How Long Can You Keep Leftovers in the Refrigerator?

Do you know what to do with all those leftovers? Find out how long they can stay in your refrigerator, how to store them, and how to safely reheat leftovers.

How Long Can You Keep Leftovers in the Fridge?

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Did you make too much food? Me, too. No matter how well I think I’m planning, I often end up with extra food. What can you do with those leftovers? How long can leftovers stay in the refrigerator? Are there other options? Let’s find out!

All Leftovers Should Be Used Within Three Days

That’s fast, right? Especially after the holidays when you’ve got a big turkey or a big ham (or both!) taking up refrigerator space.

No matter how well you handle and prepare your food, bacteria can still grow on it. Especially if it’s been sitting out at room temperature. (Holiday buffet grazing, anyone?) Refrigerating food will slow the growth of bacteria, but it won’t stop bacteria from growing.

Side note – not all bacteria are bad, and not all will make you sick. Even those pesky bacteria that can make you sick need to be on food in high enough numbers before you will get sick.

After 3 days in the refrigerator, any leftover food has the potential to have enough bacteria to make you sick, even if the food doesn’t look or smell bad. Not sure about your leftovers? It’s not worth it. When in doubt, throw it out.

5 Tips for Leftover Food

Ok, you’ve got three days to make the most of those leftovers. Here are 5 tips for getting the most out of your leftover food.

1. Wrap it. Wrap up your leftovers in airtight packaging – tightly rolled in Saran Wrap, in a sealed Ziploc bag, or a covered food storage container. Packaging food well in the refrigerator will keep your food from drying out, keep it from absorbing other odors from the refrigerator (or passing its odors to other foods), and help to reduce any bacterial contamination.
2. Label it. Keep a Sharpie in your kitchen and make a habit of labeling all your leftovers as they go in the refrigerator. Use Ziploc bags and label the bag, or stick a piece of masking tape on reusable containers. Label food with what it is and the date you put it in the refrigerator. (This is a good idea for groceries when they come home, too! You can keep track of how long everything has been in there, and know when it’s time to toss old food.)
3. Eat it. Of course you should eat the leftovers! We love using leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day – easy to make and easy to clean up! Just make sure you’re following the guidelines in #2 for reheating.
4. Recycle it. Have you ever made one meal, and turned it into something else? Make a roast, have pot roast for dinner one night and beef and noodles the next. Cook a chicken for dinner one night, and have chicken soup the next night. This will help you use up your leftovers, and keep things from getting boring. (No more “pot roast, again?” whining!)
5. Freeze it. We freeze everything. Having ready-to-eat meals on hand in the freezer is a life-saver for those busy weeks, especially around the holidays when schedules are crazy. If you know you aren’t going to finish something before the 3 days are up, freeze it as soon as you can. It’s always better to freeze the freshest food possible. Package it well to avoid freezer burn, and label the freezer container with the contents and date. It is best to use up your frozen leftovers within 3-4 months.

Reheating Food Guidelines

Now that you have all these yummy leftovers, how do you get them warm enough to eat again?

• Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator. Then follow the guidelines below for reheating.
• Heat all leftovers to a minimum of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) in the center. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a high enough temperature.
• For sauce, soup, gravy, or other liquid: Put leftovers in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil on the stove. Stir frequently for even heating.
• For all other leftovers: Use an oven-safe or microwave-safe container. Add a little liquid if needed to the container. Heat, covered, until the center of the food reaches 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Covering the leftovers helps to heat it all the way through to the middle, keeps it from getting too dry, and keeps it from making a mess in your microwave.
• Let all food sit for a few minutes to cool slightly before serving.

Ideas for Leftovers

Do you need ideas for leftover turkey? Here are our 17 favorite recipes for leftover turkey.

Do you have lots of leftover ham? Check out these 20 great recipes for leftover ham.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Tools for Leftover Food

• Sharpie Permanent Markers
• Ziploc storage bags
• Ziploc freezer bags
• Pyrex Snapware
• Instant-read digital thermometer

3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of Your Kitchen

• What’s in My Refrigerator? – free printable!
• How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator
• Is It Done Yet? – free printable!

4 Recipes to Try

• Slow Cooker Cinnamon-Honey Ham
• Fall-Off-The-Bone Roast Chicken
• 3 Steps to the Perfect Turkey
• Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

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