Can You Freeze Potato Soup?
Have you tasted potato soup? If you have, you will yearn for more because such is the taste of pure potato soup. Therefore, storing potato soup for later consumption is nothing new.
Can You Freeze Potato Soup?
So, can you freeze potato soup and have it at leisure? Let us discuss the various options and learn whether we can freeze potato soup.
Different Types Of Potato Soups
Whether you can freeze the potato soup depends on the ingredients used for preparing the dish. Here are the different types of potato soups.
1. Dairy-Based Potato Soup
As the name indicates, dairy-based soup includes a milky or creamy base. Unfortunately, dairy products do not freeze well because the dairy separates during the defrosting process. As a result, your dish becomes unpalatable because it becomes grainy or curdled.
2. Non-Dairy Potato Soup
Non-dairy potato soup does not have milk or any dairy products. However, you can add dairy alternatives like almond or coconut milk to make the soup look creamier. Such soups can slightly change their texture or flavor when defrosted. However, there would not be the extreme type of graininess or curdling you experience with dairy-based soups.
3. Chunky Potato Soup
Chunky potato soup includes various diced vegetables besides potatoes. You can also add meat to spruce the texture. While you cook the vegetables, you do not blend them. It allows the soup to maintain a firm texture and structure.
4. Smooth Potato Soup
Chunky soup with its vegetables blended well is smooth potato soup. This soup contains various vegetables but does not have any chunky pieces.
Can You Freeze Potato Soup?
You can freeze potato soup, but the ingredients you use for its preparation influence its freezing.
For example, dairy-potato soup is not ideal for freezing. However, you freeze it if you do it without the dairy ingredients. You can add the dairy items after the defrosting process. Then, you can heat it and serve.
You can freeze chunky potato soup, provided you leave the vegetables slightly undercooked before freezing. If you cook the vegetables thoroughly, defrosting can result in a mushy texture. However, if you decide to add meat, you must cook the meat well before defrosting because freezing uncooked meat can make the dish unsafe to consume.
Finally, you must ensure that the potato soup is cooled to room temperature before freezing. Exposing the ingredients to air can cause freezer burn and adversely affect the freezing process.
Let us now learn how to freeze potato soup.
How To Freeze Potato Soup?
Please follow the prescribed steps for freezing potato soup.
Step 1 – Freeze Your Soup In Consumable Portions
If you decide to freeze potato soup, we recommend that you remove the portion you like to freeze three-fourths of the way during the cooking process. It is better to cook only the amount that you would consume immediately. Then, you can leave the undercooked portion for freezing. Reheating the defrosted soup can help it cook properly.
Step 2 – Cool The Portions You Like To Freeze
Once you have removed the portion for freezing, it is essential to cool it to room temperature. Then, you can place the required quantity of soup in the refrigerator to cool it quickly.
Step 3 – Pack The Potato Soup For Freezing
Pack your soup in zip-lock freezer bags or airtight containers. You can use freezer-safe glass containers instead of plastic because glass does not absorb the odors from the surrounding foods.
Choose your container carefully to accommodate the quantity of soup you like to freeze. If you store more soup than you can consume in a single sitting, it will go to waste because you have to defrost the entire batch in the freezer bag when you remove it from the freezer.
Step 4 – Seal The Container Well
If you use a container to freeze your potato soup, ensure that you leave sufficient space for it to expand on freezing. You can place a cling film on the soup surface to restrict its contact with air. Simultaneously, it allows the soup to expand. Close the container with an airtight lid.
Similarly, you should leave space in your zip-lock freezer bags to enable the soup to expand during the freezing process. Remove excess air from the zip-lock bag and seal the bag properly.
Step 4 – Label The Containers
Note down the freezing date and the contents of the container before setting it to freeze. It helps you identify the contents later and track them for consumption.
Step 5 – Freeze Your Potato Soup
Keep your zip-lock bags on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until they solidify. It ensures that the soup freezes uniformly. Besides, it speeds up the defrosting process. In addition, it saves space. On solidifying, remove the baking sheet and stack the freezer bags in the freezer for freezing.
Keeping the freezer bags at the same level until they freeze fully is advisable. It prevents the contents from leaking.
An Important Point to Note:
If you prepare dairy-based soup, you should not add the dairy ingredients at the time of freezing. However, you can add them subsequently after defrosting and during the reheating process.
How Do You Defrost Potato Soup? Can You Reheat It Immediately?
- Remove the zip-lock bag from the freezer and transfer it to the refrigerator. It allows the soup to defrost gradually overnight.
- Alternatively, you can submerge the freezer bag in water to hasten the defrosting process.
- If you like to have the soup immediately, you can transfer it straight from the freezer into the pot kept on your stove.
- The fourth method is to place the freezer bag in the microwave and use the defrost setting, stopping at 90-second intervals to allow you to stir it while heating.
If you plan to prepare dairy-based potato soup, you can add the dairy ingredients during the reheating process.
How Long Does The Potato Soup Remain Frozen?
Frozen potato soup will last for three to four months if you follow the correct procedure. It is best for consumption within six months of freezing.
Can You Refreeze Potato Soup?
It is not advisable because it will spoil the consistency of the soup.
Final Thoughts
So, can you freeze potato soup? Of course, you can, but the freezing method depends on the ingredients you use for its preparation.
