How to Store Leftover Curry? – After finishing your meal, place the leftovers in an airtight container (we suggest these). Depending on the curry, the jar can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two or three days. Again, the only safety measure you need to take in this situation is to not leave the curry at room temperature for longer than two hours.
- Transfer the curries from the cooking saucepan to a dry, clean container using a clean spoon.
- To extend the shelf life of the cuisine, remove any toppings like cilantro or extra ghee.
- Put the date the curry was prepared on the container and keep it in the back or the coldest area of your refrigerator.
- After 48 hours, you can either eat the leftovers by adding new garnish or put them in the freezer to store them for a more extended period. Ensure no remaining moisture is on the container’s sides to prevent freezer burn.
- The most OK refrigerator to use for long-term storage of any kind of curry is a no-frost model!
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How do you store cooked curry in the fridge?
Storing Leftover Curry – Once you’re done eating, move the leftovers into an air-tight container (we’d recommend these ones ). The container can then be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days, depending on the curry, Again, the only precaution that you need to follow here is to not let the curry sit out for more than 2 hours at room temperature.
With a clean spoon, move all the curry from the cooking pot to a clean and dry container. Remove any garnish like cilantro or added ghee from the top of the food to make it last longer. Label the container with the date of when the curry was cooked and store it at the back of the fridge or in the coldest part of your refrigerator. After 48 hours, either consume the leftover by adding fresh garnish or move it to the freezer for long-term storage. To avoid freezer burn, make sure that the container is free of any residual moisture on the sides of the container.
A no-frost fridge will work best for storing any type of curry for the long term!
How do you store homemade curry?
How Long Can You Freeze Curry? – You can freeze curry for around three months. However, the more time that a curry spends in the freezer, the more intense its flavours will become. As mentioned, if you’re freezing a particularly hot curry like Madras or Vindaloo, the spice will become even more intense, so you should try and keep freezing time to a minimum.
How long can you leave a curry in the fridge?
If you do have leftovers and are looking to store them for a later date, then your best bet is the fridge. Curry will keep in the refrigerator for two to three days (or even longer). It just won’t taste as good after that point.
How do you store curry for next day?
To store curry, transfer the curry to an airtight container and place it in the fridge. Curry will last for 4-5 days in the fridge (unless it’s seafood, then eat it within 2 days). It’s best to keep any rice separately from the curry because otherwise, it will absorb all the sauce.
Is it okay to put hot curry in the fridge?
Never Put Hot Food In the Fridge, Here’s Why Loved your piping hot bowl of stew and now going towards the fridge to refrigerate the left over? Stop! You may want to wait for it to cool down to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. In our bid to wrap up all the kitchen work in a jiffy, we often end up keeping foods that are still hot in the fridge.
- Did you know this can actually be dangerous for you and your family? The purpose of freezing is essentially to prevent the food from losing its nutritive content and to keep it fresh and uncontaminated for a longer period of time.
- Whether it is freezing, reheating or refrigerating, its best to exercise caution.
Bangalore based nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood says, “If you immediately put hot food or hot liquids in refrigerator you may lose its nutritive values and might just make your Refrigerator work extra hard. It is okay to put mildly hot food in the refrigerator though. 
You should at least wait for the food to come down to room temperature before refrigerating. Meher Rajput, Nutritionist at FITPASS explains, “Hot food should be brought down to room temperature-because if placed in the fridge(boiling hot) the salmonella bacteria can spoil the food very easily in the fridge.Also, by placing hot food in the fridge you are risking other perishable foods(eggs, vegetables and meat)- the chances of them getting contaminated increases.” However you should not wait more than a certain amount of time.
Shalini Manglani, Nutrition expert from Bangalore says that “hot food should not be kept out for longer than two hours as bacteria starts to multiply post this. Refrigerate within two hours if you want to wait.” Consultant Nutritionist Dr. Rupali Dutta explains that it is always ideal to store all perishable food milk, vegetables, meat and cooked food to avoid spoilage.”If you are storing cooked food do so within 2 hours of cooking.
Cooling it faster also helps, divide the food into smaller portions so that it cools fast and can be frozen sooner to avoid contamination. Maintain the moisture content of food by wrapping them in air tight containers or foils. This also prevents the odour of different foods from mixing while keeping the bacteria out.
- Frozen food can be kept for up to almost 2-3 months, but check the colour, odour and taste of the food to see if it is edible,” says Dr. Dutta.
- Another common belief that is often attached to putting hot food in the fridge is that it would harm your appliance or affect the temperature of the foods around it.
Well, with newer appliances you don’t have to worry much, the thermostat of the refrigerator will ensure that there is no harm to your appliance by regulating temperature and moisture. However if you have an old model you can choose to take some precautions like storing the hot food in air tight containers, this helps you avoid condensation and icing. 
Tips To Ensure Before Refrigerating Your Hot Food 1. If you must put hot food in the refrigerator, try not to put hot food in deep containers. They take longer to cool, put them in shallow containers so that the can chill easier. You can then place these very shallow containers in the refrigerator, this will also ensure faster cooling.2.
Divide you food in smaller portions. Place them in smaller containers 3. You can also quick-chill the food in an ice water bath before refrigerating it.4. You can also cool it on the counter until the steam stops.5. Cover the hot liquids that you are intending refrigerate. If left uncovered, they can release moisture which can make the compressor work harder than it should.
How to prepare basic INDIAN/PAKISTANI curry and store it for 6 months||desi mom vlogs
As a general rule of thumb, it is always advisable to place the containers (be it hot of mild) wisely, mind the spaces in between them, to ensure better air circulation and optimal cooling. Make sure you don’t keep the food out for more than two hours, the bacteria can begin to grow soon after.
How many days in advance can you make curry?
Days Needed To Store Massaman Curry Hello, Asked by soupersuzy. Answered on 9th May 2021 Nigella’s recipe for Massaman Curry says to leave for a few days in the fridge. I’m sure it does improve the flavour, but is it really tasteless if this is not followed due to time restraints? Thought I would ask before risking it. 
Nigella’s Massaman Beef Curry (from ) is a Thai beef and potato curry, where the beef is slowly stewed with spices and coconut milk. After the curry is cooked, Nigella suggests cooling and refrigerating the curry for up to 3 days, before reheating and serving.
This is partly for convenience, as slow-cooked or brasied or stewed meat can sometimes take longer than expected to become very tender and it saves running the risk of having to wait longer if the curry is not quite ready, plus it reheats quickly and easily. But also the flavour of this curry, as for many stews, tends to deepen and round out if left for a day or so in the fridge.
The standing time may help the flavours to penetrate the meat a little more. Also some of the starches in the vegetables start to convert to sugars and capsaicin (the component that is the heat in chillies) tends to become less fiery and more mellow over time.
Can you reheat curry after 3 days?
Is It Safe to Reheat Chicken Curry? – Yes, it’s absolutely safe to reheat curry. Providing you have stored your leftovers in the fridge or freezer and defrosted them before reheating, you should have no problem. You also need to make sure the chicken is at least 75C or 165F before you eat it.
How far in advance can I make a curry?
Easy Chicken Curry – A quick and simple mild chicken curry with bags of flavour. Ready in 30 minutes, it makes a great mid-week meal. Freezer-friendly too!
- ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ▢ 3 chicken breasts – (approx 500g/17.5 oz) chopped into bite-size chunks
- ▢ 1 large onion – (or 2 small) peeled and finely chopped
- ▢ 2 cloves garlic – minced
- ▢ 2 tsp minced ginger
- ▢ 2 tbsp mild curry powder- go hotter if you prefer
- ▢ 1 tbsp ground coriander
- ▢ ½ tbsp ground cumin
- ▢ 1 tsp paprika
- ▢ ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ▢ ½ tsp salt
- ▢ ½ tsp black pepper
- ▢ 2 tbsp tomato puree/paste
- ▢ 14 oz (400g) tin finely chopped tomatoes
- ▢ 1 cup (240ml) chicken stock
- ▢ 14 oz (400ml) tin full fat coconut milk
- ▢ 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water to make a slurry – *optional*
- ▢ 2 packed cups (60g) baby spinach
- Heat oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until sealed.
- Add the onion to the pan (with the chicken still in there) and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, to soften.
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, ground coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for a further minute.
- Add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, stock and coconut milk.
- Bring to a gentle bubble, then simmer gently, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes – until the chicken is cooked through.
- If you would like to thicken the curry, stir in the cornflour slurry. This is optional, you can leave it out if the curry thickness is to your liking.
- Stir in the spinach (it should wilt quickly) then turn off the heat.
- Serve with boiled rice, topped with fresh coriander and chilli flakes.
Can I make it ahead? Yes, this is a great curry to make ahead and it reheats really well. Make the curry, then quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in a pan over a medium heat (you may need to add a splash of water to loosen it up) until the chicken is piping hot throughout.
- Swap out the chicken for quorn, tofu, courgette or meatballs.
- Swap out the 14oz (400ml) coconut milk for 7oz(200ml) additional chicken stock plus 7oz(200ml) double/heavy cream
- Add in extra veg (see ‘Want to add more veg?’ near the top of this post)
- Swap out the mild curry powder for medium or hot if you like it a little spicier.
How to scale up and scale down this recipe You can halve or double this recipe, sticking to the same ratios. If you double the recipe, it will take 5-10 minutes longer to cook, and you may need to add in a little more cornstarch slurry to thicken if desired.
- Nutritional information is per serving, not including the serving suggestions of rice, coriander and chilli flakes.
- Calories: 461 kcal Carbohydrates: 16 g Protein: 31 g Fat: 32 g Saturated Fat: 25 g Cholesterol: 80 mg Sodium: 850 mg Potassium: 1119 mg Fiber: 3 g Sugar: 4 g Vitamin A: 1940 IU Vitamin C: 22 mg Calcium: 106 mg Iron: 7 mg Keywords easy curry, quick dinner Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you).
If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Is it OK to leave curry out overnight?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food and safety basics states cooked food can be left at room temperature up to two hours. If the temperature outside (or inside your house) is 90°F or above, you should cut that time in half.
Can I eat curry from 2 days ago?
How Long Does Curry Last? Does Curry Go Bad? – 
Curry may be the most complex and flavorful dish in all Indian cuisine, but not everyone appreciates it. It’s a very spicy dish, so if you’re not keen on the heat or your palate cannot handle it, then curry might not be the best choice for dinner. Curry is meant to be eaten with rice and bread to balance out all of that spice.
Most curries are served as dishes at restaurants and don’t have much longevity once they’ve been cooked because the herbs can quickly lose their potency after being prepared — which means that when cooking curry from home, make sure to eat within one day if possible. Of course, this isn’t always feasible given other obligations (work) but consider making enough servings for leftovers for dishes like curry, which can be eaten cold or reheated.
If you do have leftovers and are looking to store them for a later date, then your best bet is the fridge. Curry will keep in the refrigerator for two to three days (or even longer). It just won’t taste as good after that point. But if you know that you’re going to eat all of this dish before those couple days pass, then storing curry at room temperature is fine too: up to two hours with no significant difference in quality.
Can I eat takeaway curry after 2 days?
Can you Reheat a Takeaway Curry? – Yes you can! Reheating a takeaway curry is a simple process and often the curry will taste a lot more flavourful as the flavours have had time to bolster their profiles within the dish. A takeaway curry stored in the fridge should be consumed within 1 – 2 days and if you are storing it in the freezer, we’d recommend consuming it within 1 month.
Is it better to cook a curry the day before?
1. Make your curry the day before. This gives the flavours a chance to mingle. Just try not to eat it.
Can I make a curry the night before?
If you are looking for easy meals for large family gatherings, homemade curry is a great option. If you are feeding a crowd, see below for a delicious vegetarian recipe for 35 people and an easy chicken curry recipe for 35 people. These inexpensive meals for large groups can be prepared in advance.
Keep it simple and serve with rice, naan bread and chutney leaving more time for you to enjoy the party with your guests. Curry often tastes better on the 2nd day, so these recipes will work well as ‘make ahead entertaining meals’. So make them the day before the party if you can, or even better, cook way in advance and freeze.
Top Tips on Cooking Curry for a Crowd (See below for easy curry recipe for 35 people.)
- If you are scaling up a recipe, you don’t need to increase everything by as much as you think, especially the liquid element of the recipe. So, if you are multiplying the recipe by 5 times, you will not need 5 times the liquid. Be careful too, with strong flavours like garlic or spices. Don’t overdo it!
- Ginger and garlic quantities should be roughly equal in a curry.
- If you put too much spice in your recipe, counteract at the end of cooking by adding lemon juice.
- If you want to save time on your curry cooking, use frozen chopped onions, frozen ginger and frozen garlic.
- Frozen, pre-chopped vegetables can also be a great way to cut down on prep time if you are cooking curry for a party or a large number of people
- Buy or borrow a rice cooker which takes the stress away and means you can avoid gloopy rice and instead serve perfectly cooked, fluffy rice!
We have added 2 easy meals for large groups – each will feed around 35 people. Using our curry spice mix, these easy feed a crowd recipes are a great solution if you are catering for your own birthday party, looking for Halloween food ideas, feeding a crowd on bonfire night or looking for easy entertaining recipes for your New Year’s Eve party.
- Cook the sweet potatoes in salted boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Alternatively, you can roast them in the oven, in small chunks for about 10 minutes. You may need to do this in batches and you could even do this the day before you do the rest of the prep.
- Heat the oil over a medium heat, add the onions and cook slowly for around 10 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Don’t rush this part! Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add a splash of water to the pan, then add the Goan spice mix, Cook gently for about a minute then add the tomatoes. Cook down for a few minutes, until the tomatoes have reduced and are a dark, thick paste.
- Add the chickpeas, and stir gently until warmed through. Add the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer (you may need to loosen the coconut milk with a little boiling water or stock).
- Add the cooked sweet potatoes and stir to combine, before adding the spinach**. **If you are cooking in advance, we suggest omitting the spinach and only adding on the day, once it’s been reheated.
- Season with salt as required and garnish with fresh coriander.
Chicken Bhuna for 35 people Easy Chicken Curry Recipe for 35 people Ingredients: 3 tablespoons oil 5 onions, finely chopped 12 fat garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped 3-4 tins chopped tomatoes 5-6kg chicken breasts, chopped into largish chunks 6 teaspoons salt Spinach, a handful For garnish, coriander and chopped fresh chilies
- Heat the oil then cook the onions until softened and browning, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick paste.
- Add the Bhuna spice mix and cook for a minute, stirring.
- Add the chicken and salt and mix well to combine.
- Add 350ml of water and with the lid on, let it simmer gently until the chicken is soft and tender, about 20-30 minutes. Just before serving, swirl in some spinach and let it wilt. ** If making ahead, omit adding the spinach until the day of serving.
- Then garnish with fresh coriander and chopped chillies and Mint and Coriander Raita on the side.
- Serve with naan bread or make our easy flatbread recipe
If you have any questions about our easy meals for large family gatherings then don’t hesitate to contact us! Other articles you may be interested in: Is your homemade curry hit or miss? Check out our top tips for making a consistently good homemade curry.
Can you reheat curry twice?
How to Reheat Food Safely in the Oven – To reheat food safely in the oven it is best to preheat it properly before putting the food in it. As mentioned, when reheating food, it should reach a temperature of at least 75 °C. You should heat the oven as per the original cooking instructions.
- Depending on the food this is typically going to be between 160 °C to 220 °C for a domestic oven.
- The time it will take for the food to be reheated to a temperature safe for consumption will vary between foods.
- You should follow the same advice of only eating the food once it is piping hot and visibly producing steam.
If you have a temperature probe, use this to check that the food is at least 75 °C. Despite common misconceptions about what can and can’t be reheated, you should now understand how to safely reheat foods and how many times you can do so. If you do reheat food, make sure the whole dish is steaming hot throughout.
How long should you cool food before putting in the fridge?
S ometimes, certain habits are so, well, habitual, that you may not even know why you do themit’s just what you do or something you picked up from your parents as a child, like whether you toilet paper rolls over or under. Same could be said about whether you cool food before refrigerating.
- From a food safety perspective, it’s totally not necessary to bring food down to room temp before popping it in the fridge, as the refrigeration process will rapidly cool the hot food and prevent bacterial growth, according to the United States Department of Agriculture,
- Still, you may want to consider letting hot dishes chill on the counter for a bit to preserve their taste and texture.
“For example, if you make a baked mac and cheese with a crispy crumb top, then cover it and put it in the fridge while it is still hot, the heat will cause condensation to occur on the lid of the container, which will then rain down on the crispy topping and leave it soggy in texture,” says Ashley Schuering, a ServSafe -certifed food safety expert and author of the blog Confessions of a Grocery Store Addic t, Perhaps one of the biggest reasons to consider letting food cool before refrigerating is its affect on the other contents of your fridge. “If your refrigerator is set at 39 degrees and you put a pot of hot soup right off the stove in and close the door, that temperature can drop, and it can take a while for it to climb back up again,” says dietitian and food safety expert Kelly Jones, LDN,
“In order to maintain a safe temperature in your refrigerator, most foods, especially those that are liquid, should be cooled close to room temperature before being stored.” Smaller foods, like a slice of pizza or single serving of chicken breast, may not have a big impact on fridge temperature, but larger quantities, such as soups, stews, or casseroles, as well as big-batch cooked grains and proteins, can impact the temp.
For best results and safety measures, per the USDA, you should store food in the fridge within two hours of sitting out to best guarantee safety and quality for later use. As a general rule: “Food should be cooled to 70 degrees within two hours, then cooled to 41 degrees or lower within four hours to prevent bacterial growth,” says Schuering.
How long should food be allowed to cool before placing in the fridge?
Chilling food properly helps stop harmful bacteria from growing. To keep your food safe:
store any food with a ‘use by’ date, as well as cooked dishes, salads and dairy products, in your fridge keep chilled food out of the fridge for the shortest time possible during preparation cool cooked food quickly at room temperature and place in the fridge within one to two hours follow storage instructions on packaging, including the best before and use-by dates
Check your fridge is cold enough using a fridge thermometer. The dials on fridges don’t always show you the right temperature. Your fridge should be 5°C or below. Don’t overfill your fridge. Leaving space allows air to circulate and maintains the set temperature.
Should I cover hot food in the fridge?
Putting Hot Food In The Fridge? Do this! –
Allow warm food to cool to room temperature You are right: Germs develop fairly quickly when food is left outside, but you have some leeway. Bring your food inside to an air conditioned environment instead of leaving it outside if you live in a hot climate. Remember: You just have to wait until room temperature is reached. In most cases, unless you leave the items on the stove or in the oven, this should happen while you’re eating If possible, put your warm food into several smaller containers instead of one big one to accelerate cooling Refrigeration is about surface and volume: The smaller the portion, the faster the cool down
If warm food is to be stored, seal the container with a lid. This helps you avoid condensation and icing. A cold water bath accelerates the cooling of warm food Put the pot / lid / casserole dish into cold water – add some ice cubes. Don’t let the food get wet. Refrigeration is correct and not too full, so that the air circulation is guaranteed and all food is optimally cooled Your refrigerator’s manual contains suggestions where to store what in your refrigerator. Also avoid overloading. Turn on SuperCool! If your Liebherr fridge comes with SuperCool technology, turn it on BEFORE placing items into the fridge, for example shortly before you serve it. SuperCool temporarily lowers the temperature in the fridge to help cool down items faster (and keeping items already in the fridge colder). SuperCool switches off automatically after a set period of time, but keep in mind that a lower temperature in the fridge means the refrigerator will temporarily consume more energy.
Share : Should You Put Hot Food In The Fridge Or Let It Cool Down?
Can I reheat curry after 2 days?
Can you reheat Indian takeaway? – The good news is yes – as long as you do it correctly, reheating Indian takeaway can get last night’s Korma tasting as good as new. If the food is stored in an airtight container within two hours of eating it then it can keep in the fridge for up to four days. 
How many days in advance can you make curry?
Days Needed To Store Massaman Curry Hello, Asked by soupersuzy. Answered on 9th May 2021 Nigella’s recipe for Massaman Curry says to leave for a few days in the fridge. I’m sure it does improve the flavour, but is it really tasteless if this is not followed due to time restraints? Thought I would ask before risking it. Nigella’s Massaman Beef Curry (from ) is a Thai beef and potato curry, where the beef is slowly stewed with spices and coconut milk. After the curry is cooked, Nigella suggests cooling and refrigerating the curry for up to 3 days, before reheating and serving.
- This is partly for convenience, as slow-cooked or brasied or stewed meat can sometimes take longer than expected to become very tender and it saves running the risk of having to wait longer if the curry is not quite ready, plus it reheats quickly and easily.
- But also the flavour of this curry, as for many stews, tends to deepen and round out if left for a day or so in the fridge.
The standing time may help the flavours to penetrate the meat a little more. Also some of the starches in the vegetables start to convert to sugars and capsaicin (the component that is the heat in chillies) tends to become less fiery and more mellow over time.
