Homemade soup can be a great addition to any meal, as well as the main course for the meal itself. Soup is one of those dishes that can be easily bought packaged at the supermarket, but why bother with store-bought soup when you can make your own at home? Preparing homemade soup isn’t as time-consuming as you’d think. For your convenience, here are some secrets to making delicious soup at home.

Use good stock or broth as a soup base.

The soup base is one of the most overlooked components of soup. Water is commonly used a soup base, but why use water when you can use stock or broth? These liquids are much more flavorful than water and they’ll help you avoid over-salting your soup. You can make your own stock from food items such as chicken bones, less-than-fresh vegetables, fish bones, and shrimp and crab shells. You also have the option of buying commercially produced stock or broth, but make sure that you dilute these liquids with water.

Throw in some aromatics.

Aromatics are vegetables that can be used to enhance the flavor of most soups. These vegetables include onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and leeks. Chop these up in uniform sizes and sauté them in the pan where you plan to make your soup. Cooking the chopped-up aromatics for about 5 minutes over low heat will soften them up and help them release their flavorful liquids.

Use the right ‘soup equipment’.

Some cooking utensils and vessels are more suited for soup-making. For instance, it’s best to make soup in a heavy pot that can hold heat well. These pots will help you maintain the right cooking temperature for most soups. A good blender can also help you ensure the smooth texture of pureed soups. An immersion blender is usually more convenient to use, but regular blenders also work great.