Reheating sauce?

[DaisyLynn]

I have some pasta sauce that's been in the refrigerator for just over a week, I think today is day 8 actually. Should it be okay to reheat tonight? It was just jarred sauce and some frozen meatballs.

Can you tell that we rarely have leftovers?

 

[Michelle67]

What I have been told is "anything left in a refrigerator over 3 days is a science experiment." I freeze anything I do not think will be used within three days, and throw away anything that has accidentally gone over that.

 

[MsPeggySue911]

COLD does wonders for preserving food. You can leave things in the fridge for longer than 3 days. And with all the preservatives in those jarred sauces, 8 days is not too long. You can actually extend the life of a loaf of bread by 2 weeks by keeping it in the fridge. I have had buns stay good for a month in the fridge that would have gotten moldy on the counter in 10 days.

 

[Imzadi]

I have jarred stuff in my fridge all the time that is there for up to a couple weeks. I live alone, way too many bottles would get wasted, if I tossed out everything passed a few days.

Most of the bottled stuff has preservatives added. Tomatoes are also very acidic. Just open it, take a sniff. Look for mold, especially around the inside of jar cap. If you want, you can take a little taste on the end of a spoon. If all those factors seem fine, the sauce is probably good.

However: make sure you heat the sauce thoroughly. I let it lightly boil for about 5-10 minutes. This will kill any residual bacteria.

 

[Michelle67]

There's a chart here, if anyone is interested in having it.

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html

I don't mean to argue, and it's not my business what other people (besides my kids of course) decide to eat anyhow, but bread is different from other foods, and jarred sauce alone is different from jarred sauce that has been sitting for a week with meatballs in it. Just sayin.

 

[mjkacmom]

There's a chart here, if anyone is interested in having it.

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html

I don't mean to argue, and it's not my business what other people (besides my kids of course) decide to eat anyhow, but bread is different from other foods, and jarred sauce alone is different from jarred sauce that has been sitting for a week with meatballs in it. Just sayin.

I think jarred sauce would be fine (I only use homemade, and 4 days is my limit), but once you add an animal protein, it spoils much faster. I wouldn't eat it.

 

[Imzadi]

and jarred sauce alone is different from jarred sauce that has been sitting for a week with meatballs in it. Just sayin.

I think jarred sauce would be fine (I only use homemade, and 4 days is my limit), but once you add an animal protein, it spoils much faster. I wouldn't eat it.

Whoops! I misread the part about the meatballs already being in it. I thought she said she was going to add in frozen meatballs NOW.

Um, no, I wouldn't chance it. As other people have said, the sauce alone would have been fine. But, just the meatballs alone, with no sauce, sitting in the fridge for 8 days is not something I'd eat. I also toss meat/protein products (except hard cheeses) after 4 days.

 

[Michelle67]

Dats what I'm sayin! I really do toss almost anything after three days, myself.

Hey, though, not that anybody asked me, but here's a tip for those opened jars of pasta sauce, because I don't like to waste them either. I freeze the sauce in ice cube trays, then pop the cubes out and chuck them in a freezer bag. They're perfect that way for individual servings. You can microwave three or four of them in a bowl for a serving of pasta sauce, you can toss a couple in your soup stock, etc.

 

[mickeysgal]

Toss it. A week is too long.

 

[DaisyLynn]

I ended up tossing it out - thanks for the responses!

I cooked up some newly opened sauce and only made what we'd eat tonight. I should have learned by now - we don't like leftovers, and I end up throwing out a lot of food because of it. But I'd really rather not be sick!

 

[Michelle67]

I feel ya. We aren't very good with leftovers around here either. Usually once my family has seen something on the table once, they are done with it. If I can turn it into something else it might get used, but if it's going to be a reheat and eat kinda deal it's probably just not going to happen. I have some small casserole dishes that I use to freeze individual servings of things that are just too good to waste, and use those as home made "frozen TV dinners" which usually actually end up being my lunches when my kids aren't here.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I came back to add: "As long as you don't let it sit and there is no meat in it, or cheese" sauce can freeze & refreeze easily, why not open a jar, use 1/2 & freeze the remaining sauce for another day? English muffin pizzas? Dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks? Sausage & Peppers or Cheesesteak sandwiches Jersey Shore style with tomato sauce on top of the cheese?

we never used leftovers here either, until food prices started climbing so high and then I changed things. If stuff accumulates we'll do leftovers every 4 days or so, I just put everything out and we eat buffet style, with a few days break most stuff goes

 

[shortbun]

In my frig, anything witrh animal product is trash after 3 days. Also, reheating more than once definitely breeds bacteria.

 

[KathyTX]

No way would I take a chance on it after that long!!!

 

[quasar4legs]

When in doubt, throw it out.
I wouldn't use it, not worth the risk.

Good luck