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Cool your food quickly before storing it in the fridge or freezer. Keep the air flowing. Keep thick foods, such as refried beans and stews, in loosely-covered, shallow pans or pots. Try an ice bath for soups. Try an ice paddle or a cooling paddle. Use some ice instead of water in your recipe. Cut solid food down into smaller portions.
If you store warm food in the fridge/freezer, the surrounding food will begin to thaw and spoil. Your food also won't cool evenly. At the same time, you need to cool it quickly, or your food will become a breeding ground for bacteria. If you plan on storing your food in the fridge/freezer, it must reach 40°F (4°C) first. According to food safety specialists, the "danger zone" for food is between 140°F and 40° F (60°C and 4°C). Bacteria grows and breeds at these temperatures. Food should not remain in the "danger zone" for more than two hours. Once the food has reached 40°F (4°C) it is safe to be stored in the fridge/freezer. Try to have a fan on or a window open. This will help stir the air, and move the hot air away from the cooling food. If you have a free-standing fan, point it at the food you want to chill. The pan should be about 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) tall, and the food inside should be no more than 2 inches (5.08 centimeters) deep. Stir the food often to help release heat. Keep the pan loosely covered when you are not stirring the food to prevent contamination.  This method is also good for liquids, such as soups and sauces. Try to use metal containers, such as stainless steel, instead of plastic or glass. They will cool down.  If you can't find any shallow containers, then spread the food in a thin, 2 inch (5.08 centimeters) deep layer across the bottom of a larger container. Fill a sink with ice and some cold water to make a "slush." Place the pot with food in it into the sink. The food should be level with the icy water. Stir the food every 10 to 15 minutes. This helps it cool more evenly.  Check the temperature of the food with a meat thermometer. When the food reaches 40°F (4°C) you can store it in the fridge/freezer. The ice will melt over time. When this happens, pour out the excess water and add more ice. If the food is taking too long to cool, separate it into smaller containers. These are what commercial kitchens use for cooling soups and similar food items. They are plastic paddles that are filled with water, and then frozen. Simply stir your soup with the ice or cooling paddle until it reaches the required temperature.  The benefit to using ice or cooling paddles is that you won't dilute the flavor or texture of your soup. Consider wearing a glove or oven mitt to protect your hand from the cold paddle. This can be combined with an ice bath for even faster chilling. Follow the original recipe, but use less water. Towards the end of the cooking process, add some ice. Make sure that the amount of ice you are using makes up for the amount of water you reduced. You can plop in a few ice cubes after you have finished your sauce or soup instead, but the ice will add more water to your food once it melts, and dilute the flavor. This is ideal for things like meat, but can also be used for other items, such as lasagna and enchiladas. If you are going to freeze any of these items, you will likely to cut them down into small portions to make defrosting and reheating easier. Try to cut these foods down into individual-sized portions. They will cool down much faster.