How To Freeze Soup In Plastic Container
Naturally, plastic food storage containers are beneficial: they are lightweight and stackable reusable ones are perfectly durable. Besides, they shouldnt crack or become brittle in freezing temperatures. It works the same way as glass jars. You should leave enough space on the top. Should remember liquid expands, turning into ice. It stiffens, becoming sharp and solid.
Storing soup in individual portions is a great idea. If you are a busy person, its a real catch! You have healthy, delicious meals every day. Feeding your little kids is as easy as pie. Broths freeze especially well. Creamy or diary soups might get an unpleasant texture after reheating.
So, you should:
- have your favorite delicious soup cooked
- let it cool down up to room temperature
- select several suitable, top-quality containers
- fill them, leaving about 1 inch of space on the top
- seal the containers, covering them with lids
- label your containers
- place them into your freezer.
Dont stack more than 3-4 containers. Their weight might be too heavy, damaging plastic. Would you keep soup in your fridge before freezing? Its safe for no more than 3-4 days. So, its better to freeze your delicious soup at once after you cook it.
The Best Way To Freeze Soup
So, you know how I got tired of those freezer bags being so wasteful with my soup? I figured out a better way.
You still need to use freezer bags, but its better because nothing goes to waste. Now, how does that sound?
First, you need to freeze your soup in portions. The portions that work for adults are:
- 1/2-1 cup is snack size
- 2 cups is a meal
Kids typically eat less, so you can probably cut the adult-sized portions to 1/2 cup for a snack size and 1 cup for a meal.
Thinking of these portion sizes, how can you freeze your soup to be able to pull it out and feed one or a couple people without measuring it?
With muffin tins and ice cube trays, of course!
If you have a baby, put some soup in ice cube trays and then put the frozen cubes in a plastic bag clearly labeled. It depends on how old your baby is and how much he eats, but you can feed your baby a couple of these cubes for lunch without any extra effort.
For adults and kids, its best to use a muffin tin to freeze the soup first. Once the soup has been frozen in the muffin tin, put the cubes into a labeled freezer bag. Each muffin cup is about 1/3 cup , so one person can have 2-6 muffin cubes and thats an easy and effortless side or meal!
Im just glad Ive discovered a way to prevent my soup from sticking to the sides of the freezer bags. Waste has no place in this kitchen!
Have you ever had this problem when freezing soup?
Soups With Starches Like Pasta Rice And Potatoes
Rice and pasta tend to bloat when frozen and potatoes will become mealy and fall apart. Some people dont mind this, so you definitely can freeze soups with these ingredients, but their texture wont be the same as freshly made soup.
How to Freeze Soups With Starches
A better option is to treat these ingredients as you would dairy and simply omit them while cooking.
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What Can You Freeze
You can freeze almost anything. But harsh temperatures can cause physical and chemical damage to cells and tissues, which makes some foods limp or watery after thawing. For example, youll never get the same satisfying bite from a crisp leaf of lettuce after youve frozen it, and cream will never whip to as fluffy a texture. There are many recipes that freeze very well, though: Soups, stews, casseroles, cakes, and cookie dough are just a few examples. Even ingredients such as sour cream, tofu, and eggs can be revived after freezing, and items such as tortillas and bread can be zhuzhed up in a toaster or pan.
For recipe ideas or advice on what will freeze best, NYT Cooking has a guide to freezing many ingredients, as well as several recipe roundups like Recipes to Make and Freeze and Having a Baby? What to Cook and Freeze Now. The National Center for Home Food Preservation also has extensive guidelines for freezing, although some of the recommendations are dated and taste preferences have changed. Andress recommends contacting your local cooperative extension office if you have questions.
Top Ways To Reheat Frozen Soup
Microwave: Everybody has this in their kitchen, and it is a fast way to get your soup ready. Once your soup thaws, empty it from the Pyrex container into a microwave-safe container and cover it with a plastic bowl. Poke tiny holes in the wrap for proper ventilation and microwave your soup for about 30-60 seconds, pausing at intervals to stir to ensure consistency.
Instant Pot: This is a quick and efficient way to reheat the frozen soup. Pour the soup from your Pyrex container into your instant pot and warm it up with the pressure cooker function. Cook it for up to 5 minutes and if your soup is cream-based, stay away from instant pots.
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Best Container To Freeze Chicken Soup
It often happens that you need to preserve food in the edible state for a long period of time, and the only right way to do that is a freezer. Low temperatures do not allow bacteria to grow. But you should also consider what food container you put in the freezer for a dish to remain beneficial for health. That is why it is important to choose the best containers for freezing soup offered in the market.
After that, be confident that they will not crack or fill the content with dangerous chemicals. Moreover, a good food container is a guarantee that your soup or whatever you put inside it will not acquire the unpleasant smell of the freezer. And certainly, you can safely put it into the microwave oven to make it ready for consumption.
It is worth mentioning that not every food container can be put to the freezer, so find the answer to the question what is the best container to freeze food in? looking through the short reviews of the top-rated products offered below.
Freezing And Reheating Soup Which Containers Are Best
We like to make lots and lots of soup and then freeze it in individual portion containers. We take it to work with us and then heat in the microwave at the office. Our current containers seem to be cracking and leaking, they are Rubbermaid. We’ve also used Snapware, which works pretty well, but discolors easily and is not appetizing looking when discolored. So we’re in the market for new containers that don’t leak and are BPA free and are sized for a cup or so of soup. Having non-leaking containers is the most important requirement, but also having containers that are healthy and not leaking chemicals into our soup and onto our bodies is pretty important to us as well. We’d love to hear your suggestions!
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Silicone Molds Ice Cube Trays Or Muffin Tins
You read that right! Muffin tins, ice cube trays, and silicone molds are a brilliant way to freeze single soup servings.
Why do we love this method? It allows you to distribute and store almost any soup into contained serving sizes. One tip to keep in mind: When you’re ready to reheat your frozen soup, set the tins in a tray filled with warm water to help the portions pop out.
How Long Does Soup Last In The Freezer And Fridge
If youre trying to decide the right place to store soup leftovers, you should first get familiar with the basics of how long soup lasts in the freezer and in the fridge.
When refrigerated, soup that contains vegetables or meat will stay good for 34 days. If youre freezing soup containing vegetables or meat, you can expect that to last for 23 months in the freezer.
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Soups Made With Cream Or Milk:
Soups made with a large amount of milk or cream can have a grainy texture and appear to separate when defrosted and reheated.
There are two ways you can deal with this:
How To Freeze Potato Soup
Freezing this soup couldnt be easier.
All you need to do is allow the finished dish enough time to cool down before adding it to your freezer bags.
You should then label the bag and place it in the freezer until needed.
You can also use the freezer-safe container method for freezing soup, but if you do so, then its a good idea to leave enough space at the top of the container to allow the liquid in your soup to expand during freezing.
You can then defrost your frozen potato soup and reheat it by placing it in the microwave or on a stovetop .
Always label the container with details of what the soup is and when it was made.
This will then allow you to use the oldest frozen items at the bottom of your freezer, helping you to free up space in your freezer and ensuring that your food lasts as long as possible.
You can also divide large batches of potato soup into individual portions for freezing so that you dont end up with one large frozen potato soup block in your freezer.
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Freeze Your Soup The Same Day You Cook It
If you think youll want some leftovers for the next few days, save as much as you want to store in the fridge, but the rest should go in the freezer the same day to maintain its freshness. The longer soup sits, the more of the liquid will be soaked up by the vegetables and meats.
Thats great for flavor, but not so wonderful for consistency. When you freeze it right after cooking , all the individual components of your delicious dish will better maintain their integrity. When youre ready to eat it, itll be like you just whipped up an entirely fresh batch!
Tips For Freezing Soup
When you want to keep leftover soup longer than a few days, freezing soup is the way to go. But before you begin the process of freezing soup, be aware: not all soup reheats to its original quality when frozen. If your soup contains things like dairy, pasta/grains, or chunks of potatoes, you might want to think twice about freezing it your soup may change texture or lose quality when reheated. For more info about storing either tomato or potato soup, check out our food protection pointers for storing tomatoes and storing potatoes.
Another thing to consider when freezing soup is that liquids expand when they freeze so youll need to account for that when filling your storage bags or containers by leaving a bit of extra room.
One last pro tip for freezing soup: make sure to accurately date and label your soup leftovers so youll be able to identify them at a glance and so youll know when to use them by.
To learn more about freezing and storing leftovers, check out this Glad® guide to how long leftovers last.
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Why Would I Freeze Soup
What is all the rage about freezing food you ask? It can make life easier for you during busy weeks! Is there anything better than finding a delicious soup or crockpot meal in the freezer? No prep necessary.
Frozen meals can be a lifesaver for loved ones when they are going through a time in their life where they dont have the time to prepare meals in general.
Freezer meals or frozen soups are great meal prep options for an expecting mom or for families going through a hard time.
We love freezing soup for so many reasons>
- Soup is easy to pack with healthy and tasty ingredients! Meal prepping a healthy recipe and sticking it in the freezer for later ensures you will have a healthy meal option when you need it.
- Preparing soup for friends and family makes mealtime easy for the person youre gifting it to!
- The soup recipe options are endless! You can prepare so many different soup recipes and freeze them, but still have a variety of flavors to choose from!
Best Budget: Durahome Food Storage Containers With Lids Combo Pack
You cant beat the price on this 44-item set of deli storage containers, especially if you’re someone who likes to send food home to friends. These tubs come in three handy sizes: quart , pint , and cup . They’re excellent for freezing food, even for long periods of time, and are dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
The deli-style container is what I stock my own kitchen with and Ive yet to find a food I want to freeze that doesnt work with one of these sizes. Best of all, the lids are interchangeable, so theres no frustration trying to track down the right one when youre trying to put leftovers away after dinner.
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How To Freeze Soup In Individual Portions
Freezing soup in individual portions is no different than freezing full batches. You just need smaller containers. This is actually my preferred way to freeze soup. When your soup is cooked, simply divide it between your storage containers.
If its a soup with dairy or starches and youve held back an ingredient, divide that ingredient by the number of servings and make a note on the label of what was left out and how much of it to add to the soup after reheating.
How To Freeze French Onion Soup
You should follow different methods to make sure that the French onion soup stays tasty and flavorful when you want to freeze it for later use.
If youre going to freeze the batch of soup, then portion out the soup into a smaller airtight container and freeze it so whenever you want to thaw and reheat the soup, you can take the smaller container easily without disturbing the remaining soup.
Important points that you need to remember when you want to freeze French onion soup in the freezer.
- Point No-1: It is vital that know that you should freeze French onion soup only after it is wholly cooed and reach room temperature. When you store the soup in the airtight container, it ensures that no moisture forms inside the container. .
- Point No-2: Remove the crouton or cheese from the soup before freezing the French onion soup. Cheese and crouton do not freeze well, and they get soggy after some time. Also, the soup gets spoiled quickly. .
- Point No-3: When you want to freeze the French onion soup, make sure to use a heavy-duty freezer bag or a sealed container to store the soup. These two types of storage methods keep the moisture away and keep the flavors and taste intact. .
- Point No-4: Before freezing the onion soup, make sure to write the date on the container so that you can use the frozen soup before the expiry date. The frozen French onion soup stays fresh for three months in the freezer.
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Two: Freeze Your Taco Soup
Once your soup has completely cooled off, pour it into freezer-safe containers or bags, depending on your preference and the size of your freezer. When freezing your soup, you should keep in mind that liquids expand during the freezing process. For this reason, ensure to leave about 1-2 inches of space to allow for expansion. If you choose to use freezer bags, ensure that they are heavy-duty to prevent any leaks. If you opt for plastic or glass containers, line the top of your taco soup with plastic wrap to lessen the risk of freezer burn.
Now that your soup is in smaller portions and well packaged in airtight containers and heavy-duty freezer bags, the next thing to do would be to label them. The label should include the eat by date to guide its consumption. Also, you can add the recipe used so that you can know what to add when reheating your soup.
Lastly, place your soup in a flat space in your freezer. You can stockpile them carefully and ensure that your freezer door closes well for even freezing. Do not take them out until you are ready to eat your favorite taco soup.
Fit Meal Prep Utility Containers For Freezing Individual Meals
If you like taking your home-prepared lunch with but still have not decided how can you freeze cabbage soup or noodles, it is time to obtain a set of quality containers safe for freezer and enjoy your favorite cabbage soup every day as if it has been just prepared. Fit Meal Prep brand offers a set of round plastic food containers that will store your lunch, dinner leftovers or help you with portion control.
This nice set of heavy gauge engineered polypropylene containers is produced in the USA. It consists of food containers with plastic tight sealing lids both made of BPA-free safe plastic. All the freezer containers are available in three sizes. So you can change the amount of food you store and consume on a daily basis.
Useful Features
Safe for freezer these soup containers can be also put into the microwave or washed in the dishwasher without a lid. They differ from other food containers sets by the excellent quality that is confirmed with a lifetime guarantee on the products.
Other great advantages of these soup containers are reusability that makes them environmentally friendly and stackability for ergonomic storage.
- Lids do not withstand the high temperature of water in the dishwasher
- No heating with lids closed.
Verdict
Also Check: Can You Have Tomato Soup On Keto Diet
