Do you simmer your chicken soup covered or uncovered?

amother

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 8:45 pm

What should I do after everything comes to a boil and I keep it at a simmer? Covered/uncovered/ajar? Thank you!

hodeez

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 8:45 pm

Covered

ra_mom

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 8:47 pm

Cover just slightly ajar.

amother

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 8:49 pm

Thanks everyone.

What do I do when the chicken and vegetables start poking out above the water? Should I add more water to make them all submerged?

trixx

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 8:55 pm

Is your water cooking out? Lower the flame, adding new water dilutes the flavor

amother

Blonde

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 8:57 pm

I use a stock pot that has a small hole in the cover so it doesn't boil over. I simmer my soup for quite a few hrs and never had it go down that much. You might have the flame too high. Simmer means a few small bubbles coming to the surface slowly.

iyar

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 9:09 pm

Uncovered
Slow simmer

amother

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 9:10 pm

Thank you so much!! I definitely had the heat too high. In case you can’t tell: new kallah here Smile

PinkFridge

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 10:03 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thanks everyone.

What do I do when the chicken and vegetables start poking out above the water? Should I add more water to make them all submerged?

If they're floating, push them down. If the water's getting low, maybe it's done? Or it was too high too long and maybe takeh adding a little water's in order.
Mazel tov!

tothepoint

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 10:08 pm

I keep it covered.

momof2+?

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 10:35 pm

If your soup boils out you could add water. If the flame was too high and it boiled out quickly you will have to continue to simmer to flavour the soup. If you are left with a very low, but very flavoured soup (concentrated), then adding water will not make the soup too bland.

(Can you tell I have experience with boiling out soup?)

I like to let my soup cook the whole friday to get a nice yellow colour and delicious flavour. I usually have to add water to my soup sometime during the day so it doesn't completely cook out.

rowo

Thu, Feb 11 2021, 10:39 pm

I find keeping it at a gentle simmer works best,
rapid boiling can make it cloudy.

zaq

Fri, Feb 12 2021, 10:54 am

Always cook covered unless there's a good reason not to. Cooking without a cover wastes energy as the heat escapes through the open top of the vessel. As long as you don't overfill the pot, you don't need to worry about boilovers.

Reasons to cook uncovered: a. For crisp results when frying. Covering will trap moisture and the food will steam rather than fry. b. To concentrate and thicken sauces and gravies by allowing excess water to evaporate. This is also called "reducing". It's a very energy-inefficient means of thickening, but it concentrates the flavor, adds no empty calories, and doesn't make the sauce gel the way starch does.

amother

Emerald

Fri, Feb 12 2021, 11:07 am

I cook mine covered on a very low flame for around 5-6 hours or overnight. The longer you cook the soup the better and more flavorful the soup will be

PeanutMama

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 10:47 am

Sorry to bump this up.

I usually make my soup in a big 8 quart pot
After 5-6 hours of cooking (like from 5 to 10:30-11pm) on the lowest flame I noticed that the soup is bubbling at the edges.
Not a simmer like slow bubbles.
Idk how I can save it. I turned it off for the night and left it out to cool but then realized the stove has a pilot light so by the time I woke up to cook it for another 4-5 hours on low the pot was all warm and I’m scared the soup is ruined.
Can I stop cooking a soup half way through and keep cooking the next day? (Hubby gets nervous when the stove is on overnight)
But more concerned about the bubbling in the soup at the lowest flame. Almost like a boil.

ra_mom

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 10:49 am

If it bubbled instead of simmered, that just means it finished cooking quicker.

amother

Scarlet

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 10:49 am

trixx wrote:

Is your water cooking out? Lower the flame, adding new water dilutes the flavor

I find that if the chicken is no longer fully submerged, adding more water just to cover will enhance the flavor rather than dilute. (Otherwise the chicken that isn't submerged will no longer be adding flavor.)

amother

Hotpink

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 10:50 am

Hashem_n_Farfel wrote:

Why are you cooking it so long?
Please do not leave it off and not refrigerated. You do not want it to spoil or for you and your family to get sick.

PeanutMama

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:04 am

ra_mom wrote:

If it bubbled instead of simmered, that just means it finished cooking quicker.

Alright. Good to know!! Thanks.

PeanutMama

Fri, Jun 04 2021, 11:18 am

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

Why are you cooking it so long?
Please do not leave it off and not refrigerated. You do not want it to spoil or for you and your family to get sick.

Oy.

Okay. I didn’t know. I’m still trying to get the hang of cooking chicken soup that’s all I was just asking we all make mistakes especially in the kitchen I’m still learning been married almost 3 years and can’t even cook a pot of chicken soup Sad

it sucks it’s like this and I wish I got Jewish cooking classes back in the day or at least watched somebody cook heimish food (I only watched my mother and learnt from her) but I got married only knowing my mother’s recipes and scrambled eggs... I’m still learning Sad

it’s gonna take a while for the food to become perfect and I thought it was safe to ask here so I asked hoping to get some advice and tips. The soup is now in containers freezing in the freezer we are going out for a meal tonight.

We’ve been invited out for Friday night too many times and when we’re home sometimes the soup comes out good sometimes it needs a little more salt but Bh we never got sick. Hubby says it’s perfect every time but I am always looking to improve.

My husband told me not to put a hot pot in the fridge right away...I have to let it cool down and then I can put it in the fridge.
I moved the pot to the front where it’s not so warm to cool down but then I fell asleep and then woke up this AM to see that hubby moved it back to the back burner (probably so my son won’t get to it). Idk why he didn’t put it in the fridge but I’m being dan lkaf zechus. Maybe he was in a rush who knows.... but I got my answer already.

I was told by many people in real life and saw instructions here to cook on low for a few hours. So that’s what I been trying to do...