Leftovers - How Long?

[Lizard King]

So my wife just yelled at me for eating some leftover steak from the weekend, no way I was throwing it away. It didn't smell and still looked good to me. Had a steak burger for breakfast, also from this weekend, no way I was ditching those.

How long do you guys eat your leftovers for? With the cost of food these days, I have no problem eating leftovers for a week (depending on what it is of course) My wife attempts to throw them away after a day or two, this does not make LK happy!

 

[Vick]

My wife does the same thing and calls me a caveman, but hey if it smells good and tastes good it must be good. Plus my fridge is almost freezing so I'm not too worried, a warmer fridge and I might be.

 

[prime]

You'd be surprised what you're digestive track is capable of digesting.

 

[schultz1]

Ive eaten some pretty old leftovers. four days isnt a big deal for steak imo. Ive left steak out overnight and hammered it the next morning. Makes me a little gassy but, who cares.

 

[69nites]

3 days for chicken 5 for anything else. Always do the sniff test tho.

 

[PillarofBalance]

LK your wife is obviously a JAP.

As for the question. The answer sort of varies. It really depends on the temperature it's stored at and if it was cooled rapidly after cooking. Going beyond 7 days is where it gets risky to your health.

The organism of concern for ready to eat foods is listeria monocytogenes which is capable of growing at refrigeration temps (41F). So you mitigate the hazard by limiting shelf life.

Keep in mind though that spoiled food while repulsive wont necessarily make you ill. Spoilage bacteria are not pathogenic bacteria.

In sum, unfortunately for us that steak won't be killing you

 

[IronCore]

leave it to PuddleOfBallsweat to get all technical...

If it isnt growing hair and doesnt smell or taste funny.. it is fair game...

 

[Fish77]

Weeks, maybe months on some. Food last forever if you put it Tupperware type containers, IMO. I do not even consider how long they have been in there, just go by smell/looks/taste.

And as pillar says... when it goes bad it the fridge it just taste bad, does not make you sick.

 

[biggerben692000]

3 days for chicken 5 for anything else. Always do the sniff test tho.

Whats happening nites? 3 days for chicken unless its on the bone....then its 48hrs max.

 

[Lizard King]

Whats happening nites? 3 days for chicken unless its on the bone....then its 48hrs max.

Why would you say 48hours on the bone? I have eaten chicken MUCH older then that, nom nom nom nom.....

 

[NutNut]

4 to 5 days for animal flesh, basically use common sense, we are wired to know if food is bad by taste and smell. Milk and other dairy for example will last well beyond the best before date without issue partly because companies dont put exp dates on stuff that push shelf life to the max (they want to avoid lawsuits while selling more product) and partly because its never an exact science its more of a range. Variables variables, just use your head.

 

[Lizard King]

Only thing I am ever iffy on is sour cream, I usually just throw it away, can never tell if it smells bad, well, because it's sour.