My family and I have relied on leftovers ever since I can remember. It’s the easiest way to ensure two to three days’ worth of small lunches or comforting dinners. One big pot of butternut soup or bolognese can almost carry you through the week, which means there’s less time spent in the kitchen or at the grocery store and more time for other tasks and spending time together on the couch. However, there have been times when that last Tupperware of last week’s stew was forgotten at the back of the fridge. To reheat and eat or to throw out?
To make anything with leftovers easier, we’ve created a simple guide you and your family can use when you find a tub of leftovers and aren’t sure whether to reheat or eat.
How long do leftovers last in the fridge?
This question doesn’t always have a straight answer and depends on a few factors. To start, we must ask ourselves the following questions:
- How were the leftovers stored?
- How long after cooking and cooling were the leftovers placed in the fridge?
- What is the temperature of your fridge?
- How long have the leftovers been sitting in the fridge?
If your answer to the first question is either inside a food-safe Tupperware, another container, or tightly wrapped in clean plastic wrap, then you’re off to a good start. If the leftovers were stored in the same pot/pan or container they were cooked in, or plainly open on a plate in the fridge, then a first red flag is raised.
Leftovers need to be cooled down before storing in the fridge. If they are stored directly after cooking, the hot food creates the perfect environment for harmful bacteria and other pathogens to grow, spoiling the food before you even get the chance to reheat it. Chefs and other professionals recommend that cooked food be cooled for up to 2 hours before storing, while ensuring you check its temperature at regular intervals.
The answer for the third question must be between 2ºC and 4ºC, not any colder or warmer. To keep fresh foods, condiments and cooked foods in the fridge safely, the fridge must be kept at a constant 4ºC. If your fridge is particularly full, it is common to lower the temperature slightly to 3ºC or 2ºC to keep food fresher for longer.
And finally, how long have the leftovers been sitting in the fridge? When you’ve met all the above guidelines, your last step is to identify how old the leftovers are. Most food safety guidelines recommend consuming leftovers within 3 to 4 days. While some foods may remain safe for up to 5 days when stored correctly, it’s generally best to err on the side of caution. If the leftovers are between 1 and 4 days old, then your next step is to look, smell and perform a small taste test. If you see any odd textures or mould, smell off odours or taste anything off or sour, then the food is definitely compromised and needs to be thrown out.
How long common leftovers last
- Cooked chicken: 3 to 4 days
- Cooked ground meat (like minced beef or ground chicken): 1 to 2 days
- Cooked whole meats: 3 to 4 days
- Cooked bacon: 5 to 7 days
- Cooked rice: 3 to 4 days
- Cooked pasta: 3 to 4 days
- Hard-boiled eggs: 5 to 7 days
- Mashed potatoes: 3 to 4 days
- Soup: 3 to 4 days
- Other cooked grains like samp, beans, millet: 3 to 4 days
- Fast food/Take-out: 3 to 4 days
A good rule of thumb is that leftovers 3 or 4 days old should be fine when stored correctly, and any over 5 days should first be inspected before heating, or thrown out to be safe.
