How old are "Leftovers" still legally considered "food"?
Maybe 4 days or whenever I get tired of eating the same leftover Thanksgiving turkey or Easter ham
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Modern refrigeration and cooking are marvels. Some “leftover” food can be good for while after the first time when properly heated. So, while there are hard limits, there is a degree of subjective to individual’s tolerance. Personally I hate wasting food, but I am also the person in the house going through ever container asking my wife when was this prepared and checking for any signs of deterioration before garbage day. It seems I am the only one brave enough to find what gets pushed to the back of the fridge.
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4th of July celebrations indoors!
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Nope… I find all kinds of mystery food in there. As long as there’s no mold (and even that’s not a hard and fast rule) and it doesn’t smell bad… I’m eating it. Haven’t died yet. That I remember, anyway 
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If it looks and smells good, it’s probably good… maybe? Yeah, why not.
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Generally I wouldn’t leave it more than 2 days but if frozen or stored properly and doesn’t stink or have mold. It’s good right?..
Right…!?
Never had any issues though…
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TWO DAYS! Good Lord! Elevyn routinely cooks more food than we could ever eat in two days!
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“Legally?” The legal system has no jurisdiction over these horrors
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I made a habit of cooking for not more than a day like morning and night. Also discourage my roommates to and try finishing left over food first.
So luckily we keep it under 2 days, on one occasion my friends mom cooked something too much I had to eat it two days and it killed me LMAO.
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Unless it’s tomorrow’s lunch, I label it with the date that I put it in the fridge (or freezer) so I know what kind of personal protective equipment I might need when retrieving it. Better safe than sorry…
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When it starts fighting back that’s when it’s over.
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The accurate answer to this is long, and I don’t feel like writing a dissertation.
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There was a story on this very topic just half an hour ago on the news!
Probably due to the Cryptosporidiosis outbreak.
There were limits mentioned for various foods, but ultimately the limit they quoted is 4 days.
When making a large batch of food, my preference is to immediately freeze some. Then, maybe there is one meal of leftovers instead of having to eat the same thing for days. And a bonus ready-made meal for later!
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This varies wildly.
Sushi and other raw stuff? Better eat that by lunch the next day at latest. Guac? If I can manage to keep it from being brown 2 days, maybe 3.
Bacon grease for making grilled cheeses? As long as it still looks and smells good I’ve used that after over a month.
The thanksgiving turkey and gravy I’ll eat up to 5-7 days later if it’s still left, but not the mashed potatoes since the milk usually shortens their life… Not likely they’re left after 2 days anyway, but I wouldn’t push those past 3, maybe 4 days. The candied sweet potato? If they’re not runny, which ruins the flavor to me, they’re fine for a long time too.
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2 to 3 days in fridge at 33 degrees (Great Whirlpool came that way)
Almost indefinately in freezer at 2 degrees F (even warmest setting)
Will even kill most viruses after 4 days and fracture all bacteria
But it also depends on how much handling if I did not make it.
- Not even 1 day for fast food wraps or I get sick.
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I probably eat a lot of leftovers that I shouldn’t. I’ve had a big batch of mac salad in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and still been eating it. My wife is not the same way. She’ll dump anything that’s been in there more than a few days. I usually end up taking a lot to work to eat for lunches so it doesn’t get wasted.
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