The Unexpected Ingredient That Can Fix Burnt Soup In A Hurry

A homemade soup can be a wonderful meal, especially on a cold or rainy day. The time it takes to make it is worth the effort when that wonderful aroma starts wafting through the air as the soup simmers. It can be comforting and appetite-inducing, but if you forget to check on your soup periodically, you could be left disappointed if your soup scorches from being left on the stove too long.

Fixing a burned soup isn't always an easy task because once a soup is scorched, that flavor can spread in no time throughout the liquid and leave it tasting bitter. If you catch it early on, you may be able to quickly move the soup to another pot and simmer the scorched taste out, but if you don't rescue your soup in time, you have two options: toss it and start over, or you can use an unexpected ingredient to get the burned taste out of your homemade masterpiece.

If you like to make homemade soup, you should keep one vegetable on hand at all times — an English cucumber. If you find yourself in a bind and need to fix your soup fast, take a tip from chef Fabrizio Schenardi. According to People, Schenardi, the executive chef of Four Seasons Resort Orlando, says you can rescue your burned soup with cucumber. 

Start by pouring the soup into a new pot, but do not scrape the burned portions on the bottom. You want to leave those behind! Then, wrap the cucumber in cheesecloth and crush it with the back of a knife or a wooden spoon. After it has split open, drop the cucumber into the soup. Leave it there for around 15 minutes, then remove the cucumber. It will act like a sponge and suck up all of the burnt flavor! Once you have the cucumber out of your soup, you can adjust your seasonings to get your flavor back to where you want it.

The good news is that this trick works with soups, stews, and even sauces, just by following the same steps. Of course, if the soup has burned a lot, it may be best to just start a new batch — or call in some takeout. While burning soup, sauces, and stews is a common kitchen mishap, there are some simple steps you can take to avoid it, such as cooking your dish over low to medium heat, or even using a crockpot instead of a stove. The heat on crockpots can be regulated more easily. 

Whether you use a crockpot or a stove, you should stir the soup regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. If the soup or sauce is too thick or there isn't enough liquid, it can burn easily. That's why you should keep an eye on it and add more broth, water, or other liquid as needed to keep it from burning.