Soups and Stews

Erin McMurrer is turning to hot, rich, and soul-satisfying soups and stews. [Log In]( [America's Test Kitchen]( [find recipes]( [start free web trial]( Notes from Our Home Kitchens Dispatches from our cooks while we’re in our home kitchens instead of the Test Kitchen [Soups and Stews. 10-9-2020]( From Erin McMurrer, Test Kitchen Director And just like that, summer has passed by. Just as quickly, my cravings for lighter and brighter dishes have changed to cravings for comfort foods, specifically hot, rich, and soul-satisfying soups and stews. They are rewarding on so many levels: They fill the kitchen with heady aromas on cold days; they can be molded to suit your schedule, since some recipes take no time at all and others simmer for hours in the oven; and they can be as simple or as elegant as you want to make them. On a more practical level, with school starting and things getting even busier, it’s nice to have leftover soup or stew handy in the fridge, because everyone can just microwave a bowl when they need a quick meal. I also often make a double batch with the goal of filling up the freezer. Once the soup is reheated, all you need to add is bread and a salad and dinner is served! Here are [some of our favorite recipes]( (some old, some new) that will be on my fall and winter rotation. I hope you will give them a try! FREE FOR TWO DAYS Tortilla Soup To achieve maximum flavor for our tortilla soup recipe, we composed a puree made from chipotle chiles, tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeños, and a cilantro-oregano substitute for the Mexican ingredient epazote. We fried the puree in oil over high heat and then added it to low-sodium canned chicken broth, which we strained after poaching chicken in it and infusing it with the flavors of onions, garlic, cilantro, and oregano. [view recipe]( FREE FOR TWO DAYS Best French Onion Soup The secret to a rich broth is to caramelize the onions fully. If we first cook the onions covered in a hot oven for 2½ hours, we need to deglaze the onions on the stovetop only three or four times. For the topping, we toast the bread before floating it on the soup to ward off sogginess and add only a modest sprinkling of nutty Gruyère so that the broth isn’t overpowered. [view recipe]( FREE FOR TWO DAYS Slow-Cooker Lentil and Chorizo Soup An aromatic base of chopped onion and carrots, along with a can of diced tomatoes and a quart of chicken broth, gives us a soup base with savory depth. For complex spice flavor, choosing the right chorizo is paramount. Cured, ready-to-eat Spanish-style chorizo (the kind with a texture similar to that of hard salami) infuses the soup with a complex blend of savory richness and smoked paprika flavor. [view recipe]( Special Offer [All-Access Membership. 12,000+ Reliable Recipes. Free Shipping in our shop. Mobile App. 8,000+ Product Ratings. Cookbook Collection. Join now and SAVE 33%. TRY IT FREE.]( Recommended Equipment for These Recipes winner HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Le Creuset 7¼ Quart Round Dutch Oven [buy now]( Cooking: ★★★   Durability: ★★★   Ease of Use: ★★★   We frequently use Dutch ovens for soups and stews because they’re large and they hold heat well. We like this model because the light-colored interior and low, straight sides give us good visibility, and it’s exceptionally resistant to damage. [Learn More →]( winner HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Rösle Hook Ladle with Pouring Rim [buy now]( Ease of Use: ★★★   Performance: ★★★   Everything we do with this ladle feels easy and controlled, from scooping chunky stew out of a small saucepan to reaching into a tall stockpot to collect broth. [Learn More →]( winner HIGHLY RECOMMENDED KitchenAid 6-Quart Slow Cooker With Solid Glass Lid [buy now]( Cleanup: ★★★   Cooking: ★★★   Ease of Use: ★★★   This model won our testing for its well-designed, straightforward control panel with a countdown timer that is simple and unambiguous to set. The roomy, heavy stoneware crock cooks food gently and evenly and never allows it to boil, so food emerges tender and juicy. [Learn More →]( From Our Online Cooking School Making Chicken Stock Bridget shows you how to make chicken stock at home. [VIEW COURSE]( Stay Connected with the Test Kitchen [YOU COULD WIN! The Ultimate Treat Sweepstakes. ENTER NOW.]( [Enter to win]( a sweet treat cookware assortment from Le Creuset featuring ATK’s #1 recommended cast iron Braiser, Dutch Oven, and Skillet along with a collection of ATK’s best-selling cookbooks and a 12 month subscription to the ATK Online Cooking School! [America's Text Kitchen. 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