What characterizes a soup that holds well in a buffet setting?

What characterizes a soup that holds well in a buffet setting? - White and Pink Flowers on White Table

Maybe there is good reason buffets seem to have the same short list of soups: they hold well ie flavor and color; do not separate or split; heavy ingredients do not sink to bottom.

What should I avoid in soup recipes that they can be held hot for up to 4hrs?



Best Answer

I was really hoping that someone still in professional food service would answer this, but they haven't, so here's my list of rules based on memory from when I was:

Soups that are no good for holding:

  • Egg-drop soups and seafood soups are risky because of rapid spoilage
  • Miso soup settles out
  • Soups that are thickened with a butter or heavy cream emulsion; these tend to separate after being heated for hours
  • Pasta, barley and rice soups are problematic because the grains both absorb liquid while sitting and sink to the bottom.
  • Bread-thickened soups tend to turn to porrige
  • gazpacho actually does not do well; even though it is cold, after a few hours out it can ferment unless you keep it well-chilled

Soups that are good for holding:

  • Just about any pureed vegetable soup
  • Cheese-and-emulsifier thickened soups, like broccoli-cheese soup, do well
  • Bean soups with a moderate amount of beans do well (thick bean soups tend to solidify though), like vegetable/lentil, or brunswick stew
  • Chicken/noodle soup is a good standby if the noodles are very small and less than the chicken (see above)|
  • Thin dal, like a classic South Indian sambar, is designed for long sitting
  • Tomato/vegetable soup
  • "Chowders", including corn chowder, hold well from a suspension/serving standpoint, but see above for the risks of holding seafood
  • Any clear broth, such as bone broth, consomme, pomegranate soup, etc.

That's all I have; hopefully someone with current buffet-running experience will speak up.




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How do you serve soup at a buffet?

How to Serve the Soup
  • I like to use mugs quite often to serve soup in. ...
  • Bread bowls are always delicious. ...
  • You can use paper bowls, just be sure that they are sturdy and decorative if possible.
  • Arrange your toppings and sides on nice plates with tongs or spoons.


  • What are the characteristics of soup?

    Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.

    How do you describe a well prepared soup?

    A soup's quality is determined by its flavor, appearance and texture. A good soup should be full-flavored, with no off or sour tastes. Flavors from each of the soup's ingre- dients should blend and complement, with no one flavor overpowering another. Con- somm\xe9s should be crystal clear.

    What is the basis of a good soup?

    Lean, juicy beef, mutton, and veal, form the basis of all good soups; therefore it is advisable to procure those pieces which afford the richest succulence, and such as are fresh-killed. Stale meat renders them bad, and fat is not so well adapted for making them.



    Setting Up a Chafing Dish for Buffet Service




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    Images: Cynthia Ortega Espinosa, Nataliya Vaitkevich, Israel França, Naim Benjelloun