Stocks & Soups: Martha Stewart's Cooking School, Lesson 1

Lesson 1 is a culinary master class in the techniques essential to making stocks and soups, with 7 video demonstrations to guide you on making the perfect chicken stock, creamy vegetable soups, and more, along with 14 recipes and dozens of color step-by-step photographs. Some say that the measure of a good cook is how well he or she makes a simple soup, and once you taste homemade stock, you’ll understand why it makes all the difference. The trick to delicious stocks and soups lies in using the best ingredients, combining them well, seasoning appropriately, and cooking them just enough to bring out the best flavor. In this lesson, you’ll learn the fundamental techniques for making white, brown, and vegetable stocks, fish fumet, consommé, and dashi. Video demonstrations by food editor Sarah Carey will show you how to make the perfect chicken stock and a cream soup. Then, practice your skills with more than 14 recipes and variations for tempting classics like Tortilla Soup, French Onion Soup, Minestrone, Miso Soup, Creamy Tomato Soup, and Vichyssoise. Lesson 1 includes the Basics, where you’ll learn about the equipment, knife skills, ingredients, and routines that will enable you to cook with confidence. Color photographs and video demonstrations teach you how to chop an onion, mince garlic, prep and chop fresh herbs, zest and suprême citrus, and more.