Celeriest Celery-Potato Soup Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What does celery do to soups? ›

Celery stalks often play a supporting (albeit crucial) role in comforting soups and holiday sides, but their sharp herbal flavor takes center stage in this cream of celery soup recipe. To coax the most flavor out of the veg, sauté the chopped celery with a potato and onion in plenty of butter until soft and tender.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

To thicken potato soup without creating lumps, you can use a roux made of equal parts butter and flour. Melt the butter in a separate pan, add the flour, and whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk the roux into the soup, and let it simmer until thickened.

Adding an acid like vinegar or lemon juice and incorporating fresh herbs can also help add flavor to a potato soup. While you may not need to implement all of these strategies, it's good to keep them in the back of your mind for when you realize your next pot of soup needs a flavor boost.

If you want more oomph, add fancy herbs like rosemary and a dash of lemon. No calories, but definitely tastes much better.

Simmer a sprig of rosemary in the broth for a few minutes, for example, then remove it once its evergreen flavor overshadows the celery. Fresh sage is equally emphatic, and it's a canonical companion to chicken's flavor. Increasing the size of your batch is a second option.

Russets or all-purpose baking potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture. In soups, they will soak up the liquid and lose their shape. This makes them the ideal choice for making creamy soups or thickening a runny soup. Try using Russet potatoes to create the perfect Loaded Potato Soup.

The most common way to boil potatoes is on the stove in a pot of water. However, if you want more flavorful potatoes, consider boiling them in broth or a mixture of broth and water.

The skins contain the best flavours and nutrients in potatoes. So I would suggest you leave skins on. If you don't like that idea, you can cook potatoes whole in the soup, then pick them out and rub the skins off. Cut up the potatoes, and put them back.

Not Adding Acid. If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

Does cream cheese thicken up potato soup? ›

Cream cheese can be a delicious and tangy thickener for mashed potatoes so it stands to reason that it can also be used to add body to your favorite silky potato soup recipes — right? The answer is yes. It only works well if you do it carefully, though.

Another option for thickening soup is by using dairy like sour cream or yogurt. Start with a small dollop and stir before checking the consistency and adding more. We recommend using plain yogurt so you don't alter the taste of the soup. You can also use cream if you prefer.

Once the potatoes are nice and soft, stir in the cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt, pepper and cooked bacon bits. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if needed.

Add Acid. There's a reason why "acid" made it into the title of Samin Nosrat's popular cookbook-turned-Netflix-series Salt Fat Acid Heat. It's an essential component to perk up the flavors in nearly any savory recipe. Try a squeeze of lemon or lime or a splash of vinegar to brighten a dull-tasting canned soup.

All you need to do is add more of the neutral liquid you started with--in this case, I'd use veg or chicken stock, but you could use water as well. Add maybe a cup at a time, stir well and give it a few minutes for the flavors to equalize, then taste.

Celery is a versatile and nutritious vegetable that can add depth and flavor to any soup. Whether you're aiming for a comforting chicken noodle soup or a hearty vegetable stew, properly cooked celery can take your soup to the next level.

As common as celery is, it truly is a flavor enhancer.

Celery in soup isn't especially about the texture of the floating slices - it adds subtle flavor. Saute it first. I love, love, love celery.

What flavor does celery add to soup? When cooked, celery has a subtle vegetal flavor. While you may not specifically taste the celery in most soup recipes, it does help round out the savory flavor.