Freezing soup, then transferring it to bags

Question

So I don't freeze the soup directly in the freezer bags. I find the hassle of getting the liquid soup into the bags too messy. But other people may be better at that.

I freeze the soup in small containers that are freezer safe.

Then so I don't have to own like 50 of these small containers, I take the frozen soup out of the container. And wrap it somehow before putting it back into the freezer.

I'm thinking placing multiple hunks of frozen soup into the same large freezer bags is probably going to be the easiest way for me to do it,

But I'm wondering if I should at least wrap the frozen soup in Saran Wrap before placing them in the freezer bag. What would be the benefit of wrapping them in Saran Wrap?

Also, does anyone have an easy method of getting the frozen soup out of the small containers? I'm currently using 2-cup size round glass containers made by Pyrex. They may actually be made of Pyrex, not glass. I'd need to go check. But how I get the soup out of the containers is turn them upside down and run hot water over them until I can push the frozen soup around and get it to fall out. It's kind of a pain.

Answer 1

Many suggestions for you:

• line the containers with the bags, folding the edges down over the container. Pour the soup into the supported bag. When it's frozen it should be easy to remove and you have the container back.
• buy plastic (for flexibility) containers, 6 or 8 of them. Freeze in these instead of bags. It's easier to pop the frozen soup out of them, and you don't mind if they are "occupied" in the freezer until the soup is eaten.
• as above but you pop them out frozen into a large freezer bag. I do this with large-batch soups like pumpkin or borscht and don't need to wrap each soup block within the larger bag
• use something completely different, such as a bowl that you might eat of, to support the bag while you're pouring the soup in. Seal the bag, take it out of the bowl, and lay it on its side to freeze. Later, stand them up in the freezer for easier sorting

Pretty much anything would be better than rigid glass containers that you don't want to leave in the freezer.

Answer 2

Buy a set of ice cube trays. You don't want to be messing with soup residue in your normal ice cube trays, even with washing them, so have a set for soup. Freeze soup in the ice cube trays - they are designed to be easily popped out when frozen. Place in freezer bag, plastic wrap is pointless. Take out as many cubes as you are hungry for soup (that is, adjustable portions are easy this way.)

I don't do this with soup (I don't freeze soup much at all, really), but I do it with pesto, and have been for decades.