So you can enjoy leftovers without the risk of contamination

Eating leftovers can be a great way to save money, diversify your cooking repertoire, and reduce food waste.

However, eating leftover food can also be risky because these foods have already been exposed to bacteria in the environment. If you haven’t stored and reheated leftovers properly, you’re at risk of potentially life-threatening food poisoning.

However, that doesn’t mean you should start avoiding leftovers. By following proper food safety practices, you can ensure no harm occurs when eating leftovers.

How quickly should leftovers be refrigerated or frozen?

Bacteria exist everywhere in our world, including in kitchens – and the foods they contain. The bacteria that cause food spoilage can grow quickly with the right nutrients, moisture, and temperatures. Some double their numbers in just 20 minutes.

Any leftovers must be placed in the refrigerator or freezer as quickly as possible, but no later than two hours. This advice is based on how quickly bacteria in food can multiply at non-refrigerated temperatures. This means that the longer leftover food is stored above 5°C, the less safe it is to eat. You should also make sure that any leftovers are covered. Cling film and airtight lids prevent air from getting to the food. This is important because most pathogens require oxygen to grow.

How long are refrigerated leftovers safe to eat?

Your refrigerator should be kept at a temperature between 0 and 5°C as this inhibits the growth of food poisoning bacteria on leftovers.

Reheat leftovers

Leftovers must be consumed within two days, otherwise harmful bacteria will have more time to grow. In fact, pathogens like listeria, which can cause flu-like symptoms, can grow even in refrigerated temperatures and are more likely to multiply beyond two days – which is why this is the recommended time limit for storing your leftovers.

If you don’t think you’ll eat your leftovers within this time frame, consider freezing them. Leftovers can be frozen at -18°C for up to three months.

What’s the safest way to reheat your leftovers?

When reheating leftovers, make sure the food is hot throughout. If not, don’t eat it.

Leftover food should be heated to an internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F). For sauces, stews, soups, and gravies, it’s best to bring them to a boil and stir for at least three minutes. These practices kill most bacteria and inactivate any heat-sensitive bacterial toxins present.

If reheating leftovers in the oven, set the oven temperature to at least 325°F and bake long enough to warm the food completely to at least 165°F. Additionally, if you reheat leftovers in the microwave, make sure they reach an internal temperature of 165°F before eating.

Reheating food using a slow cooker is not a good idea because leaving the food at a temperature lower than 165°F for several hours can lead to bacterial growth.

Can you reheat leftovers more than once? You really shouldn’t reheat leftovers more than once. Every time a food heats and cools, it provides the right temperature and time needed for harmful bacteria to grow again. If you think you won’t eat all of the leftovers within two days, consider freezing them.

Can you heat up a takeaway meal?

Whether you can safely reheat takeout food depends on how you stored it. If it has been stored warm in the trunk of your car or left at room temperature in your home for more than two hours, the meal may be at risk of food poisoning – especially if you have already touched it or eaten part of it (leading to the introduction of bacteria leads). to eat).

However, if you don’t touch the food much and put it in the fridge within two hours of purchasing it, you can safely reheat the takeaway food – provided it is first heated to a scalding temperature of at least 74°C the next time you eat it heated. Additionally, it should not be kept in the refrigerator for more than two days.

There are some takeout foods that you should be careful about saving as leftovers. Cooked rice dishes may be the riskiest to store. Uncooked rice may contain spores of Bacillus cereus, a bacteria that causes food poisoning.

While the parent bacteria is killed when rice is cooked, its spores can survive the temperature of boiling water. If rice is not refrigerated within two to three hours of cooking, the spores can develop into bacteria, which in turn release rice toxins, leading to symptoms of food poisoning such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting. The longer contaminated cooked rice sits at unrefrigerated temperature, the more Bacillus cereus is present and the less safe the dish becomes.

If cooked rice must be stored, it should be covered and cooled quickly after cooking (ideally within 2 hours) and then stored and refrigerated for no longer than 24 hours. Leftover cooked rice should be piping hot when reheated and should never be reheated more than once.

Leftovers are safe to eat as long as you take proper precautions. However, if you’re ever in doubt or don’t think you’ll eat them within two days, storing them in the freezer is more flexible than storing them in the refrigerator.