10 mistakes you must never make again if you want the best tomato soup of your life

What could possibly be better than an all time classic tomato soup? You might not think it, but you can make quite a few mistakes when making tomato soup. Maybe none of them life-threatening, but come on: you want the best tomato soup of your life too, right?! 

I know: you can also find tomato soup at the supermarket (and this one really is the best). But honestly, is there anything better than making your own pot of soup? The smell, the simmering, the stirring, the warmth, the cosiness of standing behind a stove… It’s almost a nostalgic scene. So get those pots and tomatoes out. But first, go through the mistakes below so you won’t make them later. And then we promise you’ll really have the very best tomato soup ever right in front of you.

Mistake 1: not roasting your tomatoes

Have you ever wondered where that intense flavour in a good bowl of tomato soup comes from? The answer: roasted tomatoes. Yes, if you taste a slightly smoky, sweet flavour in your tomato soup, there’s a good chance the chef roasted the tomatoes in the oven. Those flavours develop because the tomatoes caramelise in the oven. Trust me, you shouldn’t skip this step if you want to take your tomato soup to the next level. How do you roast them? Preheat the oven to 220°C, drizzle halved tomatoes with olive oil and salt, and roast them in an oven dish for 20 to 25 minutes. That’s it. So little effort for so much flavour.

Mistake 2: not using good-quality stock

Stock is the foundation of your soup. If you choose cheap, low-quality stock, you’ll undoubtedly taste it. Those pre-packaged stock cubes, for example: highly processed. Not to mention that they’re simply really not healthy. Did you know that some cubes consist of more than half salt? Save yourself a disappointing taste experience (and high blood pressure) and go for homemade stock. And no, you really don’t have to make a fresh batch of stock every time. Spend one drizzly Sunday afternoon at the stove and make a large batch all at once. Freeze the leftover stock for your next soups.

Mistake 3: not tasting

You might think there’s no need to taste a simple dish like tomato soup over and over while you’re making it. Still, the advice is: do it. While making your soup, you want to keep checking whether it needs more herbs, whether it’s salty enough, or perhaps a little sweeter… Also remember that soup can taste different every time, even if you make the same recipe each time. The tomatoes you use may suddenly be of completely different quality than last time! Note: use a clean spoon for every tasting session. The enzymes in your saliva can affect the flavour of your stock. Besides, it’s much more hygienic. That’s worth the little extra washing-up, right?

Mistake 4: forgetting the most important flavourings

No soup without onion and garlic. And perhaps carrot and celery too. But in any case, ALWAYS onion and garlic. Use a neutral fat to sauté the garlic and onions, such as oil or butter. Always add the garlic only AFTER the onions. Garlic burns quickly, and you want to prevent that. Otherwise, you’re already falling behind at step one of making the soup. And a golden tip: also add some of this secret ingredient for the tastiest tomato soup.

Mistake 5: choosing the wrong tomatoes

It makes sense not to choose tomatoes with bruises and brown spots for your soup. But there are more tricks to make sure you bring home genuinely good tomatoes. For example, choose only deep-red tomatoes. Light-red, yellowish or even green tomatoes aren’t ripe enough: they won’t release enough flavour. Also smell the tomatoes carefully. Do they smell sweet? Then you’re good. Finally, feel whether the tomatoes are firm enough. Too firm often means they’re not ripe yet; too soft means they’re overripe. The texture should therefore be somewhere in between. In winter, it’s more difficult to find perfect tomatoes, because it simply isn’t their season. In that case, you may be better off choosing good-quality canned tomatoes.

Mistake 6: forgetting to strain

Are you crazy about smooth soup because you can’t stand bits in your food? Then the stick blender is your best friend. But many home cooks don’t strain the soup AFTER blending it. Yet that’s precisely what removes all the tiny bits the stick blender missed! So grab your sieve when your soup is almost ready. Naturally, the smaller the holes in the sieve, the more tiny bits it will catch. The greater your horror, the smaller the holes should be.

Mistake 7: blending uncooked tomatoes

Speaking of smooth soup: if that’s your goal, it’s essential that your tomatoes are completely cooked through when you blend them. If you don’t, there will undoubtedly be bits of skin left in your soup. And as someone who really hates large bits, you definitely don’t want that. So check carefully that your tomatoes are super-soft before blending them. The skin should practically be falling off already.

Mistake 8: cooking for too long over high heat

Soup can’t burn at all, because it’s liquid. Right? Hmm, that’s not entirely true. Especially if your soup hasn’t been puréed completely smooth. The larger ‘pieces’ (vegetables, meat etc.) can stick to the bottom over high heat and still burn. But you need to be careful with smooth soup too. The soup can evaporate if it stays over high heat for too long, causing a lot of flavour to be lost. Tip: start over high heat to briefly sauté your ingredients. As soon as you add the liquid, turn the heat down and let the soup simmer gently.

Mistake 9: adding cold cream

The ultimate tip for deliciously creamy tomato soup: add cream. But NEVER straight from the fridge. Warm the cream first in a separate pan. This makes the cream thicker, and it’s simply much tastier than watery, cold cream from a carton. It gives your soup that wonderfully creamy texture without overcooking the soup itself.

Mistake 10: serving the wrong snacks alongside it

Of course, you can see your steaming bowl of soup as a complete meal. But doesn’t it become much better when you serve something delicious alongside it? The ultimate match made in heaven for tomato soup is, and always will be, the good old cheese toastie. The crispy bread, hot, salty cheese and rich texture: name one thing that’s a better friend for your soup. Luckily, you can also make your toastie a showstopper—and we have a number of brilliant tips for that too.

Also read:

• Reheating soup: this is how you do it (it requires precision)
• TikTok hit: lasagna soup
• Passata, pelati and secchi: everything about preserved tomatoes

Source: Tasting Table