Perpetual Stew, Or Why It's Safe To Eat A 79-Year-Old Soup (2024)

FAQs

Perpetual Stew, Or Why It's Safe To Eat A 79-Year-Old Soup? ›

As long as no ingredients detrimental to human health are added, and the soup is constantly boiled to temperatures that will kill off harmful bacteria, the soup can be added to and eaten for a long, long time.

And yes, because it's always kept at boiling temperature (there was a close call on June 14 when Shayne briefly blew a fuse making toast), and the ingredients are cycled out at a fast pace, it should be safe to eat. Perpetual stews have been around for a while and “have simmered for years on end!” she notes.

"Bacteria known to cause food-borne illness flourishes at temperatures between 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) and 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), but can't survive the heat of a constant simmer." Rauwerda says her stew stays at 200 degrees F (93 degrees C).

the soup, it's completely safe to eat. And over the 45 years, the broth has gotten better and better. I guess. I'll let you know how my stomach's doing in a few days.

A perpetual stew, also known as forever soup, hunter's pot, or hunter's stew, is a pot into which foodstuffs are placed and cooked, continuously. The pot is never or rarely emptied all the way, and ingredients and liquid are replenished as necessary.

Many soups, with the possible exception of seafood soups, may taste better the next day! For best safety and quality, plan to eat refrigerated soup within 3 to 4 days or freeze it. And avoid letting soup set at room temperature for more than TWO hours. Don't put a large pot of hot soup directly into your refrigerator.

Perpetual stew stays on simmer for days, months, and even years at a time. As the days progress, you add more ingredients and continue to build on the flavor of the original recipe. The stew's long lifespan encourages fermentation, which accounts for its notable spicy-sour flavor.

In Japan, the restaurant Otaf*cku in the Asakusa district of Tokyo serves a stew called oden, which has been replenished constantly since 1945. The only reason it doesn't date back until 1916, when the restaurant opened, is said to be because that soup was lost in a World War II air raid.

To be completely safe, you'll have to boil the soup vigorously for 10 minutes. Doing this will not only kill off any active bacteria, it will also inactivate -- but not destroy -- botulinum spores.

Wattana Panich - one of the world's oldest soups. (50-year-old beef and goat soup) Definitely a must try resto in Bangkok!

Why does old soup taste better? ›

If left overnight (and saved in a safe, refrigerated place) leftover soup tastes richer the next day because all the flavors have had longer to blend. The same applies to stews.

One story about the origin of the term stone soup is that during the US's Great Depression, families unable to put food on the table every day simply placed a porous rock in the stock pot on days when there was food - and subsequently flavour - to absorb.

Kept in a cauldron just above the 'danger zone' of 60 degrees celsius, the stock would be made of ale, bread, beans, salted pork, cabbage and whatever else might be at hand, constantly evolving depending on what had been thrown into the pot each day. It would then be served up as a cheap meal for weary travellers.

If you're properly straining your perpetual stew after each "use" or new batch of ingredients and keeping it constantly simmering at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, you can keep the simmer going as long as you'd like.

"Neua Tune": The soup that has been simmering in Bangkok for almost 50 years. The hearty beef broth has been kept simmering by three generations of one family for nearly half a century. The "Wattana Panich" has even received a visit from the Michelin Guide.

So why, then, is it suggested that we heat canned soups before consumption? To enhance their flavors and, of course, help warm us up from the inside out. All that being said, you can have your pick of any soup to snack on straight from the can, and really any other canned good in your pantry.

A general rule of thumb is that soup can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days, but you should always taste your dish before deciding to reheat.

On most occasions, you shouldn't leave soup out overnight. This is because when the stock in the soup cools below 130°F, dangerous bacteria can multiply. If you do decide that you want to leave soup out overnight, it's recommended that you boil the soup for 10 minutes to kill any active bacteria.

While canned soups can be a convenient meal option, it's important to be mindful of their nutritional aspects. Making healthier choices by selecting low-sodium, low-fat, and organic options, adding fresh or frozen vegetables, and opting for BPA-free cans can enhance the nutritional quality of canned soups.