How long do leftovers last? 6 honest questions about food safety : NPR

A woman smells a takeout container of food and is disgusted.

With all the cooking, feasting and leftover-keeping that comes with the holidays, it can be hard to know how to keep food safe.

Sometimes we just do what our families did growing up (like storing rice in the rice cooker all day). Sometimes we follow what feels like common sense (if it looks and smells alright, it should be OK to eat, right?). But experts urge a little more caution.

Francine Shaw, a food safety specialist, and Namandjé Bumpus, principal deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration, answer six honest questions about food prep and safe food handling. If you want to avoid giving your guests (and yourself) food poisoning this season, follow their advice.

How real is the “five-second rule”? I’ve been following it since I was a kid. Sorry to break it to you, but “there’s no five-second rule,” says Namandje Bumpus, principal deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration. If you drop a pretzel on the ground and there’s bacteria there, they’re going to get on your food. They’re not going to “wait for five seconds and sprint over,” says Bumpus.

My mom says I need to wash raw chicken before cooking it. Is that true? “Do not wash your poultry or any meat. You're gonna cook it” and kill the bacteria anyway, says Francine Shaw, a certified professional in food safety. If you wash your meat, you might be doing more harm than good. “The bacteria on the outside of the meat is being splashed all over your kitchen … or on any other food you might have sitting around,” she says.

Is it OK to eat this leftover pizza I bought a week ago? It looks and smells alright. Toss it. Food typically lasts three to four days in the fridge, according to the Department of Agriculture. Past that time frame, bacteria rapidly begins to grow. Even if your food seems alright, “you can’t see, smell or taste all the bacteria that can kill you,” says Shaw.
Unless of course, you happened to reheat it three or four days ago … more on that next.

This is my third time reheating this tuna casserole. Am I going to get food poisoning? Some people think you can only reheat a leftover once. But actually, you can reheat it multiple times, says Bumpus. And get this: “Each time you reheat it, it’ll keep in the fridge for another three to four days,” she says. Did you catch that? As long as you’re safely reheating your food – for leftovers that’s 165 degrees Fahrenheit – the clock starts over every time!

My mom leaves pots of food on the stovetop and rice in the rice cooker all day. Is that OK? Definitely not, say Bumpus and Shaw. Don’t leave any food out at room temperature for more than two hours, and if it’s over 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside, no longer than one hour, they say.

Expiration dates, use-by dates and sell-by dates. How seriously should I take them? Please throw food out once it’s expired, say our experts. But when it comes to use by and sell by dates, “those are more of a guideline, for nutrition and freshness. You can still use it,” says Shaw. If something in your fridge or pantry is past its sell by date, check for signs of spoilage. If it’s holding up, there’s no need to immediately chuck it in the bin.

Malaka Gharib is a Filipino Egyptian American journalist and cartoonist. She is the author of the graphic memoirs I Was Their American Dream and It Won’t Always Be Like This. http://malakagharib.com

The comic was illustrated and written by Malaka Gharib and reported by Andee Tagle. The editor is Becky Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.

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