The Powerhouse Seasoning Alton Brown Swears By For Butternut Squash Soup

Celebrity chef Alton Brown has a reputation as somewhat of a mad scientist in the kitchen. It stems from his cult-favorite TV show "Good Eats" that featured Brown demystifying ingredients, cooking methods, and culinary origin stories. Suffice it to say, he knows a thing or two about flavors and what ingredients make others shine. When it comes to his ode to the comforting fall classic butternut squash soup, that extra layer of unexpected but critical flavor comes from minced ginger.

As with many of Alton Brown's top cooking tips, this one has almost become a de facto standard for those in search of flavors that feel like a warm hug. Ginger adds a spicy bite to the soup, refreshing the palate to keep you going back for yet another spoonful. Brown's soup involves roasting the squash to coax out its inherent sweetness before adding cream, vegetable stock, honey, a bit of nutmeg, and the all-important minced ginger, but amazingly, it comes together in under an hour from raw squash to table.

Ginger is a multi-purpose ingredient that adds a sharp piquancy to everything from curries to smoothies. It works equally well in savory and sweet dishes, also combining beautifully in sweet preparations like ginger cake and gingerbread. When shopping for ginger, look for pieces that are evenly colored, dry, and firm for optimal taste. 

If you'd like to riff on the sweet butternut squash notes and take it in a slightly different direction, you could give your butternut squash soup a squeeze of lime or orange or lean further into the warming angle with Ina Garten's pro butternut squash soup addition, garam masala, a spice mix anchored by cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, and cumin.

Or you can stick with Alton Brown's idea, given that ginger freezes so beautifully. No one would blame you. Home cooks look to Brown as a culinary beacon. His addition of ginger to butternut squash soup is no different.