Is It Still Safe to Eat Soup That Was Frozen Uncovered?

Christine Gallary
Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large
Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.
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published Apr 27, 2015
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Q: Inspired by all the freezer talk, I went ahead and froze some minestrone soup. I used a quart-sized plastic food storage container (similar to a yogurt container). I froze the soup three weeks ago.

When I went to move the container to the fridge to thaw, I saw that, somehow, the lid had come off in the freezer, leaving the soup exposed. I don’t know when this happened.

Is my soup consumable? Or should I toss it, lesson learned, and buy some different containers?

Sent by Abigail

Editor: If you filled the container up to the brim, try a little less next time. Liquids tend to expand as they freeze, so the soup might have pushed the lid off as it froze! Otherwise, those containers are great to use.

Your soup is definitely safe to eat, as freezing keeps harmful bacteria from growing. Freezer burn, however, can alter the flavor and texture of foods and make them unappetizing to eat even if they are safe to eat, so check if there is any freezer burn on the surface. If it looks okay, bring it back to a boil and taste. I’m thinking it should be fine!

Readers, any advice on freezing soup?

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Filed in:
Freezer Friendly
soup