How Long Can You Keep Leftovers In The Fridge?

Quiches, cooked vegetables, pasta or other leftovers… Small portions of our meals often end up in the fridge. A good way to avoid waste, sure. But is it safe to store fresh leftovers like this?

Everything that you make with mainly dairy products and eggs are a lot more dangerous and are trickier to keep for later rather than dishes that are made mainly with vegetables. Keeping leftovers isn’t always very dangerous but not storing them properly can lead to food poisoning or problems with digestion which isn’t too serious, but it also isn’t very nice!

If you want to keep your leftovers for later, it is imperative that you store them in an air-tight container made of plastic or preferably glass. A tight lid is also strongly recommended for properly storing food for a long time.

How long should you keep leftovers for?

· Cooked fish: 2 days

· Meat: 3 days maximum

· Dishes made with cream: 1 or 2 days maximum

· Dishes made with vegetables: 3 days

· Cooked vegetables; 3 to 5 days maximum

· Quiches: 2 days

· Dishes that have a sauce: between 1 and 2 days

· Dairy products in pots (yogurts, crème fraiche, cottage cheese): 2 days but make sure to wipe the edges clean and use a lid

· Home-made desserts like cakes: between 2 and 3 days

· Desserts made with fruit or cream: they should be consumed the day after they were made at the latest

Remember that the more cream, butter or cheese you use in your dishes, the less time you can keep them for.

You should also make sure to abide by the expiration dates on foods. If you’re in doubt about whether a product is okay to eat or not, the way it smells and tastes is a good indicator.

Finally, be sure to keep your leftovers in a clean and tidy fridge to avoid germs and bacteria from developing.

But if you’re ever in doubt, you should probably just freeze your leftovers.