How to cool/\store soup

Hi

I've just made soup (I rarely cook, so this is a biggie for me). Anyway, it's done and still in the very hot pot. I would like to put the whole pot in the fridge (we have room and it will be eaten this week)...but, can I put a pot straight from the stove into the fridge or will it crack the glass shelve? If I can't do this is it "safe" to let the soup cool at room temp and then put in the fridge?

Any help would be greatly appreciated....

Safer to transfer to the soup to a large shallow dish (or a few). This allows the soup to cool quickly.

If you place a large hot item into the fridge it will raise the fridge temperature and you place at risk other foods in the fridge, especially if the fridge stays hot for too long.

Good idea of the shallow dishes, Astrid. I tend to transfer it to a cool pot then sit the pot in water in the sink. I then change the sink water to cool it quicker.

You can cool on the stove, with the lid on, for about an hour, before fridging it. Have done this. Actually, I think by food service "rules" you've got two hours before it has to get in the fridge.

More often, though, I ladle it into single serve containers (pack of 5 pink ones for $12 at Officeworks, they are liquid-tight and awesome) - cool on the bench for half an hour or so, with lids loosely on, then seal and pop in the fridge. Then you just grab one in the morning and take it in for lunch!

I love soup.

Shallow dishes was what we were taught in hospitality training, works very well if you can also place them on a wire rack to get the air circulating.

Thanks girls - I think I am going to adopt both the on stove-lid on and shallow dish appraoch from now on :) I hate having my sink taken up by a pot.

Thanks for the tips!