How To Properly Freeze Soup For Later

Cold weather is upon much of the United States now, which means one very important thing for a lot of home chefs: it's officially Soup Season. However, warming winter soup recipes often yield a pot full of leftovers. Homemade soup can safely be frozen for months at a time, but it needs to be carefully stored to avoid rapid spoiling and freezer burn.

One of the most common food storage mistakes is placing hot food directly into the freezer. Ironically, putting hot food into the freezer too soon will cause it to not cool down quickly enough. Doing so can also affect the overall temperature of the freezer, accelerating the growth of bacteria. Soup should be quickly cooled down before actively freezing it. This can be done by putting the soup in ice water, either in a larger pot or by filling your sink. Once cooled, it's safe to put in the freezer.

You may want to consider dividing the soup into smaller sections before freezing. Quart-sized, freezer-safe resealable plastic bags are recommended. This way the soup will be available as individual portions. That and the bags are easily stackable, saving freezer space. However, there are many other food storage solutions available that will prevent freezer burn, such as freezer safe containers with screw on lids or even dedicated soup freezing molds. However, when ladling soup into your chosen container, be sure to not completely fill it. The soup will expand in the freezing process, so it should be given the appropriate room to do so in the container. Typically, an inch of open space in the container will be sufficient.

Thaw your frozen soup in the refrigerator. Much as putting a hot food item into the freezer can dangerously disrupt the temperatures within, if frozen food thaws at room temperature, it can become warm enough to encourage bacterial growth. Move the soup from the freezer to the fridge to thaw overnight. The exception here is frozen soup cubes, which can be moved from the freezer directly to the pot.

Reheat the soup carefully. You'll want to closely monitor heat levels so that the soup doesn't burn. If reheating on the stovetop, the heat level applied varies depending on the type of soup you're warming up. Broth-based soups should be warmed at medium-high, while stews and thicker soups should be warmed at medium. If cooking a frozen soup cube, apply low heat. 

Stir often to prevent the soup from sticking to the bottom of the pot and remember to remove it from the burner once the soup is heated all the way through. If reheating in a microwave, cover the microwave-safe dish being used with a lid or with appropriately vented plastic wrap to reduce any splatter as the soup heats and bubbles. Heat the soup at medium power, pausing periodically (about every 30 seconds) to stir the soup to ensure even heating.