Thermo What?

photo (9)

Hot soup.  How do you cool it down and why?  For those that don’t know why this has anything to do with anything—Soup or broth is a protein rich environment for bacteria to quickly propagate when the liquid is between 40 and 140 degrees.  So, cooling broth down for refrigerator storage should be done as quickly as possible.   To do that; the best way is to place your pot or bowl into an ice bath and stir regularly.  Ice bath = ice water in a plugged sink or ice water in a much larger pot or bowl.

Things being as they are, sometimes your choices for action are limited.  Some people might decide to place the hot broth in the refrigerator because, “that’s surely better then leaving it out at room temperature.”  The problem is not, whether or not the broth cools better in the fridge; but that the difference in heat reduction is miniscule, and does nothing more then condensate and heat your fridge.  I still have people ask me about this and sometimes it’s nice to know the whys along with the actions.  So if an ice bath is not an option for you, leave it on a cool dense surface and stir regularly to distribute heat and incorporate cool air.