If you have a hot liquid—soup, stew or stock—that needs to be refrigerated after coming out of the oven, let it sit for two hours on a cooling rack before placing in the refrigerator. It will cool down at about the same rate and will not raise the temperature of the fridge. This is good advice if you’re not in any sort of hurry. But let’s face it—we’re all in a hurry. So we’ve found a shortcut for cooling down that hot liquid in far less time.

Here’s what you need to do:

First, fill a large plastic soda or water bottle three-quarters full of water and freeze. When you’re ready to cool, place the frozen bottle, with the cap screwed on, into the liquid while it sits on the counter. Now you are super-cooling!
It’s that simple.

Like what you see? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get more of our favorite tips and tricks. And now, try this frozen water bottle technique out on some of our favorite soup, stew and stock recipes:

Miso Broths
Miso turns water into broth in just minutes. Just remember that miso settles upon standing, so stir the broths to recombine before using.

Easy Vegetable Broth
Pro-tip: Don't simmer the broth uncovered. Partially covering the pan prevents excessive evaporation, but allows for some concentration of flavors.

Ginger Chicken and Bok Choy Soup
This light, simple chicken soup can be served as is or made heartier with last-minute stir-ins such as steamed white rice, cooked noodles or cubes of tofu.

Vietnamese Meatball and Watercress Soup
Watercress adds a peppery note to the soup that’s brothy, meaty and quick.

Somali Chicken Soup
This brothy soup is particularly good for serving family style. Bring the pot to the table along with garnishes for everyone to customize themselves.

Garlic Soup
This is what José Andrés calls an “end of the month” recipe—the sort of meal to make quickly with whatever is on hand and money is tight—and we love it