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Storing cooked food in the refrigerator is a common practice to use leftovers and avoid waste. However, these foods have a limited shelf life, even when kept refrigerated.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), leftover cooked food can be kept in the refrigerator for three or four days, as long as it has been stored properly.
How many days can cooked food be kept in the refrigerator?
The USDA recommends consuming refrigerated leftovers within three or four days after preparation. After that period, the risk increases that bacteria capable of causing foodborne illness will develop.
To keep them safe, the refrigerator temperature should be maintained at 40°F (4°C) or below.
If they will not be eaten within the recommended time, an alternative is to freeze them. According to the agency, frozen leftovers maintain their best quality for about three or four months.
How should leftover food be stored properly?
The USDA sets out a series of recommendations to reduce risks when storing cooked foods:
- Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking or of removing them from a heat source.
- Use shallow containers to make cooling faster.
- Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below to keep food at a safe temperature.
- Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C) before eating them.
If the ambient temperature exceeds 90°F (32°C), the time limit for refrigerating food is reduced to one hour.
Can you tell if food has gone bad by its smell?
The USDA warns that the bacteria that cause foodborne illness do not always change the smell, taste, or appearance of food.
For this reason, food may seem to be in good condition and still pose a risk if it has remained unrefrigerated for too long or exceeded the recommended storage time.
The main recommendation is to respect storage times and discard leftovers when there are doubts about their preservation.