Looking for High Quality Canned Soup ...

Costco carries Boston-based Legal Seafoods' marvelous New England clam chowder, er... chowdah. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/bounce.gif     It's  $10 for two pint containers, and well worth it.

For some reason though, they leave out Rosemary and Thyme, which are essentials in NE chowder. These are easily added when you reheat, though.

Mike.

 

$3.00 for a can of Campbell's???!!!  Where, pray tell, do you live?

 

I've seen the ready to eat Campbell's soups run around $3 but the condensed ones are considerably cheaper than that.  If I buy soup I like to buy it frozen from Denninger's.  They make it fresh on site and then freeze it for sale. 

 

I am curious and at the risk of sounding judgemental or snobby or otherwise self-righteous, I need to ask: why would you ask for a source of canned soup from a forum membership that is composed of professional chefs and other cooks with an interest in cooking?

I am truly confused.  This might be the best website available for anyone to get all degrees and variety of information on how to best make healthy inexpensive homemade soup.  And I suspect there are a gazillion other sites and interactive forums where such information can be had.  Why would you not come here and ask how to make soup at home for 1/10th the cost of canned soup?

I feel like I'm not understanding something.

Maybe the constructive reply is to offer to send Schmoozer my own collection of 200+ soup recipes.  Should I not assume that this "Cook at home" member is interested in cooking and not simply warming up a can of soup?

Joe

 

If they made good canned soups, most of use would be replaced by can openers. I spent two hours today making a Killer crawfish Gumbo...........now learn how to make a good stock, and you will be on your way to a better tasting life, a good soup, doesn't come out of a can............Chef Bill

 

I'm with you gardenguru, why buy canned soup, rarely do you get the yummy comfort flavors you are craving.  My wife is the soup queen in our home.  Soup is something that is normally easy and when she gets home she doesn't like to toil in the kitchen for a few hours.  Two of my favorites she makes is lentil hamburger soup, lentils by themselves deliver a meaty flavor but had in some lean ground beef and every spoonful is hearty rich meaty flavor.  While she does good at chicken soup, I like her hamburger vegetable soup.  My wife isn't big on a lot of extra prep and uses only a few seasonings, but her soup broths have a clarity in flavor and taste that seem to impart the essence of what you are eating.  I'm big seasoning and adjusting cook and tend to overpower the natural flavors. 

 

 Try the Knorr line of soups.  Some in the line are basic but well made and high quality as far as commercial soups are concerned.  A few igredients with some in the lineup make a wonderful, quick meal or snack.

Here is a link to Knorr's site: www.knorr.ca

 

Nothing against your basic argument, Schmooser, but I've a question about this line: "especially when my freezer and fridge are low on supplies."  Doesn't that apply to canned goods as well?

I don't know how it is by you, but around here if I'm in a too busy to shop/cook mode, it isn't a one-night thing. So, if you haven't had a chance to shop for awhile you tend to go through the pantry items lickity split.

More seriously, have you considered canning your own soups? That, to me, is the best of both worlds. Not only do you always have your favorites on hand, with just the ingredients you prefer, you can have built-in portion control based on the jar sizes you use.  

Stocks can readily too, which frees up some of that tight freezer space.

You do need a pressure canner for this, because few soups are acidic enough to process using other means. But the pressure canner is one of those tools that pays for itself fairly quickly.

 

I'll also mention the Knorr dry soup mixes.  Back when I was doing a lot of mountaineering stuff we almost always used Knorr for our soups when camping.  It has been quite some time since then, but I do recall them being the best tasting of those we tried.  I think oxtail was one of my favorites back then, and I think a leek mix.

mjb.

 

Mr. Schmoozer:

You have a serious chip on your shoulder, a bad attitude and a terribly uncivilized and immature internet manner.

I asked, out of curiosity, why you would ask question such as yours on a site such as this.  I'm confident there are better forums. I asked in a civilized manner and I had hoped for an answer in an equally civilized manner.  I do not doubt your cooking ability so hence my questions rather than a condescending attitude.

I deserve an apology but I won't ask for one, for me anyway.  But I'm hoping you're man enough to put up an apology for your nasty retorts to two others.  Where do you think you can communicate such as that?

As for my pantry, believe it or not, I have no canned products and no packaged cereals.  But I admit to having some processed foods -- food products I cannot make because I have no mill for the wheat berries nor barrels for fermenting the soy sauce.

Joe

 

Schmoozer, I think you stopped Schmoozing. The word "Schmoozing" is the art of working a room, I think you lost the art of Schmoozing. Every good Schmoozer knows when its working, and for you , its not. See you in the canned food isle.......TTFN...............Chef Bill

 

sounds like he is just stuck paying his 3 bucks a can

 

I know you said you'd rather have canned than frozen, but have you tried portioning out homemade soup in the serving bowls, lined with plastic film, and freezing?  If you wrap em, once frozen, in foil and gather like soups together in large ziplocks they keep very well.  Then it's just a matter of unwrapping, popping them back into the serving bowl and nuking for about 4 minutes on high.  It has worked for me for years and keeps me from pilfering the junkfood in my store when I'm too uh, disinclined to cook.

If, like me, you find that food tastes better when prepared by someone else then perhaps you can find some fellow foodies and make a soup club.  Each of you prepare a large batch of soup and portion it in singles for freezing.  Swap 'em around... the more the merrier.


Also, if I may ask, I would really appreciate it if you could tone down the bitter.  It's kinda spoiling the flavour of this lovely forum.  I realize you are my elder, since you have been 'cooking seriously' since before I was born, but even a young punk like me understands that reacting offensively to a divergent viewpoint is beyond rude.  Had I been present and heard you speak like that I would have Gibbs-slapped you without thinking twice.  And I would not have been sorry. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif

Anywho, good luck in your quest. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif   I hope you find what you are looking for soon.

 

I would have Gibbs-slapped you without thinking twice.

Hmmmmm? And he's not even named Tony. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif

 

I know you already mentioned Progresso, but if you haven't tried Progresso lentil and Progresso "hearty tomato" I think they are 2 that do stand out and are worth trying and buying.