Monday, November 10, 2008

Soup for the Cooks Soul

Most would just grab a pinch of salt and voila. They feel that this move is enough to complete the taste of the soup. But there are better ways for a chef to make the soup taste better. It doesn’t require too much sodium.

First and foremost, reflect on the ingredients of the soup. Most of the time, veggies, herbs and bones are starting base for a good soup.

If you want to reduce or increase the flavor of the soup, you have to taste it between stirring. Its up to you really. You can reduce the soup by half if you feel that there is a lot more kick to it than you expected, but be ready to double the flavor if there comes a point that its bland.

If you’re done cooking the soup but it tastes like it still needs something, reach for wine, lime juice or lemon. You can also spike it with vinegar.

If you want more flavor to the meat, make sure that you sauté it in the pot. You can add more oil or butter to the pot. You can also toss in chopped garlic and onion. Take the time to sauté all the ingredients and let them seep in with one another.

If you are cooking stew and it tastes slightly burnt, you can remedy it by pouring a bit of milk to balance the taste out. Ice cubes can also eliminate the fat portion from the soup as well as the stew. All you need are just a few into the pot and continue stirring. The fat will attach to the ice cubes. Make sure to discard them before they completely melt. Have a paper towel nearby so you can reach for it as you skim your way across the top.

Finally, when you are reheating your soup, you must always use a double boiler. In that way, the soup doesn’t lose its flavor because the hot water is responsible for securing all the ingredients.

There was this story about a traveler who asked a man and wife if he could stay in their house for the night. He said he could make the best stew they ever tasted with only a rock. Now it was a normal rock. The stew he ended up cooking for the man and the wife ended up to be tasty because the homeowners provided him with the ingredients he needed to come up with the stew.

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