another "How long do you keep it?" thread :)

[mafibisha]

So in the interest of not wasting food (budgeting) after hearing on the national news (again) that each family tosses (wastes) 20# of food a year ---

How long do you keep leftover chicken?

IOW, say I make chicken breasts Weds, wrap the leftovers tightly, but forget they're still in there until Sunday afternoon. Would you still use them? Or toss them?

(normally I'd toss them but, well, see above regarding food waste )

 

[Minnesota!]

well, I typically bake up chicken breasts on Sundays and Dh uses them all week for lunches. he used the last one last night for his dinner - 6 days later. Wed - Sun - not even a blip on my radar. Use it.

 

[cluvsdisney]

It just so happens, today my lunch was chicken I cooked on Wednesday.

 

[mafibisha]

It just so happens, today my lunch was chicken I cooked on Wednesday.

Cool! And you lived to tell the tale!

Thanks!

 

[mafibisha]

well, I typically bake up chicken breasts on Sundays and Dh uses them all week for lunches. he used the last one last night for his dinner - 6 days later. Wed - Sun - not even a blip on my radar. Use it.

Ok, will do!!

The example I used was this week Duh LOL

Thanks!

 

[writersblock42]

Up to one week if it is in the fridge and then months in the freezer. Yes, lots of people throw away food. I really try not to.

 

[dcfromva]

Personally, I try to freeze anything I am not going to use in a day-because I have a tendancy to forget about it sometimes--out of sight, out of mind.

Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer

Leftovers Cooked meat or poultry 3 to 4 days (Refrigerator -40 °F or below)

 

[Pesky]

Up to one week if it is in the fridge and then months in the freezer. Yes, lots of people throw away food. I really try not to.

This! I actually have started buying and preparing less food because I know what we'll eat as leftovers and know what we won't.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would have to put us in that food waster catagory- there is no way I would use chicken that old- I don't even like it the next day nevermind a few days later. I try to cook just what we will eat because no one here likes to eat leftovers.

 

[tvguy]

Cooked and refrigerated, 7 days. Safe beyond that I'm sure, just outside my comfort range. The cooked refrigerated chicken in the ready to eat section of the grocery store has "eat or freeze within 14 days of opening" on the package.

 

[LilyWDW]

I usually try and use left overs within 4 days, 5 at the most. Don't know why really, it is just what my mom always said. Besides, more then 4-5 days and it must not have been that good if I forgot about it.

 

[leagirl12]

I have a 5 day rule on all leftovers. Dinner tonight is leftover spaghetti that I actually forgot about....but today is day 5 so all is good!

 

[Marionnette]

Personally, I try to freeze anything I am not going to use in a day-because I have a tendancy to forget about it sometimes--out of sight, out of mind.

Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer

Leftovers Cooked meat or poultry 3 to 4 days (Refrigerator -40 °F or below)

I'm the same way. No one in my house wants to eat the same thing two days in a row, no matter how good it was the first time! So I keep my Foodsaver on the countertop. I vacuum seal my leftovers and toss them in the freezer right after dinner. The leftovers always get eaten when I do this. They just don't get eaten right away.

I have to laugh at my college kids. They come home and raid the freezer for home-cooked meals to take back to school with them. These are the same kids who wouldn't touch leftovers when they were living at home!

 

[mafibisha]

Cooked and refrigerated, 7 days. Safe beyond that I'm sure, just outside my comfort range. The cooked refrigerated chicken in the ready to eat section of the grocery store has "eat or freeze within 14 days of opening" on the package.

WOW, Good point!!

Thanks all for your thoughts!

 

[FlyingDumbo]

I am really bad about this. I had horrific food poisoning once from a restaurant. 11 people in the er at the same time, we all had the same item at the same place. Now I am quick to toss everything. Any question, it goes in the garbage. I always cook too much, that is where I need to cut back.

 

[dcfromva]

I have to laugh at my college kids. They come home and raid the freezer for home-cooked meals to take back to school with them. These are the same kids who wouldn't touch leftovers when they were living at home!

That is too funny. We noticed the same with our DS. When he was younger he used to prefer fresh cooked meals. After he went off to college he would sometimes come home when DH and I were on travel. He said he was always thrilled to find homecooked leftovers in the freezer.

 

[pocomom]

I'm the same way. No one in my house wants to eat the same thing two days in a row, no matter how good it was the first time! So I keep my Foodsaver on the countertop. I vacuum seal my leftovers and toss them in the freezer right after dinner. The leftovers always get eaten when I do this. They just don't get eaten right away.

I have to laugh at my college kids. They come home and raid the freezer for home-cooked meals to take back to school with them. These are the same kids who wouldn't touch leftovers when they were living at home!

The kids and I will eat leftovers but hubby has a pathological neeed to not eat anything deemed a "leftover". Surprisingly if I freeze it and pull it out a few weeks later it is no longer a leftover So put us in the freeze right away catagory!
Mabye because we eat a lot of veggies, but I find this is the area I need the most help in not wasting. Our store has terrible produce- I've gotten into the habit of either cutting and freezing/cooking right away or dividing my shopping trips to twice a week to avoid what I planned for dinner at the end of my week being unmakeable due to bad produce.

 

[Sparkly]

As long as it smells and tastes okay I guess it's fine.

 

[ilovemk76]

Personally, I try to freeze anything I am not going to use in a day-because I have a tendancy to forget about it sometimes--out of sight, out of mind.

Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer

Leftovers Cooked meat or poultry 3 to 4 days (Refrigerator -40 °F or below)

We freeze leftovers.

 

[momto2inKC]

We keep leftovers up to 5 days, then they get tossed. Been doing this for 20 years and it's never made any of us sick