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10 Ways to Make Soup Faster

1.

THINK AHEAD.

Working a bit ahead can save you headaches later.

For instance, if you’re going to chop some garlic for tonight’s soup and you know that you’ll be using more garlic later in the week, peel a whole head of garlic and throw it in a mini food processor.

Keep chopped garlic in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

FYI: One medium garlic clove yields 1 tsp of minced garlic.

2.

DO MORE THAN ONE THING AT A TIME.

Think like a chef and chop the vegetables while you heat the oil in the pot.

Sauté the onions while you are mincing the garlic.

While the soup simmers, grate the cheese you’ll use for the garnish and chop the fresh herbs.

Or better yet, make a batch of bread, muffins, or rolls from

chapter 3

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This is how chefs get a lot done in a short amount of time.

3.

LEARN HOW TO CHOP AN ONION.

You’ll do it over and over if you make soup frequently, so why not learn the most efficient way to chop an onion, if you haven’t already?

Take a knife skills class; it’s the gift that keeps giving!

4.

BUY PRECUT VEGETABLES.

Many grocery stores sell a variety of seeded, chopped, and prepped vegetables in their produce department.

These shortcuts can be great time savers.

(The only exception is prechopped onions, which become acrid and watery.) And hit the salad bar; you will often find chopped vegetables and precooked grains and beans, too.

Double time-saving bonus!

5.

PRECOOK BEANS AND FREEZE THEM.

Store drained precooked beans flat in zip-top plastic bags in 1