Is It Safe to Eat? A Guide to Leftovers and Food Storage

You open the refrigerator door and spot something vaguely familiar; it could be leftovers or something you bought from the store a few weeks ago but never got around to eating. You give it a quick peek, and it looks ok, but you can't help but wonder: How old is this? Can I eat this? Should I eat this? 

That age-old conversation of "Sweetie, does this look ok to eat?" can be easily resolved with a little professional expertise. Registered dietitian Anna Grotevant offers tips for safe food storage, and whether or not those leftovers are really worth the risk. 

When to Toss Food Left Out

She says that when food is left at warm temperatures for too long, pathogens (e.g., bacteria, fungus, viruses) can grow and the food can become unsafe to consume. Food should be tossed if it has sat at room temperature for longer than two hours. Even reheating the food cannot kill all of the bacteria that has grown. 

Most people are not cautious about this and will pack up food from a holiday or cookout that has been out for well over two hours. Even if you've never gotten sick from eating this type of food, you should remember that the very young and very old have weakened immune systems. They may not always be able to fight off the bugs. 

Food Storage Safety

When it comes to storing foods, first check your refrigerator temperature. Pathogens grow well in food in temperatures over 41F, so your refrigerator should be set lower than that. 

These foods are most likely to become unsafe and need to be stored in a refrigerator:

• Milk and dairy products
• Raw meat (beef, pork, lamb)
• Raw fish
• Baked potatoes
• Tofu, soy protein
• Cut up fruits and vegetables
• Eggs
• Raw poultry
• Raw shellfish
• Cooked foods/leftovers (e.g., grains, vegetables, fruit, meats, beans)
• Lunch meats
• Sprouts and sprout seeds
• Untreated garlic and oil mixtures

Most foods will last three to five days in the refrigerator before they are at risk for becoming unsafe to eat. After five days, the food is much more likely to carry invisible pathogens that could cause foodborne illness. If a food has a "sell-by" or "consume-by" date, it's safe to use that date as a reference, even if it's longer than seven days. 

Some foods, like yogurt or deli meat, come in sealed packages that have a sell-by date that is weeks or months away. Once the seal is broken, you should abide by the three-to-five-day rule. 

Eggs are one exception. They last three to five weeks in the refrigerator or until the sell-by date. 

The best solution to food storage is freezing. Most people think of freezing only raw meat, but you can freeze things like leftovers or deli meat as well. Foods will last between one and two months in the freezer. 

There you have it. Reliable, solid advice for keeping your perishables palatable. Leftovers can be a tempting (and tasty) fallback when you're looking for some last-minute chow, but your safety is always the most important thing. 

Guest blogger: Anna Grotevant, RD