288324 Thu Jan 24 22:17:34 -0800 2002 38 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1555172 Tonight, I took one bite of Progresso minestrone and threw the rest out. (I hate wasting food, but I hate wasting /meals/ even more.) Canned soup always seems like a good idea, but I'm always disapointed. So far, I've only found two canned soups worth eating: Campbell's chunky chicken noodle, and Prego's grilled vegetable minestrone. Fellow 'hounds, do you have any further suggestions? Thu Jan 24 22:17:34 -0800 2002 0 Lindsay B. 1 1555174 Wolfgang Puck Soups' Country Tomato with Basil. Also, I think there was recently a thread on this; you might want to do a search. I remember posting the same thing. . . Thu Jan 24 22:24:38 -0800 2002 1555172 0 LisaPizza 2 1555182 just another opinion on wolfgang soups -- there was a special and i was sick and couldn't cook my own chicken noodle so got two cans. it was by far the worst soup i've ever had -- it tasted and smelled so bad. I'd go with the trader joe soups first. Thu Jan 24 23:09:41 -0800 2002 1555174 0 jen 3 1555186 I've only tried one other one, because they only have two that are vegetarian. The other soup, country vegetable or something, was pretty yucky. But I stand by the tomato! Thu Jan 24 23:40:30 -0800 2002 1555182 0 LisaPizza 1 1555175 If you're near a Trader Joe's; Canned salmon Chowder and Roasted corn Tortilla Chowder (in a jar).. neither contain any dairy. Thu Jan 24 22:44:57 -0800 2002 1555172 0 galleygirl 1 1555178 Buy some canned chicken broth or bouillon and make your own. Freeze in ziploc bags in single portions. Reheat. Seriously. Soup isn't hard to make, any weekend afternoon is a great time to do it. And homemade soup is SO much better than anything I've found canned. I make a soup chopping up 1 onion, 1 carrot, and 2 cloves of garlic, sauteing until soft in cooking spray, adding various other vegetables, (including shredded cabbage and chopped celery) beef broth, herbs and a little tomato paste, cook for half an hour and fabulous veggie soup. Thu Jan 24 22:57:03 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Caitlin Wheeler 2 1555198 Completely agree. I am a soup fiend. I eat it two or three times a week and used to go through cans of the stuff. Now I haven't purchased a can in almost ten years. Soup is the most incredibly cheap thing to make and I have found I can make GALLONS of it for less than $10.00. Consequently, I buy little single-serving and quart containers from Smart & Final and freeze it up. I always have four or five different kinds of soups in my freezer. Granted, it make take a tad longer to thaw and re-heat than opening a can, but infinitely more satisfying ~ and WAY less salty. Fri Jan 25 09:06:52 -0800 2002 1555178 0 Renee 3 1555202 Renee, you can thaw and reheat your soup (or sauce) almost as quickly as a can if you freeze it flat in ziplock bags. I keep tomato sauce and chicken stock on hand this way all the time. I freeze soup and sauce in 1-2 cup amounts (mostly). Fill the baggie with desired amount, close the zip most of the way, carefully turn it over flat on the counter, squeeze out all the air, and finish zipping. Then lay them flat on a sheet pan and freeze. When frozen you can then store them either vertically or horizontally, like little books. To defrost, break up the "sheet" of soup before dropping into a pan. (Last night I defrosted my tomato sauce in less time than it took to cook the angel hair pasta.) You can even remove a few Tbs-ful of frozen stock or sauce and return the bag to the freezer. Fri Jan 25 09:57:52 -0800 2002 1555198 0 saucyknave 4 1555203 Wow, that's a good idea. Thanks! Fri Jan 25 10:01:35 -0800 2002 1555202 0 Jujubee 4 1555205 Actually, I DO do that with my stocks (which I make every week). The upside of those little containers is that I can put the soup in them warm and/or hot. Also, that way I differentiate between the book-like slides of stock and the rounds of soup in a hideously full freezer. Fri Jan 25 10:22:23 -0800 2002 1555202 0 Renee 5 1555219 I always keep individual servings of frozen soup in the freezer as well. Instead of thawing and then cooking, I've found it works well to just pop the soup out of the freezer container into a saucepan, stick the lid on and put it in the oven. It still takes longer than opening a can, but it is faster and less hassle than thawing in the microwave and then cooking it, or remembering to take it out of the freezer in time for refrigerator thawing. Fri Jan 25 13:43:53 -0800 2002 1555205 0 Persephone 1 1555185 Had a student phase when I ate canned soup all the time. Agree very much on the Campbell's chunky chicken noodle. I also liked the Progresso N.E. clam chowder. Those were about the only two of the non-"gourmet" brands that I realy liked. Thu Jan 24 23:30:12 -0800 2002 1555172 0 DPZ 1 1555196 As a serious soup maker/eater, I don't eat a lot of canned soups. that said, Campbell's Pepperpot soup is one of my great weaknesses. And I think it's Juanita brand Menudo is also pretty good, although there's usually at least one unidentifiable item in it (not the tripe). Ben Fri Jan 25 08:05:31 -0800 2002 1555172 0 ben f 1 1555200 Check out John Thorne's website, clicking on "What John had for his midnight snack" for an ongoing diary that includes several canned soup adventures. Link: http://www.outlawcook.com Fri Jan 25 09:48:09 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Tom Meg 1 1555201 I too, am a soup fanatic. I was recently unemployed and had a lot of fun becoming the queen of the $5 pot of chicken noodle soup. Lots of hungarian paprika and I never got tired of it. Having said that, I'd settle for a can of Progresso Chicken Barley or Campbell's Double Noodle in a pinch. The Beef Barley is pretty good as well if you buy the lower fat version... the regular is a bit too fatty for my taste. Fri Jan 25 09:50:10 -0800 2002 1555172 0 papayagirl 1 1555206 I swear by all of the Atlantic brand soups - chowders, bisques, etc. They're classic downeast maine in taste and design without any W. Puck frou-ferrou. -sd Link: http://www.lookcanning.com Fri Jan 25 10:47:17 -0800 2002 1555172 0 sd 2 1555225 oops. here's the righ link. Link: http://www.amlook.com Fri Jan 25 14:31:46 -0800 2002 1555206 0 sd 1 1555211 For supermarket stuff, Campbell's Creamy Tomato in a jar (not condensed) is pretty good. Fri Jan 25 11:54:10 -0800 2002 1555172 0 soccerdad 1 1555213 make your favorite soup and can it yourself. (actually, i hear wolfgang puck's is pretty good). Fri Jan 25 12:10:00 -0800 2002 1555172 0 grouchy chef 1 1555216 Actually, with some doctoring, you can make many canned soups pretty palatable. My significant other recently bought a bunch of Safeway Select soups (on sale) so I figured I'd try them. I started with a chunky chicken and noodle, which was really bland. But I had some leftover stock made from a smoked turkey frozen in 1-cup portions, so I added one of those, and some sliced smoked sausage, some roasted red pepper strips, a little cayenne and thyme and turned it into a sort of pseudo-gumbo. With the beef ("grilled sirloin" I think it was called), I added a teaspoon of store-bought demi-glace, a cup or so of red wine and several grinds of black pepper and let it simmer for 20 minutes. I turned the corn and chicken chowder into a southwestern style soup with the addition of some lime juice, my own chipotle chile powder mix, and some tomatillo salsa from a local taqueria. All of them ended up much better than they started. But of course they still weren't anything close to homemade, plus it was just fortunate that I had all those additions to repair them; I'm not usually that well prepared. Fri Jan 25 13:04:36 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Janet A. Zimmerman 2 1555235 I find that a can of beans and some chopped veggies (frozen is convenient) will go a long way in improving canned soup, especially of the beef & veg or minestrone variety. Just as easy and more filling. Fri Jan 25 16:30:06 -0800 2002 1555216 0 Jujubee 1 1555217 At work I keep several cans of Cambell's Chunky soups, I prefer the chicken corn chowder and New England clam chowder. They are really good especially if you add Tabasco in them. Fri Jan 25 13:07:40 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Can 1 1555230 While I usally shy away from canned food I can whole heartly recommend the traditional Galician soup "CALDO GALLEGO". The 2 American producers are El Ebro + Kirby. One is out of Miami the other Chicago. They actually translate the name of the soup as Galician Brand Soup! Caldo Gallego is a great white bean soup w/chunks of Chorizo, ham and Kale in it. It is a great winter stew/soup. I find the canned version actually better than most versions at Spanish restaurants in the USA. Most restaurants serve a watered down version. The canned stuff has heft and flavor. Drink w/an Albarino or other great whites from Galicia and dream of all the beautiful women from Spain and the great food. Fri Jan 25 15:45:48 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Ivan Stoler 1 1555277 This is a great thread! A question for the Chowhound staff.... Will these canned soup recommendations be listed in ChowNews? If so I won't do the labor of making my own list. The time saved would sure be worth the 58 cents price of a week of ChowNews. Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/23/cat23.htm?933 Fri Jan 25 19:50:14 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Val G 1 1555294 Most Progresso soups I've tried are pretty good, though I do remember the minstrone being pretty bland. My favorite of theirs is Lentil -- especially if you throw in a clove of garlic while heating it up and add a bit of red wine vinegar before serving (something I learned from Grandma, who cooked lentil soup rather frequently). Other canned soups I enjoy -- Bookbinder's clam chowder (both New England and Manhattan), Oyster Stew, and lobster Bisque. I don't know how widely available these are -- my grocery store started carrying them recently. All are pretty rich and require addition of milk/cream (except for the Manhattan chowder). Also, I find that chicken based canned soups can be spruced up by adding some Zatarain's filet just before serving. Sat Jan 26 00:29:47 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Zach Georgopoulos 2 1555324 What is Zatarain's filet? Sat Jan 26 14:15:13 -0800 2002 1555294 0 Lindsay B. 3 1555347 Zatarain's is just the brand, but it's the only brand I've seen (they make lots of good semi-instant Cajun foods like dirty rice, gumbo, etc...). File powder (sorry I misspelled it before -- no "t", but an accent over the "e") comes from sassafras leaves. It works as a thickener and spice, and you just sort of sprinkle it on soups and gumbos when you're finished cooking. Sat Jan 26 20:18:28 -0800 2002 1555324 0 Zach Georgopoulos 1 1555296 Creamy soups: Snow's clam chowder is easily available from Costco. Paired with Charthouse Squaw Bread (also from Costco), the combo becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Its delicious! Also, an odd rec is the Bear Creek powdered potato soup, which I had while shopping at Costco. Non-creamy ----------------- Hmmm.. it doesn't come canned. But I usually buy thigh bones, boil them with ginger slices and water for 1-2 hours, pour off the junk, add Virginia ham and winter melon, boil again. Super soup. Sat Jan 26 01:08:46 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Steph P 1 1555330 I hate most canned soups, but I finially came across two I love when looking for a hassle free meal. Unfortunaltly I cannot remember the brand name of the first one as they stopped carrying it where I live, but they replaced it with another brand that's just as good. They are located in the German foods section of the grocery store. One is Savory Bean by Stockmeyer, comes in a big 28oz. can. Very thick and satisfiing homemade flavor, lots of vegtabales. I ususally add more chicken stock to thin it out a little and drizzle a nice extra virgin olive oil over the top in the bowl. The other one was also a Bean Soup with a Germany label you might be able to get it in your area. They both make a Potato soup version also, I don't reccomend. Sat Jan 26 14:59:36 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Joann Creekmore 1 1555350 After reading all the posts, I craved chicken noodle so badly! So I made my own "chicken" noodle soup (vegetarian) for dinner last night and was greatly satisfied. Yummmm. I buy Westbrae's California Unchicken Stock by the case so I'm always prepared to make up some soup. It doesn't have the harsh metallic/old onion flavor that a lot of canned vegetable stocks have. Sat Jan 26 21:27:36 -0800 2002 1555172 0 LisaPizza 2 1555371 What's in "unchicken" stock? I'd love to find a replacement for that MSG-laden fake chicken broth powder! Sun Jan 27 02:27:32 -0800 2002 1555350 0 C. Fox 3 1555402 Ingredients: Water, sea salt, brown rice syrup solids, autolyzed yeast extract, butter powder (butter, nonfat milk), honey powder, onion powder, torula yeast, whey, spices, natural flavor, turmeric (for color). I think it tastes quite "chickeny," too. Haven't found anything I like better, and a lot of things that are terrible! You should be able to find it at a natural foods store. Sun Jan 27 15:14:53 -0800 2002 1555371 0 LisaPizza 4 1555417 Thanks! I'll look out for it. Sun Jan 27 23:01:32 -0800 2002 1555402 0 C. Fox 2 1555403 I've found one packaged vegetable broth (not canned, but in a 1-qt. aseptic carton) that actually has some body and a flavor that's both present and not off-putting. There's enough there that it actually enhances dishes, the way it's supposed to and unlike most vegetable broths. It's made by Imagine Natural. Sun Jan 27 15:25:58 -0800 2002 1555350 0 Caitlin McGrath 3 1555416 I know I've tried something in aseptic packaging that was a veggie broth. Don't think I liked it, but I can't remember who makes it. I think I got it at Trader Joe's. Is Imagine's tomato based? I don't really go for tomato-based broths, so that might be why I didn't like it. Sun Jan 27 22:59:53 -0800 2002 1555403 0 LisaPizza 4 1555467 No, it wasn't tomato-based. I got it at Whole Foods in NYC, but have seen it at other stores as well. It's not like homemade, mind you, but it's the best packaged veggie broth I've found so far. I believe it claims to be made with actual vegetables rather than dehydrated stuff. Mon Jan 28 16:38:51 -0800 2002 1555416 0 Caitlin McGrath 5 1555489 I'll be on the lookout. I know I've seen it around. Mon Jan 28 20:16:41 -0800 2002 1555467 0 LisaPizza 3 1555704 I like the Imagine brand. The creamy tomato and the butternut squash varieties are quite nice in a pinch. Add curry powder to the squash one and top with a little toasted coconut - good stuff. Wed Jan 30 17:02:43 -0800 2002 1555403 0 Uncledave 1 1555912 Pepperidge Farm Madrilene well chilled so its jellied served with plenty of lemon is almost as good as SS Pierce's Madrilene (don't know if they make it any more). Pep.Farms Vichysoisse is OK if mightily doctored but I can't really recommend it. Fri Feb 01 14:17:55 -0800 2002 1555172 0 Zoe