Ruth Siems
Encyclopedia
Ruth Miriam Siems was the home economist who created Stove Top Stuffing
.
A native of Evansville, Indiana
, she developed the stuffing, one of General Foods Corp.'s
(now Kraft Foods Inc.
) top convenience products, in 1971 while working at the corporation's White Plains, New York
, facility.
Her name was the first on a patent
application for the product. Her patent was based on a certain size of bread
crumb that makes the rehydration, or addition of water, work. In an interview with The Evansville Courier in 1991, Siems said the idea for the instant stuffing came from the marketing department, but it was up to the research and development staff to create the product. The test kitchens, the chefs and all the workers in research and development were given a shot at developing the stuffing, but Siems' idea was the one the company chose. Today, Kraft Foods, which now owns the brand, sells about 60 million boxes of it at Thanksgiving, a company spokeswoman said.
Some sources say that Mrs. Siems first sold the recipe to the Mrs Cubbison's corporation, and that later she further developed it for wholesale purposes in the General Foods
Kitchen.
Siems graduated from Bosse High School in Evansville and earned a degree in home economics from Purdue University
in 1953. She was employed for almost four years in product research ad development at the old Igleheart Brothers plant of General Foods
in Evansville, working on quality control for angel food cake mixes and researching the Swans Down brand of cake mixes and flours. She retired from General Foods Inc. in 1985 after a 33½-year career.
"Everyone always had me pegged as a creative person," she said. "I've always liked to put things together."
Siems died in Newburgh, Indiana
, after suffering a heart attack at her home.
Stove Top stuffing
Stove Top is a stuffing that was introduced by General Foods in 1972 . It is a quick cooking stuffing that is available in supermarkets. Unlike traditional stuffing, Stove Top can be prepared on the stove, in a pot...
.
A native of Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, she developed the stuffing, one of General Foods Corp.'s
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
(now Kraft Foods Inc.
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
) top convenience products, in 1971 while working at the corporation's White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
, facility.
Her name was the first on a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
application for the product. Her patent was based on a certain size of bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
crumb that makes the rehydration, or addition of water, work. In an interview with The Evansville Courier in 1991, Siems said the idea for the instant stuffing came from the marketing department, but it was up to the research and development staff to create the product. The test kitchens, the chefs and all the workers in research and development were given a shot at developing the stuffing, but Siems' idea was the one the company chose. Today, Kraft Foods, which now owns the brand, sells about 60 million boxes of it at Thanksgiving, a company spokeswoman said.
Some sources say that Mrs. Siems first sold the recipe to the Mrs Cubbison's corporation, and that later she further developed it for wholesale purposes in the General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
Kitchen.
Siems graduated from Bosse High School in Evansville and earned a degree in home economics from Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in 1953. She was employed for almost four years in product research ad development at the old Igleheart Brothers plant of General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
in Evansville, working on quality control for angel food cake mixes and researching the Swans Down brand of cake mixes and flours. She retired from General Foods Inc. in 1985 after a 33½-year career.
"Everyone always had me pegged as a creative person," she said. "I've always liked to put things together."
Siems died in Newburgh, Indiana
Newburgh, Indiana
Newburgh is a town in Ohio Township, Warrick County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,325 at the 2010 census, which also recorded a population of 342,815 for the entire Evansville metropolitan area.-Geography:...
, after suffering a heart attack at her home.