Making thick soup

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chocomore

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I have always added a lot of water to my soup and then I let it boil down and that's how I get thick soup, how do you get your soup thick.
 
It depends largely on what soup it is that I am making.
  • For some recipes, they will thicken naturally.
  • Others have cornflour or plain flour which acts as a thickener.
  • Some thicken with the addition of (soya) cream and some use a combination of (soya) cream mixed in with cornflour.
  • One or two of my soup recipes thicken simply because they are liquized at the end to form a 'blend' such as mushroom bisque, sweet potato soup, chestnut soup.
  • a few others thicken because I add, ok this one is hard to explain, but instead of dairy I will add soaked cashew nuts which have been pulverized with some stock to form a very thick paste which then gets thinned on adding to the rest of the soup - I use this combination for recipes that say add mascarpone because it is an excellent subsitution (given my allergy to all dairy products).
  • And I guess a couple probably thicken because they have boiled down and additions such as potatoes or beans have naturally thickened the soup as they have 'broken down' for want of a better term.
 
Yes, I use some of the above suggestions to thicken soup but also instant potato flakes, which adds extra flavor and taste, particularly if that soup has tomatoes in the recipe.
 
Milk helps to thicken soups as well, but I also use the potato flakes and baking powder at times too.
 
MyDigitalpoint said:
Yes, I use some of the above suggestions to thicken soup but also instant potato flakes, which adds extra flavor and taste, particularly if that soup has tomatoes in the recipe.
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I don't think we can get potato flakes here in the UK supermakets but l'll have a good look:)
 
I use a lot of the methods listed above except the potato flakes. I had never tried that before. I like to use flour mostly. I will try potato flakes the next time I make a soup.
 
That's a great idea with the instant potato flakes!

I've also used Masa Harina to thicken up chili's and soups in the past. It does have a rather strong corn taste though so I wouldn't use it in everything. And what I do use it in, I use it sparingly.

Generally speaking, any soup with beans in it will thicken up quite a bit on it's own as long as you cook it for a long enough time. I make a black bean soup that looks watery at first, but after a couple hours of simmering it is super thick without having to add any extra thickeners.

Corn starch you need to be careful with. Always use a slurry with it, don't add it directly to the soup because it will lump up on you. It tends to create a translucent, sort of slimy quality to the soup that I'm not always crazy about personally. A properly cooked flour and butter roux will work better in most cases imo, but I've been told the more you darken it, the less thickening power it has (although the more flavor it has as well).
 
There are some soup that needs to be thicken and others are not. If I had a soup recipe that needs to be thicken I always use cornstarch with the right amount only to reach its thickness consistency
 
I always use flour or corn starch. I slowly add it to the soup, while it boils on low heat and mix all the time while adding it. These two ingredients add a nice consistency to your soup. There are other methods as well, like adding in egg yolks or cheese, but those change the taste and do not work for any kind of soup.
 
Adding cornflour or plain flour is one method of thickening a soup. Another option is to partially blend the soup so that the ingredients create a thick sauce. I was watching a cookery program recently and the chef (I think it was Michel Roux Junior) added an egg towards the end of cooking. Apparently this adds a nice sheen to the soup too. If you make pea soup and add bicarbonate of soda it gives the peas a mushy texture and helps to create a thick soup.
 
lizzief79 said:
Adding cornflour or plain flour is one method of thickening a soup. Another option is to partially blend the soup so that the ingredients create a thick sauce. I was watching a cookery program recently and the chef (I think it was Michel Roux Junior) added an egg towards the end of cooking. Apparently this adds a nice sheen to the soup too. If you make pea soup and add bicarbonate of soda it gives the peas a mushy texture and helps to create a thick soup.
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You can indeed add beaten egg yolk to your soup to make it thick and to give it a nice consistent texture. Be sure to use only the yolk though, and to add it to the soup slowly, over low heat, while stirring the whole time. Even a simple chicken soup can be enhanced like this.
 
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