Make Ahead Cheese Souffle (2024)

FAQs

Can you prepare soufflés in advance? ›

Turn into soufflê dish and bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Do not open the oven door. Serve at once. Souffle may be made up ahead and refrigerated as long as 24 hours.

Lightly drape the souffles with aluminum foil (to hold in moisture). These keep well for up to 2 hours at room temperature. To reheat, bake the souffles in a preheated 350 degrees oven for about 6 minutes, until they rise.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake, then slip into the preheated oven. This works best if done within a half day timeframe but even 24 hours out will work, although the soufflé may not rise quite as high.

You can make souffles ahead of time in two ways. Bake them once as below and then freeze, defrost thoroughly and rebake. The mixture is also forgiving enough to be stored in a fridge for up to two days before baking again when you are ready to serve.

*For best reheating results, use a hot water bath with souffles left uncovered. It is recommended to refrigerate extra uncooked souffle mixture for 2 to 3 days and then bake when ready to consume.

"If you don't stabilize the egg whites enough, they can fall," he explained. "If you don't know how far to bake it and you get at the point where it's not set yet, that can fall." The best way to perfect your soufflé is understanding how to handle eggs and egg whites, Kleinhandler advised.

All soufflés fall within minutes of coming out of the oven, because the hot air bubbles contract when they hit cooler air. That's why you need to serve them immediately after baking.

Soufflés are best when they're still slightly runny in the centre. To check if a soufflé is set, gently tap the dish – it should wobble just a little bit. If the centre seems too fluid, cook for a few more minutes.

There's nothing better with the light, airy texture and rich flavor of a cheese soufflé than the crunch and acidity of a salad. Keep it simple with romaine hearts (grilled if it's the season; you can do it while the soufflé is in the oven), or mixed baby greens—especially something peppery like arugula.

Cover the top with plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. You could even freeze the soufflés for about a week. If you're freezing them, defrost them in the microwave for about 40 seconds before popping them in the oven.

What happens to a soufflé if it is not served immediately? ›

All soufflés fall within minutes of coming out of the oven because the hot air bubbles contract to shrink and deflate when they hit cooler air. That is why you need to serve them immediately after baking.

Cover the top with plastic wrap and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. You could even freeze the soufflés for about a week. If you're freezing them, defrost them in the microwave for about 40 seconds before popping them in the oven.

The best way to store baked souffle so that it stays as fresh as possible for as long as possible is to keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure that the souffle has cooled down all the way before storing it.

Make-Ahead and Storage

If you choose to prepare the soufflés in advance: After filling each prepared ramekin with the soufflé mixture, wrap each ramekin with plastic and refrigerate for up to one day. When ready, preheat the oven and bake the soufflés, straight from the fridge, for 15 minutes, then serve immediately.