The Key To Getting The Flavor Just Right For Cold Soups This Summer

Soups are usually one of those foods you associate with autumn or winter more than summer. No one wants a hot cup of chicken soup during a heat wave after all. But that doesn't mean that certain soups — in particular, cold soups — can't be enjoyed as a cool and filling dinner option.

In case you haven't heard of cold soup, it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a soup that's meant to be eaten cold, usually being either sweet or savory. Some good examples of cold soup can include gazpacho, chilled peach soup, cucumber soup, zucchini soup, or sour cherry soup. While meat can be included in cold soup, there's more of a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables as they are meant to be consumed either hot or cold much better than chilled meats. It's because of this reliance on fresh produce that you'll want to get as much flavor out of them as possible to make even the coldest soup taste as good as a hot one.

The key to getting the perfect amount of flavor in your soup seems very simple and incredibly obvious: experiment. It's important to keep in mind that, as your soup cools, you'll find that it will develop different flavors and profiles, so experimenting with adding and omitting certain ingredients as you see fit will lead to a sweeter, spicier, more savory, or richer outcome depending on your personal taste.

One of the good things about soups is that they're very forgiving when it comes to adding or omitting ingredients. You're free to put in or take out anything you want and your soup can still turn out to be pretty good. Cold soups are also very forgiving when it comes to this, giving you the advantage of a broad framework to work with as you prepare your soup.

But what exactly can you do with your cold soup? Maybe you need a starting point to build off of. A few good examples include adding cooked and crumbled bacon for a bit of smokier, meatier flavor; adding a hard-boiled egg to gazpacho; or stirring in black olives or capers. If your soup needs to be a bit sweeter, you can remove spicier elements and add in ingredients like apple or watermelon juice, fresh blueberries, and honey. If your soup needs to be savory, you can add herbs like basil, thyme, rosemary, or roasted vegetables in lieu of fresh ones. Again, what you put into the soup is up to you. As long as you think it tastes good (and others will think it tastes good), you don't have to follow every single recipe to the letter.

While you're free to customize your soup however you want, it's important to remember that some soups are best served during select times of the summer. 

You may find the idea of a watermelon soup, cucumber soup, or strawberry soup to be something that sounds rather fascinating and you would like to try it. While these soups can be made at any point during the summer, you may find it better to wait until those ingredients are at their freshest.

For example, let's say that you want to make watermelon soup to try. It's important to note that watermelon season usually begins around May and extends into September, giving you a roughly three-to-four-month window to get the freshest watermelons possible. It's best to aim for the middle of the season, such as the end of June or the beginning of July, since that would be the peak of the season. If you were making cucumber soup, you should aim for June and July to purchase the best cucumbers you can get, as cucumber season lasts from May into August. 

By focusing on the peak times to get your produce, you can get the most flavor and color out of your cold soup. The fresher the fruits and vegetables are, the more vibrant and flavorful your soup will be, which will only be further complemented the more you experiment with different ingredients.