Pickle Brine Is The Overlooked Secret To Tastier Soups
If you're in a pickle to coax out the best flavor in your soup, you might just need a little help from an actual pickle, or at least the brine that it's in. Due to the heavy vinegar content in pickle brine, this acid enhances the soup's ingredients and makes the overall flavor profile brighter than seasoning alone.
Vinegar is made by mixing liquid with other ingredients and letting it ferment. Different types of vinegar are made by using specific liquids such as wine, apple cider, or a specific type of grape juice. As it ferments, a new flavor with an acidic bite develops, which we know as vinegar. The vinegar is further enhanced by the addition of spices and seasonings. Pickles, for example, are cucumbers fermented in vinegar with spices like dill and garlic. You can find other vegetables pickled, including carrots, green beans, and cauliflower, and there are plenty of varieties with different flavors. But while pickled veggies have a distinct crispy crunch, they don't always work in soup. Instead of putting the whole pickled vegetable into the soup, a splash of the brine is a subtle way to maximize flavor.
How to add pickle brine to soup
Before adding pickle brine to your soup, taste the soup to see how the flavors are working together. If it's bland, a splash of vinegary brine can brighten things up. If your soup is too spicy, the acid will tone down the heat. Vinegar is such a versatile ingredient to add to soup because it works with so many different flavor profiles.
If you want to bring out the flavor in your soup, a small amount of pickle brine will do the trick. But keep a steady hand and start small. You should begin with a ½ teaspoon and add more as you taste test. Keep in mind that the vinegar may need a few stirs to fully incorporate and work its magic. Add small amounts, stir for at least a few minutes, and sample your soup before adding more.
Consider what other spices are in your soup recipe when adding pickle brine, because the additional spices in the brine can make those flavors stronger. You might be able to substitute pickle brine for additional spices, making this tip a time-saver as well.
Soups that work with vinegar
Most soups and stews benefit from a small amount of pickle brine or another vinegar. Canned bean soup is a great candidate because it typically includes a lot of starchy beans that don't always have a ton of flavor on their own. You can add seasonings, spices, and other ingredients to punch up the taste, such as salt, pepper, onions, garlic, and ham, but vinegar is an easy addition that will help the rest of these additions meld. In fact, vinegar is one of Gordon Ramsay's go-to ingredients for his delicious tomato soup because it balances all the flavors.
If you want to go all-in on the pickled goodness, try Polish pickle soup. It uses dill pickles and pickle brine to bring the bite of vinegar to a vegetable broth-based soup with carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes. There are a few other soups that include vinegar as a main ingredient, and you can consider substituting pickle brine for a similar flavor. Sopa de ajo y vinagre is a Spanish soup made with garlic, vinegar, broth, and hearty bread. The vinegar helps all the ingredients, including spices like paprika, thyme, and parsley, work well together. By swapping in pickle brine, your soup can transcend to the next level.