Last week I had this huge pot of chicken veggie soup leftover and thought, how long can I actually keep this quart container in the fridge? So I grabbed my trusty notebook and ran a lil’ experiment.
Pouring and Cooling
First I ladled the boiling hot soup straight into a clean quart-sized plastic tub like an idiot. Saw condensation pooling inside the lid immediately. My grandma’s voice popped into my head screaming “YOU GONNA EXPLODE YOUR FRIDGE BOY!” so I yanked it off the counter. Let the whole container sit on my stovetop for like two hours until it stopped steaming. Fridge ain’t no warmer.
The Fridge Setup
Wiped the container dry with paper towels and slapped on one of those blue painter’s tape labels. Wrote “SOUP TEST DAY 0 – JAN 5” in big sharpie letters. Stuck it behind the milk cartons where it wouldn’t get jostled every time my teenager raids the fridge. Set phone reminder to check daily.
Daily Inspection Routine
- Day 1: Popped the lid. Still smelled like heaven. Little grease droplets on top looked fine.
- Day 3: Warmed a spoonful in the microwave – tasted exactly like fresh. Carrots had turned slightly mushier though.
- Day 5: Weird vinegar-y smell hit me when I cracked the seal. Found fuzzy white islands floating near the carrots. Nope nope nope!
The Toss-out Moment
Straight poured that science project down the disposal on day 5 while gagging. Noticed the broth had turned slimy between the potatoes too. Funny thing – the glass container I put same soup in? Still looked perfect. Maybe plastic made it go bad faster? Gotta test that next time.
So yeah lesson learned: my sweet spot’s 4 days max for plastic tub soups. If it starts smelling like wet socks? Dump it. Your stomach will thank you later.
