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| ...but be careful not to harm yourself in the process! |
Recent reports of people becoming ill or even dying after eating very old leftovers to try to cut food costs are concerning.
The usual limit for keeping food fresh is 3 days -- the day of cooking plus the next day and a further day. It's then easy to disguise leftovers in another meal.
There are those who prefer to stick to the 'next day' only rule (and those who will only eat food cooked on the day) but that's not always practical when budgets are tight.
Labelling can be unhelpful
Best before vs Use by
'Best Before' foods are for best quality; they have a few extra days built in and can be safely consumed immediately after the date listed. You'll likely find them in bakeries, cafes & restaurants but in the UK supeermarkets get in on the act too. Some do a thriving business in bagging up the day's leftovers for resale at well-discounted prices.
'Use by' labels, however, indicate when the food begins to deteriorate and should not be consumed.
The 'Use Your Own Judgement' Approach
Some believe "The best way to tell if a food is good to eat is to look at it, smell it, taste it and trust your own judgment."
That could work for for some foods, especially those which don't have any labels at all: bread, loose fruit and vegetables and some cheeses, yoghurts and juices.
The Blogger is not beyond toasting old bread without suffering for it. But just be cautious, especially about cheeses. And if it's smelly (but not in a good way) or there's a change in appearance, you're safer binning it.
The following is a handy quick guide for storing food in fridges and freezers, incorporating advice from the USDA, food scientists, and food manufacturers. (The Blogger was unable to find anything so simple in the UK)
Food safety comes first but the United States throws away nearly 40% of its food every year. Officially that comes to over £160 BILLION wasted annually.
- good food storage containers
- keep refrigerator temperatures at the right level
- know exactly how long foods stay fresh in your fridge and freezer
STORAGE CHART (US 2023)
FRIDGE & FREEZER TIPShese short but safe
• Purchase the product before “sell-by” or expiration dates
• Follow handling recommendations
• Keep meat & poultry in package until just before using.
• If freezing meat and poultry in its original package longer than 2 months, overwrap these packages with airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap, or freezer paper; or place the package inside a plastic bag.
How Long Food Lasts in the FRIDGE
Some limits help keep refrigerated food at 40F (4 C) from spoiling
Produce
- Apples: 3 weeks
- Blueberries: 1 week
- Broccoli and cauliflower: 1 week
- Chard, kale, and spinach: 3 days
- Leafy herbs: 3 days
- Lemons and limes: 3 weeks
- Lettuce: 5 days
- Melon: 5 days
- Mushrooms: 1 week
- Strawberries and raspberries: 3 days
- Winter squash: 1 week
- Woody herbs: 3 weeks
Dairy
- Hard cheeses: 4 to 6 months, unopened
- Butter: 3 months
- Cream cheese: 2 months, unopened
- Eggs: 3 to 5 weeks
- Heavy cream: 1 month
- Milk: 1 week
- Pizza: 3 to 4 days (Blogger's emphasis)
- Ricotta and cottage cheese: 1 week
- Sour cream: 3 weeks
- Soft cheese: 2 weeks, unopened
- Tofu: 3 weeks
- Yogurt: 2 weeks
Meat, poultry, seafood
- Bacon: 2 weeks, unopened
- Chicken: 1 to 2 days
- Cold cuts: 2 weeks, unopened
- Fish fillets: 2 days
- Ground meat: 1 to 2 days
- Hot dogs: 2 weeks, unopened
- Pork, chops, and roasts: 3 to 5 days
- Raw shrimp: 2 days
- Shellfish (in shells): 2 days
- Shellfish (shucked): 1 day
- Steaks: 3 to 5 days
Opened condiments
- Ketchup: 6 months
- Maple syrup: 1 year
- Mayonnaise: 2 months
- Mustard: 1 month
- Salsa: 1 month
- Soy sauce: 1 year
How Long Food Lasts in the FREEZER
Times are based on a freezer set at 0 degrees F or colder. Storing and eating frozen foods past these deadlines isn't dangerous, but flavors and textures begin to deteriorate.
NEVER TURN OFF YOUR FREEZER TO SAVE MONEY THINKING IT'LL BE OK TO SURVIVE ON THE CONTENTS UNTIL THEY'RE DEFROSTED. During a power cut see guidelines for freezers in Vital Tips for Blackouts/Food Storage Tips (halfway down the page)
Meat, poultry, seafood
- Chicken, raw: 9 to 12 months
- Bacon: 1 month
- Chicken or turkey, cooked: 4 to 6 months
- Cold cuts: 2 months
- Fish fillets: 6 months
- Ground meat: 4 months
- Ham, cooked: 1 to 2 months
- Hot dogs: 1 to 2 months
- Meat casseroles, cooked: 3 months
- Pork, chops, and roasts: 4 to 12 months
- Raw shrimp: 6 months
- Shellfish (shucked): 3 months
- Steaks: 4 to 12 months
- Tofu: 5 months
Other
- Bread and cake: 3 months
- Butter: 6-9 months
- Cookies, baked or dough: 3 months
- Fruit: 6 to 12 months
- Fruit pies, unbaked: 9 months
- Ice cream and sorbet: 2 months
- Pizza: 1 to 2 months
- Soups and stews: 2 to 3 months
- Yogurt: 2 months
With grateful thanks to Betty Gold
the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple magazine
Real Simple magazine is 1 of many cooking channels available on Apple News+, along with newspapers, top current affairs magazines, fashion & entertainment. All are included in £9.99 Monthly subscription, trial month free. 67goingon50 loves it.
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