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Safety: A Note on Safely Storing and Reheating Soups
Most of the soups in this book can be made in advance and frozen. Before you transfer the soup to storage containers, though, it’s important to cool it down quickly to get it out of the “danger zone,” between 40° and 140°F [4° and 60°C], where bacteria multiply rapidly.
To cool soup down swiftly, transfer it from the pot to a large bowl. From this point, you have two choices: either set the bowl of hot soup in a larger bowl full of ice water, or plunge an ice paddle into the center of the soup. Refrigerate either setup until the soup is cold to the touch. Heavy plastic ice paddles can be purchased at kitchen stores, or you can make your own by filling a sturdy plastic bottle three-fourths full with water, capping it, and freezing it until solid. Wash and refreeze the paddle between uses.
Once the soup is 39°F [3.9°C] or colder, store it in 1-qt [960-ml] zip-top freezer bags (they’re great space savers because they lie flat in the freezer) or in 1-qt [960-ml] plastic or glass containers. Even the toughest plastic containers break down with time, and extreme temperatures and can lead to chemicals leaching into your food. I use glass containers to store soup instead. When filling containers with cooled soup, leave at least
1
/
2
in [12 mm] of space at the top, so there is room for the soup to expand as it freezes.
The next step is to label and date the containers. I know what you’re thinking: it’s obvious what’s in there. You’ll remember. I speak from experience here; it won’t be obvious what soup is in which container in a few months, and I promise you, you’ll forget. For the sake of your safety and your sanity, invest in a Sharpie marker and a roll of easy-to-remove blue painter’s masking tape and write down the contents of each container and when you froze it.
The best way to defrost frozen soup is to place it in the refrigerator and let it come back to life overnight. This way, vegetables will retain more of their texture, beans won’t get mushy, and meat and seafood won’t break down as much. Never defrost soup at room temperature (remember the danger zone?). To defrost soup more quickly, heat soup on the low setting in the microwave in 2- to 3-minute bursts until it is slushy. Then reheat it on high heat. If you must reheat frozen soup on the stove top, add a bit of broth or water to the bottom of the pan, cover, and warm the soup over low heat, stirring frequently to reduce the chances of scorching.
Once the soup is hot, taste it. The flavors of soup fade with time in the freezer; so you may need to add salt, freshly ground pepper, fresh herbs, or a squeeze of lemon juice to rejuvenate the soup before putting it on the table.