Soup – make a neverending Soup in an instantpot

food-preservationfood-safetyinstant-potsoupstews

I'm a truck driver, and I have a minifridge, a microwave, an Instant pot, and an electric water kettle on the truck with me. I've been experimenting with various ideas on how to best feed myself. So here's my version of the question. If I cook the soup with some veggies and meat, scoop some out to eat, and seal the lid and keep the instant pot set to "Keep Warm" (145-175 degrees F) will it be safe? It stays sealed except when I'm dishing out a new dish, it stays above 140 degrees, and each time I add new stuff to it, I'll re-cook it, but will whatever I've left in there still be good?

I was just reading through this question: Never ending soup; is it actually safe? and I had a modified version of it to ask, but since that question hasn't been active in over a year, I thought I would make a new question.

Best Answer

I've actually tried it. It didn't work very well for me, but it might work better for you.

The problem is, cookers like the Instant Pot are designed for quick pressure cooking first and foremost. While they have a "slow cook" or "keep warm" setting, the heating element is still driven at high power, just at a lower duty cycle. Over time, that encourages solids to settle to the bottom and dehydrate and burn. (In contrast, a slow cooker operates at a lower power and heats to a lower temperature.)

However, the motion of the truck might actually help you out here by agitating the soup. If the soup doesn't have anything starchy (like beans or potatoes) that might be sufficient to prevent burning.