Ham and Cheese Potato Soup Recipe - with Cheddar and Swiss Cheese! (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cheese for melting in soup? ›

Mild cheddar, Colby, Monterey jack, mozzarella, Swiss and queso blanco can all work well. “The best cheeses to melt into soups are cheeses that are higher in moisture and have a lower melting point,” says Bauer. In addition to cheddar and Monterey jack, he recommends Fontina and Gruyère.

Boiling it after you add dairy can cause grittiness or clumping. How do you prevent cheese from clumping in soups? MDP: The key is to add cheese at the very end, with just residual heat -- either after turning off the heat or at the very end.

Why isn't my potato soup creamy? Most creamy soups require you to add dairy of some sort into it. If you're finding your soup is too thin adding milk, add in cream instead, or whole milk.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

- Swiss cheese, such as Emmental or Gruyère, melts well but maintains some of its characteristic texture and flavor. - When Swiss cheese melts, it becomes smooth and creamy, but it doesn't have the same stretchy, gooey quality as mozzarella.

Cheddar will definitely melt here — but you'll want to start with block cheese for this cheddar potato soup. Pre-shredded cheese, though convenient, is coated with an anti-clumping agent that interferes with the cheese's ability to melt smoothly and evenly.

Your potato soup is bland? Try adding a little more salt. That's usually the answer to any issue of blandness, no matter the recipe in question. A basic Appalachian style potato soup uses only a handful of simple ingredients, leaning on milk and water and often bouillon to create the brothy soup base.

What is a substitute for heavy cream in potato soup? ›

Similarly to half-and-half, milk makes a good heavy cream substitute when it's combined with melted butter. Combine 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup melted butter for every cup of heavy cream.

Another option for thickening soup is by using dairy like sour cream or yogurt. Start with a small dollop and stir before checking the consistency and adding more. We recommend using plain yogurt so you don't alter the taste of the soup. You can also use cream if you prefer.

Honestly, if you just stir in a little instant mash, like Smash, your soup will thicken up in no time at all. Now, you may end up needing more than a spoonful, but it's best to add a little at a time, because remember, you can always add more of it, but you can't take it away.

Cornstarch is not the only thickening agent you can use. Other alternatives include flour, arrowroot powder, instant mashed potatoes, or even pureed vegetables like cauliflower or cooked oats. Each of these options will add thickness to your soup while imparting its own unique taste and texture.

First, the starch in the potatoes will help thicken it. I also whisk together some flour and milk and add it to the soup to give it some body.

Fresh cheddar is milder and melts well, while medium has a slightly fuller flavor perfect for soups or broths. Ponderosa Farmstead Colby: This melt-in-your-mouth colby is soft, mild, and a great accompaniment to beer. It's the Homecoming King of the cheese world.

What is the best melting cheese? Cheeses with more moisture and lower melting points - cheddar is one of the most popular choices, but Swiss and Gruyère are also terrific options. Which melts better, mild or sharp cheddar? Mild cheddar melts more smoothly than sharper (more aged) cheddar.

Mozzarella: Capable of melting into a stringy, smooth texture, mozzarella possesses a mild flavor that blends well with other flavors in dishes. Low-moisture mozzarella and fresh mozzarella are among the most popular melting cheeses to use in recipes for pizza and pasta dishes.