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What makes great French onion soup?









What makes a wonderful FOS for you?

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  1. Caramelizing the sh*t out of the onions, a great beef stock, definitely Gruyere or Emmenthaler, a hit of Cognac or Brandy to finish. Oh, and a darned fine hunk o'bread to drape the cheese over... Adam

    1. To me, the broth is most important. Sadly, it seems that some will merely use canned beef stock, that is loaded with sodium and MSG. If I want a good FOS, I make my own chicken and beef broth and add salt later. Also, using good bread is important. The best soups tend to use a sturdy country loaf that stands up to the broth. I've had some versions where the bread collapses under the broth, and becomes gummy. YUCK. When I make my own soup, I will also make the bread from scratch. And I agree, the onions must be carmelized low and slow. While FOS might appear easy to make, a good version does require much TLC and effort. I think it's worth the extra effort.

      1 Reply
      1. re: my3cflvi

        I also like to make my broth from scratch, usually starting the day before so it has all night to let the fat congeal. Bread - I have had great success with local baguettes, cut about one inch thick, toasted lightly, and then left out overnight. This gets them dry enough that they can soak up the broth without disintegrating and still hold up the cheese. Lots of onions, done as you suggest. We often serve it with an extra bowl of broth on the table, so that you can adjust the broth/onion mix as you go.

        Adam, I used to throw in a bit of sherry, but the wife and kids don't like the flavour of any alcohol, so we've let that part go. Maybe when they grow up...

      2. After a fresh, clear broth, I look for a crusty bread that does not collapse into a glutenous mass, same for overly dessicated onions--I want some firmness. And the chees should be a delicate infusion of gruyere with a touch of peccorino/parmesan.
        As I travel, I often have soup that I suspect is not made in the local kitchen---can it be a frozen purchase from a food supplier that we are all being 'treated' to that is lowering the standards?

        1. The onions are key! A good sweet onion, like Vidalia, carmelized in the oven really enriches the flavor. No ordinary onion will do for French Onion Soup.

          1 Reply
          1. re: oldbaycupcake

            Actually, I disagree. Love sweet onions raw, but red/yellow storage onions offer much deeper flavor (including, counter-intuitively, sweetness) when cooked long and slow.

          2. Start with twice the amount of onions you think are needed and do a loooooooooong sloooooooow caramalization; add homemade stock; season carefully; good cheese; all under the salamander and good to go.