Chop suey is one of those iconic Chinese-Western fusion creations. You won’t find it in China but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. But what happens if you’ve made a little too much?
Can You Freeze Chop Suey?
Yes, you can freeze chop suey for up to 3 months. Transfer the chop suey to airtight containers before allowing it to cool, and then seal the containers. Store the chop suey in the centre of the freezer, where it will keep for 3 months.
Do Does Chop Suey freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Chop Suey? No
How to Freeze Chop Suey
Freezing chop suey isnāt too complex. But there are a few essential steps you’ll want to take:
- Portion Into Containers: Placing the chop suey into containers sized for a single portion is a great way to ensure that you donāt freeze more than you can eat. Spoon portions of the chop suey into individual containers, ensuring you get an even distribution of ingredients.
- Cool: Allowing the chop suey to cool before you seal the containers is vital. Warm food in a sealed container will generate a humid, warm environment. In that environment, bacteria are likely to thrive.
- Seal: Freezer burn will quickly get through a slight opening in a container, so itās wise to avoid that by ensuring the containers are sealed fully.
- Freeze: Freeze the chop suey in the centre of your freezer, where it will be as far as possible from the frost front at the edges of your freezer.
Need a Recipe?
If you’re looking for a freezer-friendly chop suey recipe then check out our delicious, chicken and vegetable chop suey recipe
3 Tips for Freezing Chop Suey
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing chop suey to have the best results:
Remove Air Bubbles
Removing air bubbles from chop suey can help to ensure that freezer burn stays away since air bubbles would condense to water and then freeze to ice. Remove air bubbles by pressing down on the surface of the food with a spoon or spatula and compacting it.Ā
Wrap the Containers
Everyone makes chop suey a little different. Some people find themselves with a relatively dry dish, while others make a wetter one with a thin sauce. If your chop suey is a little saucy, then it would be wise to wrap the containers, allowing you to prevent any level of spillage in your freezer.
Include a Clear Label
Clearly labelling your frozen food is vital, but especially so with something like chop suey when you may have made a few variations of the dish. Tofu, chicken and pork chop suey can all look similar once frozen.Ā
How Long Can You Freeze Chop Suey?
You can freeze chop suey for around 3 months. Thatās the general maximum that we give for most dishes that contain several ingredients.
The reason that we give this general timeline is that some ingredients in chop suey will freeze better than others. To ensure you get the best of everything, we recommend setting a rough 3 months in which youāll be able to enjoy your food.
When stored in an airtight container, chop suey will last for around 3 days in the fridge. It must be completely cool before it is refrigerated.
How Do You Defrost Chop Suey?
You can defrost chop suey very quickly by placing it into the microwave.
Remove the lid from the container that you used to freeze the chop suey, and then place the open container into the microwave. Heat it on full power in bursts of 30 seconds until the food is steaming hot throughout.
Can You Refreeze Chop Suey?
You cannot refreeze chop suey, no.
The reason for this is that it typically contains meat or fish, which cannot be refrozen. When those items are thawed, they can become contaminated, which makes them unsafe to place back into your freezer.
Does Chop Suey Freeze Well?
Yes, chop suey does freeze well.
Itās a dense, protein-rich item, which means that itās unlikely any textural damage will come to your chop suey.
As weāve said in this article, though, everyone has a slightly different recipe for chop suey. Yours might freeze a little better or worse than someone elseās, so have a go in your home and see how your chop suey fares.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing chop suey or stir fry in general, then these may help:
When freezing food from a Chinese takeaway, we advise erring on the side of caution. You won’t know whether the ingredients have been frozen previously, so it might not be the best idea to freeze them.
