How to Make The Ultimate French Onion Soup

Bryan Roof shows you how to make the ultimate French Onion soup.
Get the recipe for French Onion soup: cooks.io/3tUdXEC
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[@Porkcfish]

I make French onion soup a lot and I suggest using dry sherry instead of red wine to deglaze. Dry sherry has less body than red wine and provides a nice flavour against the beef stock.

[@azilbean]

Sherry has sugar and adds depth of flavor. I much prefer it over red wine for sure!

[@JoleaSuzanne]

I agree! I prefer the flavor and use Sherry also.

[@JoleaSuzanne]

I also use Vidalia onions and don’t think it makes it taste too sweet.

[@sunflowerbaby1853]

Definitely!

[@jasonpilla]

True true

[@lisaboban]

The idea of bite size croutons is genius. Trying to cut a big piece of toast with a spoon was always a mess.

[@RemoteEars]

Honestly, that's one of those very obvious, so obvious it's stupid, ideas.... that I never thought of. Love it

[@KevinBullard]

Lisa, truer words have rarely been spoken! Thank you

[@thedracophile]

Yup, I do this as well. I also put piles of croutons on a rimmed baking sheet with a silpat, cover the piles with swiss cheese and broil the piles, then use a spatula to transfer the cheesy piles to the bowls. I ruined one bowl, that was not broiler-safe, not realizing the bowl would disintegrate under the heat of a broiler once, and this was my workaround.

[@martingrey2231]

I thought I invented that. I add garlic butter croutons as I eat the soup.

[@stevenseul361]

Yeah but I love that mess 😃

[@therevolvingmonk]

ATK has a video on caramelizing onions I frequently use in French onion soup and when making batches of caramelized onions that I freeze. They always turn out like savory, gooey onion candy. I made French onion soup using the techniques shown in this video and the caramelized onion video I mentioned. Turned out amazing and the shortcut from the other ATK video saves some time without sacrificing any quality.

[@kaiju_k5042]

Made this recipe last month following these rules exactly and it was a hit and pretty simple. Absolutely delicious.

[@bettymanoulian4645]

Love this recipe for French onion soup. Every recipe Bryan makes is a keeper. He does his 'research' and puts together great recipes. Keep 'em coming!!

[@AngelaSams]

Yes!!! This sounds amazing! 🤤

[@jenniferlawrence2988]

I never thought of cutting the croutons into cubes. Genius. I'm doing that next time!

[@rockyclick371]

Give this man a RAISE! I tried it. It rocks !

[@thirg424]

I'm looking forward to trying this recipe.

[@imsodone4309]

One of my favorite soups. This looks wonderful.

[@catherinemelnyk]

That looks so good! December is next week, so it's definitely soup time!

[@chrisbuckley1785]

By far my favorite soup. 🤗🥰☺️ Like always you guys nail it. 👍

[@javiermalo01]

Thank you, looks wonderful!

[@coda_o7]

finally, a recipe that's honest about how long it takes to caramelize onions! idk why all the other cooking shows try to tell you it only takes 20-30 minutes smh

[@darcyjorgensen5808]

Yes, it takes a L O N G time. Be patient!

[@bflogal18]

I’ve caramelized onions in my slow cooker. Just slice them up, add butter and set on low for about 12 hours. Keep the lid ajar for the last few hours to thicken. I make a big batch and freeze them for whenever I need them.

[@wendyeames5758]

​@@bflogal18 I came here to say just that.

[@adedow1333]

I usually follow the Alton Brown recipe and he says about 45 mins and he's usually right

[@radiosonicfan1726]

Agree. 1.5 hours for me..

[@luciamikels4258]

Omg! Looks so delicious 😋 and for sure going to make it with this recipe 😋

[@Kathleen5429]

Bryan, what a fabulous recipe of one of my two favorite soups. Even though it’s summertime, I can eat this soup with no problem now (even though a cold night and a fireplace come to my mind)! My other favorite soup is Lobster Bisque. I hope I didn’t miss your recipe on that one but if you haven’t taught us that yet, would you please consider teaching us your recipe? Thanks so much.

[@SRaf-gb4mr]

This looks so delicious!

[@carrieannmcleod5219]

Looks pretty easy and uncomplicated. I will certainly attempt this recipe. Thank you.

[@kristieprice8015]

Looks amazing!

[@jtdiffen]

Best execution of a classic French soup that I’ve seen. Tres Bien!!!

[@karentaylor2160]

Awesome, I love this, especially with the red wine! Good job!

[@craigbrown5359]

Most outstanding!

[@duerandaggi]

There is NOTHING that feels better on a cold day, yum!

[@lonefather]

Best onion soup recipe so far. I would bring me and my wife to the fine flavor of the first soup we were served 40 years ago.

[@susiemarr437]

This looks delish!

[@bellacucina3209]

Magnificent creation.

[@ruthwalters9179]

love this onion soup recipe. Have subscribed to you. Enjoy concise way of giving recipe. Will try this. Thank you Ruth

[@DeborahCaldwell77]

Thanks for the lesson in cooking the onions the pre-cooking was important thank you

[@tjsnell]

I can't stress how important it is for proper French Onion soup to make your broth from scratch. Doing it right takes about 12 hours, but using fresh vegetables and oxtail as the key ingredients, it makes liquid gold. And if it's part of a dinner serving beef, the perfect base for au jus. Trust me, once you've made your own broth you'll never touch store bought again.

[@aprilgutierrez7550]

Better than bouillon brand Beef Base is amazing. All the flavors are delicious and save time ❤

[@QueenOfTheNorth65]

I made homemade turkey broth last year for the first time. I felt like I’d discovered a new planet.

[@dtemp132]

Yep, don't forget to roast the oxtail before you simmer it!

[@haroldleboeuf8648]

He's such a good cook and dare I say easy on the eyes.

[@judithgeldhauser7778]

Excited to MAKE!!!!

[@arejetko]

Great read on the croutons and layering the Gruyere! I make lots and keep them in the freezer (usually for Caesar salads). Great recipe.

[@1111MeditationPortal]

I love Onion soup but never had this one, thanks for the recipe.

[@janinecox256]

I adore French onion soup!

[@philipwood8776]

I will be making this.....ty

[@tom.labelleseymour1]

I just made his recipe this evening, and it is delicious. Thanks y'all at American T est Kitchen. I did add a little garlic and the very beginning of the process I added very finely chopped pancetta. I also had a lack of Sherry so I improvised with dry red wine and a few portions of whiskey. Gave it a really good flavor. And maybe just a hint of a beef bouillon cube. Lol. I also didn't have typical bread for croutons so I improvise and used sourdough toast dried out in my air fryer fritoasted with topped butter and garlic powder salt and pepper. Excellent. And yes I love his idea of adding the croutons as opposed to one whole piece of bread., that's messy.

[@josephwisniewski3673]

c'est délicieux

[@katieray436]

Thank you for being honest with the onion caramelizing time. Lots of recipes say you can caramelize onion in 10-15 mins. Lies! All lies! Haha

[@IFIXCASTLES]

Delicious!

[@stevealaska73]

I like this guy. I'd like to see more of his recipes. Thank you for sharing. Can't wait to make this.

[@gingerp1601]

Bryan is behind some of the most popular recipes from ATK/CC. For the ATK 20th Anniversary special, they featured the Top 20 Recipes of all time as chosen by their subscribers/viewers. I think five of them were Bryan's. That said, this recipe is not one of his (although in his day job of CC's editorial director, Bryan likely had some input), this recipe was developed by Cooks Country Associate Editor Jessica Rudolph.

[@jack6964]

Yep. He’s good.

[@stevealaska73]

@@gingerp1601 Thank you so much for that informative reply Ginger! Glad to hear Bryan is known for his recipe mastery elsewhere as well!

[@stevealaska73]

@@jack6964 Yes, and thank you for subscribing to my channel?

[@gingerp1601]

@@stevealaska73 Well, if you consider down the hall as "elsewhere". There's a funny out take from that 20th Anniversary show where past ATK cast member Bryan who was not part of the ATK Special, is tormenting the current cast and crew and disrupting the shot by riding through it on a skateboard or scooter. 😆

[@kimohoganesq]

"Love" it !!!!!!!!! 😍

[@TiMalice2009]

He broke it down to be so easy!

[@cherylguthrie3959]

WOW!!

[@Chloe01210]

Bonjour, I am french, I live in France, authentic and traditional french onion soup is made with winter yellow onions, white wine, slices of stale bread and french emmental from Savoie.

[@jakespinella8161]

Hello I watch KZbin, and this is KZbin, and this French onion soup uses whatever onion, red wine, toasted bread, and parmesan and gruyere from the supermarket.

[@dtemp132]

I bet if a bunch of people tried the soup two ways, made with red wine or white wine, side by side, the red would win.

[@carsonfran]

A tablespoon of Cognac into the bowl before serving takes it up a notch.

[@savannarichard6059]

Yummy

[@richardm.chernoff7553]

As per usual, this is a great recipe... Thank you 😎

[@josephwisniewski3673]

We cut the crotons that size for Zupa Cebulowa, Polish onion soup. Cognac instead of wine, add flour and cream to thicken the broth, and the day-old leftovers are better than the fresh soup. That's a Polish thing: wait till someone in your group asks the waiter about today's soup, then you ask them about yesterday's soup.

[@MadisonFalco]

Yesterdays soup is the best❤️

[@lyndamclean6786]

Yes sounds great

[@Mirrokash]

Can’t wait to make the French Onion Soup!

[@Sakja]

I made French Onion Soup once many years ago. At the time, it was a trend in Manhattan. I had eaten it at many restaurants and wanted to see if I could come close. I even bought the traditional crocks. It was delicious.

[@fattyfat-fat6639]

A+ about the oxtail broth. If broth isn't A+, soup will be sub par. Lose the red wine. Use good sherry. Red onion instead of white is very French. So's a good splash of Cognac toward the end of the crock cook. Toast bread slices first, then rub w/garlic cloves, then cube. Add the olive oil & spices, then a final browning toast of the cubes. This way, they won't end up so mushy. 😊 Almost forgot, garnish hot bowls with fine shredded parm, then finally with minced chives for zest and color!!

[@kathybridges3343]

Yummm 😋

[@citibear57]

Hey Bryan, what time can I come over? 😄 French Onion Soup is my favorite, and I just don't get to nice restaurants any more. Costco sells some brand (that looks like a frozen muffin bottom) which aren't too bad, but certainly not the same quality as yours. Excellent video, Bryan!

[@hollymcmackin4427]

I find the Costco French Onion soup a little too salty. However I do like it. I think I will try this and I will be able to control the salt content.

[@UltraViolet.100]

Can you please name a "good quality beef broth" we can buy at the store?

[@5610winston]

I've had it made with all beef stock and I've had it made with equal parts beef and chicken. The beef and chicken is just as hearty, but with a bit more complex flavor. I haven't been disappointed with either version.

[@mmmfloorpie]

What colour is that Le Creuset dutch oven? I love it!

[@kimezman8697]

Going to make French Onion soup for grandson's 13th birthday. His request ❤

[@whocares0692]

Oh My ! 😋

[@chrishine8699]

Good to hit all these tips, but what I think is missing here is something that I always do when I make this soup - use different types of onions. Use red onions as well as shallots and any other type you can get your hands on. This is how I make my chili more complex - use different fresh and dried chilis. Roast some, add some fresh ones, etc. Recipes like this are all about richness and depth of flavor. Different onions have different characteristics. Use any type you can find and caramelize them all together in the same way you would all one type. It makes a difference.

[@vduncan7isheaven]

I use the red onion too l will have to try a mix of the red and shallots next time. It is now the 7th of May and l am enjoying French Onion soup. I sauteed some diced bacon pieces and added to the recipe it is divine.

[@user-bo8nm5cs7y]

Yum❤

[@rosechardonnay5351]

I usually use white wine or dry sherry to deglaze the pan. I like the flavor of the sherry in particular but I might try it with the red wine, it adds a nice color. I agree regular yellow cooking onions are the way to go with French Onion soup. I tried sweet onions and red onions before and they really do make the soup too sweet and they break down too much also.

[@lisalisalisa7721]

I like the idea of the baguette cut into croutons. I am making FO as I type

[@joannekucks4343]

I remember an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares where he was served French Onion Soup where the chef added raw onions to the cooked ones to fill up the bowl more. He was horrified! 🥰

[@ccbowers]

I was "horrified" when Gordon made a grilled cheese with thick sliced country bread, romano w/pepper berry, asiago, and kimchi. He managed to burn part of the bread, while having the cheese completely unmelted while cooking it in a steel pan over a fire. He said the cheese was "nicely melted" while anyone with eyes can see that it wasn't. If he was served that by another cook, he'd throw a temper tantrum, as is his m.o.

[@LifeHacks-ut4pc]

Who cares about the bully Ramsey

[@annettec9112]

Probably cursed 😳

[@josephwisniewski3673]

Celebrity chefs battle across the generations! That "add some raw onion after the soup is cooked" thing was popularized by "The French Chef" herself, Julia Child.

[@karlamarx5954]

This was the first thing I thought of too! 😂😭💀

[@JoeRiordan]

You have me watching an onion soup video on a 95 degree day in July. Please come back in fall.

[@Paulguynj]

Exactly. Nothing like a bowl of hot French onion soup when it's 95 degrees. 😄😄 What were they thinking airing this now?

[@gingerp1601]

*You* come back in the fall (the video will still be here). FWIW, the full episode this segment was a part of was also posted here in April. BTW, it originally aired on TV on PBS last fall. Just think of it as a good old-fashioned summer repeat. 📺

[@name.terrie]

Great tips and thanks for sharing this recipe. Say, when developing this recipe, did you try it with sherry vs dry red wine? I've only ever used sherry. Soooo good.

[@lyndamclean6786]

I like Guiness I use sherry for mussels

[@name.terrie]

@@lyndamclean6786 that sounds really good.

[@urbanurchin5930]

Some one mentioned cognac......but dry vermouth might work well too.

[@khodayehrangekaman315]

I just ❤ love it . Why , because that is the end result of all the work you did to make it the best.. Indeed 💐💖 💟

[@patmarkham519]

@bflogal18--What a good idea! I'll have try carmalizing my onions in my slow cooker, like you said! I always hated having to spend all that time at the stove doing that! Thanks for the tip!

[@markorr7564]

I want that

[@heatherspence3848]

Count me in!!!

[@KeefyKat]

I wanna know who got the other five bowls! lol!

[@oldshovelhead]

This looks great!! Is there a non-alcohol replacement for the wine?

[@laurao3274]

Maybe try a sherry vinegar? I haven't made this soup before, but I find that a good sherry vinegar can be used in many applications that call for wine. You just want to use a smaller amount.

[@josemartinhalle7923]

Fantastic recipe, I do miss the interaction of more folks on this show though.

[@gingerp1601]

They've been back together on the test kitchen set for a while as evidenced by ATK now showing on PBS. That season started airing in January and was filmed months before that.

[@french21able]

In France We use Port or sherry wine. Other than that, this recipe is great!

[@lindachick8889]

Sounds and looks wonderful. Can the soup be put in the freezer for leftovers?

[@name.terrie]

We have the soup without the toppings. Then when we reheat it in the oven, we add the cheese and bread toppings.

[@david_reynolds3660]

Great recipe! Yeah just needed about twice as many onions

[@vernalongwell1648]

What IS a good quality beef broth? Any suggestions?

[@chapasaurus]

Was there a switcharoo when he takes out the soup at @8:17 to when he puts it down? It looks like a lot of the bread corners were sticking out and got pretty burned. But the presentation looks great. Should you pat down the bread before baking it to avoid any of those burnt parts?

[@robertmccoy9901]

Shopping crocks, I see a few that have covers. Would those give me more options for other uses? (a set I'm leaning towards does not have them, but it leaves me wondering..... - any insight would be appreciated).

[@larsolivius]

Looks really good! A question thought, the temperatures you mention ib the video are they in Centigrades or the F-temperature used by only three countries (Myanmar, Liberia and the US) on planet Earth?

[@johnkovalicky3389]

Looks great ! More cheese, I like it nice and brown down the sides. Best part for me!!! Dry sherry for deglazing and a little more thyme. Overall nice ..

[@andy4717]

Hi, can you please tell us where your crocks are from? We want to buy that specific set. Thanks

[@andreagirard5324]

I have found that using a good Coniac instead of dry sherry is really good.

[@user-qc1wv6nf3k]

ماشاء الله تبارك الرحمان اللهم بارك بالتوفيق

[@Hananetetouan7434]

تبارك الرحمان ههه يطبخ بالنبيذ الاحمر 🍺

[@josephwisniewski3673]

Any recommendations for a good vegan FOS?

[@thedracophile]

The one change I would make is in the dutch oven. Instead of an enameled cast iron one, I use a copper bottomed, stainless steel one. This produced a *LOT* more fond. It takes 30 minutes to get the onions to the caramelization point, then I spend an hour caramelizing them and creating fond. I keep adjusting the heat of the stove, so that about every five minutes, I scrape the created fond off the bottom of the pot, so it doesnt burn. The flavor this fond imparts to the broth is incredible.

[@pamelamarshall471]

That's a good tip. I'll try it.

[@hexzerone7034]

Now I know what I’m making this weekend, only I’m going to make grilled cheese

[@p.stephens9305]

Can I use PBR instead of red wine?

[@pbkayakyer]

Wow this video was uploaded 10 hours ago! The last time I made French Onion Soup, it took 10 hours to make!!

[@29JoeBoo]

When I hear "medium high" I'm not sure if that actually means "medium" or "half way between medium and high." Do you mind explaining that to me? For me, "medium low" is halfway between medium and low. Thank you for your help!

[@annettec9112]

1/2 way between medium & high

[@29JoeBoo]

@@annettec9112 Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@jeromerampersad3540]

I LOVE THE SMALL CROUTONS. IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TO DIP OUT THE SOUP CROUTONS AND CHEESE TOGETHER😊 6:58

[@harveyh3696]

Decades ago, at my first date at a 'fancy' restaurant I ordered French onion soup. As I ate it a sliver of onion 'jumped' onto my chin and hung on for dear life. Hadn't had that soup since.

[@lifespanwellnessbeauty-60i64]

Do you have to use a Dutch oven? Can you use a metal soup pot?

[@deedeeb9980]

So what brand of Sherry should I use? I don't drink Sherry so I don't know what to buy. Thanks.

[@FlyTyer1948]

May I please be invited to test your next experiments with onion soup.

[@EverybodyWantsToBeACat]

Sounds like he's wasting cheese by not eating the cheese off the side of the crock, also not living his best life.

[@afriend621]

What brand is a good beef stock without making your own, please ?

[@TheStormyDebris]

There's two things I differ on: #1 I use Applejack Bourbon to deglaze, not red wine. I loathe Red wine, I prefer a white wine or bourbon. #2 I like ripped up or rustic croutons and not uniform precision cut croutons, all the juices and cheese hangs on better to the nooks and crannies of torn up bread than the conventional style crouton.... Other than that, this is classic French Onion soup!!

[@gregthorne4292]

Nothing I like more on a hot Fourth of July than hot bowl of French onion soup.

[@lyndamclean6786]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@shanetapatterson5932]

I added stew meat to mine to make it heartier. It was delicious and very filling.

[@barney6888]

It is an elegant soup, for a more civilized age