Soups are delightful, soothing, and have a surprising lifespan. It is thus common to find most people with excess frozen soup, either purchased or homemade. The soups are also of different textures.
So, whether your soup is creamy or broth, warming it appropriately will improve its flavor and prevent wastage. You can use other ways to reheat your frozen soup to enable it to reach blazing hot temperatures.
You can decide first to defrost the soup overnight, then follow by reheating it.
Let’s look on how to reheat frozen soup in microwave.
Place your frozen soup chunks in a microwave-safe bowl. Partially cover with a lid or moist paper towel, and microwave on low heat for two minutes until the soup becomes hot. Break the icy frozen soup with a wooden spoon to enable it to thaw evenly. And ensure you continue stirring at one-minute intervals until the soup is fully slushy.
Step by Step Process on How to Reheat Frozen Soup in Microwave
Step 1: Remove the soup from the freezer and put it in a microwave-safe container. Ensure you check the microwave-safe mark underneath the container before inserting it into the microwave.
Step 2: To defrost the soup, use either a paper towel, plastic wrap, or microwave cover with a vent to seal the bowl.
Step 3: Place the container in the microwave and set heat to low or use 30% power. Allow the soup to reheat for two minutes till it turns slushy.
Step 4: Remove the dish from the appliance, then stir your soup, breaking any huge icy lumps before returning it to the microwave.
Step 5: To heat the soup, adjust the power to high and nuke for 30-second additions, repeatedly stirring till the soup is at 74℃ or 165℉.
Step 6: Check the soup’s hotness using a food thermometer. Do this by removing the container from the microwave and placing the food thermometer in the broth. Ensure the temperature is at 165℉ or 74℃ to certify it’s edible.
When using the thermometer, ensure it’s not touching any part of the container so it can only give accurate temperature impressions.
Step 7: Alternatively, you can use a spoon or a knife instead of a thermometer. Place the cutlery at the center of the container, and if its exterior feels hot, know the soup is perfectly heated, and you can serve.
How Many Times Can You Reheat Soup?
Reheating soup is pretty simple, whether using the stovetop, instant pot, or microwave. To thaw soup, you can use the refrigerator, microwave, or any method you prefer.
However, reheating soup more than once is not advisable. Thus, refrigerating leftovers after using the rest is extremely good for health reasons.
One common rule to observe is that when reheating chicken or meat broth, let it boil for three minutes to destroy any dangerous bacteria.
Soup is the easiest to reheat among most foods as it doesn’t cause burns. But soups comprising cream or flour might be challenging to boil since they are prone to burns. Furthermore, the soup may become salty, reduce quantity, and get thicker or cloudy.
Provided the soup is not producing any weird stench or funny taste, immediately you remove it from the refrigerator and boil it. Then use low heat while stirring and let it simmer for three minutes.
How to properly store soups
There are various things you should know before freezing soups, and here they are:
Cooling
Cool your soup before placing it in the refrigerator, and do that within two hours after cooking the soup. However, it might take longer if cooling a massive bunch of soup. But note that soup should cool between 140 to 70℃ in two hours and between 70 to 40℃ within four hours.
Portion soups according to usage
Divide your soup into different freezer bags so they can thaw quickly and effectively. You can even use cube trays to freeze soups and then put them into bigger packaging for easy storage.
Label soup
Always label all your soup packaging with the name and freezing date to avoid using the wrong soups when preparing meals.
Arrange in order of usage
It would be best to always store recently-made soups at the back of the fridge and old packages in front. Doing so will ensure you don’t use old soups before new ones.
Never store soups for longer than five months
Soups constitute different ingredients like vegetables, herbs, starchy foods, etc. You wouldn’t want to try the duration of each component in your soups since it’s a way of interfering with the quality.
Most food constituents can stay for approximately five months while frozen without altering their taste. Therefore, observe the rule of storing soups for a maximum of five months, particularly if they contain sensitive components like milk and vegetables.
Never store starch-based soups
Starchy soups will become sticky once defrosted. Among them are potato and rice soups. You can decide to freeze the bottom broth and use it in making in-demand soups.
How Long Is Frozen Soup Good for?
The common rule is that soups will be fresh within three days if stored in the refrigerator. Therefore, before reheating your soup, it’s advisable to taste it first.
Vegetable-made soups will have a lengthier shelf life, whereas chicken-based soups can only stay in the fridge for five days. On the other hand, creamy soups will only last for three days, whereas seafood soups have a shelf life of two days.
Amusingly, some soups with extended shelf life will remain in the refrigerator. The shelf life of soups depends on two factors. First are the ingredients that constitute the soup, followed by the efficiency of the cooling method.
Subsequently, most recipes will provide the conventional storage period; thus, always trust your nose and taste buds and watch out for strange odors and bitterness.
And subject to the soup’s components, frozen soup has a maximum shelf life of three months. But this is reliant on the right freezer temperatures. After thawing, believe your instincts like you would with fridge-stored soups. You should discard it if it looks suspicious.
Faqs On How to Reheat Frozen Soup in Microwave
How Do You Reheat Frozen Soup?
You can reheat soup from its frozen state, using the microwave to do so. Put the frozen soup in a microwavable container, then cover and nuke on low heat in two-minute intervals till the soup turns mushy.
How Long Does It Take To Reheat Frozen Soup?
Put the dish in the microwave and use medium-low power to heat. Cook the soup on low power for three to five minutes. Take the container from the microwave, stir the content and keep microwaving till the icy soup melts and becomes hot.
How Do You Defrost Frozen Soup Quickly?
Frozen soup will take a day or two to thaw, depending on the proportion and form of your storage vessel. If you’re time-cautious, put the soup in a dish and immerse it in warm water till it is thoroughly defrosted or loosens up.
Can You Microwave Soup From Frozen?
It’s okay to reheat frozen soup in the microwave. Provided the frozen soup is still fresh and is wholly heated till the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 74 degrees Celsius, it is safe for consumption.
Can You Defrost Stew In The microwave?
Run hot water in the covered container, then pour the frozen block into a microwavable container. Microwave on high power or at 100% for five minutes while stirring in between the process.
Can You Reheat Stew From Frozen?
Yes, place your frozen stew in an oven-friendly container, cover it with aluminum foil, and put it in a pre-heated oven. Heat the stew for 45 minutes while stirring midway. Garnish the warmed stew with your favorite seasonings and take it while still hot.
Can You Put Frozen Soup On The Stove?
Empty your icy soup in a huge saucepan. Heat the soup on low to medium heat till it is fully thawed.
How Do I Reheat Soup?
Heat broth soups on medium heat, stirring regularly till hot or warm in the microwave. Heat thick soups comprising cream, milk, cheese, or eggs using low heat while stirring regularly. Boiling may disintegrate the ingredients.
How Long Does Frozen Soup Last In The Freezer?
Soup is among the top freezer meals. And since you can store most of your soups in the refrigerator for roughly three months, they are perfect for preparing on Sunday afternoons and using in the weeks ahead.
Does Soup Freeze Well?
Refrigerated soups can be frozen but can only last for two to three days. If kept for long, bacteria may start forming, enter the soup, and be triggered when thawing.
Can You Reheat Soup In The microwave?
Put the soup in the microwave, then cover it with a plastic wrap or microwave-safe lid to prevent spillage and promote even heating. If heating food from a canister, follow the packaging rules. But if heating home-prepared soup, reheat for about one minute.
Is It Bad To Microwave Soup?
Soup can easily shatter in the microwave. So, proper measures should be observed to prevent risky soup explosions and unplanned microwave cleaning that comes with it. The microwave also warms food unevenly; hence it is advisable to reheat soup in small portions at a time.
Why Does My Soup Explode In The Microwave?
Under severe heat like the microwave, the thick water components of the soup will quickly turn into steam, compared to the solid chunks, which thickens as the water quantity decreases and turns into steam.
How Do You Reheat Soup On The Stove?
Take your icy soup chunks and pour them into a large saucepan. Heat the soup on low to medium heat till it thaws evenly.
Can You Eat Soup That Has Been Frozen For A Year?
The soup’s storage duration is specifically for freshness and quality only. Hence frozen food will be harmless forever.
Conclusion
You can easily give new life to your frozen soup by reheating it in the microwave.
The soups’ quality and flavor are interfered with upon freezing, but you can constantly revamp them with more seasoning and fresh herbs.
It’s also recommendable to cook your soup at home and freeze the surplus. You can use the same cooking method for preparing homemade soup to reheat frozen soups.
