Skip to main content
Soup

To Clear Soups

A method to clarify soup by removing fat and forming a clear broth.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

To Clear Soups

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Remove all fat from the stock.

  2. Beat the egg white thoroughly with the cold stock.

Clarify and strain

  1. Gradually heat the mixture while stirring to prevent the egg from settling until it boils.

  2. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes until a scum rises.

  3. Add a little cold water to the soup.

  4. Strain carefully through a cloth and wire strainer.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Egg white
Traps fine particles as it cooks, forming a raft that clarifies the stock.
Stock
Forms the base of the soup, and is the liquid being clarified.

The step that matters

Gradually heat the mixture while stirring. Stirring keeps the egg white dispersed so it does not settle and stick to the bottom before it sets. Heating slowly lets the egg white coagulate into a raft that gathers impurities, which is what clears the stock.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

More clear soup recipes

Stock 33Beef 3 See all 53 →

You might also like

Indian Spiced Potato Soup with Tofu and SpinachIndian Spiced Potato Soup with Tofu and Spinach448 recipesClear Carrot and Bottle Gourd SoupClear Carrot and Bottle Gourd Soup65 recipesMock Bisque SoupMock Bisque Soup51 recipesCream of Asparagus SoupCream of Asparagus Soup42 recipes