Chinese food is popular across the country due to its variety. Chinese cuisine offers something for everyone. Some favorite Chinese food is fried rice, chow mein, orange chicken, and hot and sour soup.
For most people, any leftover Chinese food will end up in the refrigerator for storage. However, the problem with that is that the food won’t last very long. Chinese food will last for about 3-4 days before it spoils. What if you want to preserve your leftovers for much longer? What freezing leftover Chinese food be an option?
Can you freeze leftover Chinese food? Yes, you can freeze leftover Chinese food. It will last for about 3 months in the freezer. Leftover Chinese food should be kept in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag before it’s stored in the freezer. Otherwise, the food will not last long due to freezer burn.
How To Freeze Leftover Chinese Food
When it comes to freezing Chinese foods, the process is straightforward and doesn’t require a lot of time. All you need is storage containers and a bit of time preparing them.
Below are the steps with details to freezing leftover Chinese food:
Step 1: Allow Chinese Food to Cool Down
After making Chinese food, allow them to cool down to room temperature. Freezing the food while it’s still hot will cause condensation when it’s freezing. This will cause it to form moisture and damage the food.
Also, the hot food will raise the temperature of the freezer and could cause other food to spoil.
Make sure you don’t let the food cool down for too long. Chinese food that is stored at room temperature for too long could cause bacteria to contaminate it. For that reason, avoid letting the food sit at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Step 2: Pack the Leftover Chinese Food
Once the Chinese food has cooled down, you’ll need to pack them for storage in the freezer. There are a few options available to pack Chinese food. Below are the options you have:
Packing in an Airtight Container
This first option is an airtight container to store Chinese food. The container should be freezer safe to prevent cracking under extreme temperature. In addition, the airtight container seals off tightly to shield the food from the cold air.
You can store the food in one large container or split them into smaller portions in multiple airtight containers.
Storing in Freezer-Safe Bag
The next option is using a freezer-safe bag to store Chinese food. One of the good things about using a bag to that it doesn’t take up a lot of space in the freezer. Also, you can stack them on top of each other to save even more space.
Depending on how much you’re planning to eat, you can store them in small portions or large portions. There are many different size freezer bags that you can use to store Chinese food.
Aluminum Food Containers
The last option is to use an aluminum food container. Unlike other storage options, you can only use it once to freeze your Chinese food.
With an aluminum food container, you defrost and reheat the food inside them.
Step 3: Label and Store in Freezer
With a marker, write the date of freezing on the freezer bag or container. This allows you to keep track of how long the Chinese food is stored in the freezer.
After that, place the food into the freezer for storage. Properly stored, you can keep them safely in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How Long Can You Freeze Chinese Food?
Properly stored, you can freeze Chinese foods for up to 3 months. After that time, the food will start to deteriorate in quality. The longer the food is stored in the freezer, the higher the chance of it getting freezer burn.
Chinese food will still be safe to eat, but you won’t enjoy eating it. To make sure it tastes at the best quality, try to eat them within 3 minutes.
How Do You Defrost Chinese Food?
The best method to defrost Chinese food is to place them in the fridge. Letting them thaw in the fridge allows them to thaw slowly while retaining their taste and texture.
However, if you need Chinese food much quicker, you can thaw them in a bowl of water. Make sure to keep them in their container or freezer bag, and it’s sealed tightly. Place them in a bowl of cool water and change the water out every 5 minutes. After about 20 minutes, it should be thawed completely and ready to be reheated in a skillet, oven, or microwave.
Can You Refreeze Chinese Food?
You should not refreeze Chinese food. Going through the process of freezing and thawing more than once will result in the food losing its quality. After it’s thawed for the second time, the food will become soft and mushy. Also, the flavor will be bland, which is something you may not enjoy eating.
However, you can refreeze Chinese food under one circumstance. If you removed the food from the freezer, and it hasn’t thawed completely yet, you can safely refreeze it. There will be no change in texture or flavor.
Other Questions about Chinese Food
How do you make leftover Chinese food taste better?
The best method is to reheat it on the stovetop. This will allow all the flavors to be rejuvenated, which will make your food taste much better.
Avoid using the microwave to reheat leftover Chinese food. It will only dry out the food, which will make it taste worse.