Do leeks need to be softened?
I'm making a potato leek soup and I'd like to just throw all the ingredients into a slow cooker and go about my business, pureeing the whole batch and adding cream later.
Does this sound reasonable or do I need to first "sweat" the leeks in butter as I would onions?
Best Answer
When cooking in a slow cooker, you do not have to precook the leeks. I made a potato leek soup not too long ago that called for throwing everything in the pot and it came out great. The only thing I cooked before hand was the bacon, rendering out much of the fat and giving the nice golden brown and crispy bits to sprinkle on top.
You CAN precook anything to help reduce the cook time and I always sear meat, but unless you are going to caramelize the leeks, you will not notice any difference in flavor or texture.
As for the pureeing part, you want to be careful pureeing potatoes as they can turn into a nasty gluey mess. Just keep it to a minimum or use a food mill and you should be fine. I typically just use a potato masher and leave my soup a little on the chunky side.
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How long does it take to soften leeks?
To saut\xe9 them, follow the cutting method described above, and warm a glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes.Do you have to soak leeks?
Soak the stalks in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes or so, then rinse under cold running water in the sink. The long soak allows the water to penetrate the leek's many layers, clearing out all the bits of debris. Once your veg is all cleaned up and dirt-free, it's time to get cookin'.How do you prepare leeks to eat?
How to prepare leeksWhy do you soak leeks?
To be properly cleaned before cooking, leeks must be topped and tailed (roots discarded, dark-green parts removed), and the white and light-green parts sliced thin and left to swim in a water bath so as to encourage the removal of any clinging dirt.How to wash peel and cut Leeks | French cooking basics
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Answer 2
The soup turned out just okay. The leeks did soften well in the water, and the soup did puree well, but I feel like there were some flavors in the end result which wouldn't have been there if I'd sauteed the leeks in butter.
We pre-cook our alluims (garlic, onion, leeks) to soften, but also to drive off unpleasant sulfur compounds which affect the end result. I feel like this would've been a better soup if I'd taken the time to soften the leeks in butter.
Answer 3
Most recipes that I have seen for potato and leek soup all call for softening. None of them use a slow cooker however, as we don't have one. But my suggestion would be to soften before using.
Answer 4
Depends. I suggest if you're using mammoth end of season leeks like you're likely to get now, you should soften them, or be prepared for a loooong time in the slow cooker. In August its not an issue.
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