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V8 and Campbells chicken broth


ned

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Some years ago as I was reading either the French Laundry Cookbook or one of Michael Ruhlman's "of a Chef" books, I started to wonder about chickens. I takes some chicken to make a rich chicken stock. I started thinking that to make a stock rich enough that you can dilute it by half and still have something along the lines of a light chicken soup, you must have to use a lot of chickens. Then I thought about how many cans of Campbell's chicken soup there are in the world at any given moment and that led to the question "How many chickens must Campbell's cook a day?" I wrote them a letter asking that question. They responded politely but refused to answer the question. I forgot all about this nonsense until a couple of days ago when I drank a bottle of V8. The experience got me wondering again, this time about the Campbell's company and tomatoes. Like where are they farmed and how do they use them. I guess both of these musings are about the inner workings of the industrial food complex (is that what it's called?)

If I were a journalist I'd want to write an article about these things. But since I'm a lazy bastard, I just want to mention the idea and then read someone else on the subj.

(PS: I'm well aware that they season the sh-t out of both of these products. That fact doesn't in any way lessen my curiousity)

Edited by ned (log)

You shouldn't eat grouse and woodcock, venison, a quail and dove pate, abalone and oysters, caviar, calf sweetbreads, kidneys, liver, and ducks all during the same week with several cases of wine. That's a health tip.

Jim Harrison from "Off to the Side"

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Probably Campbell's chicken soup is made from the trimmings of chickens butchered in processing plants. Backs, necks (sometimes) and feet. This makes a good stock, and because they don't use the *whole* chicken it could be they used that reason (in their minds) to refuse a response to you, because (heh) "you didn't ask the question right". :biggrin:

But probably they would not have answered anyway. :wink:

I noticed something the other day about Campbell's chicken noodle soup (the one with the big egg noodles, my daughter likes it for a snack) that I remember from their original chicken noodle soup - there is still some chicken fat floating on top. This is really key to flavor, in my mind.

The other day I made a soup that included chicken broth (from those quart packages) onions, celery, zucchini, bits of ham, cabbage, white beans and herbs. It was okay but something was missing. Not va va voom. Scooped up a bit of the chicken fat from the pan that the chicken was roasting in, added it and there was an immediate all over flavor pump-up. Great.

Well. Just more ephemera about Campbell's chicken noodle soup. Didn't answer your question, but anyway. :raz:

Edited by Carrot Top (log)
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Spent laying hens for eggs for humans may be a good source of chicken stock. Since they do not have much meat, stock may be about all they can be used for. They have to eat pretty well or the eggs wouldn't taste good; so, maybe the stock will also taste pretty good.

In a local Chinese carry-out, I saw a huge wok, maybe three feet in diameter, full of chicken stock. Floating in there were a few thin whole chickens. They may have been such spent laying hens.

Also spent laying hens for eggs for chickens for humans may be an even better source of stock since genetically these hens have to be the same as the chickens raised for meat for humans and, thus, have to have a lot of meat. Also, since their eggs have to be fertile, somewhere there will have to be some roosters, and the old roosters might also make good stock.

What would be the right food and wine to go with

R. Strauss's 'Ein Heldenleben'?

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In a local Chinese carry-out, I saw a huge wok, maybe three feet in diameter, full of chicken stock.  Floating in there were a few thin whole chickens.

Quite a Dickensian image, project.

Also spent laying hens for eggs for chickens for humans may be an even better source of stock

I am reminded of a children's round song where each time another ingredient is added. All that work. Laying eggs. Being a laying hen in general, indeed. Being meant, finally, for the soup pot.

The whimsy of a chicken's life. Fairy-tale like but in the end, not.

somewhere there will have to be some roosters, and the old roosters might also make good stock.

"Old roosters never die, they just fade away". (General McArthur)

Let's move on to V8, shall we?

I think it tastes that tomato-y not because of the quality of the tomatoes but the concentration of the tomatoes. I think each little can has a teaspoon or so of tomato paste in it.

V8 is one of two ingredients that will make any child eat his vegetable soup. I've tested this on classrooms of second-graders. V8 and those little hot-dogs that come in little jumbled packages that are slightly spicy. There is no way any child can resist these two important ingredients. They must eat the soup to get to them.

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I forgot all about this nonsense until a couple of days ago when I drank a bottle of V8.  The experience got me wondering again, this time about the Campbell's company and tomatoes.  Like where are they farmed and how do they use them.  I guess both of these musings are about the inner workings of the industrial food complex (is that what it's called?) 

Many, many years ago I had a summer job at the Campbell's plant in Camden, NJ. The tomatoes were trucked in from farms all over South Jersey. I don't know if that's still the case.

Jim

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