The Common Mistake To Avoid Soup That Is Too Salty

Proper seasoning, including salt, ensures that soup recipes turn out tasty and flavorful. However, too much salt is definitely a bad thing and can render your favorite soup a culinary catastrophe. In this case, exercise caution when boiling the soup, as the wrong approach can actually dial up the saltiness. As soup boils, the liquid component reduces, which shines a spotlight on the many flavorful ingredients and seasonings in the mix.

While this is ultimately a good thing, a heavy boil can also result in a soup tasting unpalatably salty as the liquid reduces. In this case, consider keeping a lid on the soup while it cooks. Doing so prevents the steam from escaping, which tempers how much of the liquid reduces. You can also simmer soup instead of boiling it, which entails maintaining a temperature between 180 degrees and 212 degrees Fahrenheit. These and other techniques help you avoid the common soup mistake of too much sodium.

When making soup, it's usually best to carefully add salt at the start and the end of the cooking process. If you want to make soup like a true professional, cooking vegetables prior to adding them to the soup is a key step. While cooking veggies, feel free to season them with salt to enhance their flavor. Once vegetables and other ingredients are added to the soup, refrain from incorporating extra salt until the soup is almost fully cooked. This ensures that the liquid has properly reduced, which means you can accurately judge just how much salt is needed to finish the dish.

You can also experiment with different herbs if your goal is to use less sodium in soup recipes. The right herbs will enhance the flavor of the soup without worrying about making the recipe too salty (which impacts not only the flavor of the finished soup but may also lead to health concerns). Herbs like dill, rosemary, and basil can nicely complement the savory ingredients in soup. And if you want a bit of a kick, add seasonings like paprika and cayenne.

In the event you've accidentally added too much salt to a homemade soup or are dissatisfied with how much sodium is in a store-bought brand, there are a few neat tricks you can employ to repair the dish. One easy salty soup hack involves adding a peeled potato to the mix and allowing it to cook for 20 minutes or so to soak up the salt. If you don't have potatoes on hand, no worries, as carrots also work in a pinch thanks to their high starch content.

Another method involves adding acidic ingredients to the soup to ensure a better balance of flavors. Vinegar and lemon juice are ideal for this purpose, particularly if you find that the soup is just a smidge too salty for your liking. Canned tomatoes are a better selection if you find the recipe to be particularly salty, as they can cut through the sodium in two beneficial ways. Along with infusing the soup with extra acidity, the water content of canned tomatoes can help dilute the liquid. With these smart tips, you'll never suffer from excess sodium in your soup again.