Knack Soup Classics: Chowders, Gumbos, Bisques, Broths, Stocks, And Other Delicous Soups

by Linda Johnson Larsen, Debi Harbin (Photographer)

Soup : the word conjures up images of comfort and home. It is a universal food, loved by cultures around the world. But how many people today regularly enjoy a true homemade soup? Knack Soup Classics is for those who'd like to join the fortunate few. Featuring 350 full-color photos, and 100 classic recipes plus 250 variations that introduce ethnic flavors and trendy new tastes, it combines instruction and recipes in easy-to-read spreads that help readers easily build their skills with each recipe.

Genres: Cooking

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offers a lot of helpful hints when making soup and a good selection of recipes.
I like that the author explains the difference between a stock and a broth which many books do not.

While I understand that recipes are variable and people change them to their liking - perfectly fine - there are a few errors. Cioppino is from San Francisco, not from Italy. Cooking times and amounts on some recipes are not correct, especially in bean soups it is vital to precook the beans before adding the rest of the ingredients or they will stay hard.
The key to a finished stock is that the gelatinous covering on the bones has dissolved in the soup which is a better gauge than when it tastes right.

I find that the variations on gumbos, lentil soups, tomato soups and a few others could have been described as variations of the master recipe rather than 6 gumbo recipes over 12 pages, etc.
A few other variations on recipes appear incorrect rather then just a variation.

All and all it is a pretty good book with many great recipes and lots of helpful hints.

[Sue Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! Try the Chicken Gumbo soup and the Beef Barley soup .... both great. Also the mushroom wild rice chowder is really tasty (even if the cheese didn't melt properly!). So far all I've made have been keepers! (And ones I'll remake)

[Nohreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the recipes in this book, especially the gumbos and the bisque. The butternut squash bisque was amazing and will definitely be joining our favorite recipes.