Can You Freeze Chilli Con Carne? – A step-by-step guide on How to freeze chilli con carne

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Can You Freeze Chilli Con Carne?: Chilli Con Carne is one of the most common American dishes that actually originated in the Southern American country of Mexico. It consists of delicious kidney beans, minced meat, chillies (as the name suggests), and other exotic spices. However, Europeans prefer to add corn to it as well. It is a perfect dish for those who don’t like cooking frequently.

Have you ever prepared a little too much of Chilli Con Carne and now wondering how to freeze it? Then, this article is for you. We will be telling you everything you need to know about the shelf life, freezing options, etc. of Chilli Con Carne.

Can You Freeze Chilli Con Carne

Can You Freeze Chilli Con Carne?

Yes! Your Chilli Con Carne is extremely good at being frozen and thawed later on. However, it is necessary to make sure that it has cooled down completely before it’s kept inside the freezer as it may affect the taste later. In order to freeze Chilli Con Carne, simply put it in airtight plastic cans and place them in the freezer. This Chilli Con Carne will easily last up to 4 months.

How Long Can You Freeze Chilli Con Carne?

Given the presence of extremely perishable ingredients like minced meat and kidney beans, Chilli Con Carne cannot last very long. However, if you freeze it at the right temperature, it can stay edible for up to 4 months. The exact shelf life may vary depending on the ratio of ingredients and the storage of the Chilli Con Carne.

The estimated time period for freezing Chilli Con Carne is given below.

Type Of Chilli Con Carne At Room Temperature In the Refrigerator In the Freezer
Cooked Chilli Con Carne 1-2 days 4-5 days At most 6 months
Homemade Chilli Con Carne – Up to a week At least a month

How To Freeze Chilli Con Carne?

If you have gotten your hands on loads of Chilli Con Carne in the discount section of the nearby supermarket, you are probably worried about freezing it. No worries, we got you covered! In this section, we will specifically guide you about the correct approach for freezing Chilli Con Carne.

  1. First of all, cook your Chilli Con Carne at medium or low flame only so that the meat is cooked properly. After cooking, allow it to cool down completely at room temperature. Doing so will ensure that taste isn’t altered after freezing.
  2. When it has cooled down, simply pour it in airtight plastic cans instead of plastic bags. These airtight pouches can be difficult to handle, given the high viscosity of Chilli Con Carne.
  3. After completely sealing these cans, you may now leave them in the freezer for as long as you wish.
  4. While packing cans, try to divide the whole bowl of Chilli Con Carne into manageable proportions so that there are no leftovers.

How To Defrost Chilli Con Carne?

Now that you have gotten yourself into freezing that leftover Chilli Con Carne, it makes sense to learn a thing or two about unfreezing it. In such scenarios, you have two options to thaw Chilli Con Carne- either let it soften up gently or cook it directly.

  1. If you are in no hurry to eat Chilli Con Carne, then you can take it out of the freezer and leave it in the refrigerator. This will thaw it gently overnight.
  2. On the other hand, if you wish to consume it instantly, then heat it up in a saucepan. However, make sure that you do this on a medium flame only as instantly heating on a high flame may spoil the meat’s natural taste.
  3. Allowing it to thaw naturally will preserve its aroma as well.

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Tips For Freezing Chilli Con Carne

Some of the easy peasy tips that you can incorporate in your plan of freezing Chilli Con Carne are

  1. Before freezing, make sure that your Chilli Con Carne has cooled down completely. Freezing hot chilli can drastically affect its taste later on.
  2. Instead of plastic bags, try to store them in airtight plastic cans. It’s quite tricky to handle chilli con carne in big pouches.
  3. Make sure that these cans have been stored at the right temperature in the freezer. The ingredients inside Chilli Con Carne like kidney beans are sensitive to temperature variations.

Can You Refreeze Chilli Con Carne?

Sure, you may refreeze the leftovers of chilli con carne. All you need is an airtight plastic can that can hold your dish. Just put that can in the freezer and you are done for the day.

However, thawing a refrozen Chilli Con Carne can get difficult as the texture profile will get altered. So, unless it’s important, you should avoid refreezing it by storing this dish in manageable portions.

Does Chilli Con Carne Freeze Well?

Undoubtedly, yes! Chilli Con Carne freezes extremely well after it has cooled down. Just pour it into an airtight plastic can and leave it in the freezer. Furthermore, if you want to thaw it, then empty the can in a saucepan and heat it on a medium or low flame.

Also, look into our article on Can you Freeze Beef Stew and know how to freeze beef stew to extend its shelf life if in case you prepared too much of it.

FAQs on Can You Freeze Chilli Con Carne

1. Can you freeze Chilli Con Carne twice?

Technically speaking, YES! You may easily freeze Chilli Con Carne once but it will drastically lose its quality if you refreeze it. Store it in dry and airtight plastic cans in the freezer and thaw it on a simmering flame only.

2. Can you freeze Chilli Con Carne with kidney beans?

Yes, you can absolutely do that. Thankfully, Chilli Con Carne can be frozen easily inside airtight plastic cans. Just make sure that you do it in considerate proportions so that there are no leftovers.

3. How long can you freeze homemade Chilli Con Carne?

If stored in airtight and dry plastic cans inside the freezer, you can easily make it last for more than 4 months. However, no matter how it looks after 6 months, just get rid of it as the meat inside it might have turned rancid by then.

Final Thoughts

Chilli Con Carne is something that is equally loved by people from all age groups. It is best served hot with rice. You may add any kind of vegetable, meat, spices, corn, etc. to make it more scrumptious and personalized for yourself.

Given the popularity and frequency with which Chilli Con Carne is made, it is beneficial to learn about freezing tactics for it. We hope that this article told you everything that you wished to know about freezing Chilli Con Carne. Keep scrolling for more such interesting articles like Can You Freeze Corned Beef and about your favourite dishes and drinks.

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