When I was a kid my Mom owned a lingerie shop. Next door to the lingerie shop was a bar. The bar owner and my Mom became friends.

The bar used to give her this stuff she would bring home. It was frozen, made into teeny tiny little balls. You'd just take enough out of the bag for a meal and keep the rest in the freezer. Then you'd mix it with mayo and waalahhhhh, instant ham salad.

Has anyone ever seen such a product? Know where I could get it? It's an instant soft food, lasts for a long time, taste was great, and you could do anything with it. Sandwiches, eggs that were deviled eggs but made with this stuff instead, lettuce salad with this stuff on top, lots of things.

It is very similar to instant potatoes but it is a frozen product.

Hmm, I'm confused. But I'll help if I can!

"Then you'd mix it with mayo and waalahhhhh, instant ham salad." makes me think it's some kind of frozen ham in little balls. But "eggs that were deviled eggs but made with this stuff instead" makes it sound more like mustard/mayo combo, and not ham. But then "lettuce salad with this stuff on top" makes me think it's cheese?

Ack!

What was it?

I wasn't clear, I think! LOL

The egg thing is just a different way to use up this stuff. Instead of putting egg stuff in the white part of the egg, you put ham salad stuff in the white part of a deviled egg. Not sure that makes more sense though!

This stuff did indeed come in tiny little balls. It was actually pretty good. It was served at this bar/restaurant next to my Mom's shop. But that was 30 years ago, I'm pretty sure they have new owners after the bar owner set his bar on fire so they could collect insurance money. Otherwise I'd call them and ask.

It came in a 5# plastic bag, a gazillion little tiny balls. You take a small scoop out, mix a little mayo in there and you have ham salad.

I've tried Google searches on dehydrated ham salad, frozen ham salad, restaurant ham salad... all I get are recipes.

have you checked at a sam's club or a bj's.?

Ok, nope - have no idea. But I have activated my spy network and will let you know if I can find anything.

Wow! I'm so curious to know if you find out what it is!??

Wow! I'm so curious to know if you find out what it is!??

If I could just find this stuff it would be great because it takes the danger of cooking out of the picture (nasty food, deadly food, ruining large appliances, etc.)

My curiosity is peaked. Are you sure this is some kind of product purchased this way, and not something the person in the bar made and then just froze to have on hand?

It probably wouldn't do too much good to Google it, frozen ham balls would be off the chart.

Have you tried deviled canned ham? It works the same way just not frozen... ~Mandy

My curiosity is peaked. Are you sure this is some kind of product purchased this way, and not something the person in the bar made and then just froze to have on hand?

It probably wouldn't do too much good to Google it, frozen ham balls would be off the chart.

Positive. They used to order an extra bag for my Mom whenever we ran out. This stuff was really quite good. They used to get it from a restaurant supply place but I have no idea where. It was delivered in clear 5# bags. You'd take out a small scoop, mix a little mayo and it thawed instantly. It came in chicken and ham. It was great for a restaurant/bar because it never went bad. You made it one sandwich at a time and kept the rest of the little pellets in the freezer. Their chicken salad was the only kind of chicken salad I have ever cared for.

I know it doesn't sound good but really, it was great.

Have you tried deviled canned ham? It works the same way just not frozen... ~Mandy

I end up throwing away sooooo much food because I just don't eat it. I like this stuff because it stays good in the freezer until you use it.

Well, that and I don't cook.

But the little cans of ham are only like 3 or 4 oz each. Seems like the perfect banded portion. ~Mandy

Hummmmm...I've worked in the restaurant business my whole like and I have never cooked with a product like you describe BUT I've think I remember something....gosh, it was years ago...."extrudued" may have been in the name. I remember it being tiny diced bits.

Maybe it was a hash-type frozen product???

I would check out some foodervice sites (Sysco, DeCarlo).

I'm going to do some digging and see what I can find. It may be something used in Chinese restaurants also....I'm gonna look...

that wasn't much help, was it? lol

If you have a GFS near you they have everything. (Gordon Food Service) ~Mandy

Well, still no idea what it was (is this something from the 80s? If not I won't know it),but I wanna know. And you mention not liking chicken salads other than that one... so I have to recommend the Archer Farms (Target brand) chicken salad. It's made with rotisserie chicken. Tried it for the first time a few weeks ago and it is hands-down, no questions asked, the best chicken salad I've ever had. Even better than mom's.

Well, still no idea what it was (is this something from the 80s? If not I won't know it),but I wanna know. And you mention not liking chicken salads other than that one... so I have to recommend the Archer Farms (Target brand) chicken salad. It's made with rotisserie chicken. Tried it for the first time a few weeks ago and it is hands-down, no questions asked, the best chicken salad I've ever had. Even better than mom's.

I can't eat meat of any kind. I was thinking that since this stuff turns out like a spread it might work. If your stuff is made from chicken pieces I am sure I couldn't keep it down. I assume it is?? If not I'll try it.