Clarence Birdseye and a Brief History of Frozen Food
Embark on a journey through time, tracing the footsteps of Clarence Birdseye, the pioneer of frozen food. Discover the evolution of this industry, its impact on our lives, and the man whose vision transformed our kitchens and eating habits forever.
The development of food-freezing techniques was one of the more important food inventions in culinary history
The quick freezing method he introduced in 1924 was the first to freeze food commercially
- Prior freezing methods used a slower rate of freezing the food, which resulted in poor food flavor,an unappealing texture, as well as a better than average chance of the food spoiling as the food thawed. By using a quick method, like the ones the Inuit used, the food quality remained intact in taste and texture.
Birdseye died on October 7, 1956 from a heart attack at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea off the coast of his beloved Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Marjorie Post, his widow, built a 62,000 square foot mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, which was given to the National Parks Department in hopes of becoming the “winter white house”. The maintenance for the property was burdensome and expensive, leading the Parks Department to return it to the Post Foundation in 1981.
Interesting fact: On November 15, 1969, the very first color TV commercial in the UK was aired featuring Birds Eye peas.
In 1945, Maxson Food Systems of Long Island, New York created the first complete frozen meal, Strato-Meals
- The frozen meal sold for 98 cents and the directions called for cooking the meal for 25 minutes at 425F