Dinner is served with Campbell’s revamped cooking site

Who is ready for some Thanksgiving eats?  I am, for sure!  But the scrumptious cuisine will have to wait for me until after I run our local ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot, a five mile race sure to get anyone’s appetite warmed up a bit.  With next week’s holiday quickly approaching, and cooking (or eating) on the minds of many, Campbell Soup Company recently launched its newly renovated cooking site just in time.  A recent Ad Age article discusses the changes Campbell made to this site primarily in response to the current economic climate, along with essential feedback the company received from its consumers.

Two notable additions to the site include a budget-friendly category and the new capability to search for a recipe based on the user’s mood.  Yep, that’s right, a recipe mood ring if you will.  Some of the choices include “chocolaty,” “crunchy,” and “cheesy.”  Neat!  My cheesy mood resulted in instructions for a Ham Asparagus Gratin.  This creative search technique is cleverly balanced with the more practical category labeled “budget-friendly,” two words that resonate with family cooks nowadays.  An executive with Campbell noted that research showed more consumers are in fact eating at home and attempting to feed roughly four people on a $10 budget.

This budget-friendly category displays a total of 110 recipes that range from Glazed Pork Chops with Corn Stuffing ($10.61 per recipe) to Chicken Broccoli Twist ($9.77 per recipe).  The user can then narrow down the results based on main ingredient, recipe type, cuisine, and/or time to table.  For example, out of the 110 results I specified my meal selection to the following: Beef, Dinner, Italian, and 31-45 minutes.  And, voilà!  My criteria returned two potential dishes: Italian Burgers with Olives and Mozzarella or Italian-Style Pepper Steak.  The ability to easily limit the number of potential results allows the busy user to efficiently select a recipe conducive to their situation/lifestyle.

With the new Campbell’s Kitchen website offering users extensive amounts of food ideas and recipes (seasonal favorites included), Campbell also stands to clearly benefit from the recommendation of its products in many of the dishes suggested.  The budget-friendly landing page informs users that, “These simple recipes all begin with a can of soup — and end with satisfied smiles!”  I know whenever I think of canned soup, I immediately conjure up images of the iconic Campbell’s soup can.  While undoubtedly promoting the use of its products, the company’s thorough consideration of its consumers is apparent throughout its appealing cooking site.  And, the site’s completion was timed perfectly for the upcoming holiday season.

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Photo by Pittaya Sroilong, used under a Creative Commons license.