Soups and Stocks

Manufactured soups occur in three forms (i) canned, either single strength ready to eat or concentrates, (ii) dry mix for reconstitution as reqnired with or without the need for cooking, and (iii) frozen. Each of these calls for a diflerent approach to flavoring so as to achieve quality and consistency in the end product. 

Dehydrated sonps may be either instant or require cooking. Instant soups are formulated using thickeners that perform at lower temperatures (e.g., pregelatinized 

In terms of flavorings, dry process flavorings (containing flavor enhancers and natural or synthetic top notes), dry vegetables, ground spices, and herbs as well as encapsulated or plated spices serve as the foundation of the flavor systems. Plated spice oils are not particularly stable and may be a problem in terms of oxidation or evaporative losses. The use of encapsulated essential oils offers greater stability, but they do not have very much intrinsic smell in the dry form and may be misjudged by the consumer in consequence. 

These products offer the finest quality to the consumer. Due to their price, they are generally made from fresh vegetables and premium ingredients. Many of the same types of flavorings are used in the formulation of these products as the canned or dry soups. The low processing temperatures and frozen storage conditions result in a high quality product. 

Stocks or bouillons are basically made in the same manner as the soups. The primary difference is that the stocks and bouillons are designed to be used as an ingredient of a further preparation while a soup is typically the final product. They may be sold as liquids, cubes, powders, or pastes. Most commonly these products are simpler in composition than soups and are designed to carry primarily a meaty character as opposed to a complete product (such as soup). Thus, there are no vegetables, noodles, rice, or other components in this product. Flavor development and overall system have been discussed previously in Chapter 9 and Chapter 11. 

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Vegetables should be cooked as lightly as possible, and the cooking water (which contains minerals and vitamins) used in soups and stocks. Salads and raw vegetables are particnlarly good sources of vitamins and minerals. Seeds are more nutritious if they are ground or milled. Dried frnits are good sources of some minerals. 

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