Food’s Life Span in the Fridge – How Long?

My mom likes to leave leftovers in the fridge for days, and because she cooks so much I think she just forgets its in there. By the end of the week, there is so much food in the fridge and I never know what’s still good or not! If I had my own fridge, it would be pretty easy to navigate to find what I needed, rather than taking tupperware out to get what’s behind it. I don’t like leftovers! Believe it or not, not all food lasts forever, and it’s in our best interest to throw away what’s no good, rather than have that ‘I don’t want to waste food’ mentality, unless you’re planning to eat it right away. Not that I’m saying its okay to waste food because it’s not, but when it’s no good, throwing it out will keep you from getting sick.

According to this article, the following foods should only be in the fridge for a certain amount of time before you toss it…

PASTA SAUCE: LASTS 5 DAYS ONCE OPENED

Once opened, tomato-based sauces are only good for five days to a week. Don’t wait for the mold to form. In many cases, you won’t see the mold in the sauce after five days, but it actually could be there. Some mold produce toxins that can be harmful, so why take the risk? Mold grows in very wet environments. What promotes the mold is the high moisture content. No amount of cooking will kill the toxins. So, to be safe, you need to throw it away.

EGGS: LASTS 3 – 5 WEEKS

Eggs should last three to five weeks after you put them in the fridge. Keep in mind that it’s very important that you don’t put eggs in the front of the fridge — even if there are compartments for them there. They’ll spoil earlier if they’re in the front. Stick eggs along with milk, and raw food (fish, meat, and poultry) in the back of the fridge, because it’s cooler there. Bacteria grow at a slower rate in colder temperatures. The back of the fridge is typically the coldest part of your fridge, so store items there that need to be kept freshest. Butter is good to keep in the front of the fridge, to keep it warmer so it’s easy to cut. Butter, bottled water, and other unopened drinks are items that are less susceptible to temperature problems.

LEFTOVERS: LAST 3 – 4 DAYS

Kung Pao chicken, pepperoni pizza, or tuna salad must go in the fridge within two hours of serving to reduce your risk of food-borne illnesses, because bacteria grow more quickly at room temperature. Don’t leave leftovers hanging out in the kitchen. Put them in the fridge as soon as you’re done with them. Cold temperatures slow the rate of bacteria growth. For larger items, such as macaroni salad or large quantities of Chinese food, refrigerate in several shallow containers rather than large clumps. That way, the food will cool evenly and more quickly. You don’t want a big clump: That risks the chance of something growing in the center because it didn’t cool properly.

To find out about how long you should keep baby food, mayo and cheese, read the rest of the article here.