Autumn is upon us, and in addition to being decorative gourd season, it’s also soup season. Though most people prefer their soup homemade, there’s something to be said for the simplicity of the noble canned soup. And, beyond that, there’s something to be said for condensed soup—which isn’t quite as mindlessly easy to prepare as regular canned soup because you need to add water—but it is a more versatile product. But what is condensed soup? Here are all the answers you need, condensed into one easy article.
What is condensed soup?
Condensed soup is essentially soup boiled down to a thick stock, with the bulk of the volume of water removed. According to the Campbell’s soup website (and who’s a better authority on soup than them?), if you took a can of regular soup and boiled it down to half the volume, you’d get the same thickness as condensed soup. So the math works out to “1 can of condensed soup prepared = 2 cans of regular soup.” Typically, to prepare condensed soup you need to add water. Or have some thick toast ready to spread that soupy goo onto…that actually sounds pretty good!
What does condensed soup mean?
Condensed soup means that the soup has been boiled down, or “condensed,” into a thick, cream-like stock.
How to make condensed soup?
Condensed soup is factory-made by mixing all the soup’s ingredients together and simmering it until that beautiful, thick stock is formed. Once the stock has been created, it is then mixed with thickeners and some final flavorings, poured into those nifty cans, and sent off to the adoring public.
To prepare condensed soup and make a bowl of actual soup, you typically mix one can of condensed soup with one can of water or milk, depending on how creamy you want your soup. Mix the water and soup together in a pot and warm over low heat, stirring often. Or cover and microwave for 2-3 minutes. It’s soup-er duper easy.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!