Can You Freeze Chip Shop Chips?

3 minutes

How many times have you ordered from the chip shop, only to be faced with a huge pile of leftover chips? We’ve all been there! Instead of feeding them to the dog or throwing them out. Perhaps you need to ask yourself whether you can freeze chip shop chips or not?

How to Freeze Chip Shop Chips

If you’ve ordered way too many chips from the chip shop, you’ll be undoubtedly pleased to hear that you can freeze whatever you can’t manage when they’re fresh.

Freezing chip shop chips is actually pretty straightforward, as you can see from the steps listed below:

1. Cool
   Your chip shop chips will need to have cooled to room temperature before you freeze them. If you freeze chips that are still warm, they will go soggy in the freezer! 
2. Freeze Initially
   Line a tray with baking parchment and lie your chips flat on the surface, ensuring they’re well-spaced and not overlapping. Then, place the tray in the freezer for a couple of hours, and remove it once the chips have frozen solid. 
3. Place in a Freezer Bag
   When your chips have frozen solid, you can empty them into a freezer-safe bag or container before sealing it. 
4. Label and Freeze 
   On the front of the bag or container, write today’s date as well as the use-by date of the chips before placing them in the freezer.

3 Tips for Freezing Chip Shop Chips

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing chip shop chips to have the best results:

Avoid Sauce
You should only freeze chip shop chips that aren’t covered in sauce. Whether tomato ketchup, curry sauce, or even gravy, freezing chips that have been topped with your favourite sauce will cause them to go soggy. 

Freeze Quickly
It’s important not to leave your chip shop chips sitting out on the countertop for too long before freezing them. Once you’ve finished eating, allow them to cool and get them in the freezer as quickly as you can. This will ensure they’re nice and tasty when you come to reheat them. 

Reheat from Frozen
While you can choose to defrost chip shop chips before reheating them (as explained below), it’s not actually necessary. Chip shop chips can be reheated from frozen, whether you cook them in the oven or a deep fat fryer. 

How Long Can You Freeze Chip Shop Chips?

As soon as your chips have cooled, get them in the freezer as quickly as you can so they’re not lying around at room temperature. This preserves their great taste and ensures they will still be flavoursome after being frozen for several months. 

You Can Freeze Chip Shop Chips for up to 3 Months

How Do You Defrost Chip Shop Chips?

You don’t actually need to defrost chip shop chips, as they can be reheated from frozen. When you’re ready to heat them, remove them from the freezer and place them on a baking tray, ensuring they’re well spaced out.

You can reheat them in the oven for around 20 minutes (350F/180C), and they should be ready to enjoy.

However, if you want to defrost chip shop chips, you can do so by removing them from the freezer and placing them in the fridge.

Can You Refreeze Chip Shop Chips?

It’s best to only freeze chip shop chips once. The chips were most likely frozen before being cooked, and refreezing is likely to affect their texture.

You will find that the ice crystals that form on the chips during the freezing process will cause them to go soggy, leaving you with a disappointing clump of soggy chips once they have thawed! 

Do Chip Shop Chips Freeze Well?

Chip shop chips freeze really well. And while you won’t be able to replicate the taste of chip shop chips fresh out of the fryer when you come to reheat them, they will still be a welcome treat to accompany your meal one night of the week.

The most important thing to remember is that chip shop chips need to be frozen initially before being bagged up. Placing them straight in a freezer-safe bag will cause them to stick together and will make them difficult to heat up when you come to enjoy them.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing chip shop chips or chips in general, then these may help:

Can You Freeze Battered Fish from the Chip Shop?

Unfortunately, we would not recommend freezing fish from the chip shop unless you know whether or not the fish was previously frozen.

Not only would we advise against refreezing fish, you may also find some textural issues with the batter when frozen.

Can You Freeze Chip Shop Curry Sauce?

Generally, you’ll be perfectly safe to freeze chip shop curry sauce. Once cooled, portion into a small Tupperware container, seal tightly then place it into the freezer.

If you’re not sure how airtight and secure your Tupperware is, then it can be a good idea to wrap it in a sheet of cling film. The last thing you want is curry sauce drizzled all over the inside of your freezer!