My mom told me to just add water to stretch a soup recipe, worst idea ever

She said adding extra water would make her lentil soup recipe feed more people without ruining it, but it turned into a watery mess that tasted like nothing after 2 bowls. Has anyone else had a family member give them bad budget advice that backfired?

2 comments

2 Comments

milap3517d ago

Oh wow, I can't believe she told you to just add water to stretch lentil soup! That's like saying you can stretch a cake recipe by adding more flour and milk but forgetting the sugar and eggs. Lentil soup is already pretty thin and brothy compared to some other soups, so adding plain water just makes it taste like sad lentil-flavored dishwater. I've definitely had family members give me bad budget tips like telling me to freeze leftover pasta sauce without taking the air out of the jar first - that thing exploded in my freezer and made a huge mess. Your mom meant well, I'm sure, but water is the enemy of flavor in a recipe that's already on the liquid side.

benwilliams17d ago

Is it really that big a deal though, @milap35? Water in lentil soup is definitely not ideal but it's not like it ruins the whole batch beyond eating. I've done worse in a pinch like adding ketchup to chili because I ran out of tomato paste. Still ate it, still survived. Your freezer story is way more tragic honestly, that sounds like a legit cleanup nightmare.

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