Give Meatloaf 10x The Flavor With A Packet Of This Classic 1952 Seasoning
Time heals all wounds, so they say, including those inflicted by meals we ate as children. Millions of home cooks, who remember grimly forking down platefuls of meatloaf in their youth, look more fondly on this hearty former breakfast food as they get older. Some have even recreated it but found their meatloaf lacked a certain something in the flavor department. Turns out the solution is another blast from the past: Lipton onion soup and dip mix, which first hit stores back in 1952. This powerhouse packet is being ripped open all over the internet as a new generation discovers its flavor-boosting abilities.
The ingredients list doesn't sound all that inspiring. It includes dried onions, sugar, lots of sodium via salt and soy sauce, yeast extract, and cornstarch, among others. Yet this unlikely combo creates magic when sprinkled into a meatloaf recipe. The liquid in the meatloaf rehydrates the pre-caramelized onions (we don't always have the patience to make those from scratch), which bring all their deep, concentrated flavor to bear on the classic meal, while the salts enhance the beef. Adding a packet or two of Lipton's dry mix is like plugging a speaker into your meatloaf and turning the volume all the way up.
If you are watching your salt intake, Lipton's doesn't currently have a low-sodium version of its onion soup and dip mix, but other brands have filled that particular gap in the market. Alternatively, you could play around with the array of herbs and spices in your pantry to create your own version.
From a hip dip to a flavor fave, there's a lot you can do with Lipton's packet mix
Lipton's onion soup mix also pulls double duty as an easy-to-make creamy dip, but there's no chicken-or-egg situation behind which came first. The dried soup mix was launched in 1952, followed two years later by the dip, thought to be the brainchild of a California housewife whose name is lost to history. People across America went bonkers for the dip, casting the soupy side of the dried mix somewhat in the shade. But, as the dip's popularity waned and home cooks sought "healthier" foods, so Lipton's flavorsome packet fell somewhat out of fashion — until its internet renaissance.
On social media, the memories are both strong and fond. Many people remember the packet mix as their parents' kitchen staple, with one Redditor saying it was regarded as a spice in their household, adding, "We once had a whole week where there was onion soup mix used at every dinner." That comment alone reveals the culinary joy at the heart of these sachets, namely that we can use them in so many ways.
A teaspoon sprinkled into a chili, casserole, or soup will give them all savory depth and bring a dash of zing to homemade hamburgers, oven-baked chicken, or another classic boomer meal, Salisbury steak. Vegetarians can get in on the flavor-adding fun too, as the dried onion soup mix elevates veggie-friendly meals like stuffed peppers to new heights. But that's not all. Lipton's packet mix also works great as a thickener for sauces (hello, cornstarch), and if you want to give your next batch of rice a tasty little oomph, stir a spoonful into the water before you toss in the grains.