Can You Freeze Chili for Future Meals?
One of the simple pleasures in life is sitting down with a hot bowl of chili. Commonly known as a cold weather dish, many people enjoy eating it all year long. If you’re a chili lover, you may have asked yourself, “Can you freeze chili for another day?” It’s a great comfort food to have available and goes well with other dishes.
The good news is that you can freeze chili for a later meal. Not only does this preserve the food, but as chili freezes, the flavors are able to blend. This makes it taste even better the second time around.
Having frozen chili in the freezer can save you time and money. Instead of buying fast food or spending hours in the kitchen, you’ll have a delicious meal ready to enjoy. It also pairs well with other foods such as hot dogs, nachos, fries and more.
How Do You Freeze Chili?
There’s more to freezing chili than just throwing it in the freezer. Here are a few tips that will help you store it properly.
Cool Down and Store
Can you freeze chili while it's hot? We suggest you let your chili cool down first before storing it. Another common food mistake people often make is leaving their food out for too long before placing it in the freezer. This can cause bacteria to grow on your food, so don't let it sit out for more than two hours before you store it.
Use the Right Containers
Resist the urge to freeze your chili in a large container as one big chunk. Use freezer bags or airtight containers that allow you to divide your food into individual portions. This makes it easier for the chili to freeze and gives you single portions for lunch or dinner. That's also why we store our chili con carne in individual packaging before we ship it out to customers. Here’s one of our favorite options to store individual portions when freezing your chili…its called the Souper Cubes. The silicone freezer trays come in a 1-Cup Souper Cube Tray version and a 2-Cup Souper Cube Tray version
Souper Cubes 1 Cup Tray
Souper Cubes 2 Cup Tray
Add Labels and Dates
Another question you may be thinking about is, "Can you freeze chili for a long time?" Yes, you can. In fact, you can store chili in a freezer for 4-6 months. After that, its taste and quality begin to diminish. To avoid this, place labels on your containers with either the date you stored them, the expiration date or both.
How Do You Defrost Chili?
For food safety, it's best to let your chili thaw out in the refrigerator. To reheat the chili, put it in the microwave or place it on a stovetop, then you can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to four days. If your chili smells bad after you thaw it out or heat it up, throw it away so it won't make you sick. It may have grown bacteria before it was frozen, or it may have been in the freezer for too long.
Can You Freeze Chili From XLNT?
Can you freeze chili from XLNT? The answer is yes. We package our chili in portions that are convenient for freezing. If you have a taste for some delicious chili, check out our chili con carne and order some today.
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/ten-dangerous-mistakes.html