How long do you keep leftovers?

[whitestripe]

i think it's different for everyone. i am sure that there is probably nothing wrong with eating food after 3 days (for me) or after a week, or 10 days... but personally i just can't make myself do it!

also, with microwaves, if you are 'nuking' something thats old, make sure it is heated right through. microwaves have a tendancy to leave cold spots in food, which is where bacteria and germs will not be killed. also, microwaves do not kill the germs, the heat kills the germs. so you can use an oven or the stove as well.

[GREENBACK]

I ate a cheeseburger tonight that was cooked 12 days ago. I know it may sound discusting to some but it looked, smelled and tasted as good as the day it was made. Is it just me or do a lot of people discard good food?

Maybe this is a carryover from my leaner years but it's so hard for me to put food, that I consider to be perfectly edible, in the trash. I honestly think of really poor and destitute people in other countries that would kill for what I might throw away on a whim because it's a few days old.

[tulsa_sr5]

I ate a cheeseburger tonight that was cooked 12 days ago. I know it may sound discusting to some but it looked, smelled and tasted as good as the day it was made. Is it just me or do a lot of people discard good food?

Maybe this is a carryover from my leaner years but it's so hard for me to put food, that I consider to be perfectly edible, in the trash. I honestly think of really poor and destitute people in other countries that would kill for what I might throw away on a whim because it's a few days old.

Totally agree, and I try really hard to eat things before they go bad. I hate throwing out food that was ok a few days ago, even if it just $1 bag of carrots or something. For me 3 days is a very safe guidline, but I've certainly eaten older food. Unfortunately the only way short of having a lab to test food is to eat it and see if you get sick. Guessing that pork chop didn't do you in since it's been a couple days and you are still posting

[GREENBACK]

Guessing that pork chop didn't do you in since it's been a couple days and you are still posting

Unless I'm a spirit and haven't realized it yet

[simpleyme]

I ate a cheeseburger tonight that was cooked 12 days ago. I know it may sound discusting to some but it looked, smelled and tasted as good as the day it was made. Is it just me or do a lot of people discard good food?

Maybe this is a carryover from my leaner years but it's so hard for me to put food, that I consider to be perfectly edible, in the trash. I honestly think of really poor and destitute people in other countries that would kill for what I might throw away on a whim because it's a few days old.

it seems real obvious to me that you are very disorganized and need some meal planning

If you look in my fridge right now you will see almost no leftovers,I use my leftovers daily or i plan meals around them ,a left over cheeseburger would have been eaten by my DH the next day ,the pork chop would have been part of the next meal or chopped up and added to rice
I use everything up because like you I paid for it and someone is going to eat it we throw almost nothing out
on occasion i screw up and I will toss food out that goes bad or was not to great the first time

last night I made spanish rice it included the left over rice that I made Monday (that used to make burritos) the burrito meal included the small amount of left over chili from the previous meal

I have a clean fridge and I look in it carefully to make sure everything is good and nothing is lost,something needs used and I just do not want to use it now I put it in the freezer , I usually decide this during cleanup and just straight to the freezer with it .

I like a clean in use type fridge I do my hoarding in the pantry with shelf stable items

[Hellkat]

In our home, I have the testosterone factor...they see it, they eat it.....its gone. I used to be alot better at freezing extras from a meal, I cook in bulk, grew up that way.....I have started getting back into the habit of freezing in bulk once again, I see the writing on the wall all around and heck I love my foodsaver and freezer!

[GREENBACK]

it seems real obvious to me that you are very disorganized and need some meal planning

I'm a hopeless type A personality. Organization is a real strain for me. I've been described as a "rat in a cage". I'm constantly on the go doing this or that. My desk is a stack of papers(but I know where everything's at...er,uh usually). For me to plan as you suggest would require hiring professional help.

Alright, seriously, I know I could plan this stuff better but I really don't have issues with eating most week old food( Pasta and rice excluded). My SO thinks I'm a little crazy but so be it. I do make meals from some of these leftovers and not much goes to waste. Btw, I've never so much as had a mild case of food poisoning to self, children or any others that have enjoyed a 5 day old meatloaf

[bqmother]

Use the freezer!

.

So how long do you feel leftovers should be kept?

Depends - I may keep tomato-based sauces as long as a week, but mostly, if I can't use leftovers right away, I'll put them in the freezer. Almost anything is good frozen for at least a month.

[whitestripe]

i have to agree with simplyme, her fridge would be the spitting image of ours. which is probably why i can't fathom eating leftovers at 10 days old - because i doubt it would ever get to that stage anyway. DF is always keen to take whatever is left over for his lunch the next day - otherwise it would involve making his lunch in the morning! (he gets up at 4.30am).

maybe you could try putting leftovers in the freezer for a week or two and see how it goes.

[GREENBACK]

We've done the freezer thing in the past. It has worked ok if things are labeled and prioritized. That's the problem! I would rather throw it away out of the fridge in a week or two versus it getting lost in the freezer for a year or two and throwing it out then. I process a lot of meat myself and really hate a cluttered freezer(s) that eats up useful space.

I do eat a lot of things for lunch from the leftovers but my work schedule is somewhat unpredictable so I may go a week eating out(unavoidable )and the food is still there. On the other hand, at times I may be working close to home or at home which makes things easier. I don't have a regular "9 to 5" schedule that would make using leftovers a bit easier.

[mtsen]

ha ha, nice thread.

I personally do not enforce any number of days. Any leftover needs to be chilled or warmed up before storing over night. If once I forgot to do that, most probably it will go bad the next day.

On the other hand, chinese famous dishes is well known to have certain special pot that has been cooking for 10-20 years by keep on adding stuff to it, but its the same pot cooking over the years ....

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

We often don't even wait until lunch time the next day to eat leftovers from the previous evening. We will eat leftovers even for breakfast. My "breakfast foods" category excludes nothing.

Right now I have a family size pot of chili on the stove though there are only two of us. We will most likely eat chili every meal until it is gone. Some meals I might have carrot sticks, salad, or cooked spinach on the side, or perhaps serve it over spaghetti squash or corn bread. But basically, it'll be chili meals until it is gone.

Mtsen, the concept of the never-ending pot is how some USAmericans make cassoulet (bean dish).

[GREENBACK]

Right now I have a family size pot of chili on the stove though there are only two of us. We will most likely eat chili every meal until it is gone. Some meals I might have carrot sticks, salad, or cooked spinach on the side, or perhaps serve it over spaghetti squash or corn bread. But basically, it'll be chili meals until it is gone.

Lol...I made a large pot of chili yesterday and am about to have this for lunch. I'll likely freeze the rest in small containers afterwards. Chili can be easily thawed in the microwave and the taste is the same. I love good Chili but I don't want it for every meal, though I have done that in the past.


It's way better than Ramen noodles for every meal....believe me!

[Miss Curly]

I guess I'm in the minority here. I'm a look and smell person too! LOL. I do tend to cook a lot of things with an acid base and I think that helps preserve it. Like someone else mentioned tomatoes...

I know all the facts with bacteria, etc (we call them bugs because DH used to work with 'em all the time), but I think it depends on what you've been doing all your life. Your body builds up immunity to whatever you deal with. It's likely that your SO would get sick from things that your immune system is prepared for.

I also NEVER throw away buttermilk or yogurt despite the expiration date.

[marvholly]

I do NOT throw out food I have bought and spent the time and energy cooking. I bought a pkg of 6 chicken forequarters (some sites have a problem w/the B word) and cooked them on Sunday. Ate Mon, Wed and will use one for fajutas today. Other 3 hit the freezer today. I may go a bit longer with beef (steaks, roasts)& pork (chops, country ribs, roasts) but not ground stuff-that is cooked & used quite quickly.

For the poster who talked about grams pot of.....on the stove for MANY days you might realize this stuff was constantly being heated completly.