New from Campbell's, five kinds of "slow kettle style" soups in 15.5-ounce (two-serving) microwaveable tubs. Mr. Tidbit hasn't a clue how slowly Campbell's makes "slow kettle style" soup (nor, for that matter, how quickly they make their other soups), but a band around the top of each tub says "made with patience, not preservatives." Suggested retail is $3.99 ($2 a serving), which is a lot -- no matter how slow it is -- compared with other two-serving products such as Campbell's and Progresso's ready-to-heat canned soups and Campbell's other microwave-bowl soups, all of which can be found for not much more than half that price. (Well, OK, there are the Healthy Choice bowls, which are only 14 ounces and are priced around $3 -- $1.50 a serving.) Still.
Meal soup Speaking of high prices, let's not forget Bertolli's new frozen "meal soups," in 24-ounce bags. Perhaps to justify the word "meal," Bertolli says the bag holds not three (8-ounce) servings but two 12-ouncers. Either way, at around $8 -- or more -- for the bag, that's nearly $2.70 a serving for three servings -- or $4 each for two servings.
Concentrate on broth And there's a competitor to Knorr's recently debuted Homestyle concentrated stock. It's Swanson Flavor Boost concentrated broth. The new product has the relatively high sodium level of broth (like that in Swanson's brick-pack broth, compared with Swanson's brick-pack stock), but Swanson's ads suggest using it like stock -- "use one or two liquid packets" to add "delicious flavor instantly to skillet dishes, stir fries and more."
Mr. Tidbit found both the four-pack of Knorr 1.16-ounce cuplets and the eight-pack of Swanson 0.49-ounce packets priced at $3.99. Used as broth (following package directions), one Knorr tublet makes 31/2 cups (28 cents per cup -- lots cheaper than every kind of chicken-soup product except bouillon cubes), and one Swanson Flavor Boost packet makes 1 cup (50 cents per cup; twice the cost of the Knorr product, but still less than anything in a can or a brick-pack).
AL SICHERMAN
