Profitable Product out of a Mistake - Page 3

Swanson's TV Dinner

The trays proved to be useful: the entire dinner could be removed from the outer packaging as a unit; the pewter tray with aluminum foil covering could be heated directly in the oven without any extra dishes; and one could eat the meal directly from the same tray. The product was cooked for 25 minutes at 425° F (218° C) and fit nicely on a TV tray table. The original TV Dinner sold for 98 cents, and had a production estimate of 5,000 dinners for the first year. They sold 10 million frozen turkey dinners and a new industry was born.