First, from the clickbaity headline to the vapid content, this article is nearly as indigestible as the soup it covers. All I learned is that 1) Americans eat more canned soup than the rest of the world combined according to someone, 2) some guy in 2002 ate a lot of canned soup and didn’t really like it and 3) supposedly there are carrots the size baseball bats, though I still don’t know what they look like or if they actually exist.
Second, soup is not hard to make. From a good butternut squash soup to an easy chicken noodle with fennel, delicious soup can be easily made in half an hour, with ingredients that are easy to find and inexpensive. They might not have the same depth of flavor as a soup made with homemade stock or roasted vegetables, but a little more time or planning can fix that. Every time I make a roast chicken for dinner, for instance, I throw the bones in a pot with some onion, celery and carrot and make an easy stock and freeze it for later.
NOTE: click on that fennel chicken soup recipe - it’s really delicious. It’s from BlueApron but they post all their recipes for free - no need to order from them (though they do have a great service).
I feel like this whole thing requires a [citation needed].
I agree. Yesterday it was black bean with chorizo… mmmmmm.
I was baffled by this because he says these evil giant carrots are the reason canned soup is lousy. Then it’s because of heat and shaking. Then at the end he mentions the giant carrots “taste fine.”
So why is homemade better? It isn’t always. My first try at chicken noodle was awful. But if you experiment you learn to make it just right, to your own taste. Then it’s better than Campbell’s. Is any of this surprising? It has nothing to do with evil GMO carrots - it’s just that corporate food is bland.
There is a fairly obviously solution to this; but it is arguably the case that soup is one of those foods that does not play nicely with small-quantity-just-in-time prep(barring starvin’ student ramen). Since it isn’t rocket surgery to preserve for reasonably long periods, the answer is large batches; but it is one of those items that you always wish you’d prepared a lot of a week ago, rather than having to confront it now.
Soup is fairly easy to make unless you have certain dietary restrictions. I’m vegetarian and making a good soup that has decent body to it can be tricky, it can turn out either too watery or salty. There’s also hidden salt in other ingredients to consider, tomato paste can give soup a good well rounded flavor but can add lots of salt, and other ingredients can add even more salt.
However, even with these restrictions making soup really is easy. The author makes it sound like such an increadible hassle making it at home when the reality is that its one of the easiest things you can make at home. Hell if you’re really lazy then just use a crock pot, it’ll turn out probably even more tasty that way,
This video shows Campbell’s process … including some unremarkably normal sized raw carrots.
My husband makes an awesome broccoli soup, 20 minutes from start to finish.
Citation [recipe] please!
You can get “giant” carrots that are tough as wood when raw by growing Imperators and leaving them in the ground a little longer than usual. They taste bland, not bad. Juice content is lower than carrots harvested earlier. They also keep better, again probably due to low moisture.
& other posters are correct, soup is not hard, it is still a faster meal than many standard 1 meat 2 veg plated meals & can be much healthier too.
If you are a cooking newb, don’t have anything in your refrigerator and then go online to select a recipe described as “intermediate” for people who do cook & who do keep a stocked larder, then yes, it is hard.
It is also difficult to build a house with no experience and no building materials, but we don’t all live in lean-tos that took 5 years to cobble together, instead we plan & execute.
I’ll have to ask him for it, but I’ll post it as soon as he e-mails back (we’re both at work). Would you be interested in a very tasting Mexican soup recipe that also takes less than 30 minutes to prep? It’s low carb, but has meaty bits.
Meaty bits? I’m in!
Let’s make this thread everything that the origninal article was not; helpful, informative and delicious!
That’s the first thing I thought of when reading that. You don’t have to have time the very day you want to eat it. I’ve been known to leave a large pot simmering on Sunday afternoons, thereby providing supper for that night as well as later in the week when we’re too busy to whip something up after work.
Soup also freezes really well, and reheated homemade soup is still way better than any canned soup I’ve ever had.
Put me down for that recipe too, please! That sounds right up my alley!
Just don’t freeze the noodles - I tried doing that once and it totally ruins the texture.
If they keep posting articles like this then we won’t be able to trust any thing on teh internets anymore.
If I’m eating canned soup, it’s because I’m sick. I’m neither going to prepare soup from scratch myself, nor care much what it tastes like.
Ok , here is the Mexican soup.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional, we use a half of one)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (or other chicken bits, thighs work well too)
2 cups mild refrigerated fresh salsa
salt & freshly ground black pepper (we usually omit the salt here, plenty in the chicken broth and salsa)
cilantro (optional)
avocado (optional)
sour cream (optional)
Cut your chicken into small strips about 2 inches long.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeño; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes.
Stir in garlic and cumin; cook 30 seconds more.
Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a rapid simmer. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir the pan making sure to get all the bits of onion, jalapeño and cumin are well mixed into the soup and not stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Stir in salsa (don’t drain), bring back to simmer, season with salt and pepper to taste and top with cilantro if desired.
Dress with cilantro, sliced avocado, and a dollop of sour cream. Totally delicious.
typically serves 3-4 people.
Oh, and it freezes and reheats really well.
Yes, and this blandness is because in general, that’s what the public likes. I understand chefs complaining that canned soup is “inedible”, but that’s exactly like craft beer fans saying that mass-market beers are “undrinkable”. It just doesn’t correspond with the reality of public opinion. I’m a craft beer fan myself, but you’d be surprised on how many people order a Budweiser at a bar that has six local craft ales on tap.
