Quote:
Originally Posted by kcladyz
What is the best way to freeze ham and bean soup?
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Hi:
Well, you can either put it in airtight containers, or, if you're like me, I put it in Seal-a-Meal (ot whatever it's called, those vacuum-sealed) bags. I divvy it up into quarts, and freeze however many bagfuls that equals. I prefer the bags, because in the containers, you can get rime on the top, which will result in freezer burn. You can do the same thing with regular old Ziploc bags, too; fill them up, carefully get out as much air as you can, seal 'em, and slap 'em in the freezer. Works a treat. :-)
BTW, I also freeze bakery bread,
all the time, in loaves. French breads, Italian loaves, sourdough, Rosemary Olive Oil...loaves freeze GREAT. The trick is to wrap the loaf tightly with paper-towels, first. (That's the big secret!)
I tape them together, around the loaf, using plain old scotch tape. Then wrap the loaf with plastic wrap, then put it in a freezer bag (or a 2nd layer of thicker plastic or foil), and freeze. When you remove it from the freezer, remove the top bag/foil. Leave the 2nd layer and the paper towels. After a few hours, remove the 2nd layer, leaving the paper towels on the bread. Once the bread is mostly defrosted, remove the paper towels. Like you just bought it. I mean, not 100% PERFECT, hot-from-the-oven, but you'd be amazed at how good it comes out.
If you're working, just take the whole thing out of the freezer in the am., and leave it on the counter. By the time you get home, it'll be good to go. The "magic" is that the paper towel absorbs the water from the ice, in the bread, (And keeps rime from forming on the crust), keeping the bread from becoming soggy during the defrost, and preventing it (somehow) from drying and being icky when defrosted.
I know, that's
not an Instant Pot thing, but learning to freeze bread saved me only about a
bajillion trips to the bakery or the bakery aisle at the supermarket, and it enables me to have
lovely crusty bakery bread, WITHOUT making 15-mile runs to the grocery. :-) Lovely to have with your ham&bean soup, too.
Hitch