To enhance soups and stews with a silkier texture, stir in 1 envelope (1/4 oz.) unflavored gelatin per 4 quarts of soup or stew. This is the secret to the silky ups of many professional chefs and crafty home cooks. This technique also makes store-bought broth taste richer. Here’s how it works: When you simmer animal bones to make traditional stock, the bones release gelatin and collagen, which gives the stock a velvety texture. Packaged gelatin produces the same mouthfeel in soups and stocks without the bones. Of course, if you combine stock made from bones with additional gelatin, the texture will be even richer.

For ultra-velvety chicken soup, remove the meat from half a roasted chicken. Remove and discard the skin, then cut the meat into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.

In a large pot, boil the chicken bones in 1 C. white wine for 3 minutes, then add:

2 quarts chicken broth 2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. finely chopped lemon zest
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. red-pepper flakes

Soften 1 envelope (1/4 oz.) unflavored gelatin in 2 tsp. water and add to the pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, then add 1/3 C. uncooked rice and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bones, then stir in the juice of 1 1/2 lemons, 1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro, and the reserved chicken meat. Simmer for 2 minutes more to heat through.