Potato and Bacon Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you cook bacon before putting it in soup? ›

Prepare Soup Base:

Add the sliced bacon to a large pot and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until most of the fat has rendered. Note: The bacon does not need to be completely crispy.

Combine cornstarch and a little bit of water—or the chicken stock from the soup—in a small bowl. With the soup simmering over medium-low heat, whisk in the slurry. The soup should start to thicken almost immediately.

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.

Should I soak my potatoes before making soup? You don't have to soak them, but I do recommend doing so in cold water at least until you've finished cubing all the potatoes. This will keep them from turning brown and ugly.

The addition of water keeps the initial cooking temperature low and gentle, so the meat retains its moisture and stays tender as the fat renders. Plus, since the water helps render the fat, there will be significantly less splatter as your bacon finishes in the pan.

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? Most creamy soups require you to add dairy of some sort into it. If you're finding your soup is too thin adding milk, add in cream instead, or whole milk.

It was blended for too long. Potatoes are delicate in that they can be over mashed and over blended. This causes their starches to be released and turn into a gluey, gummy mess. Blend until just smooth, then stop.

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.

How do you keep potatoes from getting mushy in soup? Keeping the skins on your potatoes will help. Also key to remember is that when chopping the potatoes, the smaller they are the faster they will cook. So, don't be afraid to cut them a little on the larger side than you normally would.

Should I leave potato skin on for soup? ›

Can I leave the peel on for potato soup? Yes! You don't need to peel the potatoes for this potato soup recipe. The skin will help the potatoes keep their shape and prevent them from getting too mushy.

In general small or cubed potatoes will take about 10 to 15 minutes to boil, while larger, whole potatoes will take between 20 to 25 minutes. To check potatoes for doneness, insert a knife into one.

A: First let's talk about why cut potatoes need to be immersed in water to begin with. The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration. Immersing cut potatoes will also help rinse off excess starch.

If you are adding meat to a soup, sear or brown it in a sauté pan before you add it to the soup. This adds a deeper savory flavor to the whole soup. This trick is especially useful for things like chicken and sausage, which can sometimes get bland and rubbery while floating in a brothy soup.

Boiling bacon has a few advantages. Firstly, it helps to reduce the overall fat content of the bacon as some fat is rendered into the water. Secondly, boiling can result in a softer and more mellow flavor compared to frying.

Pork bacon without any other descriptors is raw or uncooked,and must be cooked before eating. Most bacon sold in the United States is "streaky" bacon, long narrow slices cut crosswise from the hog belly that contain veins of pink meat within white fat.