Package, label, and date a gallon- or quart-size zip-top plastic freezer bag, place it in a bowl and cuff the bag over the edge. Ladle soup into each bag, leaving a bit of extra space, then let out any excess air and seal. Freeze and lay bags flat in a single layer in the freezer.
If you're using any type of plastic, be sure it's BPA-free. I especially love freezing soup flat in zip-top gallon-sized bags, as I feel it's a more efficient use of (very precious) freezer real estate.
I generally use quart-sized Ziploc freezer bags. Don't overfill the bags: Liquids expand as they freeze, so be sure to leave a little extra room to account for this. In a quart-sized bag, I usually put only two to three cups of food. In gallon-sized bags, I put about three quarts (12 cups) or so.
Which soups don't freeze well? Soups with dairy: Soups with a high dairy fat content or cheese can become grainy and separate when thawed. If you're meal-prepping a soup with dairy, consider whisking in the dairy after thawing for creaminess.
Go for glass or something reusable like silicone. Do you need an affordable and easy-to-store option? Plastic deli-style containers are a great choice available in a variety of sizes. Plastic, glass, and silicone are all suitable for freezing soup, though glass and silicone will likely last longer.
Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.
Our Ziploc® products are suitable for food contact use for microwave defrosting and reheating, room temperature, refrigeration, and freezing. Remember, it's always important to follow each product's usage instructions. Furthermore, Ziploc® brand products are made in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices.
A benefit to using glass jars for freezing is that they tend to be more airtight. (Just leave about an inch of space for the soup to expand as freezing, so the jar doesn't break.) When using plastic freezer containers, find the kind you can “burp” to release excess air.
For a quart-size container, that means you are only pouring in 3 – 3 1/2 cups of liquid. To freeze in a Ziploc bag, open up the bag in a medium pot or bowl and then pour in the stock (remember to fill only three-fourths full.) The pot will allow you to have two hands free. Zip closed and freeze flat.
The best practice is to freeze all soups the day you prepare them. Soup can stay in the freezer for up to three months if stored properly, but it will be less fresh the longer it sits in the freezer. Also, flavors may dilute because of ice forming, which creates water in the soup when thawing.
Ziploc® brand bags made with polyethylene are a great choice for food storage, but should not be used for sous vide cooking (boiling in water) as the softening point is 230°F and boiling point for water is 212°F. Are Ziploc® brand bags, Ziploc® paper bags and Ziploc Endurables® recyclable?
Allow soup to cool completely before transferring to a ziploc bag or freezer storage container. Freeze for up six months.
Ziploc® Containers with lids feature easy-to-use, leakproof Smart Snap technology. They are BPA free and safe for use in the microwave, dishwasher, freezer and fridge (when used as directed). Use them to store food, organize supplies, or while on the go.
Jars with tapered sides or straight sides are freezer safe; shouldered jars are not.
The bags are also BPA-free. So, yes, you can boil Ziploc bags, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you should only use Ziploc bags designed for freezer storage or vacuum sealable bags. These are the sturdiest and less likely to leak or tear when exposed to boiling water.
Our products are made without BPA or Phthalates. Our products are reusable. Our products are recyclable.
Use a Vacuum Sealer
If you don't have access to a vacuum sealer, try placing your food in an open freezer bag and sticking it in a pot full of water without submerging the opening. "The weight of the water forces almost all of the air out of the bag, and you can zip it just before it's about to sink," says Pace.
Can you eat “expired” canned food? Good news: Shelf-stable canned goods are safe more or less indefinitely, lasting up to five years or more according to the USDA.
Per FSIS-USDA guidelines, if kept frozen continuously, chicken will be safe indefinitely, so after freezing, it's not important if any package dates expire.
Zip-top bags are great for freezing food because it's easier to get all the air out of them than it is with rigid containers. And zip-top bags have an added space-saving benefit: You can stack them, if you lay them flat to freeze first.