Soup and Stew Food Facts
- When making stew, never add boiling water to the stew; if more water is needed, always use cold water. The boiling water may toughen the meat.
- When making chicken soup, use a quart of water to each pound of chicken.
- Soups and stews when cooking should only simmer, never boil.
- Place leftover stews into individual baking dishes or small casserole dishes, cover with pie crust or dumpling, mix and bake.
- Store the liquids from canned mushrooms or vegetables, freeze it, and then use it in soups or stews.
- Refrigerate cooked or canned stews and soups overnight before serving. The fat will rise to the top, and then you can just skim it off before heating and serving.
- Read the label when buying soups. MSG and disodium inosinate and guanylate are favorite flavor enhancers.
- Many vitamins are lost to the liquid when cooking vegetables. The liquid should be saved and frozen to be used when our making soups, etc.
- One of the best commercial canned foods is Progresso. However, still watch out for the ones that contain MSG.
- Dry soup mixes are usually additive-free and only contain a few dried vegetables and seasonings.
- Soup will go further if you add pasta, rice or barley.
- For an easy treat when making stews, take a stack of tortillas and cut into long thin pieces and add to the stew during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Corn tortillas are lower in fat than flour tortillas.
- A good trick to avoid burning the peas in split-pea soup is to add a slice of white bread when you are cooking the peas and liquid together. Peas are an excellent source of protein.
- When making stews, try adding a tablespoon of molasses for flavor.
- If you add one-half cup of strong tea to your stew, it will help tenderize the meat and reduce the cooking time.
- Leftover soups can be frozen in an ice cube tray and used in soups or stews at another time.
- To thicken stews use a small amount of quick-cooking oats or a grated potato.
- If you are making vegetable soup, pour enough water into the pot to cover the vegetables by only 2 inches.
- To reduce the saltiness of soups, add a can of peeled tomatoes, if feasible.
- Another method of hiding the salty taste in soups is to use a small quantity of brown sugar.
- Over-salting soups and stews can be repaired by adding a piece of sliced apple or a piece of potato to the mixture for a short period of time, then remove and discard.
- If you would like a sweeter taste in your soups or stews, try adding a small amount of pureed carrots.
- Never use dark colored bones in soups; they are too old and have deteriorated.
- The best way to make stew or soup stock is to use a metal pasta cooker basket. Place it into your pot and cook all your ingredients, including any food containing bones. Remove the basket and it will contain the vegetables and/or bones you do not want.
- If you obtain too heavy a garlic flavor when cooking, place a few parsley flakes in a tea ball to soak up all the excess garlic.
- To make soups or stews thicker, try adding a tablespoon or more of instant potatoes or one-half cup rolled oats or wheat flakes.
- When preparing tomato soup, cook the noodles, and then drain them before adding them to the soup.
- When making a cream soup, try adding a little flour to the milk; it will make it smoother and will work with low fat milk.
See also:
Healthy Soup Recipes
Soups! eBook (online version)
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