Soup is the cold-weather hero all of us want. It could actually battle off illness, be made in huge batches and freeze like a champ. As to freeze soup, the method is fairly straightforward. Our step-by-step information will present you prep the soup for freezing and pack it up in order that it tastes simply pretty much as good as day one.
Our greatest methodology for freezing will work for quite a lot of cozy soup recipes, from lighter broths to hearty stews. Fortunately, making a pot of this liquid gold (five-spice beef stew, anybody?) is among the most undemanding duties within the kitchen so you will have loads of straightforward soup recipes to select from. It doesn’t take way more effort to make additional soup, so go forward and simmer up a cauldron-ful. No matter you possibly can’t end up in a number of days can final for months within the freezer.
How one can freeze soup, step-by-step
Step 1: Cool the Soup
You can not simply stick a piping scorching pot of soup within the fridge or freezer. It’ll heat up the opposite meals in there whereas not cooling the soup shortly sufficient, inflicting a number of undesirable meals issues of safety. The easiest way to sit back down soup is to dunk your pot within the sink stuffed with chilly water and many ice, then stir often. You possibly can even velocity up the cooling by dividing the soup into smaller containers. Let the soup cool till tepid.
Step 2: Label the containers
Label the containers with the date and contents. In case you’re utilizing baggage, place every one in a bowl or tall container and fold the perimeters over the rim.
Step 3: Pack up the soup
Ladle the cooled soup into the labeled containers, leaving 1/2 to 1 inch headroom on the prime (liquids develop whereas freezing however in the event you go away an excessive amount of area, the meals may develop freezer burn).
In case you’re not planning to warmth up the entire batch, freeze particular person servings so you possibly can prep a portion or two at a time.
When you’ve got any pasta, rice or grains which are a part of the soup, freeze these individually to stop them from getting mushy when thawing later. The identical goes for any crunchy garnishes (croutons, roasted chickpeas, frico, and so forth.) that you just need to maintain crisp. Press out any extra air within the freezer baggage and seal shut.
Step 4: Freeze the soup
In case you’re freezing baggage, lay them flat in a single layer. As soon as they’re frozen, you possibly can stack the luggage upright so it’s simpler to type by means of them, like folders in a submitting cupboard.
How lengthy can soup be frozen?
In response to the FDA, soup could be saved for as much as 3 to 4 days within the fridge and for two to three months within the freezer. Any longer than 3 months and also you danger dropping freshness and the soup could get diluted from the ice that types then melts throughout thawing.
What are the most effective containers for freezing soup?
Get freezer-safe, hermetic containers in a dimension that is sensible for portioning. In case you’re utilizing plastic, ensure it’s heavy-duty (in any other case the liquid could break by means of the flimsy plastic when it expands within the freezer). Quart-size takeout containers or freezer baggage are excellent for single or double servings; scale as much as gallon-size in the event you’re planning to serve extra without delay. Something bigger shall be a nightmare to thaw. A product we love for freezing soups: Souper Cubes, a winner of GH’s Kitchen Gear Awards. They’re outsized ice dice trays with a useful cowl and the frozen cubes come out simply.
Are you able to freeze soup with milk in it?
Sadly, soups with milk, cream or different dairy could flip grainy or grow to be separated throughout their stint within the freezer. The easiest way to a freeze creamy soup? Put together it up till the purpose when the dairy is added, then freeze and add the dairy after reheating the soup.
How one can reheat frozen soup
Congrats! You’ve obtained your bag or container of frozen soup. Don’t be tempted to dump it straight right into a pot on the range (or worse, microwave it for eons). Step one is to let it thaw in a single day within the fridge. You then’re clear to reheat it gently on the stovetop or in a microwave, stirring often, till it reaches your required temp.
Recipe Editor
Susan (she/her) is the recipe editor at Good Housekeeping, the place she pitches concepts, parses phrases, and produces meals content material. Within the Take a look at Kitchen, she cooks (and samples!) recipes, working with builders to ship the most effective written variations potential. A graduate of Brown College and a collaborator on a number of cookbooks, her earlier expertise consists of stints at Meals & Wine, Meals Community, three meal equipment corporations, a wine store in Brooklyn and Chez Panisse, the pioneering restaurant in Berkeley, California. She enjoys taking part in tennis, pure wines and actuality competitors exhibits.