How long does Soup last in the fridge?

Cool soup in a shallow box, not a deep covered pot. The centre of a deep pot stays warm. Get it into the fridge within two hours of cooking, and within one hour if the kitchen is above 32°C (90°F). The FSA leftover rule is 2 days. The bold number is two days. It is the general leftover rule, not a soup-only row. FoodSafety.gov prints soups and stews at 3–4 days. The charts do not agree. The bold number is the safe shorter end, two days. Bring the soup back to a boil when you reheat it. The centre should reach 74°C (165°F). Date types are on the use-by and best-before guide. Pizza has its own page. Leftovers are in this piece.

The freezer is 2–3 months. The bold number is two months, and that window is quality. FoodKeeper prints the same soup-and-stew window. This page does not invent a third number. The pantry is Not safe. USDA says food held at −18°C (0°F) stays safe. That is not a longer printed month. Thaw in the fridge. Do not refreeze thawed soup. If you are still unsure, the still-safe tool asks from the short end of the chart.

Get perishable food into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking it or bringing it home, and within 1 hour if the kitchen is above 32°C (90°F). USDA FSIS and Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry both publish that cutoff. A closed deep pot stays warm; a shallow box cools.

A chart is a window, not a verdict on the container in your hand. A sour smell, a slimy surface, or mould means it is finished, even on day one. This page is not medical advice.

• A sour or stale smell. The soup’s own spice smell is not that.
• Mould on the surface. Lifting off the top layer does not rescue the pot.
• Soup whose centre stayed warm in a deep covered pot.
• A slimy surface on the vegetables, or a lid that has pushed up.

This page does not tell you to taste a doubtful pot to decide.

The freezer is 2–3 months. That window is quality. The bold number is two months. FoodKeeper prints the same soup-and-stew window. This page does not invent a third number. USDA says food held at −18°C (0°F) stays safe. That is not a longer printed month. Freeze it in portions, in a shallow box.

Thaw in the fridge. Do not refreeze thawed soup. Bring the soup back to a boil when you reheat it. The centre should reach 74°C (165°F). The pantry cell stays Not safe.

Thaw in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Do not refreeze a portion that has thawed. The ministry states the same rule: thaw frozen food in the fridge and take out only what you will eat.

• The FSA figure is a soup-only row. It is the general leftover rule, 2 days. The bold number is two days. FoodSafety.gov prints soups and stews at 3–4 days.
• FoodKeeper prints a third, longer number. It does not. FoodKeeper prints the same soup-and-stew window: fridge 3–4 days, freezer 2–3 months. This page does not invent a third number.
• A deep covered pot cools as fast as a shallow box. It does not. Cool the soup in a shallow box. The pantry is Not safe.

The windows assume a generally healthy household. Pregnancy, young children, older age, or a weakened immune system are reasons to keep the shorter figure, to skip raw or undercooked food, and to reheat leftovers until the centre is steaming. USDA’s figure for reheating leftovers is 74°C (165°F).

In pregnancy, for young children, in older age, or with a weakened immune system, do not taste a doubtful pot to decide. Keep the shorter end, 2 days. The bold number is two days. Bring it back to a boil when you reheat it. The centre should reach 74°C (165°F). Do not refreeze thawed soup.