Homemade soup is truly one of life's great pleasures. Hearty soups define good eating and put the comfort in comfort food. Discovering how simple and enjoyable soup is to make is equal only to the joy of tasting your own. With "Cooking Soups For Dummies, " all you need know is how to boil water. Add to this, some basic advice on equipment plus tips on how to stock your kitchen pantry--and you're well on your way to tackling the delicious assortment of recipes.

But, first, you'll get the lowdown on how to make quick work of such basics as: Various cutting methods--including chopping, cubing, dicing, mincing, shredding, and slicing Liquid foundations--including recipes for chicken, beef, vegetable, mushroom, fish, shrimp, and clam broth Soup safety--advice on proper chilling, storage containers, freezing basics (with a shelf-life table), thawing, and reheating Tips on improvising--incl uding halving and doubling recipes, remaking leftovers, ingredient substitutions, and lightening up with less fat