Out With the Old, In With the New: Food Safety Tips

Tis' the season to stock pile leftovers in your refrigerator, but do you know how long they are safe to eat? Soup is a wonderful tummy warming winter meal and we tend to make a huge pot to have leftovers, but when does your hearty leftover become a health problem? Below are a list of leftover items and the suggested time to eat them safely, after all it is better to be safe than sick.

Leftover: Safe Eating Time

Cooked fresh vegetables: 4 days
Cooked pasta: 5 days
Cooked rice: 7 days
Salads (egg, chicken, ham, tuna and macaroni): 4 days

Cooked sliced ham: 4 days
Opened hot dogs: 7 days
Opened prepackaged lunch meats: 5 days
Deli lunch meat: 5 days
Cooked Meat or Poultry: 4 days
Fresh Poultry: 2 days
Fresh Beef, Pork and Lamb: 5 days
Ground meats: 2 days
Corned beef: 7 days
Opened bacon: 1 week
Unopened bacon: 2 weeks
Raw sausage: 2 days
Precooked sausage: 7 days
Opened summer sausage: 3 weeks
Unopened summer sausage: 3 months
Opened sliced pepperoni: 3 weeks
Casseroles with meat: 4 days

Meat or Vegetable Soups: 4 days

Pizza: 4 days
Chicken nuggets or patties: 4 days

Hard boiled eggs: 7 days
Casseroles with eggs: 4 days
Quiche: 4 days

Pies: 4 days

Opened hard or processed cheeses: 4 weeks

Best rule of thumb: If in doubt, throw it out!

This is a great list to live by, but remember there are other factors that can alter these times. Such as, not having your refrigerator set below 40° or not refrigerating your leftovers immediately. Food doesn't need to cool before placing it into the refrigerator. This leads me into another topic, how long is left out food safe to eat? Think about this when you are eating at a New Year's Eve party.

After you set out your New Year's Eve appetizer spread, set the timer for two hours. After two hours, harmful bacteria multiplies rapidly, increasing the risk of foodborne illnesses. You should promptly refrigerate food after it has been sitting out for two hours.

ENJOY!!!