A new soup and casserole aid is being introduced by Campbell's: Cream of Asparagus soup. The 10 3/4-ounce can retails for 79 cents.
Don Russell (married, five children at home, ages 14-4): "All in all, we liked this new product. Campbell's adds a moderate amount of diced asparagus to its creamy and salty soup. We sampled it in a cup rather than using it as a sauce or in a prepared dish. Although it has a certain canned asparagus flavor, we recommend a can or two for your pantry."Edyth Jensen (married, two children and two grandchildren at home): "If you like asparagus you will probably enjoy this soup. We ate it as soup and really enjoyed it. It will really add flavor to other recipes."
Nihla Lake (married, four children at home): "The real test was just finding someone who would eat this soup. My 17-year-old son took one small taste and spit it out. No one was even brave enough to try it.
"We finally gave a bowlfull to our neighbor and she loved it. Her only complaint was that it didn't contain enough asparagus."
Linda C. Tingey (single mother, four teenage boys at home): "Just as a soup I don't care for this. I didn't have much luck getting my boys to even taste it. It would be good for casseroles, though."
Rich Firmage (married, three children, oldest 8 years old): "I wouldn't touch this stuff! I asked my neighbor who likes asparagus to try it. She liked it. She enjoyed the big chunks of asparagus, and said, `For a Campbell's soup, it was very good.' "
Bill Allred (single): "I couldn't bring myself to actually mix this up as soup and eat it. Why anyone likes "creamed" food of any kind is a mystery to me. Instead, I poured the can over a hamburger and vegetable casserole I make and added some fresh asparagus. I usually use cream of mushroom soup on this dish - this stuff was a tasty change. I'll buy it again."
Conclusion: Unless you are a "cream of" soup fan, you'll probably find this soup works best as an ingredient in a casserole.
The Deseret News testing panel independently tests products purchased by the Deseret News. Readers with suggestions for products to be tested should contact the Today Section, Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.