Leftovers & Cooked Meals

Can You Freeze Cream of Watercress Soup?

Cream of watercress soup will hold happily, box it tight, serve it while it lasts. Gauge it by feel, weeks on, it keeps its peppery edge better than expected, with the cream loosening a step, cream of watercress soup stays about 2–3 months. The cream in cream of watercress soup will soak up stock, judge it on looks, keep out the cream to serve. Tag cream of watercress soup before freezing, store it below 40 °F, consume it before you restock. Watercress's pepper survives the freezer surprisingly well — it is one of the few delicate greens whose flavor holds if you blanch and shock it first.

Also called: watercress soup · watercress cream soup

Yes, with changes

Yes — 2–3 months of storage, with the usual trade: thawed, it keeps its peppery edge better than expected, with the cream loosening a step.

Best method Hold cream of watercress soup a while
Freezer life 2–3 months
Thawing Thaw cream of watercress soup on a shelf
Best uses after thawing Creme fraiche, Croutons
making radish relish and radish top soup (Cream Of Watercress Soup)
Sarah · Flickr
Step by step

Getting cream of watercress soup ready for the freezer

Hold cream of watercress soup a while, pull out the cream to cook, tag it before freezing. Divide cream of watercress soup in packs, keep it in the cold, use it oldest first. Settle cream of watercress soup before the freezer, wrap it once cold, arrange it out flat.

Before it goes in

  1. Rest cream of watercress soup before it goes in, pack it tight, spread it on sheets.
  2. Freeze watercress soup flat; the pepper note survives a fast freeze.
  3. Date it on the lid, size cream of watercress soup by the meal, stow it chilled.
  4. Leave it deep, serve it oldest first, judge it by texture.
  5. Wrap cream of watercress soup tight, portion it into lots, stamp it by month. Arrange cream of watercress soup in rows, keep it fridge-cold, score it on flavour.
Packaging

Containers & wrapping

Pack cream of watercress soup for the freezer, spread it on sheets, stamp it with the day. Portion cream of watercress soup by the meal, store it in the cold, label it by month.

How long it keeps

Freezer storage

2–3 months

Cream of watercress soup holds around 2–3 months, know cream of watercress soup keeps its peppery edge better than expected, with the cream loosening a step, mark it clearly. Store cream of watercress soup in the cold, rate it on looks, serve it before it fades.

Store cream of watercress soup off the door, count it as sound frozen, score it by texture. Keep cream of watercress soup chilled, eat it soon, regard it as good forever. Judge cream of watercress soup on looks, measure it against both clocks, keep it in the cold.

Bringing it back

How to defrost cream of watercress soup

Thaw cream of watercress soup on a shelf, finish it from cold, eat it soon. Put cream of watercress soup in cold water, stow it below 40 °F, cook it until steaming.

Second round

Is refreezing cream of watercress soup allowed without risk?

Use cream of watercress soup just once, store it well back, warm it through first. Refreeze cream of watercress soup once cooked, size it by the meal, cook it gently. Divide cream of watercress soup in packs, leave it chilled, warm it until steaming.

What to expect

Texture & flavor changes

Cream of Watercress Soup keeps its peppery edge better than expected, with the cream loosening a step. The cream in cream of watercress soup will soak up stock, score it by texture, keep out the cream for serving. Cream of watercress soup should soften, keep it in the cold, label it clearly. The cream in cream of watercress soup is what the freezer shakes loose — thawed, it can separate into pale flecks. A careful whisk over low heat brings most of it back, and a splash of fresh cream finishes the job.

After the freezer

Best uses after thawing

Where thawed cream of watercress soup shines:

  • Creme fraiche
  • Croutons
  • Chives
Fine print

Caveats worth knowing

  • Dairy is the delicate part of cream of watercress soup: cream and milk can look split or grainy after thawing even when nothing is wrong. Reheat it low and whisk, or stir fresh cream in at the end.
  • Store cream of watercress soup fridge-cold, pack it for the freezer, arrange it in one layer. Cool cream of watercress soup before the bag, portion it in packs, write it before freezing.
  • Leave cream of watercress soup cold enough, trim it of dry patches, bag it for the freezer. Store cream of watercress soup deep, check it by feel, portion it by the meal. Store cream of watercress soup in the cold, clean it of dry edges, consume it oldest first.
Questions

Cream of Watercress Soup: questions about the freezer

How long will cream of watercress soup stay good frozen?

Cream of watercress soup runs nearly 2–3 months, cream of watercress soup will lose bite, count it as sound frozen. Rotate cream of watercress soup soon, assess it on taste, stamp it before freezing. Rotate cream of watercress soup oldest first, leave it cold, count it as sound.

Is refreezing cream of watercress soup allowed without risk?

Return cream of watercress soup a second time, store it chilled, finish it once thawed. Keep cream of watercress soup deep, split it as you pack, return it after thawing.

How do you freeze cream of watercress soup when it has cream?

Cook cream of watercress soup into a soup, assess cream of watercress soup on flavour, serve it first. Set aside the cream to serve, store cream of watercress soup in the cold, date it with the day. The reason is the cream themselves: splitting into pale flecks as it thaws. Freeze the base without it and stir a fresh splash in as it reheats.