Freezer Container for Soup

by Shelia
(Salisbury, NC)

I have a wonderful soup recipe that I make that makes about 13 cups of soup. However it's just me so I like to freeze two cups at a time for use later. What are your suggestions on some really good freezer brands? Thank you, Shelia

Answer: Ziploc Twist 'N Loc Containers are great for soup. The Small size is exactly 2 cups at the bottom edge where the lid twists on, leaving enough room for your soup to expand. And they are microwaveable.

There's also a Medium size that holds 4 cups.

And believe it or not, I often freeze my soup in Ziploc freezer bags. Our discount brand (No Name is the brand name out here) is also really good, nice thick plastic but a little harder to seal than the Ziploc.

I use the medium size bags, pour in two cups, suck out the air, lay them flat on a cookie sheet and freeze.

I like that I can label them with a permenant marker, that they stack easily in the freezer and since the bag is flat they thaw super fast. I've even put them in the sink with warm water running to thaw my soup.

Can you freeze foods in disposable type plastic containers?

by Christine Tan
(Davis ca)

Q: Would it be okay to freeze foods in those disposable microwaveable containers? Like gladware...etc?

A:
Hi Christine,

Most disposable containers are made with a different type and quality of plastic than freezer containers.

For long term storage, or even a month this would be really bad idea. However, if you're going to use the food really soon, in say a week or two, you probably won't notice any difference in quality.

Even if your food does get freezer burn it's still safe to eat, just the texture will be off.

Be sure to leave some 'head room,' or space for the foods to expand as they freeze without pushing up the lid or cracking the container.

And since these are lower quality plastic they might crack if you overfill or drop them.

Hope that helps,
Michelle

Dispossable plastic glasses for freezing sorbet?

Question: I want to put sorbets in disposable plastic glasses and keep them in the freezer. Will they crack? Is it safe to do that? Is there a certain kind of disposable glass I should get? I would like them to be clear.

Answer: I have to admit I've never tried this so I can't recommend a particular brand.
I'd assume disposable plastic glasses would be fine. The disposable champagne or wine glasses from a party store would be really cute for something like this.

If you're freezing the sorbert for more than a day you'll want to cover it so they don't dry out. Aluminum foil around the top of each glass would probably be easiest.

If you're freezing your sorbet this way for more than a week I'd suggest you put them, plastic glass, foil and all, into large (1-2 gallon) freezer bags for extra protection from freezer burn.

Hope that helps!
Michelle