Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Product Review: Grandma's Chicken Soup
No, I haven't snuck into your bubbe's kitchen to pass culinary judgment. Grandma's Chicken Soup.com, as you might imagine, sells chicken soup. And it's really good chicken soup -- not just my opinion, but that of my wife, who makes great chicken soup herself. The broth has a strong chicken flavor without a fatty mouth feel or the usual over dependence on salt of most commercial versions. There are large pieces of carrot and the noodles are good.
Not all is perfect. While we liked the texture of the matzo balls, they are very peppery. My wife didn't care for the burn, though I enjoyed them, so this will be a strict matter of personal taste. The soup comes frozen and you're supposed to use it within three days, but defrosting it is quite the undertaking. At first we left it in the fridge, then transferred it to a counter, and finally ended up chipping away at the ice remaining in the plastic jar so we could get all the contents into a pot to heat. It would be good to have this arrive in some sort of container that would allow you to easily move the contents to a pot so the stove top could move the melting along.
Last big problem is price. The basic order of soup without any of the "extras" (we got a mug of highly respectable small brownies with ours) is $29 for a half gallon, accurately claimed to be enough to feed four to six. That's without shipping, which can run anywhere from $12, for next day in New England, to $51 for next day west of the Mississippi. That is a shame, because it turns what might be welcomed as a regular indulgence to a periodic treat. Perhaps one day Grandma could find a store chain that could offer the product in volume and make it easier to get when a cold first hit and not, between shipping and defrosting, a day or two after it was over.
Not all is perfect. While we liked the texture of the matzo balls, they are very peppery. My wife didn't care for the burn, though I enjoyed them, so this will be a strict matter of personal taste. The soup comes frozen and you're supposed to use it within three days, but defrosting it is quite the undertaking. At first we left it in the fridge, then transferred it to a counter, and finally ended up chipping away at the ice remaining in the plastic jar so we could get all the contents into a pot to heat. It would be good to have this arrive in some sort of container that would allow you to easily move the contents to a pot so the stove top could move the melting along.
Last big problem is price. The basic order of soup without any of the "extras" (we got a mug of highly respectable small brownies with ours) is $29 for a half gallon, accurately claimed to be enough to feed four to six. That's without shipping, which can run anywhere from $12, for next day in New England, to $51 for next day west of the Mississippi. That is a shame, because it turns what might be welcomed as a regular indulgence to a periodic treat. Perhaps one day Grandma could find a store chain that could offer the product in volume and make it easier to get when a cold first hit and not, between shipping and defrosting, a day or two after it was over.
