How long are left overs good for? I know I waste a lot of food because I throw it out too early!?

Question

Mostly meats and pasta. Since I am only eating for one it's hard to make one serving of spaghetti or lasagna. Same goes for a package of sandwhich meat, if I don't finish it in a few days I toss it out. I have had food poisioning before and tend to worry about getting it again.

Answer 1

#1 unopened food fresh from the store is good until 24 hours after the listed expiration time.

#2 unused portion of food e.g. a loaf of opened bread expires 10 days after first day it was opened and the individual slices started being used.

#3 prepared but unserved i.e. uneaten food such as a peanutbutter jam sandwich (not bitten into) expires in 7 days after being made.

#4 prepared partially eaten food e.g. a half eaten hamburger expires in 3 days after being bitten into.

Answer 2

If the food has not been left at room temperature for long periods-has been kept hot or cold and covered the majority of the time and tastes and smells good, a week should be okay. A lot of things do freeze well too.

Answer 3

You waste a lot of food because you cook too much NEW food while the leftovers are still in the fridge. Cook smaller quantities so you don't get tired of eating the same stuff for several days.

Answer 4

Depends on the food.. I personally HATE to waste food. My boyfriend and I are not big eaters, so we have learned the art of freezing things. We even go so far as to break up a new loaf of bread into freezer bags and freeze them in smaller sizes. Most all foods come out of the freezer just as fresh as when they went in. I even reseal bags of potato chips and place them in the freezer, the same goes for cereal. As far as left over dinners, freezing them on zip lock plates and placing them in the microwave (lid on) when your ready to eat them works really well.

Answer 5

Health Dept. says 3 days

Answer 6

i would say 2--3 days max .

Answer 7

i would keep it for about a week and then throw it out after that

Answer 8

depends on what it is and how it is stored. Your question is too vague