The Campbell's Gold Label Select Soups Topic

[jhlurie]

I suppose that most of you without Tivo commercial skipping have seen the ludicrously strange, but oddly enjoyable commercials with John Lithgow singing and dancing about the new line of Campbell's Gold Label Select Soups?

I'll admit it. I've never deluded myself into thinking that Lithgow is some great actor--despite the two Oscar nominations I think he's no better than serviceable--but I'm a sucker for his comedic approach. So apparently that also means that if he sings and dances, I will buy stuff. Canned soup in this case, which as a rule I dread.

To be accurate, it's actually vacuum sealed BOXED soup. Like so...

The above is actually the flavor I intend to try first. I'll post back after I've forced it down my gullet.

So has anyone else tried this junk yet? Did the power of Lithgow compell you?

[Carrot Top]

The flavors are enticing and the packaging cute but the price is highway robbery.

[akebono]

sure i'll try it.

the only thing lithgow has compelled me to do,

is on a particularly bad flight,

consider taking the fire extinguisher

and breaking out a window to get off the plane.

known in aviation circles as

"pulling a lithgow".

-m

gremlins, inc.

[Gifted Gourmet]

NYT article on the soups ...

''At last, a soup as irresistible as me,'' Mr. Lithgow declares, tongue firmly in cheek, in a commercial for a Select Gold Label variety called Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato. Among the lyrics to his song:

Why settle when you can Select

Why not go go for gourmet?

Hey, don't be a schlepper, this

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato is

Restaurant-style soup all the way

Mr. Lithgow is ''someone who represents fine taste, quality, the essence of the brand, but will not be elitist, better than thou or a snob,''

So, I have purchased both the Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato as well as the Butternut Golden Squash .. trying them both this week ... they do look good ..

more on the soups

Golden Butternut Squash

Blended Red Pepper Black Bean

Creamy Portobello Mushroom

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato

Italian Tomato with Basil & Garlic .. good variety ...

[jhlurie]

The flavors are enticing and the packaging cute but the price is highway robbery.

←

Actually, for the volume of soup (18.3 oz) I didn't think the price THAT bad ($2.99 normally. Plus it was on sale--50 cents cheaper.

My dinner was a bit light tonight, so I added the blended red pepper black bean soup as an extra. I ignored my usual tendency with canned soups and resisted doctoring it--preferring to try it straight first.

It's not bad, but it's not spectacular. It's a bit "cleaner" than most canned soups--the tastes are a bit sharper and most accurately representing the ingredients--but I suspect that has as much to do with vacuum sealing instead of canning as it does any real improvement in the quality of the ingredients.

Despite the name ("blended red pepper black bean soup"), it's clearly mostly a tomato soup. A decent tomato soup, but still. The black bean actually is more noticeable than the red pepper, but that's probably because they mean sweet red BELL peppers, not hot red pepper.

Here's the ingredients list:

The fact that the black beans are in a "flake" form is a bit annoying, but I suppose it's because they were determined that these soups would be completely liquid.

1640mg of sodium (the package is arbitrarily divided into two portions) is another huge problem. Once again, even in a "premium" soup, they can't resist salting it up beyond all reasonableness.

On balance I think that Mr. Lithgow better keep on dancing if they want to make a success of this. Then again, I've only tried one flavor.

[Carrot Top]

On balance I think that Mr. Lithgow better keep on dancing if they want to make a success of this.  Then again, I've only tried one flavor.

←

He's dancin' the foodie dance. If he does it well, Campbell's will be smiling all the way to the bank.

I'm glad that you are helping to re-vitalize the economy, though.

[mizducky]

I'm still doing my best to avoid TV these days, so I haven't seen the ad ... so now I'm running my own dream-version of the ad in my head, only with Lithgow as Lord John Whorfin from "Buckaroo Banzai": "Laugh while you can, monkey-boy--I've got all the soup!"

(I like my imaginary ad better, but somehow I don't think Campbell's would buy it... )

[kategoldston]

On the topic of salt, does anybody have recs for premade soups that are actually palatable that don't contain enormous amounts. I do not have much of a tolerance for overly salty things and have just started making my own.

[jhlurie]

I'm still doing my best to avoid TV these days, so I haven't seen the ad ... so now I'm running my own dream-version of the ad in my head, only with Lithgow as Lord John Whorfin from "Buckaroo Banzai": "Laugh while you can, monkey-boy--I've got all the soup!"

(I like my imaginary ad better, but somehow I don't think Campbell's would buy it... )

←

I've seen two versions. In one he's in a tux, dancing around a restaurant with lots of waiters. In the other, he appears to BE a waiter, but he looks like he's in a kitchen or something.

Here's what the NY Times says:

In the commercials, Mr. Lithgow performs over-the-top songs about Campbell's Select and a new variety, Select Gold Label, that were written by David Yazbek, who also wrote the music and lyrics for the songs Mr. Lithgow performs in his hit Broadway show "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

A show which Lithgow is currently appearing in.

[jhlurie]

On the topic of salt, does anybody have recs for premade soups that are actually palatable that don't contain enormous amounts. I do not have much of a tolerance for overly salty things and have just started making my own.

←

Why don't we redirect discussion of that particular topic here.

[Pontormo]

I suppose that most of you without Tivo commercial skipping have seen the ludicrously strange, but oddly enjoyable commercials with John Lithgow singing and dancing about the new line of Campbell's Gold Label Select Soups?

I'll admit it.  I've never deluded myself into thinking that Lithgow is some great actor--despite the two Oscar nominations I think he's no better than serviceable--but I'm a sucker for his comedic approach.

←

Hey! You think being that funny, charming, plus singing and dancing is easy?

Just because the guy hasn't played a disturbed genius, mentally challenged math freak, blind depressive or fatally ill yet noble husband/doctor/father in a drama with lots of chiarascuro lighting and somber music.... Lithgow is a highly respected Broadway actor.

Sorry, but I gotta stand up for the guy. Won't touch the soup, though. I know he's doing it for the money. Nothing wrong about that.

[*Deborah*]

This appears to be the line that is marketed in Canada as "Gardennay."

It's not bad, better than canned. I like the squash one, I add a bit of pepper and a touch of nutmeg.

I am not as fond of the other flavours I have tried, and it is pretty pricey for what it is.

Edited November 3, 2005 by *Deborah* (log)

[snowangel]

The other day, I happened by Costco over the noon hour, and that same black bean and red pepper soup was one of the featured samples being offered.

Not bad, but for the amount of sodium and the number of ingredients, I could do much better in my own kitchen, without a whole lot of effort, other than open a can of black beans and whack up some stuff, but then again, I don't have modified food starch in the cupboard. Come to think of it, I don't have spice or paprika extracts either. What are corn syrup solids? Where does all of that sodium come from?

[jhlurie]

This appears to be the line that is marketed in Canada as "Gardennay."

←

Does John Lithgow sing and dance about it? Or maybe some Canadian musical-comedy star?

What rhymes with "Gardennay" anyway? Every day? Flambee? Chardonnay?

Where does all of that sodium come from?

Salt is fairly high on the ingredients list. The real question would be why?

[MarketStEl]

NYT article on the soups ...

''At last, a soup as irresistible as me,'' Mr. Lithgow declares, tongue firmly in cheek, in a commercial for a Select Gold Label variety called Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato. Among the lyrics to his song:

Why settle when you can Select

Why not go go for gourmet?

Hey, don't be a schlepper, this

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato is

Restaurant-style soup all the way

Mr. Lithgow is ''someone who represents fine taste, quality, the essence of the brand, but will not be elitist, better than thou or a snob,''

So, I have purchased both the Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato as well as the Butternut Golden Squash .. trying them both this week ... they do look good ..

more on the soups

Golden Butternut Squash

Blended Red Pepper Black Bean

Creamy Portobello Mushroom

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato

Italian Tomato with Basil & Garlic .. good variety ...

←

1) The excerpts you cite here convince me that Campbell Soup has engaged Lithgow precisely for his comic gifts, which are considerable.

2) He's not the Soup Fairy here, is he?

3) That New York Times article is locked behind their Times Select pay-per-view/subscription barrier.

[snowangel]

Where does all of that sodium come from?

Salt is fairly high on the ingredients list. The real question would be why?

←

Ah, yes, I see that now. (should have gotten out my reading glasses earlier)

One of the things that continues to amaze me is salt. I love salty foods, sometimes. But, I almost never put a salt shaker on the table, and I'm amazed that when I have guests how often they ask for salt BEFORE they even taste the food. But that's a whole 'nother discussion. Is it because it is not seasoned enough with other stuff?

I'm still puzzled as to what spice extracts are. And what does modified food starch do? What are the corn syrup solids? Does this stuff impart something that needs to be covered with salt.

As I look at the photo of the label, I am absolutely astounded by the number of ingredients. For a soup that could be so simple.

[MarketStEl]

1640mg of sodium (the package is arbitrarily divided into two portions) is another huge problem.  Once again, even in a "premium" soup, they can't resist salting it up beyond all reasonableness.

←

"Arbitrarily"?

I know there are lots of food products that list absurdly low portion sizes (e.g., one slice of thin sliced deli meat) on their "Nutrition Facts" label to make the numbers look good, but I don't think that 1 cup liquid volume is that low. Consider that a 10-ounce (dry weight) can of soup combined with an equal volume of water produces not much more than two cups of soup, and often one can of reconstituted condensed soup is divided into two servings.

[*Deborah*]

This appears to be the line that is marketed in Canada as "Gardennay."

←

Does John Lithgow sing and dance about it? Or maybe some Canadian musical-comedy star?

What rhymes with "Gardennay" anyway? Every day? Flambee? Chardonnay?

In the reply that vanished when my browser hung on me, I had added that these soups have been available for a couple of years now. I don't remember the kick-off marketing (if there was any, even) but I am fairly confident that Lithgow wasn't involved!

(In Canada, we end up with weird made-up words for some things because if a word is not actually English, it doesn't need to be translated into French to comply with labelling laws. I attribute the name to that...)

Gardennay

Good enough to serve with a Chardonnay

Wholesome vegetables s'il vous plaît

It's from Campbell's so it's OK

Delicious Gardennay

Show your guests that you're a gourmet

Fancy flavours for every day

It's Campbell's Gardennay

(No, this is not a part of their marketing campaign! )

[mizducky]

This appears to be the line that is marketed in Canada as "Gardennay."

←

Does John Lithgow sing and dance about it? Or maybe some Canadian musical-comedy star?

What rhymes with "Gardennay" anyway? Every day? Flambee?

←

Why, Big-boo-TAY, of course!

(Don't mind me, my brain's still stuck on "Buckaroo Banzai." )

Trying desperately to stay on topic: I too can't figure out why canned soups, and processed foods in general, go so danged heavy-handed on the sodium. If it's to make up for flavor deficits in other areas, it ain't working by me--the stuff just winds up tasting overly-salty in addition to tasting lackluster. Just as well, because the amount of salt in canned soups means I just can't eat them anymore, because one or two servings are more than enough to make my feet turn into dirigibles.

[Carrot Top]

Salt covers up a multitude of sins. It gives a sense of flavor where there is little, it creates a heaviness almost of "feel" in eating things laden with it.

It hides any lack of layering of flavors within a thing and pumps up any small flavor that may exist in ingredients that have little flavor to start off with (many of fruits and vegetables in the US which are bred for being transported and bred for "lasting" power rather than for flavor are in this category).

Also, people who eat a lot of it become somewhat "taste-dependent" on it. Most packaged foods are very high in salt. Most fast foods are very high in salt. If the salt is not "there" the food does not taste good to them. Vicious cycle.

I've also heard that there is some physical thing that happens when people eat things with lots of salt that is equivalent to the taste-desire thing. That somehow the body, having had a certain (fairly high) amount will start biologically demanding it, triggering chemicals that influence "the brain".

"What brain", you may ask.

Surely I am not the person to answer that.

Interesting, though, the physical part about salt dependence, if true.

Edited November 3, 2005 by Carrot Top (log)

[Carrot Top]

Actually, for the volume of soup (18.3 oz) I didn't think the price THAT bad ($2.99 normally.  Plus it was on sale--50 cents cheaper.

It's not bad, but it's not spectacular.  It's a bit "cleaner" than most canned soups--the tastes are a bit sharper and most accurately representing the ingredients--but I suspect that has as much to do with vacuum sealing instead of canning as it does any real improvement in the quality of the ingredients.

←

The thing about the price is that it's my belief that what you are paying for is style not substance. And that's okay in most things as long as one knows what one is doing but my god - to think that the buying of "style" has now extended to canned soups?

Please.

The canned soups of the "newer" sort brought the price point of an average can of soup up from (the previous versions of condensed soups) around 79 cents to about $1.49 (which is a pretty good average, I think - though there are some priced higher). Then a different and more sophisticated "style" of soups were introduced which now sell for around $2. Are they *all* that different? I don't think so. And now we have the ultimate gussied-up pack of soup that is designed to appeal to those who want to eat well - i.e. foodie soup. And now the price for that is lurking around $3.

It is not that it is all that much money. It isn't for the person who is buying it for one meal for themselves. (Though since I am aware of what the cost of ingredients and labor would be to produce this, it startles me the profit that is being made on these soups.)

Take a family of four, though, and four packs of soup. $12. spent and that's just for a *starter* to a meal that includes any children - for a bowl of soup just won't do it to keep their tummies full.

It is what it is.

But my gosh, I can see better ways to spend the money.

Edited November 3, 2005 by Carrot Top (log)

[jsolomon]

Actually, for the volume of soup (18.3 oz) I didn't think the price THAT bad ($2.99 normally.  Plus it was on sale--50 cents cheaper.

←

I believe that type of packaging is properly known as a retort pack, which generally have been cheaper than cans--one of the reasons you've seen such a quick surge of tuna in those foil-esque packs. It's simply cheaper to produce them.

[Human Bean]

Shootout: Campbell's Gold Select vs. Progresso

I haven't seen any TV commercials, but seeing this thread while at work (on break, honest) I thought I'd give the new Campbell's soup a try against my favorite in canned soup, Progresso. Tomato was the choice; I thought I'd had a Progresso tomato/basil soup before, but I couldn't find it at the moment, so the contenders are:

Campbell's Gold Select Italian Tomato with Basil and Garlic

vs.

Progresso Vegetable Classics Hearty Tomato

I'll readily admit that I expected to prefer the Progresso, but I tried my best to give them an unbiased comparison. My opinion is that Campbells's traditional condensed soup line is basically flavored salt water, but they've done better with their jarred soups (Homestyle?? - I can't remember the name.)

I shook both soups to make sure that they were mixed, then poured 8 ounces of each into identical pans and heated them to identical temperatures. I then tasted each one, alternating a few tasting spoons at a time between them. For brevity, I'll refer to the Campbell's as C and Progresso as P below.

At room temperature, the C was paler than the P, and smelled like cheap jarred spaghetti sauce; the P was darker and smelled like tomato juice. Both soups were brought to a bare simmer, then held at about 180 degrees F. The C had a somewhat 'grainy' texture - like it had been partially blended, with some small bits of vegetable left. The P was very smooth, but with noticeable (1/4 to 3/8 inch, though I didn't measure) tomato chunks in it. Neither one seemed over-salty or over-sweet, though the P seemed at times to be sweeter than the C; I can't be sure about this. Basil flavor wasn't readily apparent in either one; I would have preferred a more upfront basil flavor (personal prejudice - had a basil flavor been too obvious, it would have been a flaw, but in a soup announcing basil in it's name, I would have expected it to be noticeable.) The C had a very obvious flavor of cooked garlic, which lingered far beyond its' welcome; 30 minutes after eating it, I had a lingering and unpleasant cooked garlic aftertaste in my mouth. Overall, the P has a very nice tomato flavor; the C doesn't taste as much like cheap spaghetti sauce as it smelled like when it was cold, but the overall impression is of spaghetti sauce as soup, rather than tomato as soup. The garlic aftertaste is unexpected and disconcerting.

Tale of the tape:

I deliberately avoided reading the label details before tasting, so as to not add preconceptions about salty/sweet balance, expected ingredients, etc.

Campbells:

$3.19 for 13.8 ounces

Per 8 oz serving: calories 90, sodium 820 mg, sugars 13g, protein 3, fat .5g.

Top 6 ingredients: Tomato puree, water, carrots, sweet red peppers, (less than 2% of) zucchini, sugar.

Progresso:

$2.39 for 19 ounces

Per 8 oz serving: calories 110, sodium 980 mg, sugars 9 g, protein 2g, fat 1g.

Top 6 ingredients: Tomato puree, water, tomatoes, sugar, (less than 2% of) corn syrup solids, salt.

Conclusions:

Overall best: Progresso. Price/performance: Progresso (overwhelmingly). Would I buy again: Progresso - yes, but I'd add some basil, fresh parsley, black pepper and chile; Campbell's - not unless I were starving and nothing else was available. The objective numbers about salt/sugar don't match my subjective impressions.

Campbell's needs to try harder if this is their top-end tomato soup; it doesn't come close to being worthy of it's price.

[MarketStEl]

Finally saw the commercial today, during "The Price Is Right" (along with "Jeopardy!" and "Millionaire", my only game show addictions).

Oh, yeah, Lithgow's way over the top in this one, bordering on self-parody like the fiber supplement ad a few years back in which all these super-buff bodies with sparkling teeth were dancing on the beach and pumping too much iron to a super-bouncy jingle that caught everyone up short when the singers got to the word "fiber".

I prefer him as the Snack Fairy myself.

[bavila]

Ah the snack fairy -- that was good.

As for the soups. I don't think I'll try them. Even passed up the free samples at the grocery store the other day.

But they don't bother me. Campbell's must not think they're "fooling" anyone who really "knows better", and if it gets more people excited about trying new flavors or new ingredients, I can support that.

On a somewhat related vein, I broke down and bought my daughter the Dora the Explorer chicken noodle soup the other day. She loved it. Sigh...