Food often tastes better the next day, but it’s crucial to store leftovers correctly to avoid getting sick. Paul Jackson, a waste expert at NRC Business Waste, emphasizes the ‘two-hour rule’ for leaving any leftovers out. This rule is essential to prevent harmful bacteria from contaminating your food.
According to Paul, the maximum time food can spend in the ‘danger zone’ (between 4°C and 60°C) is two hours. After that, the food must be consumed, stored correctly, or discarded. This rule applies to all cooked leftovers, chopped fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. It’s important to remember that food cooling down in the kitchen also counts, as leaving it at room temperature for too long can be dangerous.
Bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli can double after just 20 minutes at 4-60°C, making your meal unsafe to eat. On hot days, food needs to be refrigerated after just one hour because the higher temperature encourages rapid bacterial growth. This increases the risk of food poisoning if cooked items are left at 32°C for more than 60 minutes.
Placing hot food into the fridge can raise the overall temperature inside, affecting other stored items and forcing the appliance to work harder to maintain a safe temperature. This can compromise food safety for everything else in the fridge. To avoid this, be vigilant about checking the temperature of any cooling food.
If you’re struggling to cool food down within the two-hour timeframe, Paul suggests dividing it into smaller portions using shallow containers for faster cooling in the fridge. Liquid-based meals like soups, stews, and casseroles can be quickly cooled by adding ice cubes before storing.
A TikTok dietician, Kyndall (@theathletedietician), backs up Paul’s advice, highlighting the importance of consuming leftovers within three days. She states that after that time, there’s a risk of bacterial growth that can cause illness.
Her video provides specific guidance on how long different types of leftovers can be stored safely: raw meat (1-2 days), soups/salads (3-4 days), mixed meals (3-4 days), pizza (3-4 days), and opened lunch meat (3-5 days).
