From the 1930s to the present, frozen dinners have allowed hungry individuals, who lack the time or cooking skills to whip up nutritious meals, to pop aluminum tins conveniently into the oven (and, later, plastic trays into the microwave) and soon be dining on chicken, roast beef, or macaroni and cheese. If this resulting "instant meal" is no gourmet's delight, and not as healthy as a well-balanced home-cooked meal, at least it is piping hot.

Frozen dinners were first marketed in the late 1930s, but they became wildly popular in the years after World War II (1939–45), when American life became more fast-paced. Women in particular, who traditionally prepared the daily family meals, now were preoccupied with other, outside-the-home pursuits. They were driving their children to and from Little League (see entry under 1930s—Sports and Games in volume 2) games or music and dancing (see entry under...