Help! My beef soup is bland.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I just don't make good soup. Yesterday, I started some some beef soup with soup bones. I made the broth with onion, celery, marjoram, and thyme, according to a recipe from my old trusty La Leche League cookbook. Dh added some carrots and diced tomatoes. What can I add to give it some more flavor?

[Remudamom]

I cheat and add beef broth.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

When I complained about a similar problem, my chef BIL suggested a little rice vinegar?!? I haven't tried it.

[Mom22ns]

Salt?

[melik]

I was suprised at how much salt I acctually had to add to homemade broth to make it tast like anything. Go slow but don't be scare of it. Canned/boxed broth has sooooooo much salt in it!

 

Meli

[Joshin]

Rice vinegar or a bit of red wine helps. Or, caramelize some onions and saute some mushrooms and add them in. Soy sauce can also help with beef soups and stews. Simmer with some rosemary, or add a pinch or two of salt.

[Dandelion]

I would add a bit of salt and pepper, and maybe some sautéed garlic.

[Momof3littles]

This is wacky, but on NPR I heard these two chefs from America's Test Kitchen talking about their best beef stew. I know you are talking soup, but they were going through the science of glutamates and other compounds and how they impact taste. For beef stew, they said they figured out that one of the secret weapons was anchovies. Apparently they help play up and emphasize the beefiness in beef stew. Not sure it would work with soup.

 

I definitely find we need a lot of salt in soup to keep it from tasting bland. We use pink sea salt, and usually I have to put a surprising amount of salt in to make it taste the way I want it to. We all have low blood pressure and aren't heavy salt users otherwise, so I am generous on the salt in soup.

[happypamama]

Salt. My homemade broth definitely needs more salt than I expect.

[Eagle]

Salt and a little olive oil.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Thanks so much. I forgot that I added apple cider vinegar to the broth when it was cooking. I knew it needed salt, but I didn't want to just taste salt and nothing else. I have onions in the soup (I had that in the broth and I added it to the soup later.) No mushrooms (2 kids won't eat it.) I plan to add spinach right before we serve it with a crusty whole-grain baguette.

[saraha]

I put bay leaves in my soups, even beef.

[Momof3littles]

I believe it (re the anchovies) because to me anchovies are not just salty. They have an earthy sort of flavor to them too (umami).

 

I agree. I know fish sauce can kind of pump up the umami too. They went through all of the science about glutamates and how they combine with something else I'm forgetting to really ramp up flavor.

[Barb_]

I like to keep Better Than Bouillon oraganic concentrated soup base on hand in the fridge. I add it a teaspoon at a time to beef up the flavor of soups, stews, and gravies. $8 for a small jar feels expensive until you realize exactly how much reconstituted stock it makes. Also, I find it at I-herb.com and vitacost for cheaper. Their gravy mixes are also wonderful.

[ScoutTN]

Adding bay leaf and whole peppercorns while it cooks can help. Strain them out before you eat.

 

A dash of soy sauce can boost the taste too, same as the anchovies or tomato paste.

Celery is yummy in beef soups and a dash of celery salt in lie of the same quantity of regular salt is good too.

[Lady Marmalade]

I like to add Oyster Sauce to homemade beef soup. It really ramps up that umami flavor!

[Amber in SJ]

Worcestershire sauce. It has anchovies in it.

 

Amber in SJ

[laundrycrisis]

Ita with amber. Worchestershire oh I cannot spell it ! But it has anchovies, Vinegar, pepper, tamarind and really helps. I also like dark beer in it. If you think worcester is too hot, try pickapeppa sauce instead.

[nmoira]

I believe it (re the anchovies) because to me anchovies are not just salty. They have an earthy sort of flavor to them too (umami).

 

 

Yup. We call it "funky," but mean it in a good way.

[Wabi Sabi]

I like to keep Better Than Bouillon oraganic concentrated soup baseon hand in the fridge. I add it a teaspoon at a time to beef up the flavor of soups, stews, and gravies. $8 for a small jar feels expensive until you realize exactly how much reconstituted stock it makes. Also, I find it at I-herb.com and vitacost for cheaper. Their gravy mixes are also wonderful.

 

 

I do the same thing- I generally try to keep both the chicken and the beef varieties on hand for when my soups seem a little lacking. FWIW, I've never seen it priced quite so high in the grocery store. It's normally more like $5-$6 per jar full price but I typically wait until it's on sale for $3-$4/jar and then buy several for the pantry.

[Barb_]

 

I do the same thing- I generally try to keep both the chicken and the beef varieties on hand for when my soups seem a little lacking. FWIW, I've never seen it priced quite so high in the grocery store. It's normally more like $5-$6 per jar full price but I typically wait until it's on sale for $3-$4/jar and then buy several for the pantry.

 

 

I rarely find the Organic version in the grocery unless I'm in Whole Foods or Sprouts and it's pretty expensive there. The regular is good too, but in a side to side comparison I like the looks and the taste of the organic better. Either is better than any of the alternatives though...many soup bases have MSG but these don't. The organic has no corn syrup or soy protein.

[Trilliums]

Bay leaves make a surprising difference.

[mellifera33]

 

I rarely find the Organic version in the grocery unless I'm in Whole Foods or Sprouts and it's pretty expensive there. The regular is good too, but in a side to side comparison I like the looks and the taste of the organic better. Either is better than any of the alternatives though...many soup bases have MSG but these don't. The organic has no corn syrup or soy protein.

 

 

Our Costco carries the organic version--the price recently went up, but I think it's around $5.00-$5.50 for the big jar.

[Barb_]

 

Our Costco carries the organic version--the price recently went up, but I think it's around $5.00-$5.50 for the big jar.

 

 

Lucky! I remember getting this at Costco at some point, but ours has only carried Knorr's soup base for the past few years.

[msjones]

America's Test Kitchen has a recipe that calls for soaking cubes of beef tips in 1 T soy sauce and 1t sugar. Then brown the beef really well. Also brown the onions. Also, I'd use low-sodium beef broth instead of water.

[Jann in TX]

Cumin

 

This is my secred weapon in beef soups/stews.

 

I also keep a jar of 'Better than Bullion' beef (and a chicken one too) in the fridge... it helps when I need something quick to balance out a dish.

[nmoira]

Cumin

 

This is my secred weapon in beef soups/stews.

 

OK, if we're pulling out the big guns... my "secret" ingredient in beef dishes is orange peel.

[besroma]

I like to keep Better Than Bouillon oraganic concentrated soup base on hand in the fridge. I add it a teaspoon at a time to beef up the flavor of soups, stews, and gravies. $8 for a small jar feels expensive until you realize exactly how much reconstituted stock it makes. Also, I find it at I-herb.com and vitacost for cheaper. Their gravy mixes are also wonderful.

 

I don't use it in all of my soups, but if I need to boost the flavor using a base, I will only use Better Than Bouillon. I keep chicken and beef flavors in the refrigerator, and always have a jar in the pantry because sometimes they sell out at the store.

 

I do not buy the organic, though. Mine costs less than $4 at Wal-Mart. I didn't know they made an organic version.

[OnTheBrink]

When I make beef stew, I add minced garlic, red wine and a splash of liquid smoke.

[TXMomof4]

I like to keep Better Than Bouillon oraganic concentrated soup base on hand in the fridge. I add it a teaspoon at a time to beef up the flavor of soups, stews, and gravies. $8 for a small jar feels expensive until you realize exactly how much reconstituted stock it makes. Also, I find it at I-herb.com and vitacost for cheaper. Their gravy mixes are also wonderful.

 

This is what I use. At Costco the big jar is $8. It makes soup so much better!

[nmoira]

I looked up the organic chicken Better Than Boullion on Amazon and one of the reviews said this:

 

The "Natural flavor" in this product contains processed free glutamic acid, the active ingredient in MSG. This and dozens of other terms are allowed to be listed as a cover for MSG. Manufacturers know we don't want this in our food so they call it something else, something we don't recognize. In addition, "Maltodextrin" is a synthetically created super-sugar and is very bad for your health. If you care about your health or just want to avoid MSG, don't buy this product!

 

I haven't been able to find an msg free boullion. If you google the alternative names for msg you will find most of these savory products have one of them.

Make your own:

 

River Cottage Preserves Bouillon

 

It's veggie, not beef, but add a mashed anchovy (ETA: when you're adding the bouillon, not when making it), and you're good to go. FWIW, my "cool, dark place" is the freezer.

 

(prepared weights)

 

9 oz. leek

7 oz. fennel

7 oz. carrot

9 oz. celery root

2 oz. sun-dried tomatoes

2 or 3 garlic cloves

3½ oz. parsley

3½ oz. cilantro

¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. salt

 

Steps

• The helping hand of a food processor is essential in this recipe. Simply put all the ingredients into the processor and blend together. The result will be a moist, granular paste. Spoon into sterilized jars and seal with vinegar-proof canning lids.
   
  
• Keep one jar of the mix in the fridge, within easy reach for everyday cooking. The rest can be stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. Use within six months.
   
  
• To use souper mix, just stir about 1 teaspoon of it into 1 cup of hot water.
  

Here's a picture from another site:

 

 

http://www.101cookbo...lon-recipe.html

[besroma]

Most products with MSG make me sick to my stomach.

 

Better Than Bouillon does not bother me.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll be printing these off. Can't do anchovies or fish sauce due to some allergies here. I did the bay leaf. We had a case of too many cooks spoil the broth. My better half salted the soup. I didn't know and I salted it without retasting it. It ended up too salty. Ah well, it was almost gone and I know what to do next time.

[Barb_]

I looked up the organic chicken Better Than Boullion on Amazon and one of the reviews said this:

 

The "Natural flavor" in this product contains processed free glutamic acid, the active ingredient in MSG. This and dozens of other terms are allowed to be listed as a cover for MSG. Manufacturers know we don't want this in our food so they call it something else, something we don't recognize. In addition, "Maltodextrin" is a synthetically created super-sugar and is very bad for your health. If you care about your health or just want to avoid MSG, don't buy this product!

 

I haven't been able to find an msg free boullion. If you google the alternative names for msg you will find most of these savory products have one of them.

 

Glutamic acid is an amino acid and a building block of protein. It naturally occurs in many meats, fruits and vegatables, although primarily as bound to proteins, but free glutamic acid also occurs naturally, albeit in smaller amounts. Glutamic acid is believed to be the source of umami flavor. So free glutamates in and of themselves aren't harmful. Now when you see free glutamates listed on a label, you know those are added as a result of processing, and are not naturally occuring free glutamates, and it's the chemicals (acids and lyes) used to separate the amino acids from their proteins that are unnatural and harmful. They are in miniscule amounts, so a tiny bit here and there won't kill you but they are obviously best avoided on a regular basis. MSG is formed when these free glutamates bind with sodium. It could be that when MSG is listed as an ingredient, it's a tipoff that the food product is usually highly processed and low in nutrition. Maybe that's why people react to foods containing MSG. It could be the amount of the sodium or the tons of other chemicals used to break the components of the foods apart and put them back together again.

 

For example, here are the top ingredients for Knorr's soup base:

 

Salt, Beef Fat, Monosodium Glutamate, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Chicken Fat, Hydrolyzed Protein (Soy, Corn), Water

 

No wonder someone would feel badly after eating that!

 

According to the Better than Bouillon site:

 

 

What are the “Natural Flavors†listed in the ingredient statement?

It depends on the flavor, but Better than Bouillon primarily uses vegetable concentrates or spice oleoresins (spice extract in oil).

 

 

Anyway, I don't work for the company, LOL, but I've heard this claimed before and it isn't entirely accurate. Hydrolyzed proteins do not exactly equal MSG. They are related in the same way hydrolyzed proteins are related to naturally occuring amino acids. It isn't the glutamate that is a problem but the nasty chemicals they use to break the glutamate bonds and then pre-digest them before adding them to foods and the salts present in large quantities due to the sodium in monosodium glutamate. Not exactly something you want to eat in large quantities, and certainly not something you want to eat if it's one of the main ingredients, even before, say, something resembling food. Still relatively small amounts of hydrolyzed proteins in an otherwise healthy food isn't worth tossing the food away completely.

[Liz CA]

I just don't make good soup. Yesterday, I started some some beef soup with soup bones. I made the broth with onion, celery, marjoram, and thyme, according to a recipe from my old trusty La Leche League cookbook. Dh added some carrots and diced tomatoes. What can I add to give it some more flavor?

 

 

You need more salt. I never realized how much salt was in soups. You can also add turmeric and ginger if you like those flavors. If you add garlic, the coexistence of ginger and garlic will boost the immune strengthening quality of your soup.

For salt, I use Celtic Sea Salt because it has a ton of minerals in it and is not chlorinated or bleached in any way. It looks greyish but tastes very good.

[Amy in NH]

I didn't read the other replies, but here's what else I would include:

garlic

salt

pepper

bay leaf

a couple of splashes of red wine

 

maybe some worcestershire sauce or a couple of drops of hot sauce