This is am article about cooling chicken stock after making it from scratch. It can probably be used for quickly cooling soup or a beverage that is chilled after being heated.
I read a tip in Cooks Illustrated that suggested putting a plastic bottle filled with water in the freezer, then using that to quickly cool stock.
I started to think that using a plastic bottle in hot liquid could leech some of the plastic product into the stock. On the other hand, providing an ideal bacteria growing environment is not something I desire, either.
I decided to put ice into a small saucepan. It floats in the broth and will hold the cold longer than the plastic bottle. The pot may also have a larger surface area, making it cool more efficiently, as it displaces more stock than the bottle did.
