One of the leading causes of food-borne illness is the failure to properly cool foods.
To prevent bacterial growth, it’s important to cool food rapidly so it reaches as fast as possible the safe refrigerator-storage temperature of 40° F or below. The soup must cool from 140° to 70° F in 2 hours and from 70° to 40° F in no more than four hours.
Use one of the following methods to keep soup cool and safe!
- Use Shallow Pans
- The smaller the portions, the quicker the cool down. Divide large batches into small containers, no deeper than 3 inches. Stir to help with the chill down.
- Use and Ice Water Bath
- An ice water bath helps decrease the food temperature quickly. Fill a large container or clean sink with ice and a small amount of water. Place the pot of soup or storage container filled with soup into the ice bath. Stir the soup to help release heat.
There are a few ways to pack your soup. Learn some savvy ways to carry and contain your soup to where you need to go.
The most economical and popular forms to contain and transport your soup is to use a glass canning jar or a thermos container. Glass canning jars are ideal if you plan to reheat your soup, especially in a microwave. ( Always read your container label to know if it’s safe to microwave.) If you ‘don’t intend to reheat your soup, then a thermos container would be ideal. These types of containers keep liquids warm or cold for long periods of time.
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