Adding garlic to a soup too late

April 16, 2024 10:41 AM

I forgot to add garlic with the onion at the beginning of my vegetable soup. Normally I would have fried the garlic separately and added it, but I felt too lazy and just threw some raw chopped cloves into the soup after the water had been added. Will it make a huge difference? Should I fish the cloves out of the soup now that I have the chance?
posted by iamsuper to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

I would leave the garlic in and then taste it and see when it's done. It will probably taste different but probably not bad. Vegetable soup is very forgiving.

If there isn't enough garlic flavor when it's done, I'd either put in a little bit of garlic powder or make a garlic butter (chop garlic, melt butter, combine) to add at the table.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:58 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]

It’ll be fine, just (possibly) different. People throw raw garlic into soups, stews, etc. all the time.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:28 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Adding garlic during the sweating stage allows it to caramelize a bit and gives a somewhat different flavour profile than garlic that hasn't been sauteed, but especially in a soup, it's not going to be an extreme difference unless you're making something like roasted garlic and potato soup where garlic is a main ingredient not a spice.

Using raw garlic in this manner will give you a somewhat more pungent and garlicy flavour so you might like it more or you might like it less.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:29 PM on April 16 [4 favorites]

I've done this plennnnty of times in curries, which are as forgiving as soup is. You'll be fine. People with very refined palates may be able to taste something different but I've only ever tasted extra garlic.
posted by MiraK at 12:35 PM on April 16 [1 favorite]

If it tastes too garlicky, cook on a gentle heat for another 20 minutes or so. Even whole cloves of garlic transform and turn sweet and mild if you simmer them until completely soft.
posted by protorp at 12:55 PM on April 16 [2 favorites]

You could also roast and purée it and add it to the broth. It tastes really nice that way
posted by winterportage at 7:05 PM on April 16

How did the soup turn out?
posted by garo at 8:54 PM on April 16

Response by poster: Thank you everyone for your answers! The soup turned out fine.

I would not have noticed the difference if someone else had made the soup, but because I was looking out for it: the garlic had a slightly more raw/pungent taste rather than a mellow/sweet taste. Very slight though.
posted by iamsuper at 12:22 AM on April 17

you can always saute in a separate pan and add oil and garlic to soup, like a tadka
posted by sid at 6:14 AM on April 17 [2 favorites]