How to Freeze Soup, Beans, and Broth

Ingredients

• Quart- or gallon-sized zip-top freezer bags
• 4-cup fluid measuring cup or other tall, skinny container
• 1-cup measuring cup
• Canning funnel, if you have one
• Baking sheet

Directions

1. Set a freezer bag inside a 4-cup measuring cup or another narrow, upright container. Hold the top open with one hand, or fit it with a canning funnel, and pour in the liquid with a measuring cup using your other hand. Leave a bit of empty space at the top so the contents have room to expand in the freezer.
2. Work out as much air as you can before closing the bags; a straw can help pull out the last little pockets. Seal each bag well, then mark it with what’s inside.
3. Lay the filled bags on a baking sheet and stack them no more than 4 high. Slide the sheet into the freezer and leave the bags there until they are completely firm.
4. After the bags are frozen, take away the baking sheet and arrange the bags in the freezer however you prefer. If they froze snugly against one another, ease them apart gently.
5. For fridge thawing, set the bag inside a Tupperware or another container so it stays supported while the contents soften. For microwave thawing, put the bag on a dinner plate and heat in short bursts, just until the frozen food can be loosened or slipped out of the bag. Move the food to a bowl or another container to finish thawing.