Snow-white creamy broth vs crystal-clear consommé
When it comes to slow-cooking, you can't help but think of delicious fish soup, bone broth, chicken soup... Whether it's a rich broth or a clear soup, the principles of simmering are the same—once you understand them, you can effortlessly achieve any consistency from light to hearty.
Why is thick soup white while clear soup is transparent?
A rich broth is actually an emulsion of fat, protein, and water; when the fat is emulsified at high heat, the soup turns white; conversely, if the fat never emulsifies, the broth remains clear and translucent.
The key to making a milky white, rich soup is to boil it vigorously over high heat, keeping it at a rolling boil, which usually takes quite a long time. If you want the soup to turn thick and white in a shorter time, pan-fry the ingredients in oil first, then add hot water and simmer over medium-high heat.
For clear broth, you must do the opposite—use the gentlest heat to "steep" the soup, keeping the surface barely bubbling or even still, maintaining the temperature at 99–100°C (210–212°F). Making clear broth typically takes 3 to 5 hours, and there's no shortcut—only patience. In fact, the reason restaurant broth is so delicious is that it's simmered slowly over low heat, "steeping" for an entire day! Of course, by that point the meat is no longer edible—its texture becomes dry and woody, as all the flavor has fully infused into the soup.
Step 1: Fish soup: First, pan-fry the fish in a little hot oil, then pour in boiling water and cook over medium-high heat; the soup will turn milky white after about ten minutes, but remember to skim off any oil and foam from the surface.
Step 2: Duck bone soup: Follow the same method as the fish soup.
Step 3: For bone broth, do not fry the bones in oil first. Add all the water at once and do not add more water during cooking. Simmer over medium-high heat for at least 1-2 hours until the broth turns rich and milky white.
Note
Note
Although we often describe a rich broth as having a "milky white" color, a properly simmered broth is not pure white but rather a pale ivory with a slight yellow tint. This is especially true for bone broth—once you turn off the heat and let it sit for a moment, some of the fat will separate slightly, the color will deepen, and a small amount of sediment may settle at the bottom.
If the soup is rich in fat and protein, it will feel sticky when you rub a bit between your fingers. If the soup looks thick and milky white but doesn't feel sticky at all when rubbed, it may have been made with additives, so be cautious.
The method for making clear broth
No matter what ingredients you use to make a clear broth, keep the following points in mind.
Step 1: Pre-cook the meat until it is nearly done before beginning the "steeping" process; alternatively, bring the soup to a gentle boil and wait until the meat is fully cooked before reducing to the lowest heat for steeping. If the meat is not fully cooked before switching to the lowest heat, the blood from the meat will not be fully released and turned into scum that can be removed, resulting in a darker, less clear soup.
Step 2: Some stoves still cause the soup to boil vigorously even when turned to the lowest setting, making it impossible to maintain a gentle simmer. In this case, try using an electric slow cooker—it's perfect for making clear broth and requires very little effort.
