A souper time of year: A primer on disposable soup containers

There’s a bit of a chill in the air. It’s getting dark a bit earlier. The kids are in school and the football team’s on the field. It’s soup time, folks! And as caterers, wedding planners and restaurant owners open their recipe books to their most successful offerings, it’s time to consider the perfect disposable soup containers to help get all that goodness delivered to your guests.

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the soup trend, as well as how best to protect these warming blends.

A brief history lesson

A quick look at Wikipedia reveals the interesting history not only of soup, but of where to enjoy it. The word “restaurant,” which originally meant “(something) restoring,” was first used in France during the 16^th century, when it referred to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup sold by street vendors. It was advertised as an antidote back then to physical exhaustion.

In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a little shop specializing in these healing pots of broth, which prompted the use of the modern word “restaurant” for those eating establishments.

According to the folks at Campbell’s Soup, in Xianrendong Cave, Jiangxi Province, China, the first example of a soup bowl was discovered, thought to date all the way back to 20,000 BC. The scorch marks found on it indicated to the scientists that unearthed it that the user was creating a hot soup of some kind. “Ancient soup makers may have simply dug a pit, lined it with animal skin or gut, filled this ‘pot’ with water and dropped in some hot rocks,” The Campbell’s Website noted.

Thankfully, soup has evolved over many years into thousands of delicious variations a lot more nutritious – and in need of the perfect packaging in which to serve them.

Options abound for disposable soup containers

Spend a little time at MrTakeOutBags.com and you’re sure to discover a soup container to fit your needs as a restaurant owner, caterer or school administrator.

They come in single serving, multi-serving and even large serving / catering options. The nice thing about those is that they come with a convenient, safe outer carrying case. Take a look.

To make it even easier for you, our disposable soup containers come in several types of materials, too.

PAPER

• Kraft — Kraft Paper soup containers are a sturdy and environmentally sound way to package your customers’ favorite soups for takeout. They function like a soup bowl and offer easy transport. Vented lids allow steam to escape while keeping the contents inside from splashing out. Available in four sizes, they’re leak resistant, but it’s important to note they’re not completely leak-proof.
• White – With much the same properties as the kraft version, these White Paper Soup Containers are both microwaveable and freezer safe. Their inner and outer liners – just like the kraft – make them leak resistant and keep food fresh and hot. Their gloss exterior helps to prevent condensation from weakening the paperboard and they are sold as a convenient combo, with lids.
• Compostable Paper – If going green is important to you (and it is to many of us), no need to keep looking. These Compostable Paper Soup Containers are made from all-natural materials. They’re stackable, leak resistant and durable, too.
• Compostable Bagasse – Made from 100% sugar cane fiber (a byproduct of sugar refining), Compostable Bagasse Bowls are 100 percent tree and plastic free, making them a great choice for sustainability. Microwaveable and freezer safe, they are oil and cut resistant and compostable both in the home and in commercial facilities.
• Paper lids – Many of our soup containers either come with or have available paper lids. These are a great choice for their leak-resistance and ability to keep heat in. They generally won’t let your soup or sauce out, but will let air pressure and steam out to keep your product its freshest. This is a result of non-aligned steam holes in the lids – through two layers of paper.

PLASTIC

• Classic Delitainers – A practical choice for safely serving and transporting soups and sauces, Newspring Delitainers are extremely durable and leak-proof bowls perfect for hot or cold contents. The lid snaps and seals tightly to prevent messes and their strong plastic is able to withstand high heats up to 250 degrees, as well as freezing temperatures. They come in four sizes and because they are clear, you can show off your gourmet goodies in the store or the takeout bag.
• Ramen Bowls – Our Asian-inspired Takeout Ramen Soup Bowls come in various sizes great for single portions or family sizes. Extremely durable, air-tight and leak-resistant, they’re microwaveable, dishwasher safe and freezer friendly. Made with food safe FDA approved materials, they can hold anything from soup to pastas to sauces and are 100% recyclable (Type 5). Another perk is that their raised flat-top lids allow for them to be stacked while also increasing interior capacity a great deal. Check them out, but keep in mind these are a “special order” product and could take up to a week to ship out to you or your restaurant staff.

A size for every serving

When you visit MrTakeOutBags.com and begin to peruse the offerings in the category of disposable soup containers, you’ll discover what a wide range of sizes are available. Listed in fluid-ounce capacity, we have them to accommodate servings of 8, 12, 16, 32 and 64 ounce.

Caterers and restaurateurs serving bigger crowds might want to take a closer look at our 64-ounce combo deal, which comes with the large paper soup container with lid that’s also a good fit for ice cream, side dishes or pastas. This time of year, they’re a popular choice for gatherings. And best of all, you can save 15 percent compared with buying the components separately.

Accessorize your Disposable Soup Containers

LADLES

Your clients and diners won’t have to worry about how to get that delicious fall soup from the container into their bellies. We have some great suggestions for accessories.

For starters, our ladles make for an elegant, mess-free presentation. Made of premium quality heavy-duty high gloss plastic, they are reusable and have the look of permanent wear.

The 1.75 oz serving size aids with portion control, has a pouring spout on each side, a comfortable wide handle and can be used for soup, sauce, or dressing. They’re recyclable, too. Also available in a 3.5-ounce size, they’re even great for serving punch or festive holiday drinks.

SOUP SPOONS

Your diners will need spoons, too. At MrTakeOutBags, our disposable soup spoons have the look and appeal of stainless steel flatware, while being made of durable polypropylene and offering the ease of one-time use. This offers a path to a formal presentation without the high cost of renting, owning or cleaning permanent flatware.

They’re made in the USA and available right here.

We also can offer individually wrapped black soup spoons that are just the right choice for business meetings, lunches or banquets.

Versatile Disposable Soup Containers a hallmark of autumn

With the rising popularity of Ramen and Pho around the world – and the versatility the products have to offer – Disposable Soup Containers are more than just that – from soup to nuts (especially customized with your brand or logo), they are the logical and lovely choice for a cornucopia of fall delights.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a steaming to-go bowl of my favorite chicken noodle waiting.