# Can I keep homemade vegetable soup in my crockpot on warm for several days... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311 "2015-07-05T13:40:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/1 "2015-07-05T13:40:01Z")
…so I have no excuse for not eating some every day? Cooling it, refrigerating it, having to reheat it, etc., all work against eating it all up. Whereas, if it’s sitting there, all warm and yummy, I’m more likely to follow through. On the warm setting, my crockpot maintains a temperature of ~180 (tested with my Thermapen). Yeah, the vegetables will fall apart, but it’s the broth I really like the most. I often blender-ize the whole thing anyway. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/2 "2015-07-05T13:44:08Z")
My crock pot has 3 temperature settings: warm, low and high. The manual that came with the unit describes the “warm” setting as not foodsafe, or some similar verbiage. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/3 "2015-07-05T13:44:26Z")
Sound okay to me. 180F sounds hot enough to be safe. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/4 "2015-07-05T14:05:08Z")
Personally, I wouldn’t do it. But then I have no problem scooping out some soup and popping it into the microwave. It also strikes me as a waste of electricity, altho I don’t know how much energy it would consume. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/5 "2015-07-05T20:14:04Z")
Anything over 140 degrees is safe. Low, slow and long is how the French make stock. They just keep adding vegetable trimmings and water as they go along. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/6 "2015-07-05T20:31:56Z")
As long as your thermometer is accurate, it should be safe. Will it have nutrition left? No. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/7 "2015-07-05T20:45:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …so I have no excuse for not eating some every day? Cooling it, refrigerating it, having to reheat it, etc., all work against eating it all up. Right now, I can picture the poor engineer who invented the microwave oven walking away flinging blueprints over his shoulder. “Well, I gave it my best shot…” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/8 "2015-07-05T21:34:58Z")
There are still some people who do not have microwaves. Like my mother. Imagine what a chore it must be to go down to the 7-11 every time you want to reheat your soup. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/9 "2015-07-05T22:28:56Z")
Soup is pretty easy to heat in a pot, too. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/10 "2015-07-05T22:38:05Z")
On the other hand, jokes are not so easy to pull off on a message board. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/11 "2015-07-05T22:44:03Z")
If it helps, here’s what I do when I make 5 quarts of soup/stew. As soon as it’s done and I’m dishing out the first fresh bowl, I also dole out the rest into 2-cup storage bowls with screw-top lids. I leave those on the counter while I enjoy dinner and entertainment whether a movie, TV show, or online message boards. Cleanup in the kitchen. Once all that’s done and bedtime is near, the 2-cup containers are cooled enough to just chuck into the fridge. Done. Take individual meals out to take to work or reheat at home. At any rate, I think you will have evaporation issues even with the lid in place. You’ll have to keep checking it and adding water, and there will be gunk stuck to the sides you’ll have to scrape out or risk it being baked on and really hard to clean. Seems like more work to me, but as long as it’s on medium heat it’s probably safe enough. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/12 "2015-07-05T22:47:42Z")
Well, there’s only one way to find out. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/13 "2015-07-05T23:28:41Z")
It’d be safe enough, but just make sure that you add a bit of water every now and then so it doesn’t go dry and burn. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/14 "2015-07-05T23:38:45Z")
You’ll break down a lot of nutrients, but the basic minerals will stay intact, and you’re probably not malnourished already so a few bowls of soup isn’t going to shorten your life. I like some crispy vegetables in my soup so I’d add some think sliced carrot or fresh peas not long before serving. Your making a thick broth so you can prepare whatever you want in a bowl and pour the broth over. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/15 "2015-07-05T23:48:53Z")
It will taste better if you put the whole crockpot into the refrigerator overnight, then next morning, skim off most of the congealed fat on the top before plugging it in again to warm for lunch. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-keep-homemade-vegetable-soup-in-my-crockpot-on-warm-for-several-days/724311/16 "2015-07-06T01:23:00Z")
Thanks for the tips. I decided to decant into a pot and refrigerate. There’s no fat to skim off the top, as I didn’t add any fat. All veggie. The [Thermapen](http://www.amazon.com/ThermoWorks-Super-Fast-Professional-Thermocouple-Thermometer/dp/B002GIZZWM/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1436145325&sr=1-1&keywords=thermapen&refinements=p_89%3AThermoWorks) is the Rolex of instant-read thermometers. No worries about gunk sticking to the sides of the pot, because I use [crockpot liner bags](http://www.amazon.com/Reynolds-Metals-00504-Cooker-Liners/dp/B00HVG7SYW/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1436145659&sr=1-1&keywords=crockpot+liners), the second greatest culinary invention of the 20th century (the first being non-stick foil). Didn’t get this one: > [@jimbuff314](#): > > On the other hand, jokes are not so easy to pull off on a message board. Thanks again, all.