For an elegant finishing touch when you serve hot Creamy Soups.

Put the soup into an ovenproof bowl.

Spoon a dollop of lightly salted whipped cream over the top.

Slip under broiler until lightly browned.

Soup for Now and/or later - by Janice Cole, Cooking Pleasures magazine

Whoever coined the adage about putting something aside for a rainy day probably didn't have soup in mind, but it fits. Many soups are better when made ahead; the flavors become richer and heartier with time. And it's just as easy to make a big pot of soup as it is a small one. Most soups can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months.

Here are some do-ahead tips:

Chicken, beef and other meat-based soups are extremely good for making and storing ahead of time. Fish-based soups, however, are best served freshly made.

Except for potatoes, vegetable-based soups (including pureed ones) also can be made ahead. Potatoes become mushy when frozen, so add them when you reheat the soup.

Cool soup quickly and completely before refrigerating. (Transfer it to several smaller, flatter containers, to cool more quickly.) Store it in a covered, airtight container. If a layer of fat forms on top, leave it until reheating. The fat creates a secondary seal that helps to preserve the soup.

If you're planning to freeze soup, pour it into an airtight container and leave at least 1 inch of air space for expansion as the soup freezes.

If the soup calls for pasta or rice, on't add it until reheating the soup. Otherwise, it will continue to absorb the liquid while the soup is stored, and you'll end up with more of a porridge than soup. To save time later, however, you can cook and store pasta or rice separately from the soup and then reheat them together.

Similarly, bean soups thicken as they sit. Have extra broth or liquid on hand to thin a bean soup when warming.