Best Soup, Stew, and Chowder Recipes

Soup is a savory liquid food that is made by combining ingredients, such as meat, vegetables and beans in stock or hot water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers (which probably came in the form of pouches made of animal skin) about 5,000 years ago, so soups presumably were little-known before that time.

Recipes Include:

Soup

Basic Brown Soup Stock

Chowder and Stews

Over the centuries, the terms gruel and potage have become separated from broth and stock (and their refinement, consomme). The language may have shifted over time, but the modern definitions of soup and stew were established in the 18th century: soups usually are more liquid; stews are thicker, containing more solid ingredients. Stews are cooked in covered containers for longer periods of time, at a gentle boil with less water and at a lower heat.

Traditionally, soups are classified into two broad groups: clear soups and thick soups. The established French classifications of clear soups are bouillon and consomme.

Thick soups are classified depending upon the type of thickening agent used: purees are vegetable soups thickened with starch; bisques are made from pureed shellfish thickened with cream; cream soups are thickened with bechamel sauce; and velout's are thickened with eggs, butter and cream. Other ingredients commonly used to thicken soups and broths include rice, flour, and grain.

A stew is a common dish made of vegetables and meat cooked in some sort of broth or sauce.

The line between stew and soup is often a thin one, but in general a stew's ingredients are cut in larger pieces, it is thicker, more likely to be eaten as the main course than as a starter dish and often contains cuts of meat that need longer cooking to become tender.

Stewing has a long tradition in cookery. Popular recipes for regional stews, such as gumbo, bouillabaisse, Brunswick stew, and burgoo became common during the 19th century and have increased in popularity during the 20th century.

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