Safely Handling Leftovers
Whether you’ve cooked your meal at home or bought it at a restaurant, knowing how to preserve leftover food is key to avoiding spoilage and foodborne illness.
Air, water, and temperature are your biggest concerns when it comes to safely handling leftovers.
Remembering these tips can make all the difference:
- When using foil or plastic wrap to pack food for storage, press down firmly to eliminate air and keep it out.
- To avoid water accumulation, cool leftover food uncovered before placing it in the refrigerator.
- Cut food into smaller pieces, place it in containers no more than two inches deep, and store apart in the fridge so that it chills quickly.
- Refrigerate leftovers as promptly as possible, but never place hot food directly into the refrigerator! This can warm the environment to above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, causing harmful microorganisms to grow and making food unsafe to eat.
- Don’t leave food out for more than two hours—one hour if you’re in a warm climate.
- Most leftovers should be frozen if they won’t be consumed within three to four days.
- Whether frozen or refrigerated, leftovers should be reheated thoroughly before you eat them.
Knowing how to handle leftovers is smart. It saves money, prevents food waste, and keeps your food safe.
Get more food facts at ift.org/foodfacts.
Related Content
A Practical Guide to EMPs
In this column, the author discusses the purpose of environmental monitoring programs, their regulatory basis, and how zoning helps identify and control environmental pathogen risks.
The Sunny Side of Food Drying
In this column, the author discusses sun drying as a technique for processing fruit, using tomatoes as an example.
How To Manage Food Allergens
In this column, the author explores the food manufacturer’s responsibility to manage and control the Big Nine food allergens and provides insight into food allergen labeling and management to ensure food safety.
Food Traceability Rule: Don’t Waste the Extension
In this column, the author provides seven tips on how food and ingredient companies can lay the groundwork for durable, efficient traceability systems and take advantage of FDA’s 30-month Food Traceability Rule compliance deadline extension.
AI Tool Predicts Mouthfeel, ‘Fingerprinting’ Procyanidins, and More
News and trends about the food system.
Recent Brain Food
IFT Science and Policy Team Forecasts Six Trends for 2023
From a processed foods comeback to breaking food system silos and addressing food and nutrition security, our science and policy experts identify top science of food trends.
IFT Responds to FDA's Food Traceability Rule
The new regulations harness traceability data to reduce foodborne illness in the supply chain.
Packing a School Lunch? Keep Safety Top of Mind
A few simple steps are all it takes to keep school lunches not only tasty but safe, says IFT’s food safety expert Sara Bratager.
10 Common Culprits of Foodborne Illnesses
As a food consumer, there are many methods to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Nine Tips to Keep Food Safe This Fall
Labor Day weekend generally marks the unofficial end of summer in the United States, but it doesn’t have to mean the end of summer fun.
Latest from Food Technology Magazine
A Practical Guide to EMPs
In this column, the author discusses the purpose of environmental monitoring programs, their regulatory basis, and how zoning helps identify and control environmental pathogen risks.
The Sunny Side of Food Drying
In this column, the author discusses sun drying as a technique for processing fruit, using tomatoes as an example.
How To Manage Food Allergens
In this column, the author explores the food manufacturer’s responsibility to manage and control the Big Nine food allergens and provides insight into food allergen labeling and management to ensure food safety.
Food Traceability Rule: Don’t Waste the Extension
In this column, the author provides seven tips on how food and ingredient companies can lay the groundwork for durable, efficient traceability systems and take advantage of FDA’s 30-month Food Traceability Rule compliance deadline extension.
AI Tool Predicts Mouthfeel, ‘Fingerprinting’ Procyanidins, and More
News and trends about the food system.