It is that time of year again, slowly getting chilly out which always makes me want a nice warm bowl of soup. I love to make soup in large batches and freeze it so it ready for quick winter meals. However, we all have those “oh no” moments in the kitchen. A friend sent me this picture of her latest day making soups for the winter. Needless to say she spent more time cleaning than she did cooking. These little mishaps can ruin a day of cooking and keep any novice cook far from entering the kitchen. Don’t let these things discourage you! Clean it up, share the story for a few laughs and keep on moving. After all, it is just soup and that is why we have paper towels. See below on how to avoid this from happening to you.
Today’s Kitchen Tip
Here is how to avoid making more soup on your cupboards than in your bowl. The science behind it is actually very simple but I am not the one for being to scientific, so I will keep it simple basically, when you heat gas it expands. So when you put hot liquid in a blender and trap the steam with a lid and turn on the blender – the hot air gets pulled into the liquid as it expands and then blows the top off. In order to be safe and avoid sending scaling hot soup all over your kitchen follow the recommendations below.
- Blend in small batches, only fill the blender with 1/3 maybe even less liquid
- Hold on Tight, with a dry dish towel cover the lid and hold the lid of the blender firmly in place
- Slow is better, start by turning the blender on the slowest speed possible
* If you are blending lots of soups look into purchasing a “stick” or an “immersion blender”. Then you can blend directly in the pot
Pick up your copy of The Pretty Plate for more simple techniques and recipes, and learn about the five elements to make your everyday meals magnificent.
