The biggest problem most of us face when ordering a Chinese takeaway is deciding what to have, which often results in us ordering far too much food! So, instead of letting the leftovers go to waste, what can you do?
Can You Freeze Chinese Takeaway?
Yes, you can freeze Chinese takeaway for up to 2 months. Using the plastic container the takeaway was delivered in, allow your food to cool before repackaging it and placing it in the freezer. It should be good for a couple of months.
Do Does Chinese Takeaway freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Chinese Takeaway? No
How to Freeze Chinese Takeaway
Given the huge variety of dishes that are available at most Chinese takeaways, it would be pretty much impossible to cover every option here!
So, to make things nice and simple, weāve provided you with a guide that explains how to freeze leftover Chinese takeaway that contains meat and sauce combined.
This includes popular dishes like a Chinese curry, sweet and sour chicken, and beef in black bean sauce, but is also relevant for all other dishes of a similar ilk. You can also freeze and then reheat accompaniments like noodles, rice, and chips, but weād recommend doing so separately.
Here are the steps you need to follow to freeze your leftover Chinese takeaway:
- Cool: Before you put any Chinese takeaway dish in the freezer, it must have cooled to room temperature.Ā
- Repackage: The plastic dishes that Chinese takeaway are actually perfect for the freezer. As such, return your dish to its original packaging (if you didnāt throw it out!) and cover it with a lid.Ā
- Label and Freeze: Write todayās date as well as the use-by date on the lid of the container before placing it in the freezer. Remember, you can freeze Chinese takeaway for around two months.
3 Tips for Freezing Chinese Takeaway
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing Chinese takeaway to have the best results:
Never Store at Room Temperature
As soon as your leftover Chinese takeaway has cooled, you need to get it in the fridge or freezer as quickly as you can.
Remember, it has already stood out for longer than it should have (before being delivered to you), so donāt let it stand at room temperature for any longer than it needs to before freezing it.
Freeze Accompaniments Separately
If youāve ordered additional items like rice, noodles, chips, spring rolls, etc., to accompany your main meal, you can freeze these items separately. Itās best not to freeze them all in the same container, as they react differently to being frozen.
Freezing them individually also makes it easier to reheat them.
Make Sure the Meat is up to Temperature
When you come to reheat your Chinese takeaway, you need to check the temperature of the meat before eating it. Reheated meat needs to be at least 75C or 165F before itās safe to reheat, so itās a good idea to use a meat thermometer to be on the safe side.
How Long Can You Freeze Chinese Takeaway?
You can freeze Chinese takeaway for around two months. You can also refrigerate your leftovers for 48 hours if you think you might eat them in the coming days.
Donāt forget that itās super important that you freeze your Chinese takeaway as quickly as you can once it has cooled to prevent any harmful bacteria from growing in the dish.Ā
Once cooled, you can store leftover Chinese takeaway in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s important that you pop it into the fridge, in airtight containers, as soon as it has cooled down.
How Do You Defrost Chinese Takeaway?
Defrosting Chinese takeaway is nice and simple. Simply remove the tray from the freezer the night before you plan to enjoy it, and allow it to thaw in the fridge.
Alternatively, you can defrost it in the microwave if you donāt have time to wait. Set your microwave to its defrost setting or the lowest possible heat, and defrost for around three minutes until the dish has thawed completely.
Youāre then ready to reheat it in any way that you choose.
Can You Refreeze Chinese Takeaway?
You should only freeze Chinese takeaway once. The main reason for this is that you donāt know how the ingredients were stored before you received them, so you donāt want to risk freezing them again.
If you have a substantial amount of Chinese takeaway leftover, consider splitting it into portion sizes so you can easily remove whatever you need at any given time. This should reduce the likelihood of needing to refreeze it.
Does Chinese Takeaway Freeze Well?
You will find that most Chinese takeaway dishes freeze well.
The most important thing to remember when freezing your takeaway is to get it in the freezer as quickly as you can, as leaving it to sit out at room temperature can cause harmful bacteria to grow.
Providing your takeaway is well wrapped and protected from freezer burn, it should be good in the freezer for a couple of months.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing Chinese takeaway or takeaway in general, then these may help:
No! There is a misconception that reheating rice is dangerous but this is not the case. As long as you store it correctly and avoid leaving it out at room temperature, you are safe to reheat rice from the Chinese.
Pretty much any dishes with a sauce will freeze well. You may find that noodles mixed with vegetables and meat but without a sauce won’t freeze quite as well, unfortunately.
