Never ending soup; is it actually safe?

Question

In the poor student or youth worker days it was popular to have never ending soup; a large pot on the stove that was topped up with new and leftover ingredients when available

Normally the pot was stored in the fridge overnight

Food items added were sometimes plate leftovers from fellow flat (share house) mates, whom would in turn be eating the soup too

Most days other ingredients would be fresh(ish) vegetables, beans, grains, and fresh meat products sourced from the local butcher as money allowed

Brussels sprouts where banned, and so were strong spices (you added those to your bowl before serving)

Also, for irony, a large (cleaned) stone is always left in the pot

Fresh bread was sometimes baked in the oven while cracked bones were browning, but the oven was often an electrical and environmental death trap

The pot kept going till the summer holidays, and no one got food poisoning in my time, or from any student stories I have ever heard

This sort of activity is recorded in history as being a popular resource saving idea

Are there any real food safety implications with this method of cooking? And have any actual studies of this technique ever been published?

I still recommend this money saving idea to current students, not keen on bad practices being continued though

Asked by TFD

Answer

It takes quite a while for a pot of hot soup to cool down to 40°F in the fridge. Several hours, sometimes, depending on the shape of the pot and the volume of soup. If you're heating and re-chilling the same soup daily, it's going to spend a lot of time in the danger zone. From a safety perspective, you'd be much better off making a pot of soup every few days and then reheating just the portion that you're actually going to eat.

I still recommend this money saving idea to current students

Soup is a great food for stretching a dollar, but I don't see how it's any more expensive to make a fresh pot twice a week and it shouldn't take much time either. I understand that you were adding scraps each night, but you could as easily save those scraps for a day or two until you make the next pot of soup.

Answered by Caleb

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