Most people do not like to stand at the stove for an hour and a half every day to cook a hot dinner or lunch. Modern kitchen appliances, of course, have simplified the process of cooking. But it still takes quite a long time.

That is why people are increasingly buying semi-finished products - dumplings, meatballs, spring rolls, salads and soups in bags. There are many questions about the last dish. Some believe that such a soup is a kind of noodles fast food filled with various harmful chemicals. Others are sure that this is a completely independent dish, which, for the convenience of customers, is sold as a dry mixture of vegetables, meat and spices.

So are bagged soups bad? And what is better to take in the store?

Kinds

There are two types of soups in bags - dry and liquid. The latter are fully prepared dishes that only need to be heated. They are presented in stores in a very limited range. In most outlets, they simply do not exist. Previously, two brands were leaders in the market - Gurmania and Knorr. But buyers were reluctant to take them, as the price was high.

Dry packaged soups are a completely different matter. They are presented on the shelves of stores with the widest range. Prices are also pleasantly pleasing - the minimum cost of one bag is about the same as a pack of instant noodles. Although there are many products of medium and high price categories.

Compound

What are bagged soups made of? This question worries all buyers. It should be noted that packaged dry soups are produced by many different manufacturers. And their composition can be very different, both for the worse and for the better. If you study the label on the product, you can understand that most of these mixtures consist of two types of components, namely:

1. Natural products - noodles, vegetables, legumes, egg powder, spices, soy, vegetable and animal fat, etc. They can be stored for a long time in freeze-dried and dehydrated form. Sublimation is an expensive processing method, so it is practically never found in dry mixes. Dehydrogenation is drying at high temperatures. Such processing completely changes the taste, color and smell of products. And they will not recover back, so they will have to be replaced with flavors and dyes.
2. Chemical flavor enhancers, preservatives, flavors, dyes, stabilizers, thickeners and other substances. They are in every packet of dry soup in greater or lesser concentration. Monosodium glutamate is always present everywhere.
3. Salt. It is worth mentioning separately. There is a lot of it in packaged soups, as well as in other semi-finished products. It enhances the taste of spices, makes the dish more pleasant. According to Rachel Thompson, a doctor at the World Cancer Research Foundation, people who eat soup packets every day increase their risk of cancer by a factor of two. And salt is to blame for this.

Benefit

Are there any benefits to the body in packaged soups? Yes, if the question arises of whether to eat such a dish or not to dine at all. The main benefit of this product is the convenience for the buyer for minimal money. Packaged soups cook very quickly - some just need to be filled with water (inexpensive), others boiled with the right amount of water.

Harm

Potentially, bagged soups can be harmful due to the high content of various chemical additives. In addition, containers, such as a plastic cup for soup, can be dangerous. Some contain polystyrene, which begins to release when heated. So it is better to pour dry mixtures with boiling water in an ordinary plate.

Harm can also be caused by a large amount of salt and sugar, which a person already receives in excess from other foods.

But to summarize, dry packaged soups are just as useful or harmful as chocolate, sausage, sausages, cakes or pastries. Most store-bought products contain harmful chemicals. In order to exclude them from your diet completely, you need to move to a remote village and eat only the products of your own farm.

So you can eat soups. But not for everyone, and not every day. Such food will be dangerous for hypertensive patients, people with diseases of the heart, blood vessels or gastrointestinal tract.

How to cook

How to cook soup from bags? This process is simple and takes a minimum of time. The cheapest soups just need to be filled with water - and in 3-4 minutes they will be ready. This is an analogue of instant noodles, only with a slightly changed composition - with a more pronounced taste of the broth and more vegetables.

Other soups should be cooked according to package instructions. It usually takes 5-20 minutes. The pre-dry mixture is diluted with water in the specified volume, then brought to a boil and cooked until tender. Sometimes dry soup needs to be poured directly into boiling water and cooked until tender.

As a result, from each bag you can get 400-500 ml (volume of liquid according to the instructions) of soup.

Another cooking option

Most family people do not like this portion. This is too small to feed 3-4 people. In addition, the food is most often quite liquid, with a minimum of vegetables. Meat is completely absent as a phenomenon - instead of juicy appetizing pieces flaunting on the package, soy meat floats in the broth at best. And at the worst, beef, pork, and chicken have only the flavor that chemical additives give to the soup.

That is why most people try to improve such food. How to make delicious soup from a bag? There are several ways:

1. Pour the mixture not with water, but with a good rich broth - meat, fish, vegetable or mushroom.
2. Increase the volume of liquid to 1-1.5 liters.
3. When the mixture boils, add some diced potatoes and fried carrots with onions.
4. You can add cubes of ham or sausage to the broth.
5. Taste the soup for salt and add salt if necessary.
6. Cook until done.

The result is a thick rich soup with pieces of ham or sausage and vegetables. And the packaged soup here plays the role of a bouillon cube that binds and complements all the ingredients.

Overview of Instant Soups

There are a lot of instant soups in stores. They differ in price, composition, cooking method and, of course, taste. The last indicator is the most important for the consumer, so we will focus on it. So, on the shelves you can find products of the following brands:

1. "Cup of soup" from "Knorr". Instant soup. The volume after adding water is 300 ml. In fact, you need to add a little less, since the soup turns out to be liquid. The taste is normal, quite pleasant.
2. "Every day". Dry packaged mixes of 60 g. The price is minimal. Not more than 10 rubles. Designed for 800 ml. The soup is liquid, with a sharp chemical smell. If you do not eat it with bread or sandwiches, then after such a meal you want to eat in an hour. Bribes with a very low price. Can be used as the basis for a complete homemade soup.
3. "Podravka". Well-known brand of packaged soups. Dry mix - 62 g. Designed for one liter of water. There are various soups of this brand on sale, but unlike other manufacturers, they are practically no different. The taste is pleasant. If you add potatoes, you get a more rich and satisfying dish.
4. Health Compass. Instant soup, one of those that you need to pour a glass of boiling water and insist. Tasty, but not satisfying, as there is no meat.
5. "Maggy". Also soups from the category "for one mug". Moderately thick, rich and fragrant. The sachets indicate which ingredient is best to add to make it better and tastier.

And once again about soups.

Today we will talk about soups from packages. How do you feel about them?

For example, when I met Dr. Dukan, I was surprised by his addiction to soup cubes. Yes, not only me. However...

Food concentrates appeared in the 18th century. It was then that the Kharkov scientist Karamzin invented an apparatus for drying products of plant and animal origin. So,

Soups from a bag are divided into three groups.

1. Instant - soup (from the English. instant - “instant”), it is enough to pour boiling water over it (for example, “Hot Mug” from “Maggi”, vermicelli soups “Rollton”, “Doshirak”).

2. "Quick" soup requires a pot of water and a few minutes of cooking (for example, "Bvstrosoup" from Gallina Blanca).

3. “Ready” soup just needs to be warmed up in microwave oven or on the stove (for example, "Gourmania", "Pride of the hostess").

The first option is very popular. But is it really that useful?

Let's discuss..

• Most quick soups, according to the promises of the labels, put dried mushrooms, powdered tomatoes, shrimp or meat (also dried, reminiscent of soy to taste).

• If among the ingredients there is a flavor that is identical to the natural one (mushroom, vegetable, chicken), then it is likely that the soup will be purchased not with taste, but only with the aroma of the specified product.
• In addition, there are very few biologically active substances in such soups, so fiber, vitamins and beneficial enzymes will have to be obtained from more familiar foods.
• Another component of bags and cups is the famous E-621, also known as monosodium glutamate. Such a contradictory condiment. There is an opinion that it improves the functioning of the brain and bears the proud name of “mind serum”. But it is also known that its excessive use can lead to visual impairment and other health troubles. Both statements find their supporters among scientists. And while they are actively arguing, proving the validity of their opinion, and looking for the truth, it is better to give up this spice. This means that you will have to avoid “quick” soups (as well as bouillon cubes and seasoning mixtures) - the concentration of monosodium glutamate in them is very high. By the way, it is he who gives the instant soup an unpleasant aftertaste.
• Another popular ingredient is Palm oil. Recent studies have shown that it impairs fat metabolism in the body and can cause the development of atherosclerosis.
• The composition of quick soups necessarily includes salt, which they do not spare for them. Eating from a bag, a person receives at least 15 g of this spice per day, while the norm for an adult is about 3-5 g.
• In addition, instant soups are generously seasoned with stabilizers, preservatives and other ingredients with the letter E - otherwise they simply could not be stored for such a long period (from a year to a year and a half). Abuse of instant soups can be harmful to health: such products are poorly digested and difficult to remove from the body . At best, this leads to heartburn. At worst, it negatively affects the functioning of the liver, causes gastritis and weakens the immune system. Bouillon cubes and dry soups are contraindicated in hypertensive patients due to their high salt content, as well as ulcers due to numerous food additives and enhancers "improvers" taste. So you should stay away from the shelf with "fast" dishes, except in emergency cases. Moreover, nutritionists categorically do not recommend eating instant soups more often than once every two weeks, and nutritionists categorically do not recommend completely replacing lunch or dinner with them.

A few simple recipes will help reduce the harmfulness of soups from concentrates.

• Boiling the soup with boiling water - vermicelli, it is better not to add the oil included in the kit to it. Replace it with a teaspoon of regular vegetable oil. Some buyers even refuse the soup base, replacing it with natural salt, pepper and fresh herbs that are at hand.
• In the instant soup, you can add a little boiled potatoes - it will absorb excess salt.
• A quick soup that requires boiling is recommended to be filled with less water than indicated on the package - the dinner will be thicker and more rich. The same potato will cope with excess salt, just put it in a container at the beginning of cooking raw, and before serving, simply remove and discard.

One of our followers sent us a review of E-pek instant soups. How well do they fit camping conditions- learn from the review. The author's spelling has been preserved.

As promised, a short review. In the campaign, unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to cook this time, because. there were problems with water, or rather, with its absence, so sublimates almost did not go into consumption. Therefore, the photos were taken in one of the forests of the Moscow region and at home.

In the forest, they decided to choose from two soups (and borscht), but the partner forgot to take sour cream, which would significantly improve the taste of the dish. But it doesn't matter. By the way, all different soups in the assortment of the manufacturer as many as 15 pieces with different tastes (types of soup). According to the packaging, one packet of E-pek soup is designed for 4 servings. The description indicates that this is either 2 hearty lunches to satiety, or 4 snacks to "refresh". Let's see how true this is.

And so, pour the contents of the package into a bowl. This is for clarity (solyanka in dry form looks about the same, we tried it at home). Let the water warm up (I use an Esbit alcohol burner, it’s enough for 2 people and it’s quite convenient to cook on it, because the flame is regulated by a damper, the Fire-Maple burner was taken for other purposes).

Pour the contents of the package into warm water and, stirring occasionally, wait until it boils, then cook for about 20 minutes, then let it brew for 5 minutes - and the soup is ready. Why don’t we throw it in boiling water - dried vegetables and cereals boil faster (in other soups, but more on that later), and we don’t waste time and fuel. It turns out a rich broth, excellent color and taste of the dish itself.

The photo shows how many vegetables are present, and there is also a meat component in the form of boiled lumps of minced meat, so this product compares favorably with similar soups "from a bag" or sublimates. Of the pluses, I want to note - large portions for two (or small, but already for 4, in 250-300 ml mugs, for example), a large amount of thick, which is undoubtedly more nutritious and tastier than powder soups.

Cons: Cooking time. But, on the other hand, if time permits, for example, when stopping for the night on a hike or while staying at a camp, these soups are an excellent choice, especially considering the price, weight and packaging.

Upon returning home, the next day it was decided to try from the same manufacturer. Even though I don't really like pickle, it was worth a try. And so, the photo is part of the contents of the package in dry form.

Inclusions from vegetables are visible, and pearl barley makes up the bulk. The principle of cooking is the same as that of borscht, but we cook a little longer so that the barley boils well (you can try for readiness during the cooking process, then whoever you like). I also added a mixture of dried vegetables, about a tablespoon, maybe a little less (peppers, carrots, onions, tomatoes and herbs).

It turned out to be a full-fledged 2 servings with a lot of grounds. The soup was very tasty. overcooked pickles I didn’t see it in the soup, but the taste was present.

Salt turned out to be enough, but here it is better to look at your taste, as you like, however, as with pepper. In general, the pickle turned out to be not bad, despite my dislike for him since kindergarten.
A day later, we decided to try another, this time - mushroom soup. But not cream soup, which is also present in the line of this manufacturer, but.

Its characteristic difference is not a powdery state, but the presence of a large amount of dried potatoes in the composition. There are also inclusions dried mushrooms and pearl barley, which increases the nutritional value of the soup, but which I do not like and do not consider it appropriate to add to mushroom soup.

And so, everything is in order. Photo of a dry product. The cooking process is similar to the previous ones, but with an increase in cooking time, because. dry potatoes gain moisture and swell much more than rice and pearl barley.

Accordingly, the cooking time is about 5 minutes until boiling, 30 minutes of cooking and 5 minutes were allowed to brew, to be sure.

The result is 40 minutes, which is a lot, taking into account the combustion of fuel, but, fortunately, we were in no hurry, and the burner worked in the mode of maintaining the boiling temperature (i.e., at low power). The resulting soup in this case was poured into 3 servings. More, I think, is no longer advisable, because. the broth would not be as rich and watery. Thickness is very, very much.

Salt and pepper were not added, I was interested in the taste of the dish itself. I would like to point out that it is not bad. Apparently the presence of pieces of mushrooms that fall on the tooth affects, and also add aroma. Dried potatoes, after cooking, feel and taste inferior to fresh ones, but you can eat them. There are less cereals than in pickle, but it is far from the main ingredient here. Verdict: Soup for 2 people.

Flavor precisely forest mushrooms which is definitely a big plus. Lots of herbs. Of the minuses - it takes longer to cook than the others because of the potatoes. You can take it for a change, but so far in the line of soups for me in the top are borscht, hodgepodge and chicken, the last of the two (and not only), there will probably also be a review, but in a smaller volume, because. they are all prepared according to the same principle, and the potential buyer will rather choose from his personal preferences.

Then, after a couple of days, we decided to eat "". Cooking this time took a different turn, so I decided to provide an overview in the form of a simple, but delicious recipe. Since there are no vegetarians among us, in this case we used beef stew for the broth.

For five people (3 guys and 2 girls), we needed 2 bags of soup, 2 tablespoons of dried vegetables, one medium onion and a 525g can of stew, a couple of liters of water and salt / pepper to taste.

Well, a small frying pan with a pot with a volume of 3.3 or 3.6 liters (I don’t remember exactly). We put water on the fire, throw dried vegetables into it and open the stew.

Carefully remove the fat and put it on the pan. In it, as you probably already guessed, we will fry onions.

We slightly separate the most valuable contents of the jar with a spoon, so that it is more convenient to pour the meat into portions, and throw it into heated water. We mix. Next we send cabbage soup E-pek. Let me remind you that after boiling water, we need time to boil and soften the dry component. After the water boils, we set the pot aside (because we have one burner) and take on the fat.

Melt it over low heat, throw in the chopped onion and fry until golden. Then add it to the pot and leave the soup to boil for about 20 minutes.

After - let it brew for 10 minutes, mix before serving and pour into plates. You can add finely chopped herbs and sour cream. Shchi turned out to be very rich and thick due to the high content of vegetables and meat.

5 people ate to satiety, which I consider a good indicator in terms of the amount of food consumed (the total weight of which came out less than 800g, not counting water) and the cooking time, which was about 40 minutes, including frying the onions. I also recommend using oxalic cabbage soup from this manufacturer in a similar recipe. Well, vegetarians can cook these soups without stew, because. they do not contain meat and animal fats.

That's all, thanks for your attention. Maybe later I will try other soups from this brand.

The store administration reminds that the soups from the review can be purchased in our store, in the section .

Soups that are sold for pennies in bags are easy to cook, especially since the cooking method is always described on the packaging itself. Water, a saucepan and, in fact, the soup mass itself. Large costs are not required. I poured the powder into boiling water, waited 20 minutes, and you can eat ...

But this is for lazy or particularly in a hurry citizens. And for those who like to cook with gusto or just want to add a special flavor to the taste of the dish, I can advise you to cook the soup like this:

Pour water into a small saucepan (well, depending on how much soup you want ... We proceed from the calculation of a liter of water per sachet), put on fire and close the lid.

While the water is heating, peel 4-5 medium-sized potatoes (in the proportion of 2 medium potatoes per liter of water) and cut into cubes.

Then cut the lard (if any) into slices or chop the brisket.

Put the chopped lard or brisket in a pot of water and cover again.

When the water boils, remove the foam and lay the potato cubes in the broth.

Then pour the soup mass into the saucepan and stir the half-prepared soup. The broth should be a beautiful appetizing yellow color and have an appropriate aroma.

Check the amount of salt for taste. In principle, salt is part of the soup powder, but with an excess amount of water, the broth turns out to be undersalted, so add it yourself - as much as you think you need.

The soup is cooked for about 15-20 minutes. And a couple of minutes before readiness to give our broth more bright aroma and taste, add 1-2 leaves of parsley and 2 peas of black pepper. Let it all boil together for another 2-3 minutes and that's it - the soup is ready! Bon appetit!

There is also a second option. delicious soup from the sachet:
Pour water into a saucepan. Again, according to the proportion of 1 liter of water per bag of soup.
We put a pot of water on the fire, cover with a lid.
While the water is heating, we clean the potatoes (again in the same proportion) and cut them, on the board or in our hands, into cubes.
Then we clean a small carrot and cut it into small cubes (it tastes better than grated).
We clean the bulb onion and finely chop on the board.
Fry onions and carrots in sunflower oil in a pan.
As soon as the water boils, we put both potatoes and onions with carrots there.
Slowly stirring the broth, pour the soup from the bag into the pan.
We try on the amount of salt, add, if not enough, in your opinion.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, 2 minutes before cooking, add fresh or dried dill, you can also parsley - what is at hand.
Boil for a couple more minutes - and the soup is ready!
Bon appetit!

P.S.: This dish is not to save money in times of crisis and not dietary food, but just a soup for those who are tired of the monotony, and there is no meat in the house for a rich broth. There would be desire and creativity. The soup base itself from the bag can pass for an all-purpose seasoning or as a bouillon cube: it adds its own original taste and aroma.

Most of us already know that powdered soups are not capable of bringing anything good to our body. They are artificial, harmful and, it would seem, why remember them again.

However, what should all those office workers, and not only them, who have catastrophically insufficient time for a normal lunch, and have long forgotten about homemade breakfast, do? Manufacturers continue to tempt with less monosodium glutamate or salt. Is it possible to use powdered soups at least occasionally?

What's in the soup?

In our time, it is difficult not to succumb to the temptation of fast food - we really live on the go, we sleep little. And then there are these producers tempt with lightning-fast preparation of “almost homemade food”. And we are already confused - on the one hand, we would like to eat healthy food, and on the other hand, it would be nice to just eat on time. Otherwise, only memories will remain from the figure and the digestive system. And then there are financial difficulties.

Remembering soups from bags, we usually mean 2 of their varieties at once - powder soups themselves and traditional "Chinese" soups with special noodles. The second one actually comes from Japan, where it was once considered a luxury food that was meant to fight hunger. Now everything is completely different.

Powder soups, unfortunately, have nothing to do with home cooking and grandmother's recipes. Manufacturers compete with each other, adding more and more new ingredients to these “dishes”. For example, it could be some dried vegetables or herbs.

And the fact that their content, as a rule, is insignificant compared to the components that you don’t want to brag about, no one pays much attention to. Of course, as with other product groups, in this case too we can find both the best and the worst products with different amounts of artificial additives and flavor enhancers. What can we discover by reading the composition of popular soups?

1. Solid vegetable fat

Eating trans fats, in particular those found in such foods, is associated with a risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, and especially breast cancer. Efforts are being made around the world to reduce the amount of trans fats in processed foods. It is worth knowing that the same fats obtained from natural sources (beef, milk), in a limited amount, can have a beneficial effect on the body.

2. Salt and sugar

These are two components, the number of which in ready meals overpriced. Excess salt in the diet increases the risk of hypertension, malignant tumors, causes water retention in the body. Researchers who study the effect of salt on our body warn that there is more salt in one bag of soup than in a bag of chips. Sugar, on the other hand, increases the risk of obesity, tooth decay, diabetes, and cancer.

3. Nutritional supplements

If we talk about preservatives, then we must honestly admit that manufacturers of premium soups are diligently trying to reduce their amount to a minimum. A well-dried, tightly packed product has a longer shelf life, even without the addition of preservatives.

A controversial ingredient in powdered soups is monosodium glutamate (E621), a flavor enhancer. On the one hand, it is approved for use in food products in many countries, on the other hand, now and then there are reports of its harmfulness (for example, an increased risk of developing obesity, allergies, bronchial asthma).

For the production of soups in powder, dyes and flavors are needed. During drying, vegetables lose both their color and aroma. You can save the situation by using both artificial and natural components. However, do not forget that this will adequately affect the cost of the product.

In most cases, the cheaper the product, the more artificial dyes and flavorings used in it. In order for the dried components to retain their shape, manufacturers are forced to add an anti-caking agent.

What is the harm of powder soups

As a result, all these artificial additives significantly reduce the digestibility of the dish. The body must strain much more to digest such a complex product. Noodles from the so-called "Chinese soups" turned out to be a rather heavy dish for our digestion. One of the intermediate stages of its preparation is rapid roasting at a temperature of 200 ° C.

This significantly reduces the digestibility of such a product. By the way, the entire line of dyes, flavor enhancers and other technical additives has a bad effect on our skin. One of the mechanisms for releasing toxins is to increase sebum secretion, and this exacerbates the health problems of the skin itself.

The “convenient food” market, that is, “convenient food”, is gaining momentum every year. We are getting busier and busier, with less and less time left, and if we manage to carve out even an hour of free time, suddenly there are 100 most interesting things that we want to do instead of sitting in the kitchen.

Despite this, do not forget about health. Of course, nothing terrible will probably happen if we eat powdered soup several times a year, for example, at a party or on the road. It is important that this does not become our habit. The temptation of convenience and time-saving should not be stronger than the concern for health and well-being.