Soup made with soup? Am I cheating?

[nurseangel]

I love to cook and have decided to make some homemade clam chowder tonight. I printed a number of recipes that I found online and read the ingredients to DH. Most of them were basically the same, with a few minor differences. The one he chose, however, calls for two cans of cream of celery soup. It got excellent reviews, with one person saying it was better than the clam chowder at what is evidently a restaurant famous for its chowder in Boston.

I do use canned soup in cooking sometimes, like when I make chicken casserole. My au jus is from a packaged mix (I just add the water) and it is delicious. Still, for some reason, I feel funny about making soup with soup.

Am I making homemade soup or semi-homemade soup? If it's really that good, I guess it doesn't matter?

Personally, I think it is going to be very hard to come up with clam chowder any better than what Aldi's sells in a can. IMHO, their's is better than I've had at most seafood restaurants.

 

[c1atsite]

Originally Posted by nurseangel

Still, for some reason, I feel funny about making soup with soup.

Am I making homemade soup or semi-homemade soup? If it's really that good, I guess it doesn't matter?

IMO, when it's that good, it doesn't matter

The Food Network host Sandra Lee built her business persona on semi-this-and-that (buying stuff and doctoring it up the way you want) because it saves time and lots of folks are short on time. http://www.semihomemade.com

 

[nurseangel]

The chowder is cooking and smells delicious. DH helped with the prep work. Now we just have to wait and see if it tastes as good as it smells....

 

[ut0pia]

I've never had clam chowder before because I personally hate any kind of seafood so I never thought to try something with clams, but I'm intrested now

Let us know how it tastes! I'm a fan of semi home made foods, I think they taste better than things made from scratch! It probably has to do with the tons of sodium that's in a lot of the pre packaged foods, and that's definitely true for canned soup....But things just taste so good unhealthy amounts of with salt/msg, I just can't help but admit it!!

 

[nurseangel]

Originally Posted by ut0pia

I've never had clam chowder before because I personally hate any kind of seafood so I never thought to try something with clams, but I'm intrested now

Let us know how it tastes! I'm a fan of semi home made foods, I think they taste better than things made from scratch! It probably has to do with the tons of sodium that's in a lot of the pre packaged foods, and that's definitely true for canned soup....But things just taste so good unhealthy amounts of with salt/msg, I just can't help but admit it!!

It turned out delicious! I am viewing cream of celery soup in a whole new light. I'm sure it does have lots of sodium - plus, I added more salt to my own bowl because I'm a salt freak.

I was also worried that the crumbled bacon would ruin it because I don't really eat bacon. But I couldn't even tell it was in there. (Looking at bacon in a whole new light, too.) I burned my tongue, but other than that, it was a great dining experience.

 

[darkmavis]

Interesting! I don't think I ever ate clam chowder in my life, to be honest.

And for the past 11 years or so I don't do the meat thing, so... oh well!

Making soup with soup sounds funny, I admit, but hey, if a recipe I saw called for that and it sounded good, I would try it. And if it turned out good, like yours did, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with it!

(i'm a salt freak as well. SALT!!!)

I never had cream of celery soup or used it before. Perhaps I should look up recipes with it... i like celery. And salt.

 

[calico2222]

Glad it turned out well! I hate clams, but I love clam chowder...would you mind sharing the recipe?

Cream of celery soup is one of my favorite things to use, and it is highly underrated. I use it in a curry chicken recipe that calls for cream of chicken soup. Using the chicken soup was just too overpowering, but the celery gave a great balance with the curry and other vegetables. Although, it is really nasty to just eat a bowl, at least for me. Not a big fan of celery by itself.

 

[nurseangel]

Originally Posted by calico2222

Glad it turned out well! I hate clams, but I love clam chowder...would you mind sharing the recipe?

Cream of celery soup is one of my favorite things to use, and it is highly underrated. I use it in a curry chicken recipe that calls for cream of chicken soup. Using the chicken soup was just too overpowering, but the celery gave a great balance with the curry and other vegetables. Although, it is really nasty to just eat a bowl, at least for me. Not a big fan of celery by itself.

Sure! Be happy to. The recipe came from Food.com.

Thick & Creamy New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients]
6-7 pieces of bacon, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (5 ounce) cans baby clams, with juice reserved (I used 6.5 oz cans, minced)
6-7 potatoes, cubed
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cream of celery soup
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon dried dill weed

Directions
1. Add bacon to saute pan and cook on medium low heat until crispy.
2. Add onion and cook until transparent.
3. Add clam juice from both cans.
4. Add potatoes.
5. Cover and cook potatoes unto fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir
occasionally so potatoes won't stick.
6. Add clams, soup, cream, milk, and dill weed. Stir together.
7. Add butter and let melt into the chowder. (I used margarine.)
8. Cook for about 30-45 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. (I
cooked it over low to medium heat, because the recipe didn't specify.)

Two things we did a little different from the recipe was we cooked the bacon and then took it out of the pan because we were afraid it might burn. We crumbled it and added it to the soup mixture in step 6. We used a pan until step 6, then moved the mixture to a stock pot. No way would everything fit in a pan; even the large Calaphon frying pan we used instead of a saute pan.

This recipe is stated to make 4-6 servings, but I think that is on the conservative side. We have lots left over for dinner tomorrow.

 

[calico2222]

Thanks! I'm going to have to save that and make a pot just for me! DH is allergic to shellfish, but I'll get him a T-bone to make up for it.

 

[zohdee]

Wow, that sounds delish. I will have to give it a whirl.

 

[cruisermaiden]

I say if it tastes good, go with it. I do semi-homemade for just about everything.

If you feel terrible about it, you could find a recipe for cream of celery soup, make that, and then use it in your clam chowder. Seems like a lot of work if the canned tastes great!

 

[strange_wings]

I, too, use the cream of's in cooking.

Lots of people do. Personally I think cream of broccoli is underrated - it tastes great in a lot of things.

 

[trouts mom]

I'm sure it will taste good however you cannot say it is homemade

 

[Winchester]

It's not cheating. I used to use "Cream of....." whatever in soups and in casseroles, too. Still do, but not that often anymore. I used to make a delicious chicken fricassee, using cream of chicken soup.

I really don't like Sandra Lee, though. (sorry)

 

[rapunzel47]

I don't think it's cheating. You get your flavours wherever they are, and canned soups make a very convenient base for other things. Canned soups, just as they are, are not that wonderful for the most part, but they eliminate a lot of work when doctored a bit or used in recipes, and if the end product tastes good, then good on you for saving a bit of time.

As for Clam Chowder, it's not complete without bacon. I think you'd find it pretty ho-hum if you left out the bacon, even though the bacon flavour is not obvious in the finished product. That recipe sounds a lot like my own, which is very yummy -- though mine does not have the cream of celery in it, I imagine it's a good flavour boost.

 

[nurseangel]

It is even better the second day. All I had to do was add some milk, since the soup had thickened over night. I had some for lunch, and I'm about to have a late dinner (it's after 9:00, but we often eat late.) I'm not bragging on my own cooking

, I'm just amazed that it turned out so well.

 

[natalie_ca]

Not cheating. Canned soups are used as a base to many recipes, so what if a soup calls of one?

I have a recipe for yentil , sweet potato and spinach soup. One of the ingredients is a can of tomato soup. It's a great soup and is very popular when I make it and share it with others.

 

[nurseangel]

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Not cheating. Canned soups are used as a base to many recipes, so what if a soup calls of one?

I have a recipe for yentil , sweet potato and spinach soup. One of the ingredients is a can of tomato soup. It's a great soup and is very popular when I make it and share it with others.

You're absoulutely right.

I have a cookbook that was given to my mom as a wedding gift. It is so old that it has instructions on how to pluck a chicken. Yet many of the recipes call for canned ingredients...I guess they were a novelty item then.

When I started thinking about it, there are a lot of things in homemade recipes that come from a can or a package or a jar. I don't make mayonaise (which wouldn't be that difficult to do) to go in my potato salad, and still consider it homemade. As long as the soup is good, it doesn't matter. I am now at peace with it.