Storing soups and stews is about achieving two goals: primarily, to make sure the food stays safe and free from microorganisms that can cause illness, and also maintaining quality.
There are three main techniques you can use, depending on how long you want to keep the soup, as well as what ingredients the soup or stew contains.
Canned soup: store at a temperature between 50˚F and 70˚F (10˚C and 21˚C).
Make a large batch of soup and enjoy some for another meal. Many soups, with the possible exception of seafood soups, may taste better the next day! For best safety and quality, plan to eat refrigerated soup within 3 to 4 days or freeze it. And avoid letting soup set at room temperature for more than TWO hours.
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What could be simpler than supping on a big, steaming bowl of soup? A hearty soup — made with veggies and meat, poultry, fish or dried beans— can be the main dish for your meal. Add some crackers or breadsticks on the side and perhaps fruit for dessert and youre ready to eat!
Freezing Soups and Stews
Freezing soups and stews will significantly extend their shelf life as compared with storing them in the fridge. Soups and stews will comfortably last up to three months in the freezer, assuming they are stored properly.
The main issue with freezing soups and stews is quality as it relates to the specific ingredients in the soups. Ingredients like pasta and noodles, milk, cream, cheese and other dairy products, as well as rice and potatoes, are all problematic in the freezer for various reasons.
Starchy ingredients like pasta, rice and potatoes absorb too much of the soups liquid, turning them mushy. Dairy products can separate. This is not to say that you cant safely freeze soups and stews that contain these types of ingredients, but just know that they wont fare as well in the freezer as soups without them.
And in large part this comes down to the question of whether youre preparing soup specifically for the freezer, in which case you can leave out those ingredients and add them later prior to serving, or whether youre looking to freeze leftovers, in which case, you just have to go with what you have. In general, the less time things spend in the freezer, the better theyll be. So with soups that contain these problem ingredients, think in terms of using them within weeks rather than months.
Pint or quart-sized containers will work fine, as long as theyre made of freezer-safe material. Tempered glass (or other glass specifically labeled as safe for the freezer) is acceptable, but even these products can crack if subjected to rapid temperature changes, or if theyre packed too full.
One thing you dont have to worry about with soups and stews is freezer burn. Ice crystals can form on the tops of frozen soups and stews, but actual freezer burn, where the surface of a frozen item becomes dry and discolored through loss of moisture, isnt an issue with foods that are mostly liquid. With ice crystals, you can scrape them off or not, as its just the moisture from the soup being drawn to the surface. Its fine to melt them back into the soup.
To really avoid ice crystal formation, freeze your soups and stews in freezer bags with excess air pressed out (filing them in a clear organizer will make it easy to sort your soups!), or in freezer containers with a piece of plastic wrap draped across the surface of the soup.
Do try to cool your soup or stew to room temperature before transferring it to the freezer. Food that is is slightly warm is more prone to forming ice crystals. But in any event, dont let it sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
@henrybottjer asked: “What is the best way to store and freeze soup for later use?”
FAQ
What temperature should soup be kept at?
How cool should soup be before refrigeration?
What is the proper storage for soups?
What temperature should soup be reheated at?
What temperature should soup be refrigerated?
The key to safe refrigeration is cooling down your soup to 70 °F (21 °C) within the first 2 hours of preparation, then refrigerating and storing the soup at less than 40 °F (4 °C), which prevents any bacteria from forming. Hi there! Do you have a question about how to use or repair your home appliance?
Can soup made with coconut milk be left safely at room temperature overnight?
Neither soup made with coconut milk, nor with other milks or without milk can be left at room temperature, because this temperature is beneficial for bacterial development. As a result, if you leave your soup at room temperature, in the morning you will probably have a soup rich in bacteria.
What temperature should a soup be?
Of course, if you’re on the hunt for objective soup-eriority, the Journal of Food Science offers numbers. A study conducted by mechanical engineer John Abraham estimates that the most-preferred temperature for serving hot liquids is between 136 and 162 degrees Fahrenheit (about 57 and 72 degrees Celsius).
How do you store cooked soup?
Here are some tips: The fridge is generally the best place to store cooked food like soups. To ensure that your soup stays fresh and safe: – Allow the soup to cool down before transferring it into an airtight container. – Label your container with the date so that you remember when you put it in there.