Creamy, rich soups are one of winter's best comfort foods. There are plenty of ways to thicken homemade soup, but until recently, we had never considered leftover French fries. Turns out, this method for making soup even creamier is a clever way to use those soggy fries from last night's takeout order — and it turns any blended soup into a luxurious bowl that tastes even better.
Why You Should Blend French Fries in Your Soup
You probably already know that potatoes are a great thickener for homemade soup. Even if you don't purée the soup with a blender, potatoes release starch as they cook — thickening the broth with a satisfying velvety consistency. In fact, we've written before about how helpful frozen hash browns can be when cooking creamy soups.
But recently, we noticed a new tip we couldn't ignore. In an Instagram story, The New Yorker food writer Helen Rosner mentioned that she uses leftover French fries to thicken soup. Scaachi Koul, a culture writer for Buzzfeed, asked for more details. (Thanks, Scaachi! We were wondering, too.) Helen shared more in a follow-up story, explaining that not only do French fries thicken soup, but putting them in the pot is a smart way to use leftover fries which — let's be honest — are usually pretty soggy and not very tasty.
So how does this French fry magic happen? It's simple. "...Chop them up and add them to your soup and then purée the soup!" Helen explained in the story. Of course, this technique won't work with clear soups, or soups that are not supposed to be blended. (If you put chopped fries in chicken noodle soup, for example, you'll just have a bunch of wet fries.)
Because fries are already cooked, you can add them once your soup is almost done and ready to be blended. Putting the fries in the pot a minute or two before turning off the heat will ensure that your soup stays piping hot; otherwise, the fridge-cold temperature of the fries will temper the soup.
You can use a handheld immersion blender to purée your soup, or transfer the soup to a traditional blender, working in batches if you have to.
There are just two matters to consider when thickening soup with fries. The first is the salt level. Most restaurant fries are very salty. If you're planning on adding French fries to a homemade soup, consider dialing down the amount of salt you use to season it. Battered fries are also not ideal for this, because the dredging batter may not purée well. Fries that have been battered with wheat flour are not gluten free, which matters if you are cooking for someone with a gluten sensitivity.
Other Ways to Thicken Soup
No leftover French fries on hand? That's okay! You can also thicken soup by puréeing it with cooked beans or lentils. White beans like cannellini beans or navy beans are especially good for puréeing. This recipe for Creamy Italian White Bean Soup is a great place to start.
Puréeing hearty winter vegetables like butternut and kabocha squash will also do the trick. This recipe for Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Red Lentil Soup is the best of all three worlds, using potato, squash, and lentils to make a super creamy soup.Finally, adding cream, half-and-half, or any dairy with a high fat content will also thicken soup, as in this recipe for Cream of Asparagus Soup.
Here's another trick: let the soup simmer without a lid for an extra couple of minutes. The excess liquid will evaporate, making your soup thicker. Alternatively, mix a thickening agent like arrowroot powder with cold water and stir it into the soup when it's almost done cooking. Cornstarch will do the trick, too.
Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.
The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.
It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.
cooking sauce or soup. Arrowroot starch thickens very quickly and it is unnecessary to bring the mixture to a boil for it to work. Cornstarch, on the other hand, requires heating the mix- ture to a boil to fully thicken the mixture and to avoid any “starchy” taste or texture in the fin- ished product.
Foods like rice, bread, potatoes and beans are naturally high in starches, which, when broken down, act as a thickening agent. With rice, the grains will break down into the soup as it's simmered and stirred, releasing the starches and thickening the soup.
I made a classic slurry by whisking cornstarch and hot broth until smooth in a small bowl. I drizzled it into the soup gradually, and brought it to a boil to fully activate, thicken, and cook out the starch flavor before adding more.
Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell.
Add more liquid: The simplest solution is to add more liquid, such as water, broth, or milk. Start by adding a small amount and gradually add more until you reach the desired consistency. Use a blender: If you have a blender, you can puree the soup in batches, adding more liquid as needed.
Alternative thickeners include cornstarch, potato starch, cassava flour, and arrowroot. Good substitutes for frying include cornstarch, potato starch, and rice flour. Alternatives in baking include rice flour, chestnut flour, and all-purpose flour.
The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor. Add the dairy at the end and avoid bringing the soup to a boil since this can cause yogurt, cheese, or cream to split.
The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor. Add the dairy at the end and avoid bringing the soup to a boil since this can cause yogurt, cheese, or cream to split.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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