Freezer Smarts

When it comes to saving food, freezers are our best friends. And if you know before you cook that you’re going to freeze, you may want to do things a little differently. Here are some handy tips and tricks to make sure your frozen soup tastes as delicious as the day it was made.

Portion It Out Turn your big batch of soup into convenient grab-and-go meals by freezing in individual servings. Use quart-size freezer bags or 4-cup freezer-safe plastic or glass ­containers to accommodate a couple of servings while giving the soup room to expand as it freezes.

Cool it Down Putting hot soup directly in the freezer can thaw your ­frozen food. Place hot soup pot in an ice-water bath in your sink and stir often. To speed up the process, divide soup into smaller portions before cooling.

Separate Grains and Pasta Pasta and grains soak up liquid and soften a bit as they freeze, so you may want to add more broth before serving. If you like them al dente, cook and freeze pasta and grains separately from the soup.

Keep Vegetables Al Dente Cook vegetables until just tender and still a bit crisp. They’ll be perfect for your bowl for dinner and they’ll stay firm when frozen and reheated.

Hold the Dairy Dairy tends to separate and become grainy when frozen and reheated. Leave it out of the soup and write on the container how much to add after reheating so you don’t have to root around for the recipe later on.

Label, Label, Label Food can disappear into a freezer like it’s in the Bermuda Triangle. To minimize the mystery, label soups with the recipe name, the date it was made and reheating and garnishing instructions so you remember where you left off.

save the Garnish Leave garnishes, such as chopped fresh herbs or nuts, off before freezing. When frozen, herbs lose their oomph and nuts lose their crunch.