Cooking Basics for Dummies by Bryan Miller & Marie Rama & Eve Adamson

Author:Bryan Miller & Marie Rama & Eve Adamson [Miller, Bryan & Rama, Marie & Adamson, Eve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780470913888
Google: NRFvs2emTfwC
Amazon: 0470913886
Publisher: IB Dave's Library
Published: 2004-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

2. Stir, add about 1 cup more broth, stir again, and add to the soup.

3. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 more minutes, or until the soup has slightly thickened.

Dare we admit it? Instant potato flakes make a great and almost instantaneous thickener! Add a tablespoonful and stir until the soup thickens. You can also add leftover mashed potatoes, cooked rice, stale corn tortilla pieces, or vegetable purée to any soup to make it thicker.

You can always simmer or even boil down a soup to get it to thicken because the longer a soup cooks, the more moisture evaporates (and flavors concentrate). However, don’t boil soups containing milk or cream unless the recipe calls for it. Cream soups burn easily, which ruins the taste. Typically, milk or cream is stirred in toward the very end of cooking so it gets only gently warmed.

Skimming soups and stocks

Some soups, like some people we know, attract scum. When making soup, especially one that contains dried beans or lentils, meat, or poultry, you may need to skim the scum from the surface as the soup cooks. To do so, use a spoon with a long handle. Throw the scum out. You don’t want it to spoil your soup’s good reputation.

Sometimes, fat also rises to the surface, especially if your soup contains high-fat meat, such as sausage. As the soup cooks, skim off any fat floating on the surface with a large spoon. Or, to make the job even easier, if you’re making the soup the day before, refrigerate it and, when the fat congeals on the top, just scoop it off and throw it away before reheating the soup.

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