Cooking miso soup for meal is healthy, filling, and versatile in flavor. Making a big batch allows you to enjoy delicious soup next time you have a craving.
Equally so, storing miso properly for immediate or long-term use is important to avoid altering the flavor and consistency of the dishes.
How do you store miso soup? There are two ways to store leftover miso soup, fridge or freezer.
When using fridge, put the miso soup in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate for 3-5 days. If the soup contains lots of other ingredients, consider separating the tofu, seaweed, and green onions from the miso soup before storing.
To store for longterm purposes, consider freezing miso soup in an ice cube tray, and then transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe bag.
Miso soup is a perishable food that be properly cooled before storing. If you intend on reheating miso soup to serve later, then keep it at room temperature for less than 2 hours for it to cool down before storing in the fridge or freezer.
Prior to serving frozen miso soup, thaw the cubes in the fridge overnight. But frozen miso soup that is frozen in a container can be reheated directly without thawing.
When reheating miso soup, simply heat on medium until it reaches an internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius or 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
For short-term use, one can store the soup in a refrigerator, and a deep freeze is recommended for long-term. The long-term method or in the freezer ensures the miso soup is always available for a quick meal when you have a craving.
Miso paste uses a lot of salt, which acts as a preservative. However, it’s advisable to constantly check for any red flags that may suggest the soup has gone bad.
Even past a few days, miso soup may not necessarily go bad in the fridge, but its quality will certainly decline over time. Consuming a spoiled miso soup can result in food poisoning, so look for any signs of spoilage or smell for bad odors before tasting.
How long is miso soup good for in the fridge?
On average, cooked miso soup can stay up to 3-5 days in fridge without going bad when sealed in an airtight container. Refrigerating is mainly employed for short-term storage plans.
Duration of freshness may go beyond this, but it’s better to check for indicators that suggest the soup has spoiled, such as the smell, color, and texture, to ensure the soup has not gone bad.
The soup can extend much longer when cooled quickly and stored in a tightly closed container right away. Rapid cooling and proper storage inside a clean container in the fridge really goes a long way in extending the freshness.
Furthermore, miso soup includes other ingredients that determine how fast the soup will go sour. The more perishable ingredients, the shorter the soup lasts.
For a longer storage plan, freezing extends the time period by many months.
Can you keep miso soup overnight?
No, you should not keep miso soup out overnight. Miso soup is a perishable food, and it is advised to only keep it at room temperature for up to 2 hours before storing in the fridge or freezer.
If the overnight temperature was fairly cool, then it may be ok for miso soup to be left out to cool, and then refrigerated in the morning. For the soup to still be safe for consumption, the bacteria that causes food poisoning must not have enough time to germinate and reproduce.
Most bacteria that had a chance to grow will die during the reheating process, so that’s why it’s advisable not to consume overnight soup without reheating.
Leaving miso soup out longer than 24 hours is risky, the soup may get spoiled more rapidly. When the soup is left out too long, simply throw it away.
Tips for storing miso soup
Storing miso soup properly requires specific guidelines to maintain the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Depending on when the leftover miso soup will be served, employ either short and long term method to keep miso soup fresh.
Here are useful tips to store miso soup:
- Before storing miso soup in the refrigerator or freezer, make sure to cool it down to room temperature in less than 2 hours.
- Store the soup in an airtight container sealed tightly to ensure it remains fresh and slows bacteria growth.
- When storing the miso soup for short-term, the refrigerator is the best option, but the freezer is the best choice when intended for a longer timeframe.
- It is best to remove any perishable ingredients like seaweed, tofu, and green onions from the miso soup base before storing. Store the liquid, and add fresh garnishes next time the broth is served.
- Add a little water when reheating to reduce the salt in miso soup. After cooking and cooling, it is common for the salinity to become more concentrated, and dilute with a little water to balance out the flavor.
- Lids of freezer-safe containers must seal completely to prevent freezer burn.
- When freezing, leave space at the top of the container to allow the expansion of miso soup when the temperature changes.
- When freezing small quantities, use ice cube trays instead of a freezer container to save space.
- Miso soup left out overnight may still be ok to eat if the temperature was not too warm and the soup is fully reheated to kill any bacteria before serving.
Storing Miso Soup: Conclusion
The perishability of the miso soup depends on how it was stored and the ingredients used in the recipe.
When storing leftover miso soup, it should not be left to sit at room temperature for longer than 2 hours before cooling. The faster it is cooled and stored at cooler temperatures, then less time for bacteria growth to affect the longevity.
The method used for storage, depends on the duration in which the leftovers will be eaten. Use a fridge for short-term, and freezer for long-term.
When miso soup is stored in the fridge, consume within 3-5 days under optimal conditions. When frozen, miso soup may last up to 6 months.
It is not recommended to leave miso soup overnight on the counter because it is a perishable food. The soup on the counter may spoil more quickly and growth in bacteria which is not safe to consume.
Regardless of the method used for storage, stored miso soup should be reheat to 74 degrees Celsius or 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.
Reheating reduces the risk of bacteria growth causing food borne illness. Thawing is not necessary when the miso soup has been stored in a freezer inside a container, just use medium heat to gradually warm.
It’s advisable to check for any signs indicating the miso soup has spoiled before consuming. The quality and freshness is ultimately determined by how the soup is stored and handled, so look for any signs of spoilage and smell for foul odors before tasting to avoid food poisoning.