Sometimes we will have Campbell's or Progresso chunky chicken noodle with a grilled cheese sandwich. This is when we have no time to cook. The canned chunky chicken noodle has way too many noodles and I bet it has no more than an ounce of chicken. I much prefer my homemade which I really need to make a big huge pot of sometimes soon!!!!!

Odd. Y’all do not like Campbell’s as an ingredient, but buy chicken stock. I NEVER buy stock. I will only use my own homemade.

Lentils and split peas both book extremely quickly (especially in a pressure cooker), and so I have never bought them canned.

I did order some canned Bar Harbor clam chowder from SoupsOnline.com because I remember liking it and haven't had it in a while. I'm having it sent to Cathedral City, where it is more difficult to find fresh clam chowder. I've not found a seafood market in Coachella Valley, other than the ones in supermarkets, but the one in Gelson's in Palm Desert is pretty good.

I've not bought ramen soups since I retired, but I used to take some to work. I do buy a lot of dried noodles at the Japanese markets and use them in soups that I make myself. I keep a lot of dehydrated vegetables on hand (mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, various chilies, bell pepper, wakame, soup mix, etc) and add these to Japanese soups that I make, which simulate ramen soups. I also add fresh garlic, ginger, and toasted sesame oil to these soups.

I use my own chicken stock when making chicken soup, but for lentil soup, it is not necessary, since I make it pretty spicy.

Lars reminded me of another grocery store soup that I really liked and used to buy all of the time until I gave up gluten. Maruchan Teriyaki flavor Yakisoba. It has dried noodles and separate packets of dried vegetable and seasoning. I used only part of the seasoning packet so it wouldn't be too salty.

So good and very reasonably priced.

I make a lot of soups at home. Like Sherry, I use homemade chicken broth most of the time but keep Knorr's Reduced Sodium Chicken Bouillon, Knorr's Reduced Sodium Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor and Minor's Reduced Sodium Chicken Base on hand for when I run out, run short or need to amp up the chicken flavor.

It is so easy to make your own broth from chicken fat, skin, wingtips, backbones & trimmings. I freeze it in pint and quart sized recycled paper dairy cartons. Just basic broth--chicken & water--no salt, no seasonings so it is ready for whatever direction I want to go with it...Mexican, Italian, Cajun, or just MidWest homestyle.

Nope, nope,nope. But, actually, only because I’m now retired and have a lot more time to make them myself. I love to cook, love soups, and I make delicious soups. That said, I’m sure there’s some great store-bought soups out there.

I do not have room in my freezer to stock chicken stock, and I wish I did.

I buy Yakisoba noodles in Japanese markets, but they are fresh instead of dried. I use them in soups, but the directions on the package say to stir-fry them.

" Odd. Y’all do not like Campbell’s as an ingredient, but buy chicken stock. "

That's a fair observation. I'll share my answer.

In our household, cooking involves tradeoffs of flavor, an emphasis on using wholesome ingredients (avoiding items that are unnatural or too heavily "processed"), and how much time is available or desired to be spent. Good flavor is most important and rarely compromised. The other two, it depends.

The chicken broth we buy is relatively free of flotsam and jetsam, certainly much more so than MOST prepared soups. Neither I nor my wife is interested in spending the time to produce homemade broth. We don't generally buy anything frozen (except raw veggies) and don't cook added amounts of anything to freeze for later use. In that context, using the better versions of canned broth (I watch ratings) is a reasonable timesaver. The alternative is water, which we use sometimes anyway, but that's a flavor compromise.

My broth takes less than 2 hours. Start to finish and in freezer. Has no salt or fat and is made with scraps that you would throw in the trash, that I freeze until I have enough. I have posted the ”recipe” before. Free, no unprouncible ingredients, no salt, and no fat.

I have no issues using a prepared boxed chicken stock. I use far more stock than I can make or store (tiny freezer) and it is a respected organic brand. I use homemade when I have it but it is just not enough for all my needs.

I also resent the implication that using a prepared purchased stock is somehow inferior to making your own. It is not!!

" made with scraps that you would throw in the trash "

I'm curious, what would this include?

As an observation, if you're using random meat and bone parts for the broth, as is usually done, the end result wouldn't be free of fat. Unless you chill the liquid and then skim the top when the fat has congealed. Easy enough compared to the rest of the time and work spent.

gardengal, I've tasted broth made by people who do so with far more care than just tossing body parts into boiling water with mirepoix. It was quite good. But at a cost of time and effort.

It's the classical "make or buy" decision. With broth, it may be cheaper though not always better to make, but far easier and not that big of a step down to buy.

I also resent the implication that using a prepared purchased stock is somehow inferior to making your own. It is not!!

Has anyone implied that purchased is inferior to home made? And why would you 'resent' it if anyone has? As long as you are happy with it is all that matters.

The reason that I make my own is because it is essentially free. And because I know that my broth is free from added sodium. DH is on a sodium restricted diet for one thing and, for another, I find a lot of processed broth too salty for even my taste.

And it is hardly a huge investment of time. If you have time to make soup from scratch, you have time to make broth. Plop the chicken parts into the stock pot, brown the bits, add water, cover, simmer. Not too long. Two hours max for chicken. Strain, cool, defat, freeze. And if I am making chicken soup, I use broth from the freezer so I don't have to wait around for fresh hot broth to cool and be defatted.

Yes, I think my home made tastes better. It is what I like. And I like that I don't have to buy it, that I didn't waste usable parts of the animal. I like that I almost always have stock in the freezer vs perhaps having none of the shelf because I forgot to buy it. Or that I can't buy it because of pandemic supply chain issues. Basic economy from growing up with parents in the restaurant business, perhaps too, a part of my Scots and Native American heritage.

A few years ago, I was walking in the woods and came upon a deer carcass. It was a fresh kill, obviously an illegal kill. The hunter had gutted the deer, cut out the backstraps and left the remainder. Now that was something to 'resent'. Pissed me off to the core. And, yes, the remainder of that poor animal came home with me. I finished the butchering and it went into the freezer.

Been posted upteen times. Chicken bones, chicken skin, onion bottoms and tops, onion skins, carrot tops and peelings, celery bottoms and tops, garlic skins and tops, parsley tops and stems, etc. Freeze until you have however much you want. Put in stock pot, add water to cover, simmer, drain, and skim fat. Freeze, Enjoy. Free of salt, fat and weird chemicals. Oh, can add leek tops if available.

ETA: I would NEVER buy stock, I would not trust the ingredients.

I make broth and freeze it, or sometimes I can it. I think store bought broth is like store bought soup, it varies in quality depending on the brand. My own home made soups and broths are pretty good, but some store boughts are good also. Other brands as I said in my original post, have deteriorated in quality.

< Has anyone implied that purchased is inferior to home made? >

They have now!

Sherry, I'm glad your approach works for you.

It seems like you're using what to me is frozen garbage. I think I'd buy fresh ingredients if I ever felt motivated to do homemade but for now, I'm happy with the clean and relatively simple broth product I buy.

I grew up in the Detroit area, and loved a canned yellow pea soup from Canada. I believe it was called Habitant (brand name). I now make my own cabbage vegetable, chicken and stuffed cabbage soups. It's just so easy and they're so good!

I would love to try the yellow pea soup again, though.

" ETA: I would NEVER buy stock, I would not trust the ingredients. "

Why ever not?? Why would they be any different than what you use to make your own, especially when using an organic product?

And the implication that using purchased chicken stock is inferior has come through very clearly in several posts, including that which questioned my terminology. I am not about to cook an entire chicken every time I have need of stock. It is impractical and unnecessary!! Quality purchased stock works just as well and tastes no different from homemade.

I think everyone does what works best for them. I make stock because I enjoy doing it and also have no problem buying it. Never had any complaints either way.

I had about half of Campbell's regular chicken noodle soup this morning and it had a slightly better flavor than the Chicken and Rice I had yesterday. Later decided to try and eat a normal frozen meal...big mistake, got queasy and went back to bed for a few hours....after sleeping 10 hours last night. I may try another cup of one of the soups. Not really hungry.

Yakisoba is usually a stir fried noodle dish. I like it in the summer when I have fresh garden veggies. Never thought to use them in soup.

I just thnk is is laughable that people hate Campbell's soup, but will purchase canned stock. There is NO difference. both are canned and both are produced by a companyl.

ETA:In neither case do you know exactly what is in the can or exactly what is the process. It does not matter what is on the label or the name of the company.

There is another thread around here somewhere about olive oils. It made a similar point, that sometimes you don't really know what is being sold, that unethical companies are substituting cheap oils and advertising quality expensive oils.

It comes down to reputation, a quality company that has consistently good reviews is a safer bet. I think that there are some good store bought soups and broths, and some of low quality. I don't think that the fact that the vehicle is a can makes as much difference as the reputation of the company. I myself don't think there is any question that Campbell's mushroom soup is not the same as it used to be.

Sorry Sherry, but your theory carries zero weight. Why would you not believe the label? My boxed stock outlines clearly on the label what it contains - organic chicken, carrots, onions. celery and seasonings. How does that differ from your own?

It is equally laughable to assume your homemade stock is somehow superior. I seriously doubt it is.

I KNOW what I put in mine, You have to trust a reputation. Maybe okay, maybe not.....

So why do you like a stock, but not a soup???????????

We all have to trust reputations at some point. We can't take out our own appendixes, put together our own medications, etc. And of course hearing from others about their experiences is a way to solidify trust in a company if the reviews from people you know are consistently good.

Quality purchased stock works just as well and tastes no different from homemade.

It is equally laughable to assume your homemade stock is somehow superior. I seriously doubt it is.

I've never tasted a boxed stock that compares favorably to homemade. Apples and oranges.

Aldi makes soups like Campbells down to the packaging but lower price. Although I don't eat soup often, I use Aldi's cream of mushroom as a sauce in baking chicken.

There is certainly a range of quality in both commercial and home made cooking. Take for example Lars, he talks about some of his recipes here. He is obviously particular about quality and I'd be willing to bet that if he made stock it would be at the higher end of delicious compared to any competing stock home made or commercial.

As opposed to, let's say, my late father's last wife. She knew about quality cooking and could order the best dinners for delivery in NYC but could not cook her way out of a paper bag.

Can you point to a store bought stock that you find preferable to homemade? Even something like Better Than Bouillon isn't as good. It's full of sodium and added ingredients.

Ingredients:

ROASTED CHICKEN INCLUDING NATURAL CHICKEN JUICES, SALT, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, RENDERED CHICKEN FAT, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, DRIED WHEY (MILK), FLAVORING, DISODIUM INOSINATE AND GUANYLATE, TURMERIC.
CONTAINS: MILK, SOY.

Broth is the carrier, the ingredients make the flavor and make it into soup.

For the non-purists who have an Albertson's clone (Jewel in Chicago), you can try the Campbell's Why Yes! soup this week for $1.99 a can (using the store's digital coupons).

I bought the allowed 10 cans of Chicken Noodle, Lentil, and a couple of the tomato variety.

The chicken and lentil are made with bone broth. They also have vegetarian soups with plant-based 'chicken'. They do have more sodium than some soups, but I'm OK with it, and DH is taking salt tablets to raise his sodium levels.

I use boxed stock because I am too lazy to make it and like the ease of keeping it on hand (unfrozen). I buy organic, no salt added, sometimes bone broth. It's fine for my purposes. It is never the broth part of soup, but added to things like clam chowder or some chicken dishes I make. But I have no doubt that homemade would likely be better. I have a friend who is a big fan of Ina Garten, who advocates making your own stock. Since she started making her own, she says it has elevated the dishes she's using it in- noticeably better.

As far as similar ingredients, the label posted above has some of the same stuff as homemade, but since ingredients are listed in order of the amount contained in the product, I think salt as the second ingredient, with carrot and onion juice concentrates as the least amount in the product, it would not be nearly as flavorful as stock or broth made with much more of the vegetable ingredients. That label is an indication of the tremendous volume of salt compared to the relatively small amount of vegetables.

Swanson’s Chicken broth 860 mg sodium, 37% daily minimum

Mine 0% salt.

Wrong label cited Sherry? This is the full label of what I use

Olychick, as far as salt being the second ingredient, what is the quantity you assume that results in that produces a "tremendous volume of salt". Are you imputing a value or guessing? If this is the only salt in the meal, that leaves 75% of the recommended daily amount for one's other one or two meals. And people often use broth one to one with water. The amount is hardly excessive.

As I said before, the broth is just a flavorful carrier. Anyone who wants more carrot or celery flavor would add carrots and celery - we always do.

570mg of sodium in one cup is outrageous!

There are 4 cups in this can of 'chicken broth.' You are literally drinking salt water.

As an American kid, I grew up with Campbells soups. As as adult I will buy them every once in a while forgetting that they are now like eating a bowl of salty artifcaily flavored gravy.

The last time I bought a canned soup I think it may have been a Progresso soup, some varielty with chunks of beef in it. The beef in it was reformed meat, not real muscle meat. And it had all the appeal of eating Gravy Train dog food. After all of the other disappointing cans of soups, both Campbells and Progresso, that may well be last one that I ever buy.

I never did favor using canned soups in cooking and those dried soup mixes never found their way into anything that I cook, either.

As for making stock, the difference between a regular quality grocery store chicken and one that has been raised and brought ot market on a local small scale farm is remarkable. I wont even bother with grocery store chicken anymore. I had a recent bad experience with Costco organic chickens that I stewed up and I have sworn off of those too.

This past tday I had bought half a small turkey from my favored source and I cleaned and trimmed off parts and put them to stew. The amount of clean and wonderfully aromatic broth that I got from just those small bits was outstanding! It stewed up so clear and clean!

I really dont make soups often as it requires so much broth to make a good soup.

But,. truth to be told, I confess to keeping some boxed broth in the pantry. There are just those times when it can make a quick soup for lunch and I think it better than a canned one or a dried one, which I never buy. I am not a strict purist, but those canned soups and soup mixes are never going to end up on my table. Granted the boxed broth is not without its negatives, but that is as far as I will go and when it comes down to the good stuff, I will go for that. A pot of good quality stewed chicken for a family can cost up to $20+ for one meal. I understand why some dont like the boxed broths. There is only one brand that I buy.

I dont care to stew up the likes of carrot ends and peels or ends of onions. I peel and trim vegetables because I dont want to eat that outer layer that has been exposed to who knows what along it's journey to my kitchen. when I pare a vegetable it is to get rid of all that. I dont want it in all cooked and concentrated in my meal! If all of my vegetables came from a trusted organic source, or my own home garden, I would feel differently about it. but not these commercially raised and processed and shipped vegetables.

If you get familiar with better raised meats it is hard to go back to grocery store bargains. Beef is the same way. I envy those who have their own, but most cant do that. So, we pay premium prices for it.

I like Cilantro's post on the soup/stock issue: " As long as you are happy with it is all that matters." For instance, I'm not happy with Campbell's current cream of mushroom, which I used to like. But I certainly wouldn't judge anyone who still uses it. I do think that for me, my home made soups are better than most I have bought. But several people have mentioned Panera's soups as being very good, I haven't tried those.

I think those people who are criticizing canned/boxed stock are electing a completely valid choice for themselves because they are not happy with them, but people who do like them are making an equally valid choice.

We like several kinds of Progresso soups, like black bean and lentil. Our big meal of the day is around noon and most days we just enjoy soup and a sandwich of some type. The Well Yes brand also has a few we like especially the Butternut Squash Bisque.

I've tried the Campbell's low or no salt cream of mushroom when using them in a recipe. They made the whole entrée taste horrible. Progresso Cream of Mushroom used to be good, but last couple of times it seemed watered down.

My POINT is that using canned soup is no different than using canned broth. Broth in cardboard is still ”canned”.

I use canned soups as an ingredient. Very occassionaly we will have canned soup as a meal with crackers or grilled cheese. I always buy Campbell’s Original. The healthy choice is the one that tastes weird to me. Yes, they are full of salt, just like purchased broth, but I leave the salt out of the dish I am making and my stock is salt free.

All of my vegetables are throughly scrubbed and washed before peeling.

Based on several positive reports on this thread, maybe I need to try Well Yes one more time. I tried 2 of their soups when they first came out, and hated them - they were so bland it was like a mouth of nothing for me.

I've never liked Campbell's either. I do like some of the Progresso soups. I'm a vegetarian, so it's hard to find ready made soup without meat in it, and that is made even more complicated by the fact apparently I'm picky about soups.

Love a grilled cheese with a nice tomato soup - that's comfort food for me. :)

“Love a grilled cheese with a nice tomato soup - that's comfort food for me.”

Agree.👍🏻 Ina G. has a few good tomato soup recipes. Very tasty with her Grilled Cheese Croutons.

570mg of sodium in one cup is outrageous!

Compared to Swanson's Unsalted Chicken Broth that has 35mg of sodium per 8 ounces.

Chicken does contain a small amount of sodium so no true chicken broth/ stock is going to be totally sodium free.

We use Herb Ox sodium free chicken bouillon and also the beef kind. The label says sodium free (and gluten free).

https://www.amazon.com/Herb-Ox-Sodium-Bouillon-Chicken-Packets/dp/B07P61FDVR/ref=sr_1_5?crid=45C4GBXJZ9B7&keywords=herb+ox+sodium+free+chicken+bouillon&qid=1702645086&sprefix=herb+o%2Caps%2C519&sr=8-5

I made lentil soup yesterday for dinner and served it with tortilla chips.

I do not use broth to make lentil soup (as I said earlier), but I do add a couple of teaspoons of Knorr Chicken Bouillon instead of adding salt. I could use salt instead, but the bouillon gives it a richer flavor, although it is an extremely minor component to the flavor.

The soup I made also had dehydrated carrots (I don't use enough fresh carrots to keep them on hand, except when I make cole slaw), potatoes, celery, half of a chile de árbol, a can of Ro⭑Tel Tomatoes, half an onion, a couple of garlic cloves, a tablespoon of oregano and thyme, 1-1/3 cups dried lentils, some olive oil, and enough water for cooking. If I had used homemade chicken broth instead of water, I would not have been able to tell an appreciable difference. If it had been potato soup, it would have been a completely different matter.

When I make split pea soup, it has very few ingredients, and so the broth does make a difference, since I do not add ham or any meat to it.

Chicken skin is NOT fat free!! It is also high in cholestrol. Sherry said more than once her stock is fat free.

Um, @lisa_fla, it's a simple matter to chill the stock once it's made and then remove all of the fat from the top once it's hardened enough. Voila! Fat free stock.

I doubt thats 100%, but close enough I don’t get the attitude over what others prefer I got an instapot this year and it seems like a real easy way to make stock going forward. As for a cup or so in a recipe, not worth the freezer space

Concentrate your stock by boiling it down till it will gel. Chill, remove fat, cut into cubes, toss in a ziplock and freeze. Take out what you need. It doesnt take much space at all. Some people use an ice cube tray for tidy cubes of a specific size.

I use Kirkland's Chicken Bone Broth:

I think the deal with campbells is that one expects, say, a chicken soup to have more than a passing relationship with a chicken. DH always says their chicken soup has one chicken standing there watching the pot and that's what makes it chicken! There is definitely a difference based on ingredients. For example, I really don't like vegetable broths as they all have an acrid taste to them...except TJ's which I find very tasty without that acid tang and will use it if I have vegetarians to serve.