Last week, on the podcast, the hot take, opinion of the week, was that Oprah’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup is a fraud and it’s bullshit that it’s the best broccoli cheddar soup in the world. Broccoli cheddar soup should not be treated as a popularity contest and I was NOT happy! So Adam made the suggestion – why don’t we go get 5 soups, I blindly taste test them, and I pick whose is the best. Seems fair…only caveat – Oprah’s HAD to be included. YIKES.
The time came and I can’t tell you how scared I was. Adam has absolutely stated he will blast me 1,000 times over if I choose Oprah’s.
After the first bite, I knew it would be a tough day…it burnt my taste buds off. Below are the soups:
1 – creamy – cheddar-y – broccoli-y – I can see this being served at a restaurant – but not a super nice restaurant. It’s pretty standard. Actually the parsley flakes are a nice touch. I’m giving it a solid 5 just so I have the bar set.
2 – looks wildly different. It’s not a sharp cheddar color – more of a light color here. Taste is pretty awful, honestly. It’s bland. I like the onions but this soup is actually not good at all.
3 – creamy – thicker. Not quite as cheddar-y as I like. Onions and carrots in this one. It was average – and I don’t mean the bar average.
4 – this one was a little chunkier than I anticipated. Almost like it had rice in it – or like a mashed potato. Like an instant mashed potato. I think I detect red onions. This actually almost has a kick to it. Honestly, not too bad. It’s good but the chunks are weird. They’re tasteless but very weird.
5 – Again, a huge lack of cheddar which is a big downer in broccoli cheddar soup. This one is slightly better than number 2 but it’s not great. Chunks are pretty gross.
My final ratings….drum roll…..
1. Bear Creek (comes in a bag)
2. Idahoan (comes in an instant container)
3. Oprah’s Oh! That’s Good (comes in a container pre-made)
4. Progresso (comes in a can)
5. Campbells (comes in a can
So I stand correct – Oprah is not the best soup out there so STOP IT, OPRAH! However, at least it’s not Campbells or Progresso – holy shit, that was not pleasant.
Part 2 of this challenge may come one day as I make my own broccoli cheddar soup and have people blindly taste my homemade soup versus Oprah’s to see who the real winner is! That day will cause a lot of stress and angst, though, so who knows. We’re doing another one later today so be on the lookout for more TASTE 5! Drop down and let us know your thoughts!