Recipes and Cooking How to Cook Food Storage & Safety Exactly How Long to Store Leftovers Before Tossing Them Hold up! Before you dig into that few-days-old pizza, it's important to know how long leftovers can last in the fridge (or freezer). Keep this leftovers chart handy so you'll know if it's still safe to eat. By Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada Instagram Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on October 15, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email When it comes to leftovers, you might automatically think about the big holiday feasts that leave loads of leftover turkey and mashed potatoes. But as someone that lives alone and loves to cook and bake, I almost always have plenty of leftovers. I try to freeze any abundant leftovers to avoid food waste, but it's easy to lose track of just how long that leftover pizza has been stashed in the back of the fridge. With the help of our Test Kitchen (which uses the USDA as a resource), I tracked down the most common foods that we end up with leftovers. Of course, you'll want to make sure you follow proper food safety measures in packaging and storing leftovers to avoid any risk of food poisoning. Andrey Popov / Adobe Stock Power Outage? Here's How Long the Food in Your Refrigerator and Freezer Lasts How Long to Store Leftovers Use this leftover food chart as a guide on how long you can continue eating foods after they've been opened or prepared. If you have food that's unopened, go ahead and follow the expiration date for the "use by" or "freeze by" dates. When in doubt, take the safer route by tossing it. Type of Food Fridge Freezer Bacon, ham, hot dogs, and cooked sausage (links and patties) 1 week 1 month Bread 3 to 5 days 1 to 3 months Butter 1 to 2 months 6 to 9 months Cake 1 week 6 months Cheese, hard (i.e. cheddar, swiss, Parmesan) 3 to 4 weeks 6 months Cheese, soft (brie, goat) 1 to 2 weeks 6 months Chicken nuggets or patties 3 to 4 days 1 to 3 months Fried chicken 3 to 4 days 4 months Rotisserie chicken 3 to 4 days 4 months Deli meat 3 to 5 days 1 month Egg casseroles 3 to 4 days 2 to 3 months Eggs, hard-boiled in shells 1 week not recommended Egg substitutes, liquid 3 days not recommended Fruit, sliced 3 to 4 days 3 months Mashed potatoes 3 to 4 days 1 to 2 months Meat or poultry, cooked 3 to 4 days 2 to 6 months Milk use-by date 3 months Pancakes and waffles not recommended 2 months Pasta 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 months Pies, fruit or nut 3 to 4 days up to 4 months Pies, custard or chiffon 3 to 4 days not recommended Pizza 3 to 4 days 1 to 2 months Quiche 3 to 5 days 2 to 3 months Quinoa 1 week 6 to 12 months Rice 4 to 6 days 6 months Salad (chicken, egg, ham, tuna, and macaroni) 3 to 4 days not recommended Soup 3 to 4 days 2 to 3 months Tofu 1 week 5 months Vegetables 3 to 4 days 1 to 2 months Looking for a more specific food to find out how long the leftovers will last? Try USDA's FoodKeeper App where you can search for products. You can also use our Test Kitchen's guide for how to stock and store your groceries. Here's Where to Store All Your Fruits and Veggies for the Longest Shelf Life Leftover Takeout and Delivered Foods So you ordered too much takeout or have leftovers from a holiday meal. It's nice having lunch for tomorrow covered, but it's also important to make sure you're storing these perishable foods safely to avoid any illness. Pop those leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours to enjoy for up to 4 days. If it was left out longer than 2 hours (or an hour in a room that's 90°F or above), you'll need to throw it away. Storing and Reheating Leftovers You can't always see, taste, or smell the bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Use a food thermometer ($15, Target) to reheat leftovers to 165°F, which is a high enough temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. If your leftovers are frozen, be sure to thaw gradually in the refrigerator and not at room temperature (breads and sweets are OK to thaw on the counter). Get Our Best Tips for Reheating Leftovers It's not just the leftovers you'll need to watch out for safe consumption and/or the best quality. Make sure you do regular checks of your pantry and fridge for that too-old salad dressing, nut butter, and more. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! 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