Best way to freeze soup??

[walker]

What's the best way to freeze individual portions of soup? I have a foodsaver and a Reynold's handivac. For soup would it be better to freeze in pint size plastic containers and then, when frozen, seal in a vacuum bag? Is there a way to freeze in glass containers? How did people do this before plastic was invented?

[Saddleoflamb]

Go to your local big box grocer....to the deli dept and ask if you can purchase a sleeve of 1 pound ( tops/lids ) containers....usually the 1 pounders are heat/microwave safe.......inexpensive...easy to stack/store....recyclable

[jzerocsk]

Get the jar sealer attachments for your Foodsaver (~$10 each for narrow and wide mouth) and and then you can just seal them in mason jars and throw them in the freezer.

[walker]

The foodsaver I have was the deluxe model that Costco sells and it came with cannister type things. I haven't read the directions on how to use them; I used all my brain cells just figuring out how to make and seal the regular bags.

[jzerocsk]

The canisters are OK but I like the mason jars much better. You'd probably have to order the jar sealer attachments online.

IMO sealing the canisters and mason jars is actually easier than cutting and sealing bags.

[PattiCakes]

If you are looking to consrve space in your freezer, you can freeze in longer, flatter containers, then vacuum seal as a flatter object. I really like chef chicklet's idea of freezing in bowl-shaped containers, popping the frozen chunck out of the bowl, then putting in a freezer bag to store. Just remember that liquids expand when they freeze. When I make my batches of pesto in the summer, I use the same concept -- freeze in portion-size containers, pop the pestosickles out & bag them to store in the freezer. Same deal for chicken stock. It's like money in the bank.

Here's another tip for Foodsavers: put your meat (beef, perk, chicken) in the bag with some marinade, then freeze. By the time you thaw it to cook it, it's already marinated.

[porker]

A little off topic, but I agree with PattiCakes on the marinade thing; when chicken legs are on sale, we'll buy a load and put them in smallish ziplocks with plenty of hot sauce (like Tobasco or Crystal or whatever). Once defrosted, they're great on the BBQ.

[chef chicklet]

I did this with French Onion. I made the bowls up like I will when I reheat, built them to the point of topping with cheese and left the crouton that I stick in the top out.
Once they are frozen take them out of the bowls, and stack them in large baggy. When ready to reheat, put them back into the bowl I built them with, add the crouton (once the cheese is melted enough) and reheat at 300 and increase to 350 til bubbling.

Other soup, I measure the portion out in freeze in small plastic containers. Once frozen remove and stack them together and when I want to eat a portion take one out. This works great for taking soup to the office, by the time lunch time comes, your soup should be thawed out.

[waitress]

You could freeze things in glass, but hardly anyone does that, make sure you don't put too much soup in the glass and cool before freezing. the easiest way is small portions in small ziploc bags, then they form, how you leave them, so you can freeze them flat for best storage.

always be cautious when heating in the microwave, I make sure the ziploc is in a dish and sometimes, rip off the plastic bag and put it in a glass container, then heat in the microwave or stove. Freezer bags would work better, but I have used regular sandwich bags.