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Freezing Soups

How do you guys freeze your soups?   I usually just use a ziplock and get as much air out as possible.   Now that I have s Foodsaver I'm interested in using that.   I was gonna buy the hard containers but the reviews sucked.   

Point me in the direction of good soup freezing techniques.  

-----------------------------------------

analyze adapt overcome

2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.

Comments

  • Vac seal and remove as much air as possible. Lay flat to freeze and then stack in the freezer. Takes up minimal room.
    Snellville, GA


  • GrillSgt
    GrillSgt Posts: 2,507
    I freeze in Tupperware, remove and slip into bag and vac seal. I'll post a pic when I get up for another drink. 
  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262

    I've gone down this road as well.   Prior to my current method, I used a large canning funnel to fill food saver bags.  

    Since then, I've settled on Pyrex 4 cup bowls.  I like them because they make re-heating a breeze.  I eat out of the same dish I freeze in.  Fyi, I make very large batches, which caused me to buy a lot of containers.  Now that I have them, I'm very happy with the system.

    https://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-Storage-4-Cup-Plastic-Containers/dp/B00I1VCFWQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1507684801&sr=1-1&keywords=pyrex+4+cup

    Phoenix 
  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    Thanks for the help guys.  

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    edited October 2017
    Same way I do slushies. Foodsaver bag and stack.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    I use a Foodsaver also but I put liquids in bags and don't seal them until I have frozen them since the vacuum sealing will suck the soup out of the bag if it is in liquid form. Once frozen, I seal them and return them to the freezer.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    ziplocks for soups and sauce is just fine, no need to vacuum pack a liquid soup. stack them flat with cardboard between them, helps keep them flat and keeps them from sliding around in the freezer which eventually wears out the vac bag or ziplocks.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • ziplocks for soups and sauce is just fine, no need to vacuum pack a liquid soup. 
    I think the idea is to minimize any contact with oxygen so that it keeps as long as possible.  A vacuum seal will do that much better than just throwing it in a ziplock.  Soups can definitely get freezer burn.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    I am a big fan of soups myself. My favorite is Chicken Noodle, followed by a good vegetable and or bean soup. I have never really frozen soups....unless you include Chili (which I don't). Soup is a great shareable item with neighbors. In the winter, you don't see them outside like you do in the warmer months. It helps keep you in touch I find. 
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    ziplocks for soups and sauce is just fine, no need to vacuum pack a liquid soup. 
    I think the idea is to minimize any contact with oxygen so that it keeps as long as possible.  A vacuum seal will do that much better than just throwing it in a ziplock.  Soups can definitely get freezer burn.
    its not something i notice once its thawed out. its also pretty common to fill a bag with fresh fish fillets, then fill with water and freeze to keep  it from freezer burn. what i notice more with freezing soup is how bad the potatoes taste after freezing, dont freeze soups with potatoes
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Rascal
    Rascal Posts: 3,923
    I reuse the quart containers that take-out Oriental places use for soups.  They're strong, easy to clean and have a tight fitting lid.  Fact is, they're good for a variety of things headed for the fridge or freezer. 
  • ziplocks for soups and sauce is just fine, no need to vacuum pack a liquid soup. 
    I think the idea is to minimize any contact with oxygen so that it keeps as long as possible.  A vacuum seal will do that much better than just throwing it in a ziplock.  Soups can definitely get freezer burn.
    its not something i notice once its thawed out. its also pretty common to fill a bag with fresh fish fillets, then fill with water and freeze to keep  it from freezer burn. 
    No kidding.  When you do this, any oxygen is making contact with the ice, not the fish.   You are not consuming the ice when you defrost.  

    With soup, the liquid that is freezing is what you'll eventually eat.  
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • GrillSgt
    GrillSgt Posts: 2,507
    Frozen solid in a plastic container, then removed and vacusealed. 
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    ziplocks for soups and sauce is just fine, no need to vacuum pack a liquid soup. 
    I think the idea is to minimize any contact with oxygen so that it keeps as long as possible.  A vacuum seal will do that much better than just throwing it in a ziplock.  Soups can definitely get freezer burn.
    its not something i notice once its thawed out. its also pretty common to fill a bag with fresh fish fillets, then fill with water and freeze to keep  it from freezer burn. 
    No kidding.  When you do this, any oxygen is making contact with the ice, not the fish.   You are not consuming the ice when you defrost.  

    With soup, the liquid that is freezing is what you'll eventually eat.  
    i really dont notice an off flavor from freezer burn in soup. i put ice cubes in my tangueray as well and never vacuum pack the cubes =)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • GoldenQ
    GoldenQ Posts: 565
    For short time freezing        less than a year    I just put in freezer containers and fill almost to top then freeze and stack the containers    works good but gets a little ice on top.    Will try the freeze the vac seal next time to compare.
    I XL  and 1 Weber Kettle  And 1 Weber Q220       Outside Alvin, TX-- South of Houston
  • ziplocks for soups and sauce is just fine, no need to vacuum pack a liquid soup. 
    I think the idea is to minimize any contact with oxygen so that it keeps as long as possible.  A vacuum seal will do that much better than just throwing it in a ziplock.  Soups can definitely get freezer burn.
    its not something i notice once its thawed out. its also pretty common to fill a bag with fresh fish fillets, then fill with water and freeze to keep  it from freezer burn. 
    No kidding.  When you do this, any oxygen is making contact with the ice, not the fish.   You are not consuming the ice when you defrost.  

    With soup, the liquid that is freezing is what you'll eventually eat.  
    i really dont notice an off flavor from freezer burn in soup. i put ice cubes in my tangueray as well and never vacuum pack the cubes =)
    Yeah ice doesn't really get freezer burn on its own fish.  Something about it being composed of some oxygen already.  
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    ziplocks for soups and sauce is just fine, no need to vacuum pack a liquid soup. 
    I think the idea is to minimize any contact with oxygen so that it keeps as long as possible.  A vacuum seal will do that much better than just throwing it in a ziplock.  Soups can definitely get freezer burn.
    its not something i notice once its thawed out. its also pretty common to fill a bag with fresh fish fillets, then fill with water and freeze to keep  it from freezer burn. 
    No kidding.  When you do this, any oxygen is making contact with the ice, not the fish.   You are not consuming the ice when you defrost.  

    With soup, the liquid that is freezing is what you'll eventually eat.  
    i really dont notice an off flavor from freezer burn in soup. i put ice cubes in my tangueray as well and never vacuum pack the cubes =)
    Yeah ice doesn't really get freezer burn on its own fish.  Something about it being composed of some oxygen already.  
    there is no noticeable  oxygen in a full bag of soup, not enough to ruin the soup. 
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • I give up.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    =)=)=)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • GrillSgt
    GrillSgt Posts: 2,507
    Ice doesn't get freezer burn because it is used regularly. It would if it sat in the freezer for months. 
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    @Mattman3969

    if your going to freeze first then vacuum pack you need to watch for sharp corners on the frozen block, the corners wear out the bags from them sliding around in the freezer when your looking for stuff.  put noodles in the soup in the portion your eating today, noodles dont freeze well and are easily added during reheat. potatoses are horrible frozen in soups as well, they turn into a grainy mush
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Soup will get freezer burn if there is air in the bag/container, and its left in the freezer long enough. Using a foodsaver to vac seal soup is tedious. The soup gets sucked in if you're dealing with it in liquid form, and the method of freezing first then sealing adds an additional step. And time. 

    I usually stand a ziploc bag up in a mixing bowl so it doesn't flop around when I start filling it. Once its nearly full, I hold the top portion of the bag and slide it against the edge of the counter to remove most of the air from the bag. Then lay flat and freeze. It helps to lay them in a quarter sheet pan to keep them flat while they freeze. 

    If you do use the FS, stand the bag up in a big bowl, and fold the top over to form a 3-4" cuff. Makes it a little easier to handle the bag, and you won't get soup in the area where the seal is formed. 

    And I don't know what kind of parties @fishlessman is having inside his freezer, but the bags (ziploc or FS) don't seem to wear out unless I drop a frozen bag on the floor. Then the corners usually tear. 





    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    caliking said:
    Soup will get freezer burn if there is air in the bag/container, and its left in the freezer long enough. Using a foodsaver to vac seal soup is tedious. The soup gets sucked in if you're dealing with it in liquid form, and the method of freezing first then sealing adds an additional step. And time. 

    I usually stand a ziploc bag up in a mixing bowl so it doesn't flop around when I start filling it. Once its nearly full, I hold the top portion of the bag and slide it against the edge of the counter to remove most of the air from the bag. Then lay flat and freeze. It helps to lay them in a quarter sheet pan to keep them flat while they freeze. 

    If you do use the FS, stand the bag up in a big bowl, and fold the top over to form a 3-4" cuff. Makes it a little easier to handle the bag, and you won't get soup in the area where the seal is formed. 

    And I don't know what kind of parties @fishlessman is having inside his freezer, but the bags (ziploc or FS) don't seem to wear out unless I drop a frozen bag on the floor. Then the corners usually tear. 




    my freezers are a mess, maybe 100 whole tomatoes in the one at home waiting to be canned, and the camp has two whole salmon and 1 whole brown trout just wrapped in syran, wetted down, then frozen in foil ;) two foot fish are hard to stack in a fridge top freezer with a bunch of frozen liter bottles rolling around for the cooler ;)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Ask this guy... he's done it a few times.
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1398950#Comment_1398950

    Also, scroll down for his bottomless cup trick. And molding semi-frozen soups.

    @RRP

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    Thanks guys.  I guess no one is using any bowl type containers with their foodsaver ?

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    Thanks guys.  I guess no one is using any bowl type containers with their foodsaver ?
    They are when they pre-freeze the soup.  You need a chamber sealer to pull a vacuum from a liquid without sucking out the liquid.

    I use zip loc bags.  It's easy to get all the air out.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=19&v=XrZPLF0ezw8

    You don't need the tank of water with soup, just keep the opening at the highest point.

    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    Thanks guys.  I guess no one is using any bowl type containers with their foodsaver ?
    I haven't used them for soup, but I have used a few different containers that Foodsaver sells. Most of them have been junk. 

    I used one of their older designs which was rectangular and the latches snapped down on the sides.  They didn't keep the vacuum very well and one of them imploded in our pantry making a mess. 

    When I called Foodsaver about the problem they sent me one of their new designs which uses the oval shaped tool that attachs to the accessory hose.  It has a little dimple on  the top that is supposed to tell you if it is still vacuum sealed.  This one works for a little while but starts to leak air and loses the vacuum seal.

    I do like their marinator container but I don't store food in it, just use it to quickly marinate meat.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Matt, I use FS bags, pre-freeze and then vac seal.  Works well.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga