Soup making - explain it to me like i'm 5

[IneedhandcreamandaNC]

In order to avoid any smacked gobs or judgement, I'll preface this by saying people learn things at different times and we all have different levels of confidence! And, of course, not everyone grows up in an environment where learning life skills is encouraged.

Now that's oot the way! - tell me the basics of making soup please? People say they chuck in any old thing but there is presumably a base or a range of bases to which any old thing is added. How is the base made? And how do you know the flavours and textures of the any old things will work out okay? Would someone kindly explain it to me with no presumption of cooking knowledge 😳oh and seasoning! I forgot about seasoning. See, I need it explained to me like I'm 5 years old 😂

I tend to go easy on the stock. Some stocks can have quite a dominant flavour so I use just enough to boost the natural flavours of the veg, a bit like not using too much salt I suppose. But, as always, it will be down to your personal taste.

I love soup. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/potatosoup_11631 www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/potatosoup_11631]] This is one of my favourites, so simple and comforting.

I bought a soup maker. I know people say it's easy using a pan, I always burnt something doing it. It's great. You put whatever you want in (raw veg or cooked meat), add water to the line, some herbs, choose smooth or chunky and press go. Done in 20-25 minutes.

My favourite is cauliflower and leek. Half a cauli, 1 large leek, a small potato if you wish, some chicken stock to the line, a knob of butter, garlic and sage. Choose smooth. When it's done, taste, add more herbs if needed and a bit more water/ stock if it's too thick. Add a bit of creme fraiche, some pulled roast chicken if you fancy it. Does 5 servings ish, freezes well before the creme fraiche.

I also do red soup.
A pack of tomatoes, a pepper, a red onion, a carrot, stock to the bottom line, salt, sugar, Italian style herbs.

See it as 2 stages, make a stock, ie oil, onions, carrot leek herbs, chicken carcass water. Put aside.

then make soup, same sweating of veg. Sometimes people make the mistake of putting too many veg in that don't compliment eachother and just end up as a big veg pot that tastes of nothing. Sometimes less is more, and you're better to go for two or 3 that complement eachother, eg leek and potato or tomato and red pepper, rather than 15 veg you have left in the bottom of the fridge.

Also sometimes adding a bit less stock and a bit more water, in your ratios can help, or else it becomes a bit too strong tasting.

Then

My friend who makes great soups says she's learnt that potatoes help a lot, but not too many, or else it becomes too much.

Love this thread! Great recipes and so clearly explained, thanks all.

But where are the potatoes? I can never get L&P right so keen to try.

I make soup all the time - usually goes like this:

Find going off veg in bottom of fridge (usually root veg & celery, don't use potato or dh won't eat it)
Chop into big pieces, no point doing fancy dicing as it'll all get blended up anyway
Cook in olive oil for a few minutes while kettle boils
Chuck in about a litre of boiling water and some marigold powder
Bring to boil in saucepan then turn down to a simmer, put lid on and leave until soft
Blend in vitamix and season with salt/vinegar/lemon juice

I can also make 'proper' soups but I'm happy eating this one for lunch every day with a slice of cheese on toast. My favourite recipe book is the Covent Garden Soup Co one from the 90s.

Um, there's no potato in your leek and potato soup... 🤔

Please let me know which supermarket sells fresh soup. Does someone out there back make it? I’ve never seen it?

I either use water and stock cubes as a base, or I boil a full chicken and keep the chicken water as my base. Then strip the boiled chicken and add that in too.

soften leeks with butter
add veggies - roasted in advance is nice,
cook lentils and then add to soup
add bouillon stock

this is one of my favourites
Rustic Potato, Cabbage & White Bean Soup - The Simple Veganista

delia smith is excellent at any cooking instructions
see below
Butter Bean, Bacon and Parsley Soup recipe | Delia Smith

Agree with @murasaki method but would also add that For me, fresh herbs really lift a soup and have a big impact compared with dried herbs. Parsley, dill and sage are each lovely (choose only one of these per soup batch as their flavours are very different!).

What, no potatoes? 😳

Depends what sort of soup you want! I assume you’ve got some sort of blender (I find the jug blender easiest). One of the best and easiest soups I make is roast tomato and pepper. You just halve tomatoes, quarter the peppers (remove stalk/seeds) cut red onion into wedges, quarter some carrots lengthways, slice a red chilli in half and remove seeds and roast it all on a tray. When it’s tender and caramelised put in blender with some veg stock (I just make it with stock cubes as per instructions) and blend til smooth. Season to taste. I haven’t put amounts on because it doesn’t matter that much!

Mostly vegetables are fine to add to soup, but there are some that have a slimy texture IE aubergine, courgette, lettuce.

Base of any soup is butter, onions, a potato to thicken. Possibly garlic.

My rule is only use one (or max 2 if using eg red peppers and tomatoes) other vegetables so you can actually discern the flavour.

Stilton is a good flavour to add in Celery soup or brocolli soup or mushroom soup.

Butternut squash soup goes well with crispy bits of bacon sprinkled on top.

You can make soup from left over Cauliflower cheese by just adding stock and blending it.

Brandy or sherry or white wine is nice to add for flavour in some Soups. Eg Mushroom soup and brandy.

Cream is nice to add but only if you don't want to retain any vibrant colour.

Go easy on stock cubes.

Use a chicken carcass, roast the bones and then boil them up for a few hours which gives lovely stock. You could make Chinese chicken soup if you included star anise, garlic and ginger when boiling.

The simplest soup I make is what we call Sunday Dinner Soup. I blend up the left over cooked veg , add a little bit of water and heat through. Then add cream and stir in. Allow the cream to warm through and serve.
Flavours and colours vary depending on what veg I'm using. We did have purple soup once because I used leftover red cabbage.

<<I'm going to weigh in with the "Are Soup-Makers Worth It ?>>

I have a SoupMaker , ideal for making Random Soup with whatever you have

I chop a load of onions in the food processor and slow roast them when the oven is on ( usually Sunday ) then freeze in small pots
Any leftover roast potatoes get frozen

Roast carrots
Swede
Frozen squash

They can go in the SoupMaker frozen and have enough oil .

Favoutite soups are vegetable (onion, swede,carrot,potato, lentils . I sometimes pre cook the lentil as the soupmaker is quick)

Leek, carrot and coriander seeds with potato (no cream )

Roasted red pepper and tomato (fresh and tinned ) a red chilli , some onion and potato

Sweet potatoe, squash with carrot (onion and potatoe )

Stock I use is always Marigold Boullion Reduced Salt

I have tried all sorts , some I;d do again , some not ( curried cauliflower , the tumeric was an "interesting" colour )

We're vegetarian but the soup I make is Accidental Vegan

Covent Garden Soups are nice I've seen in Sainsbury ( my usual supermarket )

The base for most soups is chopped onion, carrot and celery. It's called sofritto.
If you're disinclined to spend time chopping or just in a rush you can buy it ready chopped. Fresh or frozen.

How do you normally work out what to cook?

My approach would be to have a look on bbc for some recipes? Choose one you like the sound of. Or look through a recipe book.

I cook a base of fried onion , once soft I add water with 2 or 3 stock cubes and diced up potato ( potato adds natural thickening ) put all in a saucepan, add whatever you want to make it with (all diced / chopped) meat , veg etc and whatever flavourings ( herbs / spices/ coconut milk etc ) simmer until cooked then either blend or leave chunky , add cream if desired and your ready to eat it

I have a soup maker , so all of above ingredients ( except cream ) just chuck it in and turn it on adding the cream at the end

either method works fine and takes 20 - 30 mins

I personally wouldn't be using carrot and celery in all soups. From experience, that blurs the flavour of the vegetable you intend to make a soup of (eg mushroom soup flavour is very delicate). That's obviously my own personal view though.

Soffrito great for bolognaise though!