Why is French onion soup so salty?

0 votes
asked Jun 24, 2022 in Other-Food Drink by allhearts (680 points)
Why is French onion soup so salty?

1 Answer

0 votes
answered Jul 1, 2022 by femealeofinternets (22,720 points)
French Onion Soup is so salty as a lot of salt is added so that when the French Onion Soup is being made they can get away without caramelizing the onions all the way like they normally would.

There is a lot of sodium in French Onion Soup.

A one cup serving of French Onion Soup contains a whopping 1,580 mg of sodium per cup of French Onion Soup.

So if you need to watch your sodium intake you should avoid eating too much French Onion Soup.

Although surprisingly while high in sodium the French onion soup is, in fact, a highly nutritious food.

Onions, as part of the Allium family, contain Quercetin which is a powerful anti-inflammatory and should not be overlooked as a vegetable when considering your daily 7-a-day.

There's not much to the French Onion Soup, but it does take a bit of time to make properly, so most restaurants cheat by adding too much sugar, excess salt, or MSG so they can get away with not caramelizing the onions all the way.

These shortcuts result in a soup that's too sweet, too salty, or unnervingly good tasting.

Onion soup usually requires a combination of a variety of onions.

French onion soup is traditionally made with yellow onions.

Also, French onion soup is always made with beef stock while onion soup uses any type of stock or broth.

You can balance out the salty flavor of French Onion Soup by adding something sour.

Try adding an acid such as lemon or lime juice, vinegar, or wine which will obscure the salty taste.

This trick works well with any kind of soup or stew.

Add a little bit of acid at a time and taste as you go.

French onion soup is a soup usually based on meat stock and onions, and often served gratinéed with croutons or a larger piece of bread covered with cheese floating on top.

Ancient in origin, the dish underwent a resurgence of popularity in the 1960s in the United States due to a greater interest in French cuisine.
You can use white, yellow or red onions for French onion soup.

But to make it the classic way, you will need 5-6 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced.

Butter: The tastiest (French) way to caramelize those onions.

Although feel free to use vegan butter (or just olive oil) if you are avoiding dairy.

101,012 questions

96,442 answers

1,285 comments

7,000,011 users

...