Just a simple soup tip

[Stinky The Clown]

When making beef soup (beef barley, in my case, but it applies to any vegetable beef sort of soup) from canned stock, we usually use our favorite brand of canned beef stock (or the cheapest brand we can find).

I've been using a can of condensed consomme to fortify the flavor of the ordinary stock. I've done this a few times and it seems to be best to use one can of consomme for every two cans of stock. I also add a quarter can of water to cut the cloying nature of the fully condensed consomme down to a wonderfully unctuous taste and mouth.

For stew I go one step further and add an envelope of unflavored gelatine to the stew liquid as it is thickening. Being unflavored, it adds only one thing - a luxurious mouth feel.

[housewolf]

1. I'm a fan of consomme, too

and I love the idea of adding some gelatin to stew broth to thicken it.

Good tips! Thank you!

[kas125]

2. Wow, in all my years of cooking, I've never thought to add gelatin to stew, but

it makes so much sense. Thanks!

[grasswire]

3. I heard Alton say that.

And you know, this may explain the consistency of some good beef soups I've had. Gelatin. Interesting. Would it also work in chicken soup? Not beef stock, of course, but gelatin.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. It would have the same effect on chicken soup

You ever notice when you cool the pan juices from a roast chicken they are loaded with natural gelatin? That shows up in chicken soup from natural stock but lacks in a lot of commercial stocks.

[grasswire]

5. oh, sure

But homemade chicken broth that has inherent chicken gelatin doesn't have a real unctious mouth feel, in my experience. I might try it.

[Catherina]

6. Thanks for the gelatin tip. Have you tried Knorrs?

Your gelatin tip is excellent. I never thought of that.

Have you tried Knorrs? I swear by it.

I use their bouillon (http://www.knorr.com/Products/Bouillon.aspx) as a flavoring in a lot of things, and for quick stock if I don't have time to make my own.

For fancier dishes, I use their concentrated stock which is a little bit pricier but lasts forever, http://www.knorr.com/Products/Homestyle-Stock.aspx

Both are excellent products and don't take up a lot of room. I don't know what the prices are in the states now, but it they were actually cheaper than using canned or boxed.

[Irishonly]

7. Thank you

I would have never thought of it.

[pipoman]

8. I've never used gelatine

my mother used fine tapioca in her stew for a similar effect, I have done this. I have some tapioca flour I use for thickening specifically for gluten free diets. I'll try the gelatin sometime.

I use Minor's concentrated bases for most soups. With these bases you can set the strength where you want it. It is somewhat cheaper than canned stock, not paying for as much packaging or shipping of water. On some of the more upscale dinners I have used Custom Culinary demi-glace, it's expensive but contains the natural collagen (gelatin) found in homemade stocks.

[EFerrari]

9. ATK just showed a beef stew segment and they added gelatin to make

the sauce silky. Will have to try this for my advanced beef stew project.

ETA: they also threw in some anchovies & tomato paste to make the flavor more beefy -- before the wine, stock.)