Freezing Curry | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

FAQs

Freezing Curry | Ask Nigella.com? ›

Freeze the curries in appropriate portions in airtight boxes. It is a good idea to add a label to the box with contents and date and we would suggest not freezing for more than 3 months.

Curries also freeze beautifully. You can make them in a large batch, either in a saucepan on the stove or in a slow cooker. You can bulk them out with potatoes and other vegetables to make them more economical. Once cooked, you can freeze them in bulk or individual portions with rice.

Store leftover curry in an airtight container. Keep curry in the fridge for up to four days. Your curry needs to cool down to room temperature before placing it in the fridge. Freeze curry for up to six months.

Our answer. Nigella's Keralan Fish Curry (from Nigella Summer and on the Nigella website) has a sauce made from coconut milk and fish stock and this should freeze without any problem. If reduced fat coconut milk has been used then there is always a slight risk that the sauce could separate slightly when the dish thaws.

I do this all the time, apart from the rice. Although if you chill & freeze the rice quickly it's most likely to be fine, I still can't bring myself to do this thanks to the microbiologist at the public analyst's lab where I worked in the 1980s. Chuck the rice. I would happily freeze the rest.

Top Tips for Freezing Curry

Wrap it up well - choose a freezer bag or plastic container with a lid to avoid freezer burn. Freezer bags are are a great option if you are short on space as you can freeze them flat which also means that they defrost much more quickly once removed from the freezer.

Tomato and stock based curries freeze particularly well. For curries containing coconut milk the results can be slightly variable. Coconut milk frozen by itself can separate slightly when thawed, it is still fine to use but may look slightly grainy.

Freeze a curry by all means - but remember to use it within 3 months under normal freezing conditions. It helps if you can write the date of freezing on the bag at the time of freezing. You probably ought to make a note of the type of curry too - once frozen, it can be hard to tell a vindaloo from a korma!

In terms of food safety, however, so long as you reheat the food at the correct temperature and for the correct duration of time, it can in fact be safely reheated multiple times. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that food is only reheated once, so follow this guidance wherever possible.

The best way to defrost leftovers is by leaving them to thaw in the fridge because bacteria can easily grow at room temperature. This means you have to remember to take the food out of the freezer a good few hours ahead of time. Any cooked food that has been fully defrosted needs to be consumed within 24 hours.

Does coconut curry freeze well? ›

Actually YES! These ingredients freeze very well, and can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months! Allow the mixture to come to room temperature before spooning it into pint-sized ziplock freezer bags or freezable glass containers. Try to get as much air out of the bags before sealing them.

When freezing any kind of milk or cream, the solids will freeze separately from the liquid components. When they defrost, those solids thaw separately as well. Learning how to reconstitute your coconut milk is the key step.

From fully frozen, 40 minutes is usually sufficient for double portion containers (640g). You may find some sauce at the edges getting charred which is normal. But the rest of the curry should be just fine. For a 320g container, about 35 minutes is usually enough.

It's generally not recommended to freeze foods that are labelled "do not freeze", for a few reasons: - Texture changes - Some foods can become unpleasantly soft or mushy when frozen and thawed. This can ruin the intended texture of the food.

'Not suitable for freezing' means the quality may be affected but it won't be harmful if you do freeze it. It might have been previously frozen, or it might just be a quality issue.

Freezing ham, is it a good idea? Freezing ham before or after cooking often causes changes in flavour and texture. Any ham, frozen and then defrosted, might look and feel spongy and may taste saltier. It may not be ideal for company and would be better used in cooked dishes, such as soups, pizza or casseroles.

Chicken curry should be consumed within two to four days if stored in the refrigerator and up to two months if stored in the freezer. If reheating in the oven, it is recommended to preheat the oven to 165 C and place the chicken curry covered in tin foil to avoid dehydration of the chicken piece.

If I cook frozen chicken, is it okay to freeze it again after it is cooked? As long as it spends the least amount of time in the "danger zone", you should be fine, but you will want to make sure you reheat it to a safe temperature when you want to use it again.