Nugget Nation/Mac and Cheese Mania

Hamburgers were under attack!

For years, Americans had been in love with burgers. And McDonald’s sold millions of them. But in 1977, the U.S. government warned that eating too many burgers was unhealthy. Eat chicken instead, experts said.

Chicken?!

McDonald’s leaders panicked.

How could they make Americans fall in love with chicken the way they had with burgers?

The answer was the chicken nugget. And this would change fast-food history.

Hamburgers were under attack!

Americans had been in love with burgers for years. And McDonald’s sold millions of them. But in 1977, the U.S. government warned people: Eating too many burgers was unhealthy. Experts said to eat chicken instead.

Chicken?!

McDonald’s leaders panicked.

How could they make Americans love chicken the way they loved burgers?

The answer was the chicken nugget. And this would change fast-food history.

When the burger warning came out, leaders at McDonald’s knew they had to come up with a new menu item—and fast.

They knew nuggets were a winning idea. They used Baker’s Chicken Crispie recipe from years earlier. This helped them make the perfect nugget.

In 1983, Chicken McNuggets were first sold in McDonald’s restaurants across the country. They were an instant hit. Later, experts would learn that these deep-fried nuggets were not healthier than burgers. But it didn’t matter. By then, the nugget had already become an American classic.

Baker never made money off his most famous invention. But he achieved his goal: He turned Americans into chicken eaters. Today, we gobble up more than 2.3 billion orders of nuggets each year. They’re everywhere—cafeterias, kids’ menus, the grocery store.

So the next time you bite into a chicken nugget, you can think of Baker.  

The burger warning came out, and leaders at McDonald’s knew they had to come up with a new menu item fast.

They knew nuggets were a great idea. They used Baker’s Chicken Crispie recipe from years earlier. This helped them make the perfect nugget.

In 1983, Chicken McNuggets were first sold in McDonald’s restaurants across the country. They were an instant hit. Later, experts would learn something: These deep-fried nuggets were not healthier than burgers. It didn’t matter. By then, the nugget had already become an American classic.

Baker never made money off his most famous invention. But he reached his goal. He turned Americans into chicken eaters. Today, we eat more than 2.3 billion orders of nuggets each year. They’re everywhere — cafeterias, kids’ menus, the grocery store.

Think of Baker the next time you bite into a chicken nugget. 

You may know Thomas Jefferson as our third president. But he did something else for our country: He helped start America’s macaroni and cheese craze.

Thomas Jefferson was our third president. But he did something else for our country. He helped start America’s macaroni and cheese craze.

In the 1930s, U.S. cooks had started making mac and cheese. But they used cheap American cheddar instead of fancy Italian parmesan.   

This was a good thing. The U.S. was in the middle of a dark time: the Great Depression. Millions of people didn’t have jobs. Macaroni and cheese was the perfect meal. It was cheap and filling. But not everyone knew about it.

A pasta salesman in St. Louis, Missouri, helped change that. He couldn’t get people to buy his boxes of noodles. So he began attaching packets of Kraft grated cheese to them with rubber bands. Customers loved these “meal kits.”

Leaders at the Kraft cheese company heard about the salesman’s idea. They knew it would be a hit. They hired the salesman and turned his creation into a new product: Kraft Dinner. This was a box of noodles with a packet of cheese inside.

People couldn’t believe their luck. They could make a dinner for four people in minutes—and for only 19 cents! In the first year alone, the company sold 8 million boxes.

In the 1930s, American cooks started making mac and cheese. But they used cheap American cheddar instead of fancy Italian parmesan.

This was a good thing. America was in the middle of a dark time. It was the Great Depression. Millions of people didn’t have jobs. Macaroni and cheese was the perfect meal. It was cheap and filling. But not everyone knew about it.

A pasta salesman in Missouri helped change that. He couldn’t get people to buy his boxes of pasta. So he began attaching packets of Kraft grated cheese to them with rubber bands. Customers loved these “meal kits.”

Leaders at the Kraft cheese company heard about the salesman’s idea. They knew it would be a hit. They hired the salesman. They turned his idea into a new product: Kraft Dinner. This was a box of pasta with a packet of cheese inside.

People couldn’t believe their luck. They could make a dinner for four people in minutes. And it cost only 19 cents! In the first year alone, the company sold 8 million boxes.

Today, Kraft sells nearly a million boxes each day. Stacked on top of each other, those boxes would be 20 times higher than Mount Everest!

Macaroni and cheese is now loved by people across the country. You can buy it at a corner store for $1. You can order it topped with lobster at a restaurant. There’s even a National Macaroni and Cheese Day, July 14. Start planning your party now! 

Today, Kraft sells nearly a million boxes each day. If you stacked those boxes on top of each other, they would be 20 times higher than the world’s highest mountain!

Macaroni and cheese is now loved by people across the country. You can buy it at a store for $1. You can order it topped with lobster at a restaurant. There’s even a National Macaroni and Cheese Day, July 14. Start planning your party now!