Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

2

Question:

How cool does the 2.5 liter (12 cup) pot of super-hot bone broth need to be before it's safe and reasonable to put in the fridge?

My 20 hour bone broth is done. I just got home from work. It's 6pm.

The slow-cooker is too hot to handle so I can't even strain it into the put yet (it's still in the slow cooker).

Probably about 9pm I'll strain it, but from past experience, it remains really hot for many hours after that.

I don't want the hot pot to crack the glass shelf in the fridge, nor do I want to really heat up the fridge and cause a lot of condensation.

(I have placed a towel on the glass shelf (folded over 3 times) to avoid the cracked shelf fear.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mike

flag	asked May 9 2012 at 22:15 CaveMan_Mike 4,881●1●16●53

air_hadoken · Accepted Answer · 2012-05-09 22:49:42Z UTC

Never put hot items like a full stock pot in the fridge. It raises the temperature of the whole fridge into the "Danger zone" long enough for it to matter.

I have two sure-fire techniques for cooling broth to acceptable levels. The first is to have it in a metal container (once you strain it, transfer it to a metal pot) and leave it to cool to about 135F. Then put some ice packs (I use the ones for my Pyrex containers since they're designed to lie flat) underneath the pot and let it cool to where it no longer feels warm.

The other is if you need to quick-cool your broth from simmering hot. Fill a gallon size ziplock bag with ice water and dunk it right in to the hot broth, agitating it every minute or so. It will come down to temperature in less than 15 minutes.

TruthinessInc · Answer 2 · 2012-05-09 22:26:26Z UTC

6

Break up the liquid into smaller portions (Pyrex containers if you have them) and then fill your sink with ice and water, add some salt to the water and then place the broth in it, it will cool down REALLY quickly. Truth.

answered May 9 2012 at 22:26

TruthinessInc
5,047●1●3●15

	good idea on the sink full of ice. I don't think I want to dirty multiple contains with broth, but I can put it in the sink for an express chill. I do recall once dumping a whole bunch of ice in the sink during the summer: it super chilled the pipe below causing water to condense, setting off my water alarm! – CaveMan_Mike May 9 2012 at 22:48
	I'm not sure I'd put the slow cooker crock (if it's ceramic) into an ice bath. I'd transfer the broth to a large dutch oven or similar pot and put that into the bath. – Beth-WeightMaven May 10 2012 at 13:27

CaveMan_Mike · Answer 3 · 2012-05-10 00:04:36Z UTC

3

Based on the excellent answers & points provided, here's what I did:

alt text

@ 2 hours it was still plenty hot, but able to handle the slower cooker and strain into this metal 12 cup put (immersed in ice / ice water).

The point about raising the whole fridge temp is really important, and I didn't feel good about having done that in the past.

And, cooling it down this way, I'm not anxious about breaking a glass shelf in the fridge.

I'm really glad I asked.

Thanks everyone!

Mike

answered May 10 2012 at 0:04

CaveMan_Mike
4,881●1●16●53

	I must say, this worked great! Within 15-20 minutes, it was cool and able to be placed in the fridge without anxiety, and without having to wait hours, and relying on another family member (not always reliable) to put it in the fridge. BTW, I liked putting this in the sink just in case the pyrex container broke, it wouldn't leak all over the floor. GREAT HACK !!! – CaveMan_Mike May 10 2012 at 0:35
	You have nice big sinks! I have smaller sinks and less ice (and no large pyrex containers), so I normally just fill the sink with cold water up to the level of liquid in the pot and let it sit in the cold water. Sometimes I'll add ice packs to the cold water. But it's the same idea as what you did. – Sara S. May 10 2012 at 1:15

Christopher Gagnon · Answer 4 · 2012-05-09 23:37:01Z UTC

I've always just left the stuff out until it cooled to room temperature, then put it in wide mouth mason jars or zipper-top freezer bags, and popped it in the freezer. Never had anything spoil.

In my personal experience (as I have NO credentials to make these claims), spoilage only happens after inoculation with something, and then enough time to culture. Kept covered, something that was just boiling is very unlikely to be inoculated with something terrifying AND have enough time to culture to the point that it would matter...not during the time it takes to cool. Just don't be careless and stir it with a spoon you used earlier and set on the countertop, or stick your finger in there to test the heat. Keep the lid on, and don't mess with it until right before it goes in the fridge/freezer.

Caveat: I don't use a crock, but a metal stockpot, so the liquid cools faster. I'd suggest getting the broth out of the crock as soon as possible, but this also increases the possibility of contamination. Even so, the risk is low--particularly if you freeze it afterward.

Other caveat: I always freeze my broth/stock. I just don't trust anything that sits in the fridge for more than a few days unless it's preserved (condiments). Freezing practically ensures no spoilage AND no waste.

BTW, your fear of cracking a glass fridge shelf is valid. It happened to me, and I cannot get a replacement. Sucks.

ulcova · Answer 5 · 2012-05-09 23:11:30Z UTC

I place a sieve plus cheese cloth on a second (cold) pot and pour the hot broth in there. Then I strain it again into pyrex bowls, again using sieve and cloth (new). By then it has already cooled down a bit. Then I put the pyrex bowls straight in the fridge on some cork thingys I got from Ikea (to keep pots warm on the table), they insulate well, or on folded kitchen towels. The next day I take off the upper layer of fat and put the pyrex in the freezer. That works best for me. I heard that the broth shouldn't cool down too long at room temperature because of heavy bacteria build up. Don't know if that's true. I use a second pot first and then pyrex because I like to strain it at least twice to get it really clean and golden.

Putting pot of hot broth in fridge: liquid cool-down time question . . .

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