Reheating and Storing Chicken/Potato Soup For 10 Hours
I would like to reheat chicken/potato soup (heavy whipped cream, cooked chicken, flour, potato, cooked bacon, some salt, and vegetables to name a few ingredients) i.e. thick soup and store it in a thermos (vacuum insulated flask) and eat it at work between 9 and 10 hours later. I work 12 hour shifts, getting a break too brief to use microwave to evenly reheat the soup, breaking at 2, 4, 6, and 9 hours into the shift.
I wanted to ask if I could take the soup from the refrigerator, heat it in the oven for 30 minutes (or more/less time in oven) at a higher temperature, then pour into a warmed thermos, to prolong how long the thermos would hold a soup that is warm and reasonably safe. Also, I have a strong immune system, so I might be willing to take on "above average" risk.
Best Answer
As this is a public site we can not advise other than to follow the food safety regulations of your local area.
Assuming that your thermos is high quality and will keep things cold for an extended period of time (10-12 hours or longer), then your best bet is to follow the food safety rules promulgated by various governmental agencies (e.g. USA FDA, UK FSA, etc.). This means that once you have cooked your soup, you should chill rapidly, then only reheat portions as you need them. Do not reheat all, then chill again etc.
Generally you need to avoid maintaining temperatures between 4 C and 60 C (40 F to 140 F), as this is the zone where bacteria can easily grow and will make food unsafe in a short period of time.
Based on the food safety "rules", the safest way is to pour the cold soup into a chilled thermos (ideally store in the fridge if you can) and only reheat those portions you intend to eat at the time. You would need to reheat to the "safety zone", which for liquids means re-boiling. As you only have a microwave, you would need to reheat, stir and then heat some more to ensure even heating and that the whole soup is thoroughly reheated.
I am not sure on the guidelines around if you can keep it above 60 C (140 F) for an extended period so I will make no comment there.
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How long can potato soup sit out?
If you let your pot of potato soup sit for longer than two hours, it might not be safe to eat anymore. It is best to just plan to refrigerate your pot of potato soup as soon as it gets cool. It is not advisable to put a hot pot of soup in the refrigerator, and large batches of food do not cool down on time.Can you reheat potato soup?
The best way to reheat potato soup is on the stove. Pour the potato soup into a cold pan and reheat over medium-low heat. If your soup is a little thick, add some stock or milk to thin it out. Stir the soup frequently while it's heating up.Is it OK to leave chicken soup out overnight?
Food should not be at room temperature for more than two hours. Shallow containers or small amounts of hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath before refrigerating. Cover foods to retain moisture and prevent them from picking up odors from other foods.Can you keep reheating chicken soup?
Don't reheat a portion more than once\u2014just take out what you will eat and keep the rest of it cold. A handy rule to remember is that if you are reheating a chicken or meat broth or clear soup, bring it to a boil for three minutes to be sure of killing off any harmful bacterial growth.You Can't Reheat Some Foods Under Any Circumstances
More answers regarding reheating and Storing Chicken/Potato Soup For 10 Hours
Answer 2
I would think you'd want to heat it on the stove top to boiling (or thereabouts) and put it in the thermos. It should keep for the 10 hours or so if you have a good thermos.
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