You can refreeze cooked meat and fish once, as long as they have been cooled before going into the freezer. If in doubt, do not refreeze. Frozen raw foods can be defrosted once and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours before they need to be cooked or thrown away. To reduce wastage, divide the meal into portions before freezing and then just defrost what you need. Do not throw away leftovers — they could be tomorrow's lunch! Follow these tips to make the most of them:.
With more people reusing single-use plastic carrier bags or using a reusable bag for life, you can help prevent bacteria spreading to ready-to-eat food by:.
If there has been any spillage, soiling or damage, plastic bags for life or single-use plastic carrier bags should ideally be disposed of. Page last reviewed: 4 June Next review due: 4 June How to store food and leftovers - Eat well Secondary navigation Food and diet Nutrition and food groups Eating a balanced diet 8 tips for healthy eating The Eatwell Guide Food labels Food labelling terms Reference intakes on food labels Starchy foods and carbohydrates Dairy and alternatives Meat in your diet Fish and shellfish The healthy way to eat eggs Beans and pulses Water, drinks and your health Eating processed foods.
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Refer to expiration dates and food safety guidelines to know how to handle specific foods. The chart below from Foodsafety. If you want your leftovers to last longer, freeze them. Just be sure to keep track of how long you had it in the fridge before you put it in the freezer.
Freezing stops bacterial growth in its tracks like a car at a red light. Cooked canned vegetables like beans or other legumes generally last 7—10 days with proper storage 2. Fruits and vegetables with higher water contents , such as tomatoes, cucumber, and strawberries, lose their freshness quicker than those with a lower water content like kale, potatoes, and bananas.
This may speed or slow the clock regarding how long you may want to store the food before eating it. Homemade bread can last about 3 days at room temperature, while store-bought bread will be safe to eat for about 5—7 days — unless you see mold. Moldy bread should never be eaten. Storing breads in the fridge will help extend their shelf life by about 3—5 days, though they lose quality the longer they sit there.
Desserts and sweets usually last about 3—4 days in the refrigerator 3. Foods that carry a higher risk of food poisoning are those that are higher in protein and moisture content, two characteristics that allow certain microbes to grow. One exception to this rule described above is rice, which can carry spores of Bacillus cereus. This bacterium produces toxins that can cause foodborne illness 4.
Store and cool rice within 1 hour of cooking it, and consume it within 3 days. Other meat and poultry, such as steaks, fillets, chops, and roasts, last 3—4 days in the refrigerator.
If you thaw these before cooking them, be sure to do so in the refrigerator — never on the counter. After thawing, cook within 2 days 3. Opened deli meat should be consumed within 3—5 days of opening. Likewise, cold deli salads, such as egg, tuna, or chicken salad, should be consumed within 3—5 days 3.
Eggs are another higher risk food, as they could transmit the bacterium Salmonella. Shelled hard-boiled eggs should be consumed within 7 days of being cooked and refrigerated 5. Shellfish and fish are delicate, as these can harbor many pathogens or toxins like histamine that could make you sick.
Consume leftovers that include seafood within 3 days 6. Soups and stews, with or without meats or fish, will generally last 3—4 days in the refrigerator. You should eat these leftovers sooner than you might consume their homemade equivalents — within 3—4 days. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below.
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