Soups

In this lab, I made potato and corn chowder. This involved cutting up and measuring ingredients, cooking, and seasoning.

Safety and Sanitation

It was important to follow standard procedures, such as washing hands and wearing hairnets. In addition, we had to make sure that our pots were hot enough to cook food properly, to avoid food poisoning.

Tools and Equipment

I used a pot, a stirring spoon, an induction burner, some metal cups for ingredients, and some spoons for sampling the soup. I also used a cutting board and a chef's knife for preparing some garlic. The broccoli soup also used a large blender.

Ingredients

The ingredients in this lab consisted of 3 tbsp of oil, a mirepoix, 3 diced slices of bacon, 3 cloves of minced cooked garlic, roughly 450g of diced potatoes, a couple stems of thyme, 3 tbsp of flour, 1L (1 container) of chicken stock, 250ml of cream, 1 cup of cheese, some parsley, and some salt and pepper for seasoning. The mirepoix consisted of 1 cup diced onion, ½ cup of diced celery, ½ cup of diced carrots, and 1 cup of corn.

Procedure

First, my station was set up with all the ingredients together, an induction burner, a stirring spoon, and a cutting board with a knife. First, I made sure to pour out the potato water (on the second attempt). Next, I put the pot on the burner and preheated it. Then, my group minced the soft garlic. Once the pot was hot, I poured the oil in, and then the bacon. I cooked the bacon at that heat until it was browned up, like you would normally do in a pan. Then, I added the mirepoix, and stirred the vegetables around to get them well cooked. After a short amount of time, I added the potatoes. Then, flour, the chicken stock, and lots of salt (some pepper too) was added. I stirred the soup well, and sampled it with a clean spoon. From there, a lid was placed on the pot, and we waited until it reached a light boil. Then, the lid was removed, and the heat reduced. Once the potatoes were soft, all the cream and cheese was poured in and mixed well. Seasoning was added occasionally to make sure the soup was very flavourful. Finally, after more cooking, parsley and chili flakes were added. The burner was turned off, and the soup was poured directly into our containers.

Challenges

When making this lab, I forgot to drain the potatoes which resulted in a thin and runny soup. When doing this lab again, I drained the potatoes when making the chowder.

Successes and Growth

On the second attempt, my potato and corn chowder turned out amazingly, and I had no issues during the cooking or seasoning.

Advice for Beginners

My advice would be to follow the instructions very carefully at the beginning, and be sure to drain any ingredients that need to be drained beforehand. When the pot is heating up, you can check if it is hot enough by pouring a drop of chicken stock in. If it bounces around, the pot is definitely hot enough.

Final Evaluation

I would rate my (second) chowder as a 9/10. The flavours were amazing - very savoury and also both a bit sweet and spicy. The texture was also nice and thick, with the potatoes and corn being the most solid ingredients in the soup. The soup looked very appetizing, being kind of creamy with little bits of green herbs visible. As far as labour, the soup was also very fun to make.

In this lab, I made some cream of broccoli and cheddar soup. This involved cutting up and measuring ingredients, cooking, and seasoning.

Safety and Sanitation

It was important to follow standard procedures, such as washing hands and wearing hairnets. In addition, we had to make sure that our pots were hot enough to cook food properly, to avoid food poisoning.

Tools and Equipment

I used a pot, a stirring spoon, an induction burner, some metal cups for ingredients, and some spoons for sampling the soup. I also used a cutting board and a chef's knife for preparing some garlic. The broccoli soup also used a large blender.

Ingredients

This soup consisted of about 3 tbsp of oil, another mirepoix, 3 cloves of minced cooked garlic, one container of chopped broccoli, one container of chicken stock, 3 tbsp of flour, a few thyme stems, 250ml of cream, a cup of cheddar cheese, and some salt and pepper. The mirepoix is the same as the one in the potato soup.

Procedure

Again, I first set up my station with all the tools and ingredients that I needed. I made sure to preheat the pot until it was hot enough, then I poured in the oil and added the mirepoix. I stirred the mirepoix until some of the vegetables were lightly browned, and then I added the broccoli, flour, chicken stock, and some seasoning. I made sure to taste test the soup before continuing. Again, the soup was left with the lid on until it reached a light boil, then the lid was removed and the heat reduced. When the broccoli was a bit softer, the cream and cheese was added, and the soup cooked for a bit. Then, the heat was turned off, and the soup was blended before being poured into our containers.

Challenges

If I did this lab again, I would rush less with the broccoli soup, so that it would turn out better.

Successes and Growth

Doing this lab gave me more experience working with a less chunky soup.

Advice for Beginners

Again, my advice would be to follow the instructions very carefully at the beginning, and be sure to drain any ingredients that need to be drained beforehand. When the pot is heating up, you can check if it is hot enough by pouring a drop of chicken stock in. If it bounces around, the pot is definitely hot enough.

Final Evaluation

With the broccoli soup, I would rate it as a 7/10. The broccoli soup looked a little less appealing, and the consistency may have also been a tiny bit off. The flavour was fine, but I didn't personally enjoy it as much as the potato and corn chowder.