Basic Chinese Chicken Soup Stock (Soup Base)

I love thermal pots.  They are diverse, energy-efficient, self-sustainable and the ultimate soup-cooking-busy-mother’s tool and friend.  Thermal pots are more common in Asian countries (probably due to its origin)  and come in a variety of sizes and prices.

Most thermal pots are made of stainless steel.  There are 3 physical parts to a thermal pot:

1. Outer portion – which is what you see on the outside.  It can contain several layers of metal and air, ensuring a sturdy insulation.
2. An air-tight lid – which is detachable and is identical in make, construction and theory to the outer shell.
3. An inner pot – which is similar to your typical boiling pots.  Again, constructed of stainless steel usually and designed for stove top usage.   The inner pot also comes with a matching glass lid with vents.

The idea of the thermal pot is that the soup/foods can continue to cook in an insulated environment, thus retaining its heat, without supervision.  I normally recommend soups to be boiled on high heat for at least 30-45 minutes and then you put it into its thermal insulation.  You can walk away for another 3 hours at least and your soup is finished!   You can also apply this theory to stews and other similar dishes and this solution is environmentally friendly and electricity saving.  It is also great for keeping things warm – especially when it comes to soups for children.  After several hours, the soup is still hot, but not boiling so I don’t need to wait so long for it to cool down.

These pots aren’t cheap though.  They can range any where from $150 USD to over $300 and beyond depending on make, brand, thickness and warranty.  You can definitely fine them in any Asian speciality or household store. 

The only precaution that I would offer soup makers is to take caution when using Chinese herbs.  In Chinese medicine, it is not recommended to use stainless steel pots to boil Chinese medicine, so by induction, you could say the same thing with Chinese herbs used in soups.