This Clever Hack Makes use of a Pantry Staple to Thicken Soup

When you could already be familiar with just a few of the genius cooking hacks to be found on the social media platform TikTok (hiya utterly roasted potatoes), you could nonetheless be at midnight about one different on-line treasure trove of ideas and ideas: Reddit. The social data platform lacks fancy graphics, and relies upon instead on avid clients to place up and vote on content material materials. Reddit’s lack of visuals may ensure content material materials areas, akin to meals posts, a lot much less “viral” than platforms that use attention-grabbing motion pictures and footage, nonetheless there’s a wealth of helpful ideas and ideas for the culinary-minded. Dwelling proof? This straightforward, clever soup-thickening hack that’s certainly not occurred to us sooner than.

A poster in Reddit’s cooking dialogue board tells an all-too-familiar story. She makes lentil soup in her Immediate Pot, and no matter following the directions to a T, ends up with a watery, skinny accomplished product. Her decision? Add plain on the spot mashed potatoes (which are primarily merely dehydrated potatoes) to the finished soup recipe as a thickening agent. Straightforward? Positive. Extraordinarily environment friendly? You wager. This trick works because of the second mashed potatoes are naturally starchy and subsequently are comparable in sort to totally different usually used thickeners, akin to cornstarch, solely with out the clumps.

After her put up went viral with nearly 850 suggestions and lots of of upvotes from group members, the distinctive poster went once more in order so as to add some additional ideas. She elements out that it’s sensible to consider what kind of soup you make sooner than together with the dried potato. For example, a fragile miso soup will not be the becoming candidate, whereas a potato leek or cream-based soup may fit utterly. You presumably can always verify the combo out on a small portion of soup sooner than altering your full batch, merely to be on the safe side.

Completely different Environment friendly Strategies to Thicken Soup

Don’t have on the spot mashed potatoes available? Listed under are totally different (comparatively simple) strategies to thicken soup.

Make a Roux

Whereas the tater hack is an efficient one, it is not the one resolution to thicken a soup. When you shouldn’t have on the spot mashed potatoes available or are in the hunt for one different method, try making a roux. Whisk a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into considerably water or broth, then whisk that mixture into the soup itself.

Give It a Whirl

One other selection is to puree a few cups of the soup—broth, veggies, and the remaining—after which pour it once more into the first pot (you can also use an immersion blender). It’s going to thicken the texture by means of aeration with out together with one thing additional.

Add Starchy Components

Together with rice or lentils, for instance, will considerably beef up a lackluster soup.

Stir in One factor Creamy

Lastly, you’ll always add yogurt, cream, or coconut milk to your soup to get that creamy, thick texture you might be in the hunt for.​​​​