Sometimes the best part of all the great food over the holiday season is the leftovers – think turkey and stuffing sandwiches and no cooking needed.
Sometimes the best part of all the great food over the holiday season is the leftovers – think turkey and stuffing sandwiches and no cooking needed.
Of course, it’s good to know how best to store your extra food and how long it’s safe to keep – all those leftovers won’t be worth it if you get ill from eating them.
If you’ve amassed a lot of leftovers after a feast for Christmas or Diwali, Thanksgiving or Hanukkah, or another of the many holidays celebrated at this time of year, let’s take a look at how you can safely taste that soup grandma made again, even a few months after the party has ended.
All food will eventually go bad even if kept in the best possible conditions. Generally, food in the fridge only stays at its freshest for around 2 days.
Frozen food, on the other hand, can be used for a long time and is typically at its best for 3 to 6 months.
Most foods can be stored in a freezer, including:
Food should be stored in an airtight container or freezer bag. When it’s time to eat it again, make sure any food is thoroughly defrosted and reheated (so that it’s steaming all the way through) – this is especially important for rice.
Once defrosted or reheated, leftovers can’t be frozen again safely.
To be safe, you should try to cool and pop food in the fridge or freezer as quickly as possible once you’re ready to store it, ideally within 90 minutes of cooking. This might mean getting the family’s help to clear the table a bit quicker after your feast, but it’ll be worth it to enjoy all those tasty leftovers later.
There are several things you’ll need to take care of when you decide to save food for later, including:
If leftover food isn’t stored correctly, bacteria can grow on it and make you sick from food poisoning.
You can get
by eating items that haven’t been stored correctly or are past their ‘use by’ date. It’s good to take note of labels and make sure you only eat food that’s still fresh enough to eat.For festive leftovers, note down the date when you store them so you’ll know when they’re past their best. You could keep a list or label tupperwares when you put them in the fridge or freezer so the whole family can easily check if things are still good to eat.
Food poisoning can make you feel quite ill – some of the common symptoms are:
If you’re experiencing the symptoms of food poisoning, you'll need to drink plenty of water and get lots of rest. Avoid any alcohol and fatty or spicy foods, too.
Once you start feeling a bit better, it’s best to snack on plain foods, such as bananas, toast and rice.
If you get any of the following symptoms, it’s important that you see a doctor:
You should also see a doctor if you remain sick with these symptoms for more than 2 days, although diarrhoea can last for 7 days.
You should also avoid spreading an infection to others, and can help to prevent this by:
You should also avoid going to work or school until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days.
Important: Our website provides useful information but is not a substitute for medical advice. You should always seek the advice of your doctor when making decisions about your health.