Will be less than 24 hours in the fridge. Rice will be cooked fresh when needed data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7.
Should I reheat it in a pan? Or microwave OK ?
If your gonna have it tomorrow just leave it in the pan mate, as long as the lid has a good seal it will be fine. Whenever i have a curry i always cook it the day before eating and leave it in the pan overnight. Let all those flavours marinate and fuse together overnight and the curry will be sooooo much better.
Pan reheat nice and slowly, increasing temp as you go.
Leaving it in the pan no matter how air-tight it is, will have it at the ideal temperature for bacteria to multiply, it's much better in the fridge in a container.
Buy?Blimey - used margerine tubs are free...data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
JIC you don't know - the reason for letting things cool before putting them in the fridge is so that you don't heat up everything else that's already in the the fridge.
i live on my own, so empty margerine tubs come by every 6 months, if im luckydata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
If it's not hot enough to have an impact on your hands it's not likely to have an impact on your fridge, if it's warm then make sure it's not in contact with any dairy products.
If you leave it out to reach room temperature then there is more chance of an increase in bacteria, so the dilemma only falls down to making your fridge work a tiny bit harder if you have the room to store it in without it being in contact with anything dairy or if you want bacteria to multiply for longer.
What about takeaway Chinese containers? Do they come by more often?
Leaving cooked chicken in the saucepan for 24 hours in temperatures that we are currently experiencing is a recipe for severe food poisoning.
Either put it in the fridge once it's cooled or chuck it away as there is no middle ground in this weather
lol data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
no! i try to only eat out for chinese..... fresh dim sum is the best!!data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 but i wouldnt dare freeze any of that!! and papa johns pizza boxes are quite awkward to fit in the freezerdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
theres no problem leaving cooked food out until it reaches room temp and then freezing it, or like some of the earlier posters, it will make the food taste nicerdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 but please heed the advice from Ian_J....data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
in fact i was throwing a half eaten loaf of bread out every couple of days until i read this recession busting article in the times on freezing food stuffs... u can freeze most things.... they had loads of recipes for eg. home made soup that could be frozen, made from roast chicken carcass, stored into these seperate little containers.... i really opened my eyes, as my freezer is, or was, very empty..... until recentlydata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
You can keep it coverd in the fridge for up to 3-4 days before it will go bad. Some people put clingfilm over the top and then stick the lid on but its not nessessary.