Cool the soup or stew as quickly as possible after cooking. Divide into smaller containers or bags to speed cooling. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours. An ice bath (placing the pot in a sink of ice water) speeds cooling dramatically.
Rigid containers: Ladle soup into plastic or glass freezer containers, leaving 1 inch of headspace for expansion. Straight-sided containers allow frozen blocks to slide out easily for faster reheating.
Flat-pack bags: Ladle into freezer bags, press out air, seal, and lay flat to freeze. Once solid, these stack like books on a shelf and thaw faster than containers due to the increased surface area. This is the most space-efficient method.
Portioning: Freeze in individual servings for lunches, or family-sized portions for dinners. Label with the recipe name, date, and number of servings.
2 to 3 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in a pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally. For flat-pack bags, the contents can sometimes be slid into the pot still partially frozen. Microwave reheating works for individual portions.