Making a really delicious soup is NOT so easy.

Soup. For my family.

Get a blog.

I think your first problem was your choice of soup. Potato and leek?

Start with a bone broth based soup, like chicken.

[quote]I think your first problem was your choice of soup. Potato and leek?

Usually it's good. I found a good recipe....but I used too much potato - it was too thick. It was a mess all round.

Slow cooker is your answer.

You may be right, R5.

The recipe says cook the potatoes in 10 minutes. In which universe do potatoes cook in ten minutes?

OP, I feel that we are kindred souls. I was lucky enough to conquer the basics of soup (and pancakes) by the fifth grade. My family, both nuclear and extended, was big on cooking. My recommendation for you at this time of year is a good Creme du Barry. One of my favorite soups until I had to give up dairy. I think I pulled the recipe from Craig Claibourne's The New York Times Cookbook.

I like the way you write OP. You seem like you would be an interesting, fun person to hang out with.

Soup is good food - world without end... you know the rest.

I'm going to go out and find a brute to fuck. I like big muscles and red corpuscles.

Roast the leeks first. The biggest mistake people make is not using good broth. The broth is the most important ingredient.

Thanks, Pinky.

You're SO right R9. I used a chicken broth....which I never do with a vegetable soup usually. I'd forgotten I did this. It didn't work. Clearly.

A good base usually starts with a soffrito -- or mirepoix: diced-up onions, celery, and carrots.

Basic Chicken Noodle soup. A good stock is essential. Start with a large soup pot. Fill it about halfway with water. I make my stock with frozen chicken backs that I save for this purpose. I add a whole chicken and stuff from my vegetable drawer. Celery hearts, carrots, onions that need to be used go into the stock. Any fresh herbs I have on hand, thyme, salt, and pepper, parsley, garlic, bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour or so. Remove the chicken and set aside. Let the broth continue to simmer. After about an hour strain the broth well. Return the broth to the pan. Then add a quality chicken base to boost the flavor. Don't be stingy with the base or bullion. I usually add more water. At that point, you can do what you want. Carrots, Celery, onions, peas, beans, etc. Cook them until they are tender. Remove the chicken from the bones and cut into bite-size chunks. Add the chicken and dry noodles, or cooked rice if you prefer. You then tweak it to your personal taste. I always add a dash of tobacco and a dash of Worcestershire. Cook until the noodles in the soup until they are tender. Done! I always make enough to freeze a gallon for a rainy day. It really isn't that hard if you like working in the kitchen.

"I wasn't in a good mood when I made it and you need to make a nice soup with love and care."

This is one of the nicest things I've ever heard someone say.

OP: Add some sweated minced onions, bay leaves, Worchestershire sauce, plenty of black pepper, and heavy cream or half & half will do a lot to negate the watery taste and mouthfeel.

I always use chicken stock in this soup, it makes a big difference.

What type potato did you use?

Aww, hon...

R12, I'm guessing that this potato-leek soup is supposed to be white-looking, i.e., leave out the carrots. Not so sure about the celery, either.

Did you soak the starch out of the potato? If not, expect wallpaper paste.

[quote]Did you soak the starch out of the potato?

No, I did not. But I will in future.

I'm taking note of all these recommendations.

OP, you need to first focus on a master stock. It is literally your foundation. As others have stated, potato & leek can be slightly tricky. Better to start with chicken noodle first. Get your chicken noodle to be kick ass, then revisit this recipe for potato leek.

Here ya go, OP. The right potatoes.

Don't laugh, but I once put some cooked kabocha squash in a food processor, hoping to get a nice, smooth puree. Gummy and horrible!

OP, don't do that to your potatoes.

Sounds like the potatoes were put in a blender, which you never should do.

I used a hand blender...and was heavy handed.

I fortunately learned to make some basic soups very well including chicken noodle (or with fresh ravioli as a variation), Senate bean soup, borscht, chilled cucumber soup and harvest soup with winter squashes.

For everything else, I pull out my mom's 1949 version of the Encyclopedia of Cooking. It was designed for the new bride and has wonderful recipes.

I will add the suggestions from here to the notes we kept on the back pages.

[quote] For everything else, I pull out my mom's 1949 version of the Encyclopedia of Cooking.

MARY!!

To fix a potato-leek soup, you needed to add more cream, not water. Half-and-half will do, but not plain milk!

Kermit the Kosher frog makes it look easy

If you slightly caramelize the leeks you will have a richer flavor. And potato and leek soup needs some good ground black pepper.

Use chicken broth rather than stock. But if you slowly caramelize the leeks you can even get away with no broth.

So you screw up the first time, try again.

I love making soups, and I've gotten pretty good at pasta e fagioli, beef barley, and pea soup.

For pea soup, I follow Lidia's recipe, but I may change it up. She calls for pancetta -- it's good but a little fatty. I'm going to roast a small ham, and chop and dice it up the next time I make pea soup.

I hate meat in vegetable soups.

r30 Kielbasa or ham hocks work well in pea soup. They are easy to find, add a depth of flavor(particularly the hocks), ready to use and no waste.

Although, having leftover roast ham in the fridge is no burden.

Thanks, BronzeAgeGay, R32! Kielbasa sounds good! And ham hocks as well.

I just figure I'd have a roast ham one night for dinner, then have a few ham sandwiches for lunch the next couple of days, and then cut it up for the pea soup.

Will definitely try the kielbasa

Pancetta was just too fatty.

I'll start with chicken stock, but if I have recently made a whole chicken, I'll add the bones in as well, no water, let it boil, then reduce to where it continues to simmer. I also do not use salt by itself as it needs more of a sweeter spice, like fresh or crushed basil or bay leaves or even some of the Spanish spices like sasson or adobo. Canned chicken or turkey, carrots and small pieces of potatoes, even some broccoli or whatever vegetable you prefer. If I am making a seafood bisque, I'll use half and half and the equivalent amount of milk, adding butter and various spices that bring out the seafood flavor. I prefer the fake crab pieces over canned crab, and medium or large shrimp plus maybe some tilapia. The great thing about soup is that indeed, it all goes to pot, and even if you end up with more than you bargained for, it is great to freeze to pull out on a chilly day!

[quote] I used a hand blender...and was heavy handed.

That's what turned your soup bad, OP.

Anyone got a recipe for a good vegetarian pozole?

I don't miss burgers or bacon, but I do miss the pozole from my local taqueria.

R26, very fitting, since my mother and grandmother were both named Mary. I guess a lesbian can be a MARY of some sort, but who cares?

I save all the skin, bones, etc from good ole grocery store rotisserie chicken to make my chicken broth. To the bones I add chunks of onion, carrots, chunks of celery and water of course. Bring to a simmer, skim off any “foam”. Then I add salt, pepper, thyme and a lot of tarragon. Simmer for a few hours more, cool and strain. I use the broth for all sorts of things: soup, making rice, cooking grits.

You need a large half-and-half to potato ration to keep it from getting too thick. You know potato soup is called "Potage Parmentier" in French. Sounds better and the one I made was great. The chicken or chiken broth if you are vegetarian, is essential for flavor. You can use some bits of bacon or faken if you want, very finely chopped for that hint of smokiness.

I love leeks and also do that soup.

[quote]That's what turned your soup bad, OP.

And the rest.

Thinking that your mood affects your soup is like thinking that "thoughts and prayers" will solve a problem. It's bullshit. Follow the ingredient list and the method correctly, and it'll turn out. Unless the recipe is bad, in which case, it was never going to turn out to your liking to begin with, and it's not your fault.

That you believe "soup needs to be made with love" is the problem.

Cooking should come from a happy, hungry place inside yourself. You have to have either happy memories of good meals, or the imagination to want to try certain foods and flavors. When you're feeling crabby or rushed, or just not in the mood, the cooking will suffer. I like making soup when I don't have any real deadlines hanging over my head, and I can take the time to be fussy if the ingredient calls for it. Cutting potatoes into perfect little cubes, and carrots into perfect little circles and half-circles, to be added to the final soup, is an act of quiet focus, and shows that you care, even if you're only cooking for yourself. You'll do better next time, OP!

You NEVER use any type of blender for potatoes!

Potatoes are full of starch which gets released when cutting open the starchy cells with the sharp blades of a blender.

What R2 said. I don't cook when I'm tired or crabby. Yes, I do use a lot of prepared foods, lol.

/ / R42, I mean

[quote] For pea soup, I follow Lidia's recipe, but I may change it up. She calls for pancetta -- it's good but a little fatty. I'm going to roast a small ham, and chop and dice it up the next time I make pea soup.

I use the ham bone with a bit of meat still left on it.

[quote]/ / [R42], I mean

Good! R2 has posted one of maybe two nasty posts so far. I expected more.

[quote]What [R2] said. I don't cook when I'm tired or crabby. Yes, I do use a lot of prepared foods, lol.

Well, I wanted soup and I had leeks that needed to be cooked and potatoes in my fridge - but I agree.

Well fuck it, you've convinced me! I'm down with a cold and I'm making cream of spinach soup for lunch, as I've gone veggie and chicken soup is off the meny.

I'm going to be improvising a very basic recipe and cooking while tired and as cranky as all hell, I'll let you know if my bitchy state affects the finished product.

OP, When I make potato soup I use homemade vegetable broth. Then I add cooked potatoes, sauteed onions, spices. Las a combine the mixture with a light cream sauce and top with sharp cheddar cheese.

Sounds like you need to add a cream sauce to avoid a tasteless soup IMHO.

I used half fat creme fraiche, R50. It still tasted like shit.

Buy one of these seasoning flavors and you will never have to worry about making a delicious soup again.

R51, Did you add sauteed onions and carrots? Rosemary or other strongly flavored spices?

Building layers of flavor is key with any dish. That is, maximizing the flavor potential of every ingredient at each step of preparation. As someone above suggested, roasting the leeks in that recipe is a great idea. If you can make your own stock (well), that will give you a huge advantage. It isn't difficult, but it takes time, and you must also build layers of flavor into it.

Ina Garten's chicken stock recipe is pretty good, but I add curry powder & a few sliced lemons. I also roast the chickens separately, remove most of the meat, and use the roasted carcasses, as opposed to entire whole, raw chickens.

Even if you use store-bought stock, building flavor is important. It takes practice, but there are plenty of online sources that will help you master the process.

Onions. No carrots, R53. This is a potato and leek soup. I used fresh rosemary from my garden. I also used garlic, which I never use and will never use again. I don't do well with garlic.

Mood and "love" do not affect the flavor of your food. If you use the right ingredients in the right amounts and use the correct technique, you will get a nice meal.

[quote]Mood and "love" do not affect the flavor of your food.

They DO actually.

Mood and "love" can affect how much attention a person pays to details, so they can directly affect the success or failure of a dish. There's nothing supernatural about mood affecting a finished dish, if a person lets their mood affect how they get through the cooking process.

Clarissa makes a vichyssoise in this episode.

Pork ribs, garlic, pepper, coriander, soy sauce and filtered water (NOT TAP).

R55, I always use lots of finely chopped carrots, celery, and rutabaga or turnip when making vegetable or chicken broth as a basis for my potato soup. Sometimes I add extra finely chopped carrot as well as a bit of Tumeric and curry. powder. IMHO it really improves the flavor.

If you look at the ingredients of top quality commercial soup including potato soup almost all of these ingredients are included. Makes a much more complex and less boring flavor combo.

I'm a much simpler cook than you, gurl.

Point is - I made this recipe before and it was excellent.

You might want to try this one next time. Seems like it would be right up your alley.

This isn't exactly a soup, but it's what I'm making tonight.

You're so chic and sophisticated, R64.

I had a conversation years ago about meals made by an angry person. It was agreed by all. No one wants to eat a meal cooked by someone with negative emotions.

There was a place near me in London - it's an archive building. There was a very angry lesbian who was the cook there at the cafeteria. She'd come out and snarl at people from time to time. Her food was SO good. It's shit since she left.

You sound difficult, OP.

[quote]Anyone got a recipe for a good vegetarian pozole?

R36 I cannot help with a good veg pozole recipe but I can warn you against Trader Joe's new Spicy Vegan Pozole that I had the unfortunate luck to try last week. It held promise with the right color and lots of hominy but tasted of nothing but salt. Disappointing. Stay away.

You made me laugh, R68.

anyway, I'm worth it.

R28, Maybe ground WHITE pepper?

I think I make pretty good Chicken Noodle Soup and great Minestrone.

I use the carcass of a Rotisserie Chicken plus celery, carrots, onion, and I think a bay leaf for the broth for the former.

My main thing about the latter is to get the best Farmers Market vegetables (flavorless store carrots are the bane of good soup!), and that you can't have enough Swiss Chard as it practically disappears! Also, cook and keep any macaroni (ditalini) separate. Start with Bobby Flay's recipe.

r48/OP: You posted you had potatoes in your fridge. Were they cooked or raw? The starch in raw potatoes, if subjected to cold temperatures, would turn to sugar. Always store raw spuds at room temperature, in a dry location shielded from any light source, and not near onions.

I make my own chicken/vegetable stock with chicken bones and vegetable trimmings like many have posted. Then I sauté a large onion, a few carrots, one whole shredded cabbage and a cup or two of white beans which have soaked overnight. When the cabbage is nearly tender I add a thinly sliced kielbasa. It's super easy, very inexpensive and delicious.

I love potato leek soup, but find that reliance on heavy cream makes for terrible leftovers so I've been tinkering with my recipe. I made an AMAZING batch last week using a stock* I made for gumbo. It was a "using up leftovers" kind of soup. I had 10 oz of leeks (white and light green** parts), so used a roughly equal amount of baby red potatoes (sliced thin, half moons). Caramelized the leeks, then tossed in some portobello mushrooms and sweated them for five minutes before adding the potatoes and enough stock to cover plus one inch. Added whole stems of fresh parsley and thyme, and a dried bay leaf. Brought to boil, then turned down slightly, cooked until potatoes were tender (15 min). Turned burner to low, fished out the herbs, roughed up the soup a bit with a potato masher, and let it sit for five minutes before adjusting the seasoning. (I'd previously added salt at the caramelize and sweating stages). Eating the first bowl fresh, I drizzled it with heavy cream, but found the next day leftovers had filled out a bit and I didn't add any dairy.

* Used onion/celery/carrot/garlic trimmings that I'd been saving in the freezer, along with chicken carcass, pig feet, and cobs stripped of corn. All stocks get thyme, black peppercorns, parsley stems and bay leaf.

** Chopped up the leek greens, tossed in olive oil and salt, then roasted for12 minutes at 400 to use as garnish.

R32, I am making pea soup this afternoon with kielbasa as you suggested.

I ave a question for you or anyone else. The kielbasa I picked up at the market misquote long (much longer than any Polish guy's kielbasa with whom I've shared my bed. Most of them had thicker but not necessarily longer sausages, but I digress. Very yummy still).

I guess I should brown the sausage and then cut it up, yes? Or should I cut the kielbasa up first and then brown the pieces?

R57 R58 Jeffrey Dahmer often said this in interviews.

People, people! Get in touch with your inner Julia! She rightly explains that the trick to leek-and-potato soup is to not overpower the delicate aroma and flavor of the leeks. Hence no broth of any kind. Her version is simply the best:

Finely chop equal measures of leeks and potatoes (I use three cups each). Place in a pan and add water until just covering. A few vegetables sticking out at the top is fine. Salt to taste. Do it now, or it will either be bland or too salty later. Bring to a simmer, uncovered. Then simmer for about 20 minutes, partially covered. Soup is done when leeks are totally tender and soft.

At this point Julia uses a food mill to blend. I prefer an immersion blender. Less mess, and you can control the consistency easily. Adding cream is optional. I prefer about a quarter of a cup (using the proportions above). Serve topped with a tiny bit of fresh cilantro or fresh dill if you like.

When people try to "up" the flavor of this soup they screw it up by adding strong flavors that destroy the essence of the leeks.

How do you mess up pancakes? They are one of the easiest things to make.

r13 "add a dash of tobacco"

Pipe tobacco? Or do you break up a cigarette or cigar? I really can't imagine how that improves your soup.

R79...Obviously meant tabasco.

[quote] I guess I should brown the sausage and then cut it up, yes? Or should I cut the kielbasa up first and then brown the pieces?

R75, I would cut up the kielbasa first, then brown it -- more surface areas for browning. The browning / caramelization is where all the good flavor is.

r81 Seconded.

r75 Made a double batch of lentil soup about a month ago, always nice to have some good soup in the freezer. Had some today, stirred in some kale thinnings as I was heating the soup. A mug of that, some brie and steamed Brussels sprouts made a delicious, nutritious and satisfying lunch.

[quote] I would cut up the kielbasa first, then brown it -- more surface areas for browning.

Take the casing off first. If you cut sausage with casing and then cook and not the other way around, the casing will shrink and press meat out the sides

r83 Or, just score the sausage a few times along its entire length, before slicing it into coins, 1/8 to1/4 inch deep is sufficient. I do the same with hotdogs and chorizo.

Thank you, R81! And thank you, BronzeAgeGay (R82 and R84). Next time it's lentil soup. Anything with Brie sounds great.

And thank you, R83.

I decided to do pea soup tomorrow, since I'm exhausted from the wok week. I'm ordering pizza tonight.

[quote] I'm ordering pizza tonight.

Go easy, gurl!

R86, LOL! I went easy on the pizza, but it was good!

BronzeAgeGay (R82 and R84), I made the pea soup yesterday with kielbasa...absolutely delicious. Thank you.

And r83, for some reason I had a hard time getting the casing off, so I just cut the sausage up with it on. The meat remained intact after sautéing it and then letting it cook in the soup.

Wish I could have you guys over for dinner.

Hey Muriel. Would you consider a PM function here on The Data Lounge? Some of us might find our soulmates.

I'm making a chicken vegetable soup tonight - I'm soaking the potatoes (to get out the starch) right now as I type....thanks for all the advice!!!

[quote]Wish I could have you guys over for dinner.

ALL of us?

Minus you and me, OP (R89), that would be 86 people.

Why not? I just don't sit down to 13 at the table! 😏

r88/OP: Why do you want to get the starch out of the potatoes?

Glad the pea soup turned out so well. Will you be freezing some? That stuff is gold, when you don't know what to have for a quick lunch.

Whether or not soaking the starch out of the potatoes, or removing sausage casings, is a good idea I think it's marvelous that people are acquiring skills in the kitchen. Having the ability to make choices, alter recipes to suit your needs, and simply finding joy in cooking is wonderful! It's about the only good thing that has come out of the pandemic -So many people have rediscovered cooking and baking! Food should always be a pleasure -both to eat and to create.

R91, I have 4 containers in the freezer. The containers hold three cups each, so I have 4 meals at the ready. And I have a similar container half full for lunch tomorrow.

Next on the menu: I just came across a recipe for Lamb stew in a Men's Health issue.

I had leftover soup. I froze it in muffin tin (well sprayed, of course). Knocked out the frozen “soup muffins” and froze them in a FoodSaver bag. This way I can take out however many “muffins” for whatever I need. Instead of the vacuum sealer, a ziplock would work also. The vacuum sealer protects from freezer burn.

What are soup muffins?

I make split pea soup several times a year. One of my favorites. Last time I tried it in the Instant Pot and it was actually good. I usually use a ham steak (with the bone in) and chop up the meat to add to the soup.

Take heart, OP, I'm a half-decent cook and I fucked up a quiche the other day.

A QUICHE FOR FUCK'S SAKE. IT'S SCRAMBLED EGGS IN A PIE SHELL.

My shame spiral is real....

Well, I made my chicken vegetable soup - I got the starch out of the potatoes and the whole thing was A1 - so thank you to whoever suggested that. The spuds were so nice in the soup. Much nicer than before.

Yeah, you probably want less potato starch in a chicken veg soup, you want a lovely clear broth for that. But I'm making chowder tonight, and the best chowders are made using the starch from the potatoes instead of a roux as a thickener!

Cook the potatoes in just enough lightly salted water, add translucent onions, add your main ingredient and cook it in the potato water... I haven't decided on that yet. Artichoke hearts? Some of those frozen shrimp I have? Maybe there will be a bit of fresh salmon at the store. Anyway! Then add cream or half-and-half, and you've got primo chowder like i had in Maine, with no gluey roux.

Making this style of soup without butter or double cream is difficult. Fresh Rosemary doesn't sound like a great pairing with the Leeks. The posters above who call for mirepoix, Bay Leaves white pepper, and Thyme know where the flavour is. Some prefer Dill, which I'm not keen on, but it's traditional in Scandinavian, Eastern European, and Jewish cookery.

The soup below is light, but very rich in flavour. It's earthy and healthy, and highly recommend it. A friend's mum served it to me, and I've been a fan ever since. It was originally featured in the NYT's cookbook Nathan authored.

Thank you for that, R99.

Making a decent chowder is next on my list. I'm English so chowder is not a thing here.

I followed Ina's recipe for a chowder a few months ago it was SO high calorie, it was absurd.

What do you mean "add translucent onions"?

I've also added Swedes (Rutabaga) and turnips to Joan's soup, but too much can make it a bit bitter. Both times, I subbed for Cauliflower. It's delicious with butter, and cream at the end as well.

Thanks, R101! I cook the onions separately, a chowder has to have onions with the potatoes, although others cook them until translucent in the soup pan and then add the water, potatoes, and everything else. Sorry, I don't have an official recipe, this is what I slowly learned after a revelatory visit to Maine, where I tried the local haddock chowder and discovered that chowder didn't need to anything like the usual Elmer's glue with clam bits!

Anyway, now that I've gone vegetarian, I won't be making my simple lamb-white bean-rosemary soup any more. I pass it on to the rest of the Datalounge, although my old recipe is generally simpler than this one. Just some chunks of lamb (browning leftover meat is fine), beef or lamb stock, rosemary, and a can of white great northern beans. Carrots, onions, tomatoes are optional.

[quote]Cook the potatoes in just enough lightly salted water, add translucent onions, add your main ingredient and cook it in the potato water...

for how long?

I'm going to do a corn chowder first.

I agree chowder is better with potato as thickener, either smash some starchy ones in the chowder, or add potato starch seperately. East coast mavens often use instant porato flake if they don't have powder. Jacques Pépin is a huge advocate of potato starch, and arrowroot over flour. So much for La Méthode Française always being the superior choice.

For Chowders, I think the onions are best fried with the bacon or salt pork. This is how the Mainers and Massholes make it! The potatoes always cook with the clam broth and milk, never saw anyone cook them separately.

Soup is just wet food. It's fucking disgusting.

R106 I'm betting you're just a joy to have at table.

BPC Your Pea Soup sounds delicious... Great advice on the Kielbasa, Bronze Age Gay.

R101, I'd stop listening to me, and look for a proper recipe for Maine chowder made with cream. Click away from anything that suggests adding flour, chowders made with roux are always inferior to clowders made with potato starch.

[quote][R101], I'd stop listening to me, and look for a proper recipe for Maine chowder made with cream.

NO, I will not, I like the sound of YOUR recipe.

I add Better Than Buillion in addition to parmeggiano reggiano rinds and blanch leeks (as mentioned above). I also toast some quinoa before adding that too. Maybe some fennel tops.

r107 types Grafted To Her Couch Obese

The secret to most soups is SALT. Chicken soup tastes like dish water when it's under salted. It's a lot more salt than you think, so people who tend to think of themselves as very health conscious the way they cook usually make really shitty bland soups because they under salt it. Over time, they even think it's normal.

How much salt are we talking? Think in terms of about 1 full Tablespoon of Kosher salt per 6 cups of liquid. Add a little less if using salted things like standard chicken stock. Also, salt early throughout the cooking process. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE END. I cant say that any louder. Doing so at the end gives you bland food with a salty top coat. If you tasted while you cook, very little adjusting should be needed at the end.

Salt helps the vegetables keep their shape. But sometimes you don’t want them to keep their shape, like if you’re making potato soup and you want them to dissolve into the broth.

If you’re using prepared broth, it tends to already be highly salted. Look at the container. You might not want to add any more due to sodium content. Even “low sodium” broth can have a lot of salt.

I'm fantastic at making soups, just delicious soups over here at my house 24/7, no lie, if you think I sound egotistical you're right, I am the SOUP KING, but the one attempt I made at potato leek soup was a complete bust. Inedible. So terrible it was a war crime.

I would bet anything your chowder will be amazing, OP. Whatever you try, it'll turn out better than this potato leek soup did, I'm sure of it.

DL Fave Simply Sara makes a meat lentil and potato soup, OP

Since R113 can't stress it any more, I will jump in for him. SALT that soup! And salt it thoroughly at the beginning. The longer you wait, the less effective it is and you end up adding more. I use about a tablespoon of Kosher salt when I make leek and potato soup. Don't freak out about it -It's still less than you'd have in a store-bought or restaurant soup.

If you're making a broth-based soup you can usually cut back a bit (depending on the broth), but you should TASTE it along the way, and add salt as needed.

I can't claim to be an expert in how salt reacts chemically over time, but I know that leftovers that were perfectly seasoned the night before usually require additional salt/pepper when reheated. That's especially true with mashed potatoes!

Here is an easy chowder recipe: 1. Sweat one finally chopped onion and Three medium diced carrots in a half a stick of butter. I prefer the salted butter for all the reasons mentioned earlier. 2. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour an allowed to cook for one minute. 3. Add eight medium peeled and cubed russet potatoes, 4 cups of whole milk with to dissolve bouillon cubes in it. It is best to use some of the milk to dissolve the bouillon cubes before adding the other items in the step. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to taste. 4. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until the potatoes start to dissolve. Your soup will continue to thicken because of the potatoes. 5. Add four strips of bacon for flavor. Keep four other strips aside crumbled to top the soup later. 6. Add 1 cup of half-and-half at this point. 7. Next you need to decide what kind of chowder you’re making. You can add shrimp, corn, or clams. The shrimp and the clams should be partially cooked before you add them in steps five and six.

This recipe works every time and is easy.

Signed a former masshole and Mainer.

R112 Soup, especially the recipe I shared @ R100 doesn't make people fat. You suffer from very disordered thinking, and you still sound like both a putz, and a schmuck.

How do you remove starch from a potato? I want starch in my potato soup.

Chowder?

CHOWDAH!

You can soak them to remove some starch.

r123 Soaking also removes some potassium, a fact those on kidney dialysis use to their advantage.

Soups are so easy to make. You can almost do it mindlessly. Of course, always start out with a mire-poix and if you want a deeper base, brown your onion separately first in butter and oil and then add the carrot and celery.

From there on out, the sky’s the limit! Add whatever you want. Chop, chop, toss. It’s so easy. Add some garlic. Make sure to use quite a bit of salt. Soup too thin? Just keep cooking it. Add a pinch of cayenne to make it a more thrilling meal. Top it with some fresh. verdant herbs.

And it gets better by the second or third day of storage in your fridge.

Notice I’m not even describing a particular recipe. You can make so many different soups just by using this as a baseline. Make it complicated browning and then boiling a whole chicken (cut into parts) and then shredding it by hand and adding it back to the pot.

The world is your oyster, I’m telling you.

[bold]HUGE thanks [/bold]to the person who posted a very simple authentic way to make a Maine Chowder. I've been trying to make a decent chowder for years, without much success - long, draggy, high-calorie recipes.

Anyway, I tried your recipe and IT WORKED OUT GREAT. I over-seasoned it adding a stock cube to the potatoes which you had not suggested...otherwise, simple to make and perfect outcome. I did a corn version.

It's a nasty, rainy day here and I was in the mood for soup. I had taken some lentil soup out of the freezer, but I wanted something jazzed up.

Threw the frozen soup in a big pot, added a large can of tomatoes(squished), a big bunch of kale and two big handfuls of parsley from my deck, finely chopped. Some Trader Joe's Vegetable Broth too.

Diced a big potato and some cooked, hot Italian sausage from the freezer-in!. A can of chickpeas sounded good, so in it went. Coupla' bay leaves, onion powder, lots of black pepper and some cayenne.

30 minutes simmering and it was done. It needed salt and some 3 cheese Italian mix( Parmesan, Pecorino and Asiago) helped with that, as well as adding their own special flavors.

Ran( OK, walked) out for some Italian bread while the soup mellowed. What a terrific lunch, and I've got leftovers for 4 more meals. WhooHOO!

Can we please stop with this keto-person "bone broth" shit term? Just call it chicken stock or beef stock or meat stock or something. Not "bone broth".

I don't know why but I hate that term. I associate it with the "cauliflower rice" infants.

Late at it, but this OP sounds like a piece of work out of a different room than the kitchen. "Magic" cookery as if you can taste the love, meaning she can't follow a recipe. Hateful. And too stupid to know how to fix a lousy potato soup, which is the easiest soup in the world to correct unless you've placed squirrel roadkill and poison mushrooms in it to start. Which she sounds like she might be capable of doing.

Hints, bitch:

Water waters things down.

Salt is not a curative for anything except "needs salt."

People who can't cook shouldn't blame their mood unless they're stirring spiders into a cauldron.