How To Keep Noodles From Absorbing Broth In Soup

“Why Does My Noodle Soup Thicken As It Sits Overnight?”

—Sent by Ancient Acolyte

Simply put, it’s because your noodle soup is superior to theirs.

To put it in a more sophisticated manner, let’s think about what transpires to a bowl of soup when the noodles are added and when the bowl is reheated the following day.

Your soup is a little runny at first, and your noodles are a little bit dry. Your soup is generally thin, though the gelatin that is produced when bones and meat are simmered may give the broth a little body.

The soup’s liquid will start to slightly thicken as the noodles cook. Two things are involved in this: first, there is just a simple concentration of dissolved solids. Whatever tiny amount of gelatin and other dissolved solids were initially present in the water will become a little more concentrated as the pasta absorbs water, leaving less and less free water in the pot (those solids go mostly unabsorbed by the pasta)

More importantly, free starch molecules from the noodles will start to slough off their surfaces simultaneously. The starches greatly raise the viscosity of the broth as they hydrate.

As soon as your noodles are al dente, your soup base should achieve the ideal rich-but-not-stodgy consistency if you’re following a good recipe (check out this fantastic one from Alice Waters). This is the ideal time to serve the soup to ensure maximum flavor. Have you ever encountered a Japanese ramen restaurant that declines to take delivery or takeout orders? This is because, when it comes to soft ramen noodles, there is a brief window of time when the broth and noodles are at their best. Thats why Japanese people always eat their ramen so fast.

“what was once a soup is now a stew”

You’ve probably noticed that when you eat a bowl of homemade noodle soup, the noodles get softer and softer and the liquid gets thicker and thicker. At this point, the remaining liquid may get extremely thick due to the noodles’ increased absorption of moisture and the resulting rise in the concentration of hydrated starch molecules in it. Eventually, what was once a soup is now a stew.

Now, let that pot cool down and store it in the refrigerator overnight and youve given the pasta even more time to absorb extra liquid (pasta will absorb water even if the water is cold—check out this great Ideas In Food article on how to take advantage of this fact to make one-minute pasta). By the time you start to reheat it the next day, there may be almost no liquid left, the noodles puffed and bloated like an East River body.

So this leads to two questions. Firstly, how can the makers of canned soup avoid the problem of too-thick broth and flaccid noodles in the first place? Secondly, is there a way to stop it from happening?

The answer to the second question is that they dont. I know I have never had a canned soup product’s noodles that were really al dente—that is, noodles that weren’t just over-soaked mush. Because they already account for this additional bloating when they design a can of soup, they use less noodles and more broth than you would for a recipe you make at home.

To address the first query, regrettably, I am unaware of any method that would stop noodles from absorbing liquid while they rest. The best thing to do would be to add the noodles first and reserve any soup that you anticipate having leftover. Just before serving, add the noodles to the pot while the soup is reheating. Your only chance to save the soup if you’ve already added the noodles is to dilute it with extra broth, which will give the noodles some room to spread out.

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4 Answers 4 Sorted by:

If it were up to me, I would cook the pasta in separate batches, maybe even soaking it in some of the broth, and then combine it right before serving.

You may also want to read How do manufacturers of canned soup prevent their noodles from absorbing the entire contents of the can?

Fairly impossible; noodles are thirsty. 🙂

Ever had a canned soup noodle that wasnt soggy?

Typically the closest you can get is what you mentioned;

• Cook noodles in olive oil and salt until they are VERY al dente, about one to two minutes less than usual. Then wash with butter and salt (or olive oil).
• Serve with a small amount of butter and broth mixed in on the side.
• Try to use a pasta with durumn or semolina flour.

After draining the pasta, I coat it with one stick of butter. Creates a barrier between the pasta and chicken broth.

Noodles should be baked with butter on a cookie sheet until they turn brown. Functions well with fine spaghetti noodles and doesn’t swell in soup

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