When I make soup or stew, I make enough for an army, so I can freeze it for lunch or dinner and not worry about cooking during the week.
I found a great way to freeze individual portions without having to use so many plastic containers. I take the soup bowls that I would be eating the soup or stew in and spray it with a non-stick cooking spray like Pam. I then ladle in the amount for each bowl and place the bowls in the freezer to freeze. I usually have to do this in 2 rounds since there are usually 8 portions and I can't fit the 8 bowls in my freezer all at one time.
When they are frozen, take them out and place on the counter for about 5 minutes. You can then take a butter knife and "pop" them out of the bowl. I then stack them up in a large freezer bag and store back in the freezer. This way, when I am ready to eat them, I can just take out a serving of soup of chili, place it in the my bowl, and either microwave it or let it defrost at room temperature! Works great!
By Gina from Oklahoma City, OK
I have a tip that I have been doing for many years now. Every late fall through winter I enjoy making huge pots of soup and freezing it into individual containers. Then when I want one, instead of having the same soup over and over again, I do some mixing and matching.
Freeze your homemade soup in plastic brick shaped containers. When they have frozen, turn them out and wrap in cling film or freezer bags.
Put a baggie in your soup bowl, add soup to the baggie. Close loosely. When frozen, remove from bowl and store in freezer. To thaw, you can dunk it in a bowl of warm water until loosened from the bag. Then heat as you would any frozen soup.
I always make an extra large batch when preparing soup for dinner. I have a set of glass bowls that came with plastic lids.