Usability Forum

Campbell's Microwavable Chili/Soup Bowls: Did the designers even try it?

By Eddieelcid73. Tuesday, November 1, 2005 4:30:34 PM

soup, usability, microwave bowls, bad design, product reviews

I had one of these Campbell's chili bowls for lunch the other day. Very good idea- you toss one of these in your Ogio bag for a quick and easy lunch. Just add microwave...

Sounds good- but when I actually went to open this thing up, it had the "pull top" tab on it- the kind you see on a soda can. This consists of a pull up on the tab to break the seal, and a peel back to remove the lid.

The problem arises when you break the seal, chili begins to flow/seep over the top of the lid. It is designed such that the tin* breaks open near the pull tab, presumably to break the seal. This allows the product to spill over the top, presenting a problem as you begin the peel back process, because just like with tuna and other removable lids, once you get to the end, there is that little "flick" that takes place as you break the lid off. I grit my teeth and wrap a napkin around the "splash zone" as I pull the tin off. Not to mention that I'm eating lunch... which means I'm at work... which means I'm in clothes that don't work well with splatters all over them ("why.. is that a new tie?")

I imagine I should hold the chili so that the tab is angled up allowing any air in there to be right underneath the pull tab as I break the seal to prevent it seeping over top of the lid. But it seems a better idea is to keep the tab from allowing the seep. Find a way to get rid of the break in the tin. Bad design there. Now I always have to keep extra caution AND extra napkins when I have this for lunch.

*tin, aluminum, whatever it is... not really important

Why don't we have a "line in" jack on the front of car audio faces?Even a hanger continues to evolve

Comments

Anonymous # Tuesday, May 2, 2006 4:19:48 PM

Anonymous writes: I fully agree with you. Good soup though bad bad pull tab design.

vlad2344_1 # Saturday, July 29, 2006 8:19:09 AM

Don't have chili for lunch. If you must, use plastic containers which are designed for use on microwave ovens. Open up the container, empty the chili into a small microwave-proof plastic container and keep it in the fridge. Next day, before you leave for work, your lunch is ready to go... and when you put it into the microwave oven, you won't have to deal with the mess (or another tie).

Another option would be to pack an extra tie with your lunch.

Eddieelcid73 # Monday, July 31, 2006 2:45:07 PM

That sounds good vlad2344_1. If only some company would make it convienient for me by putting the chili in an already microwavable safe dish that is designed for microwave ovens? Somethign that I could easily just buy at the store and bring with me to work?

Anonymous # Thursday, June 28, 2007 5:19:35 PM

Anonymous writes: The soup bowl-lid design. It's awful. Not only that, but the plastic lid "clips" don't always hold, so you end up with soup. First and second time it happened over several days, just thought it was me. But the third time, the thing slipped out of my hand and burned my arm--and no, I did not grab it by the clips. They need to rethink this design for sure.

Anonymous # Friday, July 13, 2007 7:11:34 PM

Anonymous writes: Oh my God- do you want the soup manufacturers to open the can, cook, and eat the soup for you too????!!! It's called convenience- either deal with it, buy Ramen or get off your lazy ass and make your own food and bring leftovers to work. I have opened this kind of can plenty of times without the results you described- maybe perhaps it's operator error??? Thousands of children in the Sudan and elsewhere in the world would love to have to have soup- if you don't how the product works, don't buy it or send the rest of your stash to them. The things people whine about these days...

Eddie LopezEddie_Lopez # Saturday, July 14, 2007 2:55:47 PM

I love you anonymous.

Kenneth Maagekmaage # Tuesday, July 17, 2007 2:34:29 PM

"Excuse me sir, would like some cheese with your whine?" :)

I've resisted commenting on this post for a while, but now is the time.

The issue for me is that the most comfortable position to peel back the lid is my thumb pressing down on the middle of the lid. Even if you happen to get an air pocket under the breaking point, the downward pressure will then squeeze liquid out.

I run into this with sardines (yes, I eat them more frequently than most people...), and I've resorted to awkwardly trying to anchor my thumb on the stiff side ridge. Still having the "flick" issue at then end though, which you can imagine is even worse with sardines.

I'm with you Eddie, something designed to be simple shouldn't need convoluted solutions.

Anonymous # Thursday, November 12, 2009 5:48:14 PM

Anonymous writes: The lids suck. I just googled about the lids sucking and ended up here. my spillage happens just when I get to the last part that is hanging on. Then it breaks free and splashes everywhere.

Anonymous # Wednesday, December 1, 2010 12:22:06 AM

pie2mats writes: here's a technique... try opening it just a little to break some air out of it before heating... then, enjoy your spill free supah soup tin packaging manufacturers canada