How Do I Keep Soup From Curdling?

Keep your cream soups free of unappealing curds.

Few things are more frustrating to a cook than to labor over a pot of delicious homemade soup only to see appetite-killing curds rise to the top of the pot after adding the cream. When cream or milk curdles in your soup, it is essentially turning to cheese right before your eyes. The product will still be edible, but it will not have a smooth, appealing and rich consistency. Using the freshest whole-fat cream or milk possible decreases the likelihood of curdling. Waiting until the soup is served to add salt may also help.

Things You'll Need

• Saucepan
• Spoon

Instructions

1. Wait until just before serving time to add cream or milk. The longer a cream-based soup heats, the greater the chance the soup will curdle.

2. Warm the recommended amount of cream or milk in a separate pan. Heat it on medium heat until it is thoroughly warmed--do not bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat on the soup to a low simmer while the cream is warming.

3. Temper the warm cream with small amounts of soup. Add one spoonful of soup to the cream, stir, and continue adding soup until there are approximately equal amounts of cream and soup in the pan.

4. Pour the tempered cream into the soup pot, stir and serve.

References

• "Professional Cooking"; Wayne Gisslen; 2006