Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Quality control = quantity control
My return to home-cooked food after a decade of bad luck with pre-digested (sophisticated) food was initially triggered by quality problems with Campbell's sophisticated Chunky soups.
I switched to a chili-like concoction. The new concoction used half a can of Campbell's Tomato Bisque along with various combos of fresh tomatoes, beans, squash, and barley. A few months ago the quality of Bisque started to decline. The recipe and taste changed, and the allegedly "condensed" soup was no longer condensed. It took a full can to get the same amount of actual stuff. So I switched to plain Tomato soup, which is cheaper and less sophisticated. Now the same thing is happening to plain Tomato. More water in the can and dubious taste. I don't know if these are national changes or solely in the west-coast processors, but the changes are clearly** moving in one direction. Inflation by dilution. Older word: Adulteration.
I should have learned something about the brand from the FIRST step in this process! Well, though retarded, I've finally learned the lesson now.
I tried making the chili with no added sauce or soup, but it doesn't work that way. Unsatisfying. I'll try to find a more local brand of tomato sauce or paste, not owned by Campbells. ... Update 1: Tried the default choice, Hunt's tomato SAUCE. Doesn't add any bad taste, but doesn't add any texture or good taste either. Too much like water. ... Update 2: Hunt's tomato PASTE. Now that's more like it. Adds texture and taste, and it's so densely concentrated that one can of PASTE lasts 5 days. Unavoidable slogan: Use paste! More taste, less waste!
** Footnote on metrology: These adulterations came in a zigzag fashion, presumably because different batches got shipped or stocked in random order. The NW Blvd Safeway, which runs through stock slower, still had the better versions for a while after the Shadle store had gone entirely to the new bad versions. So I know this isn't just my own elderly taste declining.
¶ 5:35 PM 
I should have learned something about the brand from the FIRST step in this process! Well, though retarded, I've finally learned the lesson now.
I tried making the chili with no added sauce or soup, but it doesn't work that way. Unsatisfying. I'll try to find a more local brand of tomato sauce or paste, not owned by Campbells. ... Update 1: Tried the default choice, Hunt's tomato SAUCE. Doesn't add any bad taste, but doesn't add any texture or good taste either. Too much like water. ... Update 2: Hunt's tomato PASTE. Now that's more like it. Adds texture and taste, and it's so densely concentrated that one can of PASTE lasts 5 days. Unavoidable slogan: Use paste! More taste, less waste!
** Footnote on metrology: These adulterations came in a zigzag fashion, presumably because different batches got shipped or stocked in random order. The NW Blvd Safeway, which runs through stock slower, still had the better versions for a while after the Shadle store had gone entirely to the new bad versions. So I know this isn't just my own elderly taste declining.
¶ 5:35 PM
