[USER]

I’m curious about the general guidelines for food safety regarding leftovers and expired products. When it comes to leftovers, how many days can they be safely kept before it’s best to discard them? Also, for items with expiration dates, is there a standard timeframe after which they should definitely be thrown away, even if they seem fine?

Your insights and personal practices would be greatly appreciated!

[Allison]

3 days is the limit at my house.

[Maria]

Per safety and sanitation training for a restaurant leftovers should be used, frozen or tossed on day 5.

[Walter]

Leftovers and best by dates for sealed food are different.

As a rule of thumb, consume leftovers 3-4 days after a meal is cooked but that’s due to bacterial growth due to the finished dish being in the danger zone.

Especially if you leave the leftovers out while eating.

[Maria]

3 or 4 days- there are a few exceptions- but if you haven’t eaten it 4 days, you are not going to.

[Kayla]

3-5 days depending on the food. A few things 7 days.

[Kristel]

4 days tops if put away quickly after cooling down. Otherwise, 2 days. I know someone who has masking tape on a string with a sharpie and marks as she puts it in the fridge.

Certain foods.. like cooked rice… overnight is usually all. So if there’s something specific you are wondering about, Google it.

No use saving money if it makes you sick.

[Deanne]

There is actually a list that tells you how long certain things are good for past their expire date, you can either google it or I believe you can find it on Pinterest.

[Mireille]

Depends of the food. Honey, salt, mustard, vinegar, most candies never expires. They found honey from Ancient Egypt in the pyramids!!!

Best before dates are a marketing scam to scare customers and make you buy more. Trust your nose and your eyes.

[Cameron]

Depends on what it the ingredients of the food.

I cook a huge batch of chili through out a week or more.

[Debra]

3 days in the fridge then it goes in the freezer. When it comes out of the freezer have to eat it that day.

[Sandra]

Just google still tasty. It states how long fresh after expiration date. Opened and unopened. I live by that app.

[Samantha]

4 days for leftovers.

For expiration it depends on smell for me. For non dairy, up to a week. If it’s canned or dry, years.

[Wendy]

Leftovers are 3 to 5 days. I don’t typically keep a lot of them. We cook meals with Leftovers in mind to repurpose for our next meal. Brats become pizza, pasta, sandwiches, or added to beans, cabbage, or omelets. Chicken becomes fried rice, ramen, chicken chili, rotel chicken, tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, or chicken pattys.

Best by dates on can goods I go 3 years. Boxed items typically a year. I try to keep things rotated. If I have items that are close I pull them and put them aside. These items I try to plan a meal around to use them up.

[Author]

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