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The Extra Step That Gives Your Reheated Frozen Soup New Life

A container of soup nestled in the freezer is a foodie's best insurance. Just let frozen soup thaw in the fridge while you're going about your day, or you could nuke it in the microwave or warm it back up on the stovetop.

That said, when it comes time to reheat your soup — whether it's days, weeks, or months later — a little zhushing up can inject some extra flavor and life back into the dish. While soups keep well when frozen, certain ingredients will lose their optimal texture or flavor when deep-frozen. To freshen up elements that become dulled or less vibrant in the freezer, simply stir in some flavorful or textural additions as you're warming the soup back up.

For example, a splash of barbecue sauce could improve a chicken noodle soup, or extra peas will help a ham soup stand out when reheated. Add other savory ingredients like crunched-up croutons or chips to a vegetarian bean chili or tortilla soup for extra texture. Completely change a tomato soup by adding tortellini as you reheat it on the stovetop. Or add handfuls of greenery — like fresh spinach or kale — to inject some fresh crunch and color into tomato veggie or lentil soups. Add dairy like crème fraîche to vegetable soups to make them creamier once they're reheated.

Certain soups will require this step more than others

The necessity of this step totally depends on the soup in question. A simple broth or stock, or soups made with ingredients that hold up better to freezing (like veggie-based soups and root vegetables) might not require anything other than reheating to return to their original glory. Other soups — like those made with dairy or seafood — famously fade faster and won't hold up as well to freezing. And certain ingredients, pasta noodles or leafy greens, for example, will show their time in the freezer — emerging limp or mushy. So if you're making chicken noodle soup, freeze the broth but add the noodles when you reheat it.

This step of sprucing up frozen soup is not a strict requirement — many frozen soups are great simply thawed and enjoyed straight out of the freezer. This step is about personal preference and flavor — not safety, as frozen foods stay safe more or less indefinitely, according to the USDA. However, if you can tell that soup wasn't freshly made, life's too short to settle for just-passable meals, so why not take a few minutes to add back a bit of pep?

Freezing soup is a straightforward task in itself — no prep or extra steps needed. Simply let your soup cool and ladle leftovers into a freezer-safe container like a mason jar or a glass or plastic airtight container; seal it up, leaving a bit of room for contents to expand; and stick it in the freezer to keep. And keep it will, for at least three months, or potentially even longer, depending, again, on ingredients, and proper storage.

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