Pub/hotel soup

spent years trying to make soup to match the taste of the pub/hotel offerings already mentioned here.

Always turned out bland and tasteless.

Watched Marco Pierre White make soup and he added about 4 knorr stock pots. I know he's paid

So I started adding 2 stockpots instead of 1

Completely transformed the soup. From tasteless, to (imo) restaurant quality.

I'm sure the salt content is through the roof. It may ultimately kill me, but the soup tastes amazing.

I only add a couple of pinches of salt to the onions at the start. No other salt added at all, just the 2 stock pots.

whatawaster wrote: »

I only add a couple of pinches of salt to the onions at the start. No other salt added at all, just the 2 stock pots.

Reminds me of my Dad (a salt fiend).

Me: Wooah, this is salty!!
Dad: I didn't put any salt in it.
Me: Well, how is it so salty?
Dad: Well, I'm telling you that I didn't put any salt in it!
Me: How many stock cubes??
Dad: 4.

He drove me feckin bonkers but I miss my dad!

Yyhhuuu wrote: »

I was given out to by boards moderators for mentioning the very high salt content in bought soup too many times according to them, when I didnt mention it that much at all.
I'm glad the high salt content is being discussed here again. Homemade soup is so much better and so cheap.I use a Knorr stock cube but I'm not so sure that's so healthy either and think I got a headache from it due to MSG. Hope everyone enjoys their soup

If you look back on your posts you will find you mention how bad salt is and how unhealthy food people are posting about is a lot. I don't post on the food forum to be judged or told how to eat the way some other people do. I will eat what I want when I want and be very comfortable in doing so.

Worked in hotel kitchens as a chef for years. A lot of the soup came from the mash, carrots and brocoli that woulda been left over from weddings or a service. Our soup used to fly out the door and with a crispy white roll was great. I worked with a polish lady that made the best brown bread, like insane. Treacle and bits of crushed up pecans she used to add. Savage stuff I'm not a fan of nuts at all.

Our veg was cooked fresh everyday but whatever we had from the day before that wasn't used, soup for the day after.

With mash, in a hotel setting because its made on a greater output that'll have to last you half the day (would make more throughout the evening) plenty of butter and seasoning used.

A buttery mash with right amount of seasoning i could live on, the potatoe is the food of gods, like eggs, so versatile.

All our veg was steamed rather than boiled so that helped keep the veg flavour rather than loosing it while boiling as you loose a lot of the flavour when pouring the water out of the pan. A lot of flavour and nutrients in that water.

A good tip, next time your doing a Sunday roast or something, keep that water from veg aside for the gravy, a lot of flavour there.

If your making mash, throw in 1 or 2 cloves of garlic into the pot while boiling the spuds, get a nice garlicy mash then thats not to strong and keep it for mashing with the spuds, dont pick it out.

When adding butter to mash, break down the mash with a masher, then when somewhat smooth, use a whisk to add the butter taking the pan off and on the heat until its smashing. Salt and heavy pepper.

Went on a mash rant there but I love the stuff.

Edit: just to add also, oven roast the garlic in salt wrapped in tin foil then add the mash. Savage

Yyhhuuu wrote: »

I'm glad the high salt content is being discussed here again. Homemade soup is so much better and so cheap.I use a Knorr stock cube but I'm not so sure that's so healthy either and think I got a headache from it due to MSG.

What stock cube was this? I just checked the standard Knorr ones and none have any added MSG as I suspected, and all have salt as the main ingredient.

Do you think the headaches are from the salt? or naturally occurring MSG? do you get it eating foods high in natural glutamate?

I have my go too soup recipe and now is the start of the season for it.

Homemade stock from chicken bones left over from sunday roast.

Bring stock to temp and add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, fresh parsley and two red chilies (seeds included) - all finely chopped. - simmer for 20 mins. Dice up three to four chicken breasts (or ideally left over roast chicken) .. simmer for another 20mins removing any fat that may creep to the top.

To this i usually add either some cooked rice, small potatoes or egg noodles - depending on that people want !

Then it is each to their own with regards to adding either a little soy, lea and perrins, Tabasco ... or what ever takes their fancy.

The kids love it !

Looks great - What recipe did you go with?