Chilled Ready Meals vs Frozen: Which Is Better, and Why CurryOut Is Chilled

It is Thursday evening. There is a tub in the fridge with tomorrow’s date on it, and something at the back of the freezer that has been there since the summer.

One of them will be dinner in five minutes. The other needs a plan.

That is the real difference between chilled and frozen ready meals. Ours are freshly prepared in our Batley kitchen and delivered chilled, so you eat food that tastes of the cooking, and you can freeze it at home whenever you like. Enjoy some now, and freeze the rest for another day.

This guide explains what chilled and frozen ready meals really are, what you gain and give up either way, and how to get the best of both from a chilled meal: eat some this week and freeze the rest on the day it arrives.

Chilled and frozen ready meals: what the words mean

In a supermarket, ready meals sit in two places, the chilled aisle and the freezer. A chilled ready meal is cooked, cooled quickly and stored in the fridge, at or below 5°C, until you heat it. It carries a use-by date, which is typically days rather than months, and you eat it inside that window.

A frozen ready meal is cooked and then frozen solid. It keeps for months, as its pack will tell you, and it has to be defrosted or cooked from frozen according to the instructions.

Here is how the two compare.

What chilled food does well, and what frozen food does well

Freezing works by turning the water in food into ice. Ice crystals can break down the walls of vegetables and potatoes, which is why they can turn soft or watery once they are heated again, and why a sauce that contains dairy can sometimes split. Defrosted food does not always return to its original state. A chilled meal skips that step, and that is most of the difference you can taste. It is also the nearest a ready meal gets to fresh food.

Frozen is not lower quality by default, it simply asks different things of you. Frozen wins on patience. A freezer full of meals can sit for months, nothing goes to waste, and you can eat well on a night when you have not planned ahead.

Chilled asks something of you in return: you have to eat it by its use-by date. That trade-off is exactly why the freeze-at-home option below is so useful. You get the freshly prepared meal now, and the convenience of the freezer for whatever is left.

Why CurryOut is freshly prepared and chilled

Every CurryOut dish is freshly prepared, cooked in small batches in our HACCP-compliant kitchen in Batley. Straight after cooking it is blast chilled, which means the temperature of the food is pulled down quickly so that it spends as little time as possible warm.

That locks in the flavour of the cooking and keeps the food safe. We do not freeze it before it leaves.

Each meal in the range is then packed in insulated packaging with ice packs and delivered chilled to your door across mainland UK. Order by 12pm and it arrives the next day, and you can pick your delivery date at checkout. If you live near Batley, you can collect from our shop instead.

When the box arrives, put everything in the fridge straight away and check the use-by date on each pack. Whatever you do not plan to eat before then can go in the freezer that same day.

Every curry, starter, rice and bread in the range is fully cooked. All it needs is reheating, which takes a few minutes, and then you can enjoy it straight away.

That also makes CurryOut different from leftover takeaway: it is cooked to be reheated, blast chilled on the day it is made and kept cold all the way to your door. All of our meat is halal.

A pan on a low heat is the method we recommend for curries, with two tablespoons of water, simmered gently until piping hot. The microwave is the quick alternative. Our reheating guide has the full method for curry, rice, naan and starters.

Enjoy some now, freeze the rest for another day

Chilled and frozen do not have to be a choice. Our meals arrive chilled and freshly prepared, so you can enjoy some this week and freeze the rest at home on the day they arrive. Frozen at home, they keep for up to two months. Here is how to do it properly.

1. Freeze it on the day it arrives. For an online order, that means the day your delivery comes. Keep it below 5°C until then, and check the use-by date on the pack.
2. Keep it in its tub with the lid on. Write the date on the lid so you know where you are.
3. Use it within two months.
4. Defrost it in the fridge, never on the worktop, and leave it until it has defrosted completely.
5. Reheat it once, until it is piping hot throughout, using the instructions on the pack. Do not refreeze food that has already been defrosted.

Our curries, starters, rice and breads are marked as suitable for home freezing on their product pages. The sides, salads and sauces, such as Indian Raita and Indian Salad, are best served chilled and are not marked for freezing.

One more thing about shop-bought ready meals in general. Not every chilled meal can be frozen, and some say so on the pack. If the pack does not say “suitable for home freezing”, do not assume that it is.

Five things to check before you buy any ready meals online

Whoever you buy from, the same short list will tell you most of what you need to know.

Is it chilled or frozen when it arrives? The product page should say so plainly. If it does not, ask.

What is the shelf life? For chilled food that means a use-by date. For frozen food it means a stated storage time.

Can you see the ingredients and allergens before you order? On our shop, every product page carries a full ingredients list and allergen information, so you can check before you buy.

Can you follow the heating instructions with the kitchen you have? A pan and a microwave cover every one of our curries, and starters need an oven or air fryer.

What are the delivery terms? Look for the order cut-off, the minimum order and the free-delivery threshold. Ours are 12pm for next-day delivery, a £30 minimum and free delivery over £80.

None of these checks takes long, and they work for any brand. A good ready meal is one where the seller tells you plainly what you are getting.

Which should you choose?

If you will eat it within a few days, chilled gives you the closest thing to food cooked that evening, with the taste of the cooking rather than the freezer. If you want a stocked freezer, a frozen meal is built for it, and so is a chilled meal that is marked suitable for home freezing.

If you are not sure, the easy answer is to order chilled, enjoy some now and freeze the rest for another day. That way you get the freshness this week and the flexibility next month.

A first order that works well looks like this. Take a mild Chicken Korma, a medium Chicken Tikka Masala and a vegetarian Chana Dhall, with Pilau Rice, Garlic Naan and a portion of Onion Bhajees to start.

The korma rates one chilli on our scale and the other two rate two, so none of them is hot, and our curry heat guide will help you move up when you are ready. Add a few more curries for the freezer and you will clear the £30 minimum with dinners sorted for a good while.

If you are cooking for a family or several people, our portion guide shows how many tubs to order.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between chilled and frozen ready meals?

A chilled ready meal is cooked, cooled quickly and kept in the fridge below 5°C, and you eat it by its use-by date. A frozen ready meal is frozen solid after cooking and keeps for months. Chilled meals are closer to freshly cooked; frozen meals ask less planning of you.

Is CurryOut chilled or frozen?

Chilled. Every dish is freshly prepared, blast chilled straight away and delivered cold in insulated packaging with ice packs. It is not frozen before dispatch, though you can freeze it yourself at home.

Can I enjoy some now and freeze the rest?

Yes, and that is how we suggest you use it. Enjoy some while it is freshly delivered, within the use-by date on the pack, and freeze the rest on the day it arrives for up to two months.

Can you freeze chilled ready meals?

Only if the pack says you can. Our CurryOut curries, starters, rice and breads can be frozen on the day of purchase and kept for up to two months. Always check the pack on any other brand.

How long do chilled ready meals last?

Until the use-by date printed on the pack, as long as they are kept in the fridge below 5°C. Freezing a CurryOut meal on the day it arrives extends that to up to two months.

Can you cook CurryOut from frozen?

Defrost it in the fridge first, then reheat it following the instructions on the pack.

Can you refreeze a ready meal once it has been defrosted?

No. Reheat it once, until it is piping hot throughout, and do not refreeze it.

Does freezing ruin a curry?

No, if it is done properly. Thick, spiced sauces freeze well, though vegetables and potatoes can soften a little. That is a good reason to choose chilled for the dishes you will eat this week and freeze only what you will not.

Is everything halal?

Yes. All of our meat products are halal, and everything is cooked in our HACCP-compliant kitchen in Batley.

Try it chilled

Browse the CurryOut range or start with the curries. Enjoy some now and freeze the rest for another day. Order by 12pm for next-day delivery across mainland UK, with a £30 minimum and free delivery over £80, or collect from our shop at 100 Upper Commercial Street, Batley. If you have a question before you order, ring the kitchen on 01924 359300.