Soups Made Simple

There’s a lot to love about a cup of delcious soup. Some people love the many flavors and textures, others the warmth and comfort. Lots of soups are so hearty they actually make a complete meal. Of course, in the summer heat, there is always the option of choosing from the cold soup favorites. Here are just a few of the basic types of soups you can create yourself.

When you look at soups, you can generally categorize them into either stock-based or non stock-based soups. Then there fruit soups as well, which generally do not use stock base. Stock based soups can include broth, bouillon, and consomm while non-stock based soups are typically your cream soups, purees, chowders, and bisques.

When creating your own meat-based soup stock, any of your favorite meats would be a good starter. Anything including beef, turkey, lamb, chicken, veal, fish, etc. would work fine. Using dark-colored meats will produce brown stock while white soup stock is made from light-colored meats. Vegetables commonly added to soup stock include onion, celery, and carrots. Soups in this category include beef vegetable, chicken soups, tomato soups, cabbage soups, and broth’s.

Being much thicker and richer, and generally quite nutritional, a puree or a cream soup can often be served as a main course, especially for a luncheon or a light dinner. These soups include varieties such as split pea, bean or potato puree, cream soups such as corn, broccoli or mushroom, bisque of oyster or lobster, and clam chowder.

Fruit soups are a wonderful chilled alternative enjoyed year-round, but especially in the heat of summer. Varieties include strawberry, peach, melon, cantaloupe, and cherry. You’ll find certain cold soup recipes use vegetable based stock and others list fruit juice in the ingredients instead. Either makes a wonderful vegetarian dish.

There’s nothing like well-made, scrumptious, homemade soup to make any meal complete. Remember to top your creamy soups with a simple garnish for that finishing touch. Serve soups like bean or onion in a covered soup dish, while your cream soups are best served in a round, flat soup bowl. Don’t be surprised if everyone asks for seconds.

Don’t forget to make a delicious dessert to serve after your soup dinner, such as a golden pound cake made using a stainless steelbread and cake loaf pan. There are so many great desserts you’ll be able to make when your own a variety of stainless steel bakeware.

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