Transfering soup to container or blender

[ratsrcute]

I'm pretty new at cooking, and wondering what's the best way to transfer a sauce pan full of soup into a blender, or into a container for storage. Pouring right out of the sauce pan tends to make a mess.

I suppose a ladle?

Mike

 

[keltin]

Seriously, pouring is the fastest way. Position your pan/pot at the 50% mark over your target and SLOWLY tilt it forward. Once you have started a stream, you can increase the volume (tilt more heavily) and move backwards away from the 50% mark. The key is to start slow, get some mix in the catching vessel (to avoid splatters from a heavier flow), then adjust positioning based on tilt and flow.

Practice with the pan/pot in question and your blender/container with some water. It’s not that hard once you get the hang of starting slow to prime the receptacle and then move positioning for greater flow.

 

[ratsrcute]

Thanks, sounds like it should work.

 

[GB]

Use a ladle.

 

[auntdot]

Sorry I am confused, don't know what the fifty percent mark is.

As an old chemist can pour almost anything. But agree with the idea of playing with water before you do the real thing.

 

[Michael in FtW]

A ladel is the most obvious choice. But, if you have a 2-3 cup measuring cup you can dip it out with that - they have a pour spout.

Something you might want to consider is getting an immersion blender (sometimes called a hand blender or stick blender), you can get a good basic one for $20-50 - check at Target or WalMart or on the appliance aisle at your grocery store. This will eliminate the need to move hot soup to a counter-top blender, and does just as good of a job.

 

[Andy M.]

Sorry I am confused, don't know what the fifty percent mark is...

I think he's talking about pouring into the middle of a container or blender vessel rather than near the edge

 

[tdejarnette]

I agree that practise makes it less messy. I also have Pyrex saucepans with a pouring lip. I sometimes use a funnel.

 

[ella/TO]

I agree with Michael. But, if you don't want to puree....use a ladle or, as suggested, a 2 cup measure is great. Also, start that way, and then when there's not too much left in the pot, it will be easier to handle to pour from it.

 

[keltin]

I think he's talking about pouring into the middle of a container or blender vessel rather than near the edge

Exactly! Hang your pouring device over the receptacle at the 50% mark and start the steam slowly (the stream will hug and pour down the wall of the pouring vessel as it begins) then back off as it begins to pour well.

 

[Uncle Bob]

A ladle or a measuring cup would be my weapons of choice

 

[keltin]

Ladles and any scooping device will work, but it is painfully slow and always ends with you having to pour anyway (no way to ladle that last bit of fluid). Learning good pouring skills up front can cut a lot of time. Know your pan, know how liquids flow, judge your start marks, and once the flow separates from your vessel, you can pour freely and quickly. Much faster.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Ladles and any scooping device will work, but it is painfully slow and always ends with you having to pour anyway (no way to ladle that last bit of fluid). Learning good pouring skills up front can cut a lot of time. Know your pan, know how liquids flow, judge your start marks, and once the flow separates from your vessel, you can pour freely and quickly. Much faster.

So if I have 10 qts of Chili in a 12 qt Dutch oven, and I want to transfer it to 1 qt. storage/freezer containers, just pick it up and pour it in. Right?

 

[keltin]

So if I have 10 qts of Chili in a 12 qt Dutch oven, and I want to transfer it to 1 qt. storage/freezer containers, just pick it up and pour it in. Right?

A bit different than the OP’s post UB………but, you would need 10 1 QT containers. Line them up. Then grasp your 12 Qt DO and position yourself at the 50% mark of your 1 QT receptacle, and you gently pour to fill. Tip up easily over each, pour and allow the stream to hug the pan, fill the vessel, then move on to the next. You can easily fill all 10 vessels in a matter of seconds with no ladle scraping. Something I’ve done with my crock-pot insert when dividing and freezing a large batch of soup or stew.

BUT……..that’s not what we are talking about here, we’re talking about how to transfer a batch of fluid to the processor for a puree.

 

[Andy M.]

A bit different than the OP’s post UB………but, you would need 10 1 QT containers. Line them up. Then grasp your 12 Qt DO and position yourself at the 50% mark of your 1 QT receptacle, and you gently pour to fill. Tip up easily over each, pour and allow the stream to hug the pan, fill the vessel, then move on to the next. You can easily fill all 10 vessels in a matter of seconds with no ladle scraping. Something I’ve done with my crock-pot insert when dividing and freezing a large batch of soup or stew...

Any batch of stew or soup with peices of meat and/or veggies would not work well with your method, keltin. You would end up with quite an uneven distribution of the liquids and solids across the containers.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Okay - let's go back and look at what Mike, the OP, said:

I'm pretty new at cooking, and wondering what's the best way to transfer a sauce pan full of soup into a blender, or into a container for storage. Pouring right out of the sauce pan tends to make a mess.

Pouring a big ol' pot-o-stuff into something smaller is an aquired skill. And, it will be learned in time keltin ... but isn't it better for someone to learn in steps rather than jumping right in over their head and pouring a big pot of hot soup all over themselves???

 

[GB]

Any batch of stew or soup with peices of meat and/or veggies would not work well with your method, keltin. You would end up with quite an uneven distribution of the liquids and solids across the containers.

Not to mention that trying to pour into the small mouth of a blender could be quite dangerous if you don't get it just right. Speed is not the goal here. Safety should come first.

 

[keltin]

Any batch of stew or soup with peices of meat and/or veggies would not work well with your method, keltin. You would end up with quite an uneven distribution of the liquids and solids across the containers.

I'm gonna have to put a big "DUH" in there for this Andy. BUT, the OP's point was how do I EASILY get this liquid in my pot to the blender for the puree.

Obvioulsy the pour technique isn't the perfect mehtod for dividing soup or stew, and it's not one I use.....but it CAN be done for dividing soups and stews. This response was obviously a challenge AND off topic from the OP's question, and obviously requires a different technique for equal separation.....but for a puree in a blender, the pour is the fastest way.

 

[Andy M.]

I don't equate easy with fast here.

 

[keltin]

Okay - let's go back and look at what Mike, the OP, said:



Pouring a big ol' pot-o-stuff into something smaller is an aquired skill. And, it will be learned in time keltin ... but isn't it better for someone to learn in steps rather than jumping right in over their head and pouring a big pot of hot soup all over themselves???

I did tell them to practice with water, but this isn't rocket science. The biggest problem is the lip or you pan. Will it hold the stream and cause a wall run? If not, then you're good, otherwise, slowly adjust till you break away for a good pour.

You can't learn unless you're told what CAN be done.