Winter means the official start of the soup season. This is the perfect time to start making delicious soups at home by using everything that is kept in your kitchen. In the cold chilly outside, having a warm bowl of soup is the perfect option to comfort your soul. There are so many delicious soup varieties that you can try making at home by using some simple ingredients. You can make broccoli soup, classic tomato soup or even chicken soup at home without much hassle. Although making soup is quite simple, many people are not able to make the perfect soup at home due to some common mistakes. Today we will discuss the top five mistakes that people make unknowingly while cooking soup at home.
* Boiling The Soup
Most people think that they need to boil their soup but in reality, you don't have to. It might be surprising for a lot of people but instead of boiling your soup, you have to simmer it. Boiling is not the right criterion to cook your soup as it can easily dry the vegetables and meat that you have used in your soup and even overcook them. The best way to cook your soup evenly is by simmering it on low flame and allowing everything to cook tenderly for better absorption of flavours. Never cook your soup on a high flame. Most of your ingredients will end up getting overcooked and you will never get the desired flavours and consistency.
* Using Broth
There is another misconception about cooking soups that they can only be prepared with the help of a broth. The soup turns out extremely delicious even if you use your regular water instead of broth. Perfecting broth is equally difficult and time-consuming as preparing a soup on its own. If you want to make a soup by using broth, then you must devote a lot of time to the preparation. Also, there is always a higher risk of the broth not turning out right and spoiling the overall flavour of the soup. This is why it is always recommended to use water on the safer side instead of preparing a broth.
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* Not Using Salt Appropriately
Not adding the appropriate quantity of salt is another mistake that you might be making when preparing your soup. A soup is made of multiple ingredients, including water, vegetables and meat. Some people also like to add rice or noodles to the soup. All these ingredients absorb a lot of salt which is why it is necessary to add the needed amount of salt to your soup. Always make sure that you do not add salt in the beginning and let the flavours of the soup intensify with time. When you feel that everything has been called properly, add salt as per your preference. You don't have to necessarily stick to the exact quantity mentioned in the recipe.
* Not Adding A Thickener
Adding a thickener to your soup is also a must to give yourself the right consistency otherwise your soup will turn out to be extremely runny. Although it is possible to take in your soup by simmering it for a long time, sometimes even that is not enough to get the right consistency. Cornstarch is the right ingredient to take in your soup and get the right consistency. All you have to do is just make a slurry by mixing some water and cornstarch and adding it to your soup. You can also add some boiled mashed lentils if you want to use something healthy to take in the consistency of your soup.
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* Overcooking Vegetable or Meat
Another mistake that you might be making is overcooking your vegetables or meat. You should always be extremely mindful while cooking your vegetables or meat. For example, if you want to cook vegetables like cauliflower and carrot, then you will need a longer time as compared to cooking vegetables like potatoes and beans. Do not use a common heating temperature and time for all the vegetables and meat types as they're pretty different from each other. It is always better to put the hard-to-cook vegetables and meat in the beginning and then add the other ingredients that can be easily cooked.
These are some of the most common mistakes that you might be making while preparing your soup that are preventing you from getting the desirable soup consistency and taste. Next time you cook soup at home, take care of all these things.