French chef Jacques Pepin demonstrated a quick and easy tip for making soup thicker on his TV show.
There’s a simple way to thicken soups(Image: Getty)
It’s undeniable: soup season is upon us. Whether you’re partial to a classic potato and leek, a creamy chicken noodle, or a hearty minestrone, there’s nothing quite like a large pot of soup simmering on the hob when it’s nippy outside.
Even if your soup doesn’t turn out as planned, it’s usually still scrumptious, or easy to fix with a few clever hacks.
If your soup ends up too thin, or you want to make it more substantial, French chef Jacques Pepin has shared a simple ingredient he likes to use – instant mashed potatoes.
The TV chef and expert in French cuisine suggested this technique in an episode of Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way.
At 89, Jacques Pépin is still a culinary sensation(Image: Getty)
In the episode, he demonstrated his recipe for a quick leek and potato soup by sautéing chopped leeks and mushrooms, simmering them in chicken stock, and then mixing in instant mashed potatoes, reports the Express.
When you think about it, instant mashed potatoes at their most basic are just dehydrated potatoes, so it’s similar to using powdered potato starch or cornflour in a soup, but without the worry of lumps.
While there are other methods you can use, such as adding a cornflour slurry or making a roux to thicken soups, these involve additional steps whereas the plain potato flakes thicken the soup with minimal effort or added flavour.
Winter is the season for warming soups(Image: Getty)
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.”
Near the end of the cooking process, just add a couple of tablespoons of instant mashed potato, stir well into the pot and let it bubble away for another five minutes.
Taste it, and if you fancy a thicker texture, pop in another tablespoon.
Obviously, some soups are better with thickening whilst others aren’t. For instance, you might want to bulk up your vegan vegetable noodle soup without adding any animal products.
On the flip side, loads of soups should definitely stay thin and brothy, like Vietnamese noodle soup and bone broth.
There’s a simple trick to make soup thicker(Image: Getty)
Dining and Cooking