Nothing warms you up on a chilly day like a hearty soup or stew. Looking for recipes? We’ve gotplentyof‘em. But, as you cook, you may find yourself wondering: What exactly is the difference between soup and stew?
Soup and steware very similar dishes. There’s a lot of crossover — some soups can definitely be considered stews and vice versa. However, there are a few distinctions:
1. Soup Uses More Liquid
In soup, the liquid is the primary ingredient. Soup can be completely liquified or it can consist of other elements (like meat and vegetables) that are fully submerged in water, stock, or broth.
Stew, meanwhile, is typically "chunkier." It contains just enough liquid to cover the main ingredients.
2. Stew Is a More Narrowly Defined Category
As recipe category, soup is much broader than stew. Soups are technically any combination of ingredients cooked and consumed in liquid. They can be thick or thin, chunky or smooth, and hot or cold. Some soups take hours, while you can whip up others in 30 minutes or less and may not require cooking at all (likegazpacho).
Stew is almost always served warm, is hearty and thick, and usually takes some time to prepare.
3. The Cooking Methods Can Vary Slightly.
Stew can refer to any dish that is prepared by stewing — a method by which something that is barely covered in liquid is simmered slowly in a covered pot.
Soup can be prepared in a variety of ways, but it’s often made by bringing ingredients to a boil and then simmering to deepen the flavors.
Soup is one of the oldest prepared foods we still consume today. In fact, it’s likely as old as cooking itself. Evidence of soup's existence can be found as far back as about 20,000 B.C., according toCampbell’s.
In French cuisine, soups are separated into two categories: clear (bouillon and consommé) and thick (purees and bisques).
Again, this is a very broad category that includes both thin miso soup and chunky minestrone — thus, it’s difficult to pin down an exact quality that makes soup, well,soup.
Like soups, stews have been made since ancient times. Stew can consist of any combination of solid food ingredients (vegetables or meats) cooked in liquid, such as stock. Common ingredients are: beef, chicken, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, beans, and peppers. The liquid in stew is oftenthickenedthrough reduction or with flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot to create a heartier, gravy-like base.
Amount of liquid: Soup typically contains more liquid than stew, as it has a higher ratio of liquid to other ingredients, such as meat, vegetables or legumes. Stew usually has just enough liquid to cover the ingredients and has less liquid than soup. Technique: Soup is made by simmering ingredients in liquid uncovered.
In soup, the liquid is the primary ingredient. Soup can be completely liquified or it can consist of other elements (like meat and vegetables) that are fully submerged in water, stock, or broth. Stew, meanwhile, is typically "chunkier." It contains just enough liquid to cover the main ingredients.
A stew is a combination of larger-cut ingredients like vegetables, meat, or fish that are just barely covered with cooking liquid, and simmered over low heat for a lengthier period of time. While a stew cooks, the liquid reduces significantly, making it much thicker than your average soup.
Thickness. Like we've already covered, stew tends to be thicker than soup. While soup is normally made with mostly liquids and some solid foods, stew is essentially the reverse – more solids and less liquid.
A potage is a category of thick soups, stews, or porridges, in some of which meat and vegetables are boiled together with water until they form a thick mush. Bisques are heavy cream soups traditionally prepared with shellfish, but can be made with any type of seafood or other base ingredients.
Though many people think of chili as its own category, it is technically just a type of stew, with origins in Tex-Mex cuisine. Chili isn't a soup mostly because it usually is more solid than it is liquid, with most chili recipes containing majority meat and/or vegetables that are simmered in a tomato sauce.
While most cereals are cold and most soups are hot, exceptions like gazpacho (eaten cold) and oatmeal (eaten hot) prove cereal is just a synonym for soup (we're currently debating adding some soups to our “Which Cereal Are You” quiz).
Gumbo is a hearty stew made from combinations of seafood, meat (such as andouille, chicken and ham) or vegetables that's served hot over cooked rice. Gumbo can be thickened with okra, file, or a roux, a French and Creole method of cooking equal parts flour and fat.
Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.
Leftovers like curries and stews can either be turned into a soup with the addition of tomatoes and stock for a chunky soup, or blended and mixed with coconut or regular milk to turn it into a smooth soup. Almost any vegetable – cooked or raw – can be turned into a soup.
While many slow cooker recipes can be made on high for 3-4 hours, I highly recommend cooking this beef stew on low for the full 7-8 hours. This will ensure that the beef gets nice and tender. Thicken your stew properly.
The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.
Clam chowder is a chunky, hearty, and creamy soup made with fresh clams, heavy cream or milk, and vegetables. Oftentimes, chowder is a thick soup served in a cup, bowl, mug or bread bowl with oyster crackers. Oyster crackers are hexagonal or tiny round salted crackers.
A soup could become a stew if cooked long enough that most of the liquid boils off or is absorbed by the ingredients. Or you could add more liquid to a stew to make it soupier.
Broth is a thin soup made of the water in which flavor-enhancing ingredients like meat, vegetables, and herbs and spices have been simmered. The liquid is strained after cooking to remove the flavoring ingredients. The broth can be served on its own or used as the base for a heartier soup or stew.
Chuck. Chuck is one of the leaner types of beef, making it perfect for stews because it melts into delicious pieces as it cooks. A chuck roast has a large amount of connective tissue, which allows it to retain its moisture during the cooking process.
Gumbo is a hearty stew made from combinations of seafood, meat (such as andouille, chicken and ham) or vegetables that's served hot over cooked rice. Gumbo can be thickened with okra, file, or a roux, a French and Creole method of cooking equal parts flour and fat.
Simply put, ramen is a Japanese noodle soup, with a combination of a rich flavoured broth, one of a variety of types of noodle and a selection of meats or vegetables, often topped with a boiled egg.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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