Soup is an integral part of a balanced diet. There are many types of soups, and borscht is not the last in this list, both in taste and nutrition. It is still not known exactly where the borscht originated, but most people are inclined to believe that it is a national Ukrainian dish. True or not, Ukrainian borsch is considered one of the most delicious.
Not every housewife has the opportunity to cook fresh borsch every day, so it is harvested for the future, that is, for several days in advance. Therefore, the question of how much and how to store borscht so that it does not deteriorate is completely appropriate.
Borscht shelf life
The safety of borscht is greatly affected by the conditions in which it is stored. The most ideal place to store borscht is the refrigerating chamber - the temperature in the refrigerator should vary from +2 to +5 degrees. The products from which the soup is cooked also play a significant role in the matter of storing this dish.
- Borscht, which is prepared on the basis of meat broth, will be suitable for food for 2-3 days.
- If chicken broth is used to make borsch, the shelf life of a dish is reduced to 1-2 days. The same shelf life has dietary soup and soup with the addition of smoked products.
- Borscht made from mushroom broth is stored the least. Already at the end of the day should not eat it.
- Soup from fresh cabbage is stored worse than from fermented. During the day, fresh cabbage loses its taste, but sour, on the contrary, it tastes better, but after 2 days this soup can already begin to deteriorate.
- Borsch will have a short shelf life - 24 hours, if you add fresh greens to it. It is better to add before the direct use of the dish. Because of the vegetables that lose their texture, filling soup will also remain fresh no more than a day. These vegetables include zucchini and turnip.
Cook the soup only from the freshest ingredients. This will help extend its shelf life.
How to store borsch correctly
To borscht has not lost its taste and will not deteriorate ahead of schedule, you need to follow these recommendations:
- It is very important to choose the right dishes for cooking borscht. The container from stainless steel and aluminum is categorically not suitable for this. It is advisable to cook the soup in a glass pan. Also enamelware is great for this, but just make sure that the enamel is in integrity. Please note that the dishes in which the soup will boil must be clean. Ideal if you use it with boiling water before use.
- Do not forget to remove the foam that forms on its surface while cooking borscht. In it, harmful microorganisms multiply at great speed.
- When finished cooking borscht, let it stand on the stove for 30-60 minutes. After the specified period, the container with the soup must be cooled before being sent to the refrigerator. To do this, put the dishes with borsch in a container filled with cold water or pieces of ice.
- When storing borsch in the fridge, make sure that the dish is always tightly closed. If the storage of the soup does not comply with this rule, bacteria will penetrate into it, causing it to spoil much faster.
- Never leave a spoonful or a ladle in the soup. Indeed, when interacting with metal, borsch sour faster.
- It is not recommended to warm the entire volume of borscht each time. It is more correct to pour the required amount of soup into separate dishes and heat it. Be sure to make this a clean ladle. This manipulation is necessary because every reboiling makes the soup less useful and tasty.
- To take borsch with you, you can use a sterilized thermos. Best of all, freshly cooked borsch will be stored in a thermos. If you do not open the thermos and do not dip the spoon in it, the soup will remain fresh for 6 hours.
If the soup has not deteriorated after the expiration date (it does not have a sour taste and smell, does not change color to darker, and foam or bubbles did not form on the surface), boil it, cool it, then put it back in the refrigerator. Although this will affect the taste and usefulness of the soup, but it will help briefly extend the freshness of the dish.
