Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup - Simply Made Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best thickening agent for potato soup? ›

Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.

So what do you do if you've made the mistake of using starchy potatoes in your soup? One trick to make your potato soup a little less grainy is to add some form of dairy –- cream, milk, or even cheese. Because dairy is generally creamy in texture, that characteristic will carry over into your soup.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

It is important that the potatoes not be too finely chopped before cooking. If they are, too much starch will be released into the broth and a gummy texture will result. An unpleasant consistency can also result from the pureeing of the cooked 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.

There's no need to boil potatoes before adding them to soup. Just be sure to add them with enough time to cook without overcooking the other soup ingredients. For diced potatoes, this is typically 10 to 15 minutes.

To serve it up, sprinkle on a little extra parsley before adding some of the grated cheese… And—you'd better believe it—some of the crispy bacon. You can also add sliced green onions, a dollop of sour cream—anything you want! This soup will warm your ever-loving heart and soul.

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.

Method 1: Whisk in a slurry of cornstarch or flour

Add equal parts water or soup liquid to the flour or cornstarch and whisk until they're completely combined in a slurry. Once you've created the slurry, slowly whisk it into soup liquid and bring it back to a simmer.

Honestly, if you just stir in a little instant mash, like Smash, your soup will thicken up in no time at all. Now, you may end up needing more than a spoonful, but it's best to add a little at a time, because remember, you can always add more of it, but you can't take it away.

How do you thicken ham potato soup? ›

This potato soup relies on two ingredients for thickening: flour, which thickens up the liquid as it simmers, and russet potato, which has a lot of starch that also releases into the liquid to help thicken it up.

To replace 1 cup (237 mL) of heavy cream in your recipe, add 2 tablespoons (19 grams) of cornstarch to 1 cup (237 mL) of milk and stir, allowing the mixture to thicken. You can use whole milk or opt for skim milk to help slash the calories and fat content of your recipe.

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.

But when heat is introduced, the protein structure falls apart and the emulsion breaks—the fat globules come together into a greasy pool and the proteins congeal to form a stringy mess. But American cheese is specifically designed to be extremely meltable and nearly impossible to break.

It looks as though some of your potatoes might have got a bit scorched. Did you fry them off before adding the liquid? The colour from the browned potatoes could be what is turning it brown.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

cooking sauce or soup. Arrowroot starch thickens very quickly and it is unnecessary to bring the mixture to a boil for it to work. Cornstarch, on the other hand, requires heating the mix- ture to a boil to fully thicken the mixture and to avoid any “starchy” taste or texture in the fin- ished product.

Potato starch has a lower gelatinization temperature than cornstarch, meaning it can thicken liquids faster when exposed to heat. If not fully cooked, cornstarch tends to leave behind residual, well, starchiness, whereas potato starch gives sauces a glossier, silkier texture.

Cornstarch Slurry is a classic way to add thickness to your soup. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add this slurry once the soup begins to boil and stir in.