CLEAR chicken soup

stem

Mon, Dec 24 2007, 10:52 pm

I would really love to know how to make clear chicken soup. My soups are always full of falling-apart veggies (zucchini, sweet potato, onions etc.) and spices, which taste awesome, but doesn't look so great. Any tips on how to get my soup to stay a clear, golden color with some veggies floating around without disintegrating? I do not use any soup mixes, only real veggies and chicken pieces.

yedidya's mom

Mon, Dec 24 2007, 10:58 pm

If you want really clear soup the best way to do it is to strain it through a cheese cloth. I've never done it myself but I heard it really works

Love My Babes

Mon, Dec 24 2007, 11:05 pm

u should not overcook it. the longer it cooks, the more falling apart your veggies will be.

MiracleMama

Mon, Dec 24 2007, 11:09 pm

You can strain your soup through cheese cloth or get a bag to hold everything from the start. I have had good success using a large stock pot that comes with a pasta insert. When I lift it out, nothing but nice clear broth is left behind.

su7kids

Mon, Dec 24 2007, 11:24 pm

Leave your vegetables whole.

Its not as much fun, but it doesn't disintegrate as much.

pappymom

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 4:42 am

I put everything in those wrap n boil bags, including the chicken and all the veggies. comes out perfectly clear, never had to strain it

suomynona

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 4:43 am

pappymom wrote:

I put everything in those wrap n boil bags, including the chicken and all the veggies. comes out perfectly clear, never had to strain it

I've thought of doing that. Can you get them in Israel? Does it affect how much taste gets into the soup? Do the bags hold a lot?

sarahd

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 4:51 am

Put any vegetables you don't plan to serve in a net bag. When I make my soup from carcass, I put that in the bag as well. The only thing I leave in the soup are the carrots and zucchini - and I put the zucchini in about half an hour before the soup is done, so it doesn't fall apart. Also, don't let your soup boil too hard.

sarahd

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 4:53 am

I see others responded while I was writing my post and doing other stuff.

su, the taste comes through beautifully. The bag is net, not cloth. It holds a relatively large amount. They're available here so I can't imagine that they can't be gotten in Israel. We usually get things after everyone else has 'em already.

happymom

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 7:34 am

first put the chicken in, then bboil the water, then clean off all the fat with a spoun that comes to the top... then put in all the veggies whole and dont cook it all day, cook it like four hours or something

shoy18

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 10:12 am

I always strain my soup, with a flour siflter, its a pain but it works great. Then I put whatever veggies and chicken I want back into the soup

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 10:23 am

I cook the chicken in the water at night. Put in fridge, and skim the next day. Bring back to boil, add in veggies not too cut up (chunky, onions either whole or at most in 1/4s), simmer, add in spices last. Matzo balls tend to disintegrate if cooked in there.
Because my veggies are not overcooked, and because they are in bigger chunks it takes longer to overcook (carrots for instance would be in 1/3s), nothing really falls apart.

Bzgirl

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 10:34 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

I do the same; works great ( I think it would be a pain to sift my soup every week)

happymom

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 11:55 am

its much easier to just clean the top of the soup with a spoon after the chicken boils, then to use a filter, I dont get it Confused

my soupd is always clear and I dont need to fitler it..

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 12:08 pm

happymom wrote:

its much easier to just clean the top of the soup with a spoon after the chicken boils, then to use a filter, I dont get it Confused

my soupd is always clear and I dont need to fitler it..

When it's cold, a fork or slotted spoon is even better than a regular spoon in my experience Smile

Mommish

Tue, Dec 25 2007, 7:57 pm

Another tip is to cook is SLOWLY over a low simmer. Sometimes I add fresh chopped veggies after I strain the soup. It comes out really nice.