Let it be said here and now that the Maruchan Soup Cup beats Lipton’s Cup-a-Soup hands down. Maybe Lipton’s Cup-a-Soup was a big deal back in the day when cup-a-soup first came on the market and it WAS a big deal, but those days are gone. Anybody who knows cup-a-soup knows that the Maruchan Soup Cup is where it’s at.
Need proof? Let’s check out the evidence: Maruchan has 5 standard flavors of its soup cup: beef, chicken, creamy chicken, shrimp and hot & spicy chicken. And if that’s not enough, Maruchan also has 7 other flavors of its “soup in a bag” instant noodle soups.
Compare that with Lipton’s Cup-a-Soup which – yawn — offers chicken, tomato and cream-of-chicken. That’s IT? Somebody help me, I think I’m gonna fall down!
O-k, let’s break down the Maruchan Soup Cup and check out its nutritional value for its chicken noodle soup (thanks to Calorielab.com):
Total Calories (%DV based on daily intake of 2,000 kcal)
190 kcal
9.5%
C Calories from Fat (italics if estimated)
70 g
Calories from Carbohydrate (estimated)
100 g
C Calories from Protein (estimated)
16 g
O-k…now let’s check out a typical cup of Lipton’s Cup-a-Soup. This happens to be “chicken noodle with meat” (thanks to caloriecounter.com):
T Total Calories (%DV based on daily intake of 2,000 kcal)
381 kcal
C Calories from Fat (italics if estimated)
72 g
C Calories from Carbohydrate (estimated)
61.9 g
Calories from Protein (estimated)
15.8 g
Hmmm…it looks like Lipton’s has more calories and fat. Maruchan has more calories from carbohydrates but that’s only because Maruchan Soup Cups have more noodles!
But hey — if you want to turn into a real lard-ass than by all means load up on the micro-waved goodness that can only be found in Lipton’s Cup-a-Soup. If on the other hand, you want to impress your friends, pick up girls (or guys), get a good job and a pay raise — then do what millions of Americans have done before you: enjoy a Maruchan Soup Cup for lunch!
Want more proof? At the end of the day, when I crack open the top of Maruchan Soup Cup, pour a little water into it and stick it into the microwave, the thing that matters most is that it tastes good! And quite frankly, Maruchan Soup Cups taste better than Lipton’s Cup-a-Soup. Lipton’s Cup-a-Soup was great when you were 5 years old and didn’t know any better, but Maruchan Soup Cups are for today’s young professional!
The only time I can give credit where credit is due is when I talk about the best way to prepare a Soup Cup or Cup-a-Soup for that matter: If you can boil water you can make a Soup Cup. I recommend adding 8 oz. of boiling water, although exactly how much you add is a personal preference. As long as the water is above 160 degree Fahrenheit, the soup should hydrate sufficiently. This means that the soup can be prepared using either kettle water, or water from a source that has a hot water nozzle, such as a water cooler (which produces water with an average temperature of around 170 degrees Fahrenheit). Boiling water will also work. Pour in the water and let it set for a minute or two as this allows the noodles to soften up.
For those of you that are afraid of Styrofoam cups, you can gently remove the contents of the Soup Cup out of the cup and boil it in a regular pan – which by the way takes about twice as much time.
The Maruchan Soup Cup: heat and eat. I believe that’s all there is to it.
