Whenever there ’s even the slightest chill in the zephyr , it ’s not severe to find yourself daydreaming about tucking into a with child bowl of lusty soup or sweat . And though either will certainly warm ( and fill ) you up , they ’re not exactly the same .

Soup and swither are both liquid - based dishes that can contain any number of factor , including vegetables , centre , Pisces the Fishes , starchy foods , and more ; in fact , they can really check the precise same ingredients . So what sets your trademark beef fret with potato , carrots , and peas aside from your best friend ’s stylemark kick soup with tater , carrots and peas ? Mainly , the amount of liquid required to make it .

According toThe Kitchn , you normally submerge your soup ingredients completely in water or stock , while stews are just scantily covered in liquid state . Since you use less liquid for fret , it thickens during the cooking cognitive process , giving it a gravy - comparable consistence and making the solid ingredients the focal point of the dish . Some recipes even call for flour or aroux(a mixture of avoirdupois and flour ) to make the stew even boneheaded . And because lather are n’t as watery as soups , it ’s more uncouth to see them served over noodles , rice , or another grain .

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The cooking process itself often differs between soup and stews , too : Some soups can be made in as small as 20 minutes , but stews always require more metre to , well , stew . This explain why some stew recipes indicate using a slow cooker , while many soup are just made in an uncovered wad on the kitchen stove . It might also excuse why stew ingredients are often cut larger than those in soup — because they have more prison term to cook .

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