25
Hamburger that has been tread on by golf spikes. keithbvadu2 Jun 2020 #13
LOL! Phentex Jun 2020 #26
I remember my mom's Polly Hennessey Jun 2020 #14
seems harmless enough to me but Phentex Jun 2020 #27
Good Salisbury steak is quite palatable. gibraltar72 Jun 2020 #15
Dinner tonight! procon Jun 2020 #16
That's so close to the way I make it! I use shallots instead of onions. Vinca Jun 2020 #18
I always add a little something extra to my mashed procon Jun 2020 #19
That's a good idea. I've got some nice parsley and cilantro in the garden right now. Vinca Jun 2020 #23
Right. Laelth Jun 2020 #20
How about a virtual invite? procon Jun 2020 #21
I will gladly accept. Laelth Jun 2020 #22
Ooo I have some black garlic... Blue_playwright Jun 2020 #29
Made well, there is nothing wrong with it Warpy Jun 2020 #17
very interesting... Phentex Jun 2020 #24
Back in the day, I found a little ground seitan or bulgur went a long way Warpy Jun 2020 #30
A good Salisbury steak is wonderful. PoindexterOglethorpe Jun 2020 #31
I would agree the tv dinner ones are to be avoided Wawannabe Jun 2020 #32
Part of 1950's LA Unified School System cafeteria menu PlanetBev Jun 2020 #33

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
1. I remember salisbury steak tv dinners from way back. We loved them.
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 10:50 AM
Jun 2020

I'd probably hate them now, but kids often like crappy food. Whether vegan Salisbury steak would be edible is a different question; I haven't found any faux-meat vegan food yet that didn't have weird texture and no flavor.

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)
3. It's basically oblong shaped hamburger with a brown gravy.
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 10:58 AM
Jun 2020

And yes, many of us (non-fondly) remember a very low end version from TV dinners.

Phentex

(16,330 posts)
6. Thanks.
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 11:02 AM
Jun 2020

My experience with tv dinners is limited but I don't think I cook anything that comes close to that.

I can't even imagine his mom buying them too often. They had 5 kids.

luvs2sing

(2,220 posts)
4. I make it occasionally.
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 10:59 AM
Jun 2020

My husband knows it as “hamburger steak”. Neither one of us has any negative reaction to it. I remember seeing the TV dinners in the store, but my mother rarely bought them and when she did, it was always turkey, meat loaf, or fried chicken. My husband’s mother and grandmother, who lived with them, cooked from scratch. I’m not sure he ever had a TV dinner.

Now that I think about it, my Salisbury steak recipe is the one my mother used. Lots of onion and garlic mixed in for good flavor.

Phentex

(16,330 posts)
5. Yeah, I looked at it like a cousin to meatloaf...
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 11:01 AM
Jun 2020

just was not expecting such a visceral reaction. I'm about ready to close the kitchen for the summer, lol.

Phoenix61

(16,954 posts)
8. Nope! I make it with mushroom gravy and
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 11:09 AM
Jun 2020

Smashed taters on the side (red-skin with the skins on, sour cream and butter) Dang. Now I’m hungry.

The Polack MSgt

(13,159 posts)
10. my wife(from Japan) grew up calling it Hamburg Steak
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 11:15 AM
Jun 2020

And she still makes it. Her recipe is basically a stove top meat ball squished into an oval with mushroom gravy

Laelth

(32,017 posts)
11. A Salisbury steak is GOOD eating, if you ask me.
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 11:27 AM
Jun 2020

My daughter is fanatical about them and insists upon them from time to time. Of course, I have always been of the opinion that English cuisine is underrated.

However, I sympathize with your husband’s reaction. I react similarly to tuna casserole. That’s something I hope to never eat again in my life.

-Laelth

Phentex

(16,330 posts)
25. Oh the tuna casserole...
Sat Jun 20, 2020, 08:28 AM
Jun 2020

As a young person, I only ever ate tuna in the version of tuna fish from a can. But the thought of anything being cooked with it did not appeal to me. But my tastes have changed and it might be something I'd actually try now. I wouldn't make it, but I would try it if someone else made it.

procon

(15,805 posts)
16. Dinner tonight!
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 01:07 PM
Jun 2020

We love Salisbury Steaks, they are a savory hearty main dish like mini meatloaves without the all leftovers. I mix the ingredients in my stand mixer for a uniform consistency that holds the meat mixture together.

A good gravy is key to making Salisbury Steaks go from ordinary to extraordinary. I start with red wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock, adding onions, mushrooms, and roasted garlic, salt and loads of ground pepper.

Salisbury Steaks are best served with creamy mashed potatoes, and mine include more roasted garlic. Add a side dish, like fresh steamed asparagus, to round out your meal.

Yummy!

Vinca

(50,170 posts)
18. That's so close to the way I make it! I use shallots instead of onions.
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 03:52 PM
Jun 2020

We love it every so often. I think those TV dinners gave it a bad rap.

procon

(15,805 posts)
19. I always add a little something extra to my mashed
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 04:35 PM
Jun 2020

potatoes. Anything in the onion family that I have on hand is good with me. I've been adding chopped kale, or stirring in bits of broccoli, fresh spinach or cilantro.

procon

(15,805 posts)
21. How about a virtual invite?
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 05:10 PM
Jun 2020

One of the best things about a dish like Salisbury Steaks is that it's fairly cheap for a weekday family supper, but it can be dressed up with some lovely side dishes to make a meal suitable for guests.

Warpy

(110,912 posts)
17. Made well, there is nothing wrong with it
Fri Jun 19, 2020, 02:42 PM
Jun 2020

Made poorly, it's like a bad covered dish supper meatloaf and the mushroom gravy swears with it.

The recipe was concocted by a doctor who recommended beef to his patients but found some lacked the ability to handle steak and roast beef, dentition being poor in the 19th century. All the recipes are about the same: minced beef, crumbs, egg, onion, salt, pepper. It is most likely one of those things that if you do more to it, you screw it up. I have found that hamburger works less well than cheap meat minced at home, either with a food processor or by hand.

I'm a little intrigued by what goes into a vegan version. I would strongly suspect that if you just called it veggie burger with mushroom gravy, the "ick" would disappear quickly. I don't know what you could do to beans, seitan, or any other vegan protein to make it come out like bad covered dish meatloaf. That is truly the stuff of nightmares.

Phentex

(16,330 posts)
24. very interesting...
Sat Jun 20, 2020, 08:24 AM
Jun 2020

This version uses lentils and mushrooms (which many "meaty" vegan dishes use) so I was thinking that they called it steak to appeal to converted vegans. I love a good lentil meatloaf although that one is called lentil loaf, lol.

Warpy

(110,912 posts)
30. Back in the day, I found a little ground seitan or bulgur went a long way
Sat Jun 20, 2020, 11:43 AM
Jun 2020

toward giving lentil loaf and bean chili enough "bite" that it wasn't like eating savory marshmallow. Finely chopped walnuts and pecans also helped a lot. That's the only thing that annoyed me about being veg, most of it was mushy.

These days, what little meat I eat is a flavoring, not a main event. I routinely get 3-4 meals out of one chicken breast. I have an allergy to wheat (asthma), so most of the convenience foods are out were I to try to go back to being vegetarian.

Wawannabe

(5,580 posts)
32. I would agree the tv dinner ones are to be avoided
Sun Jun 21, 2020, 09:21 PM
Jun 2020

But I’ve made homemade many times. It is basically hamb steak with extra onion powder and garlic. Make your own brown gravy. Cook off some onion...then bake all together for a bit to mingle flavors.

I suppose your vegan recipe calls for mushrooms to be the meat substitute. Go for it!

PlanetBev

(4,098 posts)
33. Part of 1950's LA Unified School System cafeteria menu
Mon Jun 22, 2020, 01:46 AM
Jun 2020

The worst, most craptastic fare. The Salisbury steak looked like dog food. The smell put me off, so I never could eat it.

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