The purpose of this section is to advise you of facts about soups you may be
unaware of, and... like to know, also... to remind you of the wonderful utility
you enjoy when you produce your own appetizing, nutritious soups. Realize,
you and your family benefit not only from your healthy eating, but also... with
savings you can obtain by deciding to use soups to dramatically cut costs in
your food budget.

About Your Soups... You May Like to Know...

       SOUPS are nutritious cost saving liquid foods prepared by boiling
  meat, vegetables, or both, in water, then... seasoning, and sometimes
  thickening the liquid produced. They are usually served as the first
  course of a dinner, but also are often included in a light meal, such
  as luncheon. Soups are easily made, highly economical, and (properly
  prepared from healthful and nutritious ingredients), a very wholesome
  diet source for you, and your loved ones.

      SOUPS contain the very 'essence' of all that is highly nourishing and
  sustaining in the foods from which you make them. You can truly appreciate
  the utility of soups when you consider the dual purposes for which you can
  use them. With the savory variety of ingredients which you'll use to make
  your soups, they can be utilized either, as tasty appetizers taken at the
  beginning of your meal to stimulate the appetite and aid in the flow of
  digestive juices in the stomach; or... as a delightful actual meal itself,
  when you prepare them containing healthful nutritive ingredients enabling
  them to be considered as the main part of your meal, instead of merely an
  addition.

      You'll want to take care in making your soups attractive enough to
  appeal to the appetite rather than discourage it, avoiding making soups
  which are unhealthful or insipid in flavor. Realize too, they are better
  served in reasonable amounts, and with proper 'accompaniment'. A smaller
  quantity of a well-flavored, attractively served, soup is sure to meet
  with enthusiastic approval from your family when it's served as the first
  course of almost any meal.
  
      Always use 'pure' water in your soups, being careful to proportion the
  quantity of water to that of the meat. Somewhat less than a quart of water
  to a pound of meat, is a good rule for common soups. Rich soups, intended
  for company, may have a still smaller amount of water.

GENERAL CLASSES OF SOUPS

    The two purposes for which soups are used have led to the numerous
varieties of soups being placed into two general classes. In one class
soups include that eaten for your ample nutrition, such as cream soups,
purees, and bisques.  In the other class is grouped soups which serve as 
appetizers, such as bouillon, consommé, some other broths, and... clear
soups. From these two classes of soups, the one best corresponding with
the rest of your meal and makes it balance properly is the one to choose.
For instance, a light soup that is merely an appetizer should be served
with a heavy dinner, whereas a heavy, highly nutritious soup should be
used with a luncheon or a light meal.

    Soups are often named from the principal ingredient or imitation of
it, as the names potato soup, beef soup, macaroni soup, mock-turtle soup
testify. And, both stimulating and nutritious soups may be divided into
thin and thick soups, thin soups usually being clear, and thick soups,
because of their nature, cloudy. When the quality of soups is considered,
they are placed in still different classes and are called broth, bisque,
consommé, puree, and so on. Another important classification of soups
results from the nationality of the people who use them.

CLASSES OF SOUPS DENOTING QUALITY

BROTHS have for their foundation a clear stock. They are sometimes
thin soups, but other times they are made quite thick with vegetables,
rice, or barley when they are served as a substantial part of a meal.

CREAM SOUPS are highly nutritious and are of great variety. They have
for their foundation a thin cream sauce, but to this are always added
vegetables, meat, fish or grains.

BISQUES are especially thick, rich soups you'll make from game fish or
shell fish, particularly crabs, shrimp etc. occasionally, you'll want
to use vegetables in soups of this kind.

CHOWDERS are soups that have sea food for their basis. Vegetables and
crackers are generally added for thickening and to impart extra flavor.

PUREES are soups made thick partly or entirely by the addition of some
material obtained by boiling an article of food and then straining it to
form a pulp. When you use healthful vegetables containing starch... beans,
peas, lentils, potatoes etc. are some of your choices... it is usually
unnecessary to thicken these soups any further. However,... when meat,
fish or watery vegetables are used, more thickening may be required. To
be right, a puree should be nearly as smooth as thick cream, and of the
same consistency.

CLASSES OF SOUPS DENOTING CONSISTENCY

CLEAR SOUPS are those made from carefully cleared stock, or other means
of soup foundation, and flavored or garnished with a material from which
the soups usually take their names. There are not many soups of this kind,
bouillon and consommé being the two leading varieties, but in order to
be palatable, they usually require more care than other soups in their
making.

THICK SOUPS are also made from stock, but milk or cream, and any mixture
of these, may also be used as a basis. Also meat, fish, vegetables, eggs,
or grain or some other starchy material, may be added for thickening.
Soups of this kind are often made too thick and as such soups are not
appetizing. You'll want to take care in their preparation, and have them
just right in consistency.

SERVING YOUR SOUPS

    Soups may be correctly served in several different ways, the method
to adopt usually depending on the kind of soup. The spoon to be served
with soups also depends on the kind of soup, but a larger spoon than a
teaspoon is always necessary. When a soup is served in a soup plate, a
dessertspoon is used. Bouillon spoon is the best kind to use with the
thin soups served in bouillon cups. Such a spoon is about the length of
a teaspoon, but has a round bowl.

    To increase the attractiveness of your soups, and also make them more
appetizing and nutritious for your family, you'll want to think about the
various accompaniments and relishes which can be served. For example, you
can flavor enhance many soups, especially vegetable soups, by the addition
of a spoonful of grated cheese, which should be sprinkled into the dish at
the time of serving.

    Unless you are serving cold soups during the hot summer months, soups
are intended to be eaten hot, and every effort should be made to have them
in this condition, at their appetizing very best. This can be accomplished
if your soups are thoroughly heated before being removed from the stove,
and the dishes in which they are to be served are warmed before your soup
is put into them.

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