Leftovers can be a boon when you're too rushed to cook. And spring holiday gatherings for Passover and Easter can leave you with a bounty of delicious leftover food. However, if not packaged and stored properly, leftovers can be a recipe for illness. Here are a few tips for the safe handling of leftovers.
- To prevent contamination, always wash your hands before handling leftover food.
- Divide large amounts of leftover food into small, shallow containers to speed cooling and prevent bacterial growth. Then refrigerate or wrap for freezing. Be sure to refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours after your meal is complete.
- Avoid overstuffing the refrigerator or freezer — cold air needs room to circulate.
- Serve refrigerated meat, fish, or poultry leftovers within 3 days. All other refrigerated leftovers should be eaten within 5 days. Frozen leftovers will keep for months; just be sure to mark the containers or packets with the contents and freeze date.
- If you have leftover dyed Easter eggs that haven’t been at room temperature for long, you can store them unpeeled in the fridge for up to a week.
