The Art of Satisfying Soup: 5 Essential Tips You Need To Know
Who doesn’t love soup? The answer is not many people. In one major survey, 95 percent of Americans said that they at least like soup, with that same batch of people having a “love” opinion or are eating it on a regular basis. How do you eat your soup, though? Most tend to stick to the cans of premade soup, while others opt to make their own. If you want to join the ranks of soup makers, here are five essential tips that you need to know beforehand.
5. Stock Up
If you really want your soup to stand out so that it tastes like your own, try making your own stock. This is going to be the cornerstone of your soup, so make sure to load up on what you’ll need. You can stick to the basic vegetable stock or you can go big with chicken or beef stock. Consider what kind of soup you want to make first and then gather the ingredients, place them in a pot of water and cover it up, allowing it to simmer after boiling.
4. Skip the Cream
Cream tends to be a favorite for those that are making soup since it helps with the consistency, but it’s not going to be good for you. That’s because cream is heavy in calories and saturated fat, and you don’t want to make an otherwise healthy food option into an unhealthy one. Think of it as a salad with too much ranch dressing. As an alternative, try to use almond milk or Greek yogurt, which will keep the same consistency.
3. Spice Things Up
When you’re making your stock/soup, don’t be afraid to try out some new spices. Each recipe that you find is going to have its own take, but try out some things that you may not have considered before. If it’s a spice that you like, but is rarely found in most soups, why not try it for yourself? After all, the stakes are pretty low when you’re making soup since it’s not an expensive undertaking. Experiment a little bit and you may be passing down a family recipe of your own.
2. Eyes on the Clock
To make your soup perfect, you’ll want to keep a keen eye on how long you’re cooking. It will all depend on the ingredients that you’re using for your soup. If you plan on using chicken or beef instead of vegetables, soup will naturally need to be cooked for longer. Also, smaller vegetables will cook very quickly compared to more dense ones, so you have to take that into consideration as well. It could take several hours when all is said and done, but it will be worth it.
1. Make Too Much
The best way to ensure that you’ll have enough soup for everybody is to make more than you think you need. Not only that, but it should be easier to get the correct cooking time compared to a much smaller portion that can be finished before you know it. Soup is also great for leftovers, so having too much is always going to be a good thing. Soup can last for a few days in the refrigerator and even longer if placed in the freezer.
