“Top Shelf made bold claims asserting it was, “faster than frozen”. The company hired Dick Cavett, the well-known and trusted television personality, for a series of commercials. These dinners had no preservatives, did not require freezing or refrigeration, heated in two minutes, and could be carried to work in one’s briefcase without spoiling. Cavett earnestly sold this innovation by admitting all sounded too good to be true. To battle consumer skepticism, the company pledged twice the money back if dissatisfied. That may have sealed its fate as Top Shelf and its “faster than frozen” process quickly shut down.” FoodPop CultureFood HistoryCookbooksTv Dinners Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals Source: TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals
“When the TV dinner debuted, no one was demanding an easy, speedy, and convenient mealtime product but they were quickly embraced. An industry was born overnight, and its story is one of entrepreneurs and innovators who were passionate, driven and as original and eccentric as the product itself. Clarence Birdseye, W.L. Maxson, Betty Cronin, Percy L. Spencer, Jeno Paulucci, and others made it possible.” HistoryFoodPop CultureCookbooksTv Dinners Book:TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals Source: TV DINNERS UNBOXED: The Hot History of Frozen Meals