Making leftovers last: The shelf life of everyday foods in the fridge or freezer

There tends to be two kinds of people in the kitchen; those who are pedantic about expiry dates and throw out everything on time, and those who have to sniff the two-week-old milk before pouring it into their coffee.

But regardless of which you are, understanding the general rule for leftovers is vital to avoiding sickness and ensuring your foods still taste their best.

Fortunately, experts from the team at Magnet Kitchens have done the hard yards by detailing how long everyday leftovers will generally last in both the fridge and freezer. The charts include different time periods for a whole range of foods from meats to pasta and cooked veggies.

Foods that lasted the longest in the fridge included quinoa, lentils, bacon, cooked veggies and cooked eggs, which are all still edible for seven days, while the freezer could hold nuts and seeds and eggs for a whole year and vegetables for up to ten months.

Those less sustainable foods in the fridge included smoothies, which only lasted one day, while chicken, turkey, minced beef, beef burgers and pork sausages could all last two days. Meanwhile, pork is only good in the freezer for two months, and casseroles, lentils, soups, sauces, pasta and rice could last up to three months in the freezer.

According to Magnet, there isn’t an exact science to knowing when to throw something out, and although most foods are still edible after a day or two after their expiry date, the guide is important for reducing both food waste and risk of illness. It also mentioned that combining ingredients can affect freshness overall, as the whole meal is only as good as the ingredient with the shortest shelf life.

Measuring expiration dates is linked to the freshness of foods, meaning there are a number of external factors that could affect these dates. For instance, shoppers should be aware that some foods that can be bought ‘fresh’ may have already been frozen during the shipping process. Refreezing them could cause them to go rancid when they thaw out, which is why you should always check the label.

It’s also important to only freeze food once as harmful bacteria can grow during the thawing and refreezing process. Meanwhile, anything with fresh fruit such as smoothies or overnight oats should generally be eaten in 24 hours as fruit oxidises and can easily turn into a fizzy mess.

When it comes to defrosting meats, people are reminded to take it slow and transfer it from the freezer to the fridge over a few hours to avoid any sudden build-ups of bacteria. And as a rule of thumb, cooked eggs last up to seven days once refrigerated but shouldn’t be frozen. The exception to this rule is raw egg yolks and egg whites so long as they’re separated.

As a rough guide, prepping meals four days in advance works well as most ingredients can stand this test of time. But it’s always worth investing in some high-quality containers, as food will stay fresher for much longer if all the goodness is locked inside!