Community Chat

[brii]

On 6/6/2014 evelomaddict said:

On 6/6/2014 brii said:

I can't believe the OP let her husband take the spaghetti again knowing it was two weeks' old.

maybe she's got a double indemnity policy on him.

LOL

[missy1]

Better yet, label the leftover containers with a date. I do this with items I open, too. (Ex. peanut butter)

[LilacTree]

My father used to eat anything that didn't have visual mold on it. He never got sick either.

I do re-use leftovers as much as possible and I always have them because I live alone. Earlier this week I made a pesto sauce for spaghetti. I ate some of the leftovers the next day, but there was still some pesto sauce left. So the next day I made an omelet with the pesto sauce and it was delicious!

[Allegheny]

On 6/6/2014 missyw1 said:

Better yet, label the leftover containers with a date. I do this with items I open, too. (Ex. peanut butter)

That a really good idea. A lot of things, like flour, olive oil, relish, mustard, we tend to keep them and forget how long we've had them.

[santorini]

Weeks? Gross!! If I cook something on a Monday, it's either used, frozen or tossed by Wednesday night at the latest. Nothing beyond 3 days.

[Surfnturf]

It depends on what it is. If it is your run of the mill meal, just two days. If it is something like homemade soup, pasta sauce, potato-salad, coleslaw, etc., I keep it for up to 4 days. If I don't want to eat soup, or pasta sauce on repetitive nights, I sometimes freeze it after one day to have on hand for a day when I don't feel like cooking.

[Cakers1]

It's just the 2 of us so I cook meals for 2 people; sometimes the meal will last 2 days, sometimes it's a one day deal. Tuna and such is eaten in one day. If there is enough left-over for the next day, I don't make a new meal until it's time for one.

I really try not to have too much in terms of left-overs. I really can't stand the thought of food being tossed out.

[Shorty2U]

From the OP. I told him what was said on here and what I said a million times over. Like I said I didn't catch the spaghetti, but when I do its EATEN OR TRASHED.

He still took the rest of the spaghetti today and HE says its NOT 2 weeks old but ONE week. Maybe I made a mistake since we eat spaghetti almost weekly, BUT I still would NOT eat it.

You cant tell a grown man not to do something. But I will be checking the fridge more and tossing while hes at work lol.

And no Im not trying to harm him! But I can bet this, IF Id have eaten outdated foods, I would be the one to get sick!

Thanks for the replies.

[redtabby]

All this food waste is making me cringe. When I was single I loved leftovers. My husband's family was like many here, after a day or two it was pitched. Now I rarely have leftovers, I learned to better gauge what we can, and should, eat. I would keep stuff up to 5 days. I had a roommate who grew up poor in Europe, no refrigeration. He would leave a pot of food on the stove and reheat it the next day, even his chicken paprikas (no dairy in it). All those years of eating like that must have toughened him up, he never got sick.

[chickenbutt]

On one hand, I'm EXTREMELY food-neurotic (for very good, childhood horror related reasons). OTOH, I also very much HATE waste.

Consequently, I plan things out pretty well so that if I made more than one meal's worth (which I often do since I mostly just cook for me), it will be used within the next 2-3 days. (usually less for me since I am so picky).

There are variables, however, as to food integrity when stored. If you are using storage containers that are airtight, so that there is not a constant flow of new air going in and out the container, you can buy more time. Constant airflow allows more oxygen to get to the food and that is the enemy of freshness.

I do sometimes make large batches and, when I do, as soon as the food is cooled completely I put it into portioned Lock & Lock containers and into the freezer. Then, the next day, I pop them out and vacuum seal for longer storage.

But just for refrigerator storage, it is imperative that food is properly stored in an airtight container. It probably goes without saying that it is best to quickly cool food and get it into the refrigerator ASAP - no leaving it out at room temperature for extended periods of time or you'll be at a distinct advantage from the very first day.