Soup questions, answered.

Stock is simmered from bones and runs richer and more gelatinous; broth is simmered from meat and vegetables and runs lighter and more seasoned. For most soups a good stock gives more body. Bone broth is simply stock simmered much longer, often with roasted bones.

Yes, for weeknight soups. Buy low-sodium so you control the salt, and pick one brand you trust. When a recipe leans entirely on the broth (French onion, pho, chicken noodle), homemade or a long-simmered bone broth is worth the time.

Usually under-salted, or missing acid. Salt in layers as you go, not just at the end. Then add a small splash of acid, lemon juice or vinegar, right before serving; it lifts everything. Browning the aromatics and meat first also builds the savory depth a pale pot is missing.

Four reliable ways: blend a cup of the soup and stir it back in; simmer uncovered to reduce; stir in a slurry of cornstarch and cold water; or make a roux of butter and flour at the start. For creamy soups, a starchy potato blended in thickens without dairy.

Take the pot off the boil before adding dairy; a hard boil splits cream and cheese. Temper it first by stirring a ladle of hot soup into the cream, then add it back. Full-fat cream is far more stable than milk or low-fat.

Do not just add water, it thins the flavour along with the salt. Add unsalted bulk instead: more low-sodium stock, a peeled raw potato simmered in for fifteen minutes and then removed, or extra vegetables. A splash of acid or a spoonful of cream also masks perceived saltiness. Next time, salt in layers so it never gets here.

Brothy, bean, and vegetable soups freeze excellently for up to three months. Cream-based soups and chowders can separate when thawed; freeze them before the dairy goes in, then finish with cream when you reheat. Pasta and rice go mushy frozen, so add them fresh at serving.

Three to four days in an airtight container. Cool it quickly, within two hours, before refrigerating. Reheat to a full simmer before serving. Soups with seafood are best eaten within two days.

Freeze in single or family portions so you only thaw what you need. Rigid containers or sturdy freezer bags laid flat both work; leave an inch of headspace because soup expands as it freezes. Label with the date. Wide-mouth jars are fine, but narrow-neck glass can crack.

Yes. Blend in a cooked potato or a cup of white beans for body, or use full-fat coconut milk for a dairy-free finish. Evaporated milk is more stable than cream and lighter. A blended cauliflower also turns a soup velvety with no dairy at all.

Most vegetable, bean, and lentil soups are vegetarian as written or with a vegetable stock swap. For brothy soups, a good vegetable stock plus a parmesan rind, miso, or soy sauce rebuilds the savory depth the meat would have given.

Yes, it is the best shortcut in this kitchen for any soup built on cooked shredded chicken: chicken noodle, tortilla, chicken and rice. Add the meat near the end, just to heat through, or it turns stringy. And keep the carcass: simmer it an hour with an onion and a carrot for a fast, real stock.