French Culinary Institute

Guidelines for Preparing Vegetable Soups

Appears in
The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine
The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine

By French Culinary Institute

Published 2021

  • About
Three important points should be kept in mind when preparing potages taillés:
  • The vegetables should be completely sweated in butter to extract the utmost flavor.
  • Green vegetables, such as string beans or peas, should be first cooked à l’anglaise and then added to the soup at the very end of the cooking process after it has reached a full, rolling boil. This helps retain both color and texture.
  • Since small pieces of potatoes cook relatively quickly, add them toward the end of the cooking process so that they don’t overcook, disintegrate, and thicken the soup, unless you have used starchy potatoes (such as russet) with the intent to have them break up and bind the soup.