Betty Cronin

Betty Cronin (July 12, 1928–December 11, 2016) was an American bacteriologist and co-author of Campbell’s Great American Cookbook. Some call her "the mother of TV dinners",[1] though the development of the idea has several claimants.[2] She started her career in 1950 working for the Swanson brothers.[2] Later, she moved on to work for Campbell’s Soups which bought out the Swanson brothers’ company, C. A. Swanson and Sons, in 1955. She was director at Campbell’s microwave institute in Camden, New Jersey.[3]

Career

After graduating from Duchesne College,[4] Cronin began working as a bacteriologist for C. A. Swanson and Sons in 1949 or 1950.[5][2] The Swanson brothers tasked her with developing the world’s first TV dinner. Her job was to figure out how to make them not only work, scientifically, but also to taste good.[6] The challenge of this task was figuring out how to heat several different frozen foods simultaneously in a single package while maintaining optimal taste and texture and eliminating food-borne bacterial growth.[6][5] In the early stages of development, Cronin would use her friends as test subjects for her dinners.[6]

According to History.com, her work as the developer of the concept is not disputed.[6] The first completed product was a dinner consisting of cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes, peas, and turkey.[7][8]

She also developed Swanson’s first fried chicken TV dinner, which she said in a 1989 interview was the biggest challenge of her time with C. A. Swanson and sons.[1]

By 1955, Cronin had moved to Campbell’s, which acquired Swanson soon after. During her time as director at Campbells Microwave Institute,[4] she helped the company perfect the development of a microwaveable tray.

Cronin co-authored Campbell’s Great American Cookbook, published in 1984.[9] The book included over 500 recipes focused on American cuisine from traditional foods dating back to the Colonial period to ethnic recipes that had become part of American culture. Each recipe also contained a short history and variations.[10] Lorrie Gutman of the Tallahassee-Democrat stated it was "one of the most interesting recipe books I've ever read".[11]

Cronin retired from Campbell's Soup Company in 1993[12] but worked as a consultant to Campbell's into her 60s.[1]

Personal life

Cronin said she "never had a TV dinner in my home".[13]

According to Cronin's obituary, she was raised by Janet and Raymond Cronin and Cecil and Hannah Kelso, and had a friend of 50 years, Irene Milewski.[14] She died on December 11, 2016, while living in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey.[14]

References
  1. "The Year The TV Dinner Knocked America Cold". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  2. Rivenburg, Roy (23 November 2003). "A Landmark Idea, Yes, But Whose?". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Gladston, Jim (December 6, 1989). "TV DINNERS ARE FROZEN IN OUR HISTORY". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  4. Riordan, Kevin (November 25, 2004). "TV dinners celebrate 50th amid changing channels, times". Courier-Post. pp. 1B–2B – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Biakolo, Kovie (November 2020). "A Brief History of the TV Dinner". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  6. "Who Invented the TV Dinner?". History.com. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  7. By (1994-04-10). "FROZEN IN TIME". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  8. "Childhood Frozen TV Dinners You Might Still Miss (or Maybe Not)". MSN. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  9. Cronin, Betty; Company, Campbell Soup (1984). Campbell's Great American Cookbook. Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-52961-5.
  10. Morgan, Catherine (December 5, 1984). "Campbell's new cookbook is "all-American"". The Item. pp. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Gutman, Lorrie (December 20, 1984). "Wrap up a book for a special cook". Tallahassee Democrat. pp. 4E – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Etter, Gerald (May 12, 1993). "Her claim to flame: TV dinner". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. F1, F7 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Harford, Tim (2017). 50 Inventions that Shaped the Modern Economy. Penguin. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-0-7352-1613-6.
  14. "Betty Cronin Obituary (1928 - 2016) - Pennsauken, NJ - Courier Post". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
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