There’s no doubt about it: It’s soup season. Whether you’re all about classic potato leek, creamy chicken noodle, or hearty minestrone, there’s nothing better than a big pot of soup simmering on the stove when it’s cold outside. However, even when a soup doesn’t turn out like you thought it would, it’s usually still delicious, or easy to fix with a couple of smart tricks.
If your soup comes out too thin, or you want to bulk it up into a more substantial meal, French chef Jacques Pepin has shared a simple ingredient he likes to use — instant mashed potatoes. The TV chef and expert of French cooking recommended the technique in an episode of Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way. In the episode, he showed his recipe for how to make a quick leek and potato soup by sauteing chopped leeks and mushrooms, simmering them in chicken stock, and then stirring in the instant mashed potatoes.
If you think about it, instant mashed potatoes at their simplest consist of just dehydrated potatoes, so it’s similar to using a powdered potato starch or cornstarch in a soup, but without the clumping worries.
While there are other things you can do, like add a cornstarch slurry or make a roux to thicken soups, those involve extra steps.
The plain potato flakes thicken the soup with little effort or added flavour.
Jacques explained: “I’m using an instant mashed potato here, and those are potato flakes that you put directly in there, and it gives you the thickening, the richness of it, and that’s what you want. It’s great.”
Adding thickeners to any soup or stew is almost always a matter of preference.
Near the end of your simmering time, simply add a couple of tablespoons of instant mashed potatoes, stir them into the pot well and let it simmer for an additional five minutes.
Taste it, and if you want it thicker, add another tablespoon. Obviously, there are soups you want to thicken and ones you don’t.
For instance, you may want to add some more thickness to your vegan vegetable noodle soup without adding animal by-products.
On the other hand, there are lots of soups that should definitely remain brothy, such as Vietnamese noodle soup and bone broth.
Dining and Cooking