how long should I wait for a pot of gumbo to cool before refrigeration?
After cooking your pot of gumbo, remove from heat and let it sit on the counter for at least 1 hour before trying to refrigerate it. You can either cool it in the cooking pot or you can spoon the gumbo into containers.
The general rule for testing whether anything is cool enough to be refrigerated is simply by touching it and seeing if it's still hot. Food that is lukewarm can still be refrigerated if you're in a rush.
