Tips for soup storage
This is my strategy for using poultry leftovers in soup:
- After dinner, I like to quickly cool down any leftover turkey and store it in the refrigerator.
- I use the bones to make a large pot of turkey stock the following day. After letting the stock simmer for several hours, I stir in frozen ice bottles to speed up the cooling process.
- If I’m not going to use the turkey meat and stock right away, I freeze them and transfer the stock into tiny containers to be refrigerated once more.
- I always reheat my soup to 165º F before serving.
The longer the soup is safe, the faster it was cooled and chilled. Do not eat anything if you notice any signs of spoiling.
Typical indicators of spoiling that one should be mindful of are as follows:
- Off-odors
- Slimy texture
- Color changes
Contact the US Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), toll-free, with any questions you may have about meat, poultry, or egg products. You can also send them an email at [email protected]. The hotline offers services in both English and Spanish.
Mar 2020 | Nellie Oehler | Peer reviewed article (Gray level)
Feb 2020 | Food Hero recipe Peer reviewed (Gray level)
Feb 2020 | Food Hero recipe Peer reviewed (Gray level)
If you’d like to know more about this subject, check out these additional OSU Extension resources:
The longer the soup is safe to eat, the faster it cools and is chilled. Photo Credit: fudio – Adobe Stock.
Temperature for poultry storage
Generally speaking, life starts at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and ends at 140 degrees Fahrenheit; however, some bacteria produce heat-resistant spores that cannot be destroyed by cooking.
Time and temperature are important for safety. Generally speaking, life starts at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and ends at 140 degrees Fahrenheit; however, some bacteria produce heat-resistant spores that cannot be destroyed by cooking. This implies that the longer food remains safe to eat, the faster you can cool it and remove it from the “danger zone.”
The suggested storage days are only suggestions; the actual duration of the food’s room temperature exposure and the temperature of your refrigerator will determine how long it should be stored. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few more days if you chilled your turkey to refrigerator temperature within the suggested two to three hours and then quickly chilled any leftover soup you made. It might not be safe if you left it on the stove for a few hours and didn’t cool it down quickly.
Our food safety recommendations state that whole, raw turkeys and fowl should be refrigerated for 1-2 days at 40º F. Poultry can be frozen for up to one year.
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Increase the amount of soup you make and save some for another meal. Most soups—perhaps the exception being seafood soups—tend to taste better the next day! To ensure maximum safety and quality, freeze or consume chilled soup within 3–4 days. Furthermore, do not allow soup to sit at room temperature for longer than TWO hours.
A big, steaming bowl of soup made with vegetables and meat, poultry, fish, or dried beans can be the main course of your meal. There’s nothing easier than that. You’re ready to eat when you serve some breadsticks or crackers on the side and maybe some fruit for dessert!
