Easy onion soup recipe | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between onion soup and French onion soup? ›

What is the Difference Between Onion Soup and French Onion Soup? French onion soup is always made with beef stock. Other onion soups can be made with chicken, vegetable, or beef stock. Additionally, French onion soup typically contains wine or sherry, which isn't typical or necessary in other onion soups.

My personal go-tos include worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, and brandy. Each deepens the flavor of french onion soup. Balsamic vinegar and soy sauce are other great options.

Baking soda speeds up browning (that Maillard reaction you may have heard about) and leads to softer onions by breaking down the cells faster. And heat? Well, naturally, food cooks faster at a higher temperature, and the addition of water here reduces the risk of burning and better distributes all the sugars.

Flour: a little all-purpose flour will help to thicken the soup. You can feel free to use gluten-free flour. Dry white wine: this helps to deglaze the pan and add a boost of flavor. Beef broth: I recommend a good quality beef broth or beef stock for the best flavor.

When you are sauteing onions to build flavor as a base for your dish (soup, tomato sauce, you name it), the yellow onion is your friend. That being said, white onions are a totally acceptable substitute for yellow, especially if you're cooking them.

For French onion soup, it is best to slice the onions into thin, even slices. This will allow them to cook evenly and caramelize properly. You can achieve this by cutting the onion in half, placing the flat side down, and slicing it widthwise into thin slices.

Fix a bland onion soup by using supermarket broth and mild white onions, tasteless oil for sauteeing, stale plain white bread instead of croutons, and mild white cheese. Start by reducing the broth. Simmering out some water will intensify the flavor of the broth. Once you get it to the right point, add some salt.

If the heat is too high, the onions will burn. If you don't stir often at beginning and almost constantly toward the end, the onions will burn. If one little bit burns the whole batch needs to be tossed. Otherwise the soup ends up tasting like burnt onion.

Onion soup, at its very essence, is nothing more than onions and water boiled together. Period, done, finished, everything added from that point on is pure opinion. Caramelizing the onions brings out sugars, and makes a more luxurious silky and sweet soup, adding flour gently thickens and provides body.

The sweetness of the onions is key to the flavor of the soup, as the onions are slowly cooked until they are caramelized and golden brown, which brings out their natural sweetness and deepens their flavor.

What is the best wine to use in French onion soup? ›

Wine is optional to deglaze the pan and add flavour to the soup. I recommend a dry white or red wine, such as a good quality Pinot Grigio/Gris, Sauv Blanc, Sémillon, Chardonnay, Merlot or Pinot Noir. Generally, if you can't drink it, don't cook with it.

But as the publication explains, lemon juice adds more than just tartness. For chicken soup in particular, lemon juice balances out the more rich and savory flavors, adding an overall brightness to the taste.

If you don't add enough salt, pepper, or other herbs and spices, the soup may taste bland. Weak broth: The quality and intensity of the beef broth used in the soup can greatly impact its flavor. If the broth is too weak or lacks depth, the soup may end up tasting bland.

If your soup has too much onion, one effective way to balance the flavor is by diluting it with broth or water. Start by removing a portion of the soup and setting it aside. In a separate pot, heat up some vegetable or chicken broth, or simply water, and gradually add it to the soup while tasting along the way.

Sometimes soup just needs to simmer longer to reach the perfect consistency. Check to see if the vegetables are tender, and then taste the broth. If the soup tastes a bit watery, give it more time.

Why Is It Called French Onion Soup? The classic French onion soup gets its name from its country of origin: France. After making its debut in the 18th century, it has become a national treasure. During ancient times (and still today), onions were cheap and easy to grow, and hence, readily available.

French onion soup is the savory, non-dairy cousin of cream of onion soup. It has beef broth, onion powder, butter, flour or other thickeners, and a few other seasonings like parsley and paprika.

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

First, it removed the French Onion Soup, a staple on the menu for over 20 years, to make room for seasonal menu items in June. Then, it was revealed the brand was heating up frozen dishes. In a change from their previous social media reactions to public outcry, the St.