AptKeysYour place · Cooking on a budget
Leftovers and freezing
Get leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours, in shallow containers. Eat them within 3 to 4 days or freeze them. Freeze in labeled, dated, meal-size portions at 0°F, use the oldest first, thaw in the fridge, and reheat to 165°F.
You'll need
- Shallow containers or freezer bags
- Freezer tape or a marker
- A food thermometer
What to know
- Cool it fast. Never leave perishable food out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Split big batches into shallow containers so they chill quickly.
- Eat or freeze within 3 to 4 days. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Frozen, they stay safe indefinitely, but taste best within 3 to 4 months.
- Pack it right. Cool food before packing, use bags and containers made for freezing, and leave room for food to expand.
- Label everything: what it is, the date, and how many servings. Freeze in meal-size servings in see-through containers so you can see what you have.
- Keep the freezer at 0°F or colder, don't overload it with warm food, and leave space around new packages until they freeze.
- First in, first out. Put older food in front and use it first. Check your leftovers when you plan the week's meals.
- Thaw safely and reheat. Thaw in the fridge, in cold water or in the microwave, never on the counter. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
Watch out Some foods turn bad in texture when frozen: raw salad greens and cucumbers go limp, plain cooked pasta or rice gets mushy, mayonnaise and sour cream separate, and fried foods get soggy. They're safe, just unpleasant.
Dad note Your freezer is a savings account for food. Label it and date it, or it turns into a drawer full of mystery bricks.