How Long Do Leftovers Last? A Simple Fridge and Freezer Guide

Cooking a big pot of something on Sunday is a great way to save time. It only works if the leftovers are still safe to eat by Thursday. Food poisoning bacteria grow quickly when food sits at the wrong temperature, and you cannot tell by looking or smelling whether a dish is safe.

This guide covers the basics: how fast to cool food, how long it lasts, and how to reheat it. It follows Australian food safety guidance, including advice from the NSW Food Authority and the Food Safety Information Council. It is general advice for healthy adults. If you are pregnant, elderly, or cooking for someone with a weakened immune system, be more cautious and check the advice from your health authority.

The danger zone

Bacteria multiply fastest between 5°C and 60°C. That is the temperature range of a dish that has come off the stove and is sitting on the bench. Two numbers to remember:

• Keep your fridge at 5°C or below.
• Keep hot food hot (above 60°C) or cool it quickly.

The 2-hour rule

Aim to get cooked food into the fridge or freezer within 2 hours of cooking. The NSW Food Authority also uses a 2-hour and 4-hour guide for food that has been left out:

Cool food quickly

A deep pot of hot stew stays warm in the middle for a very long time. To speed things up:

• Divide it into shallow containers. A layer 3 to 5 cm deep cools much faster than a full pot.
• Cover it once it has stopped steaming, then refrigerate.
• Do not put a huge, hot pot straight in the fridge. Portion it first, so it does not warm up the other food.
• Label and date it, so you know how old it is.

How long leftovers last in the fridge

For cooked leftovers kept at 5°C or below, plan to eat them within 2 to 3 days. The NSW Food Authority says to eat or freeze within 3 days, and some other sources give 2 to 3 days. We suggest the shorter end of that range, especially for rice, seafood and anything with eggs or cream.

If you cook on Sunday, eat the leftovers by Tuesday or Wednesday, and freeze the rest on Sunday night. Freezing a portion on day one is far safer than freezing it on day four.

Cooked rice needs extra care

Rice is one of the most common causes of food poisoning at home. Raw rice can carry spores of a bacterium called Bacillus cereus. The spores survive cooking. If cooked rice stays warm, they grow and produce a toxin that reheating does not destroy.

• Cool rice quickly, ideally by spreading it in a shallow tray.
• Refrigerate it within an hour or two, not overnight on the bench.
• Eat it within a day or two, and reheat it until steaming hot.
• Do not leave rice dishes out for hours at a party.

Reheating safely

• Heat it until it is steaming hot all the way through. The Food Safety Information Council recommends 75°C in the centre, which you can check with a food thermometer.
• Stir halfway if you are using a microwave, because microwaves heat unevenly.
• Reheat only once. Take out the portion you want to eat and reheat that, rather than warming the whole container again and again.
• Do not reheat food in a slow cooker from cold. Heat it on the stove or in the microwave first.

When in doubt

If you are not sure how long something has been in the fridge, do not taste it to find out. The old advice "if in doubt, throw it out" is still the right rule.

Useful companions

Safe cooking is the other half of this. See our safe cooking temperatures guide, our guide to freezing and reheating meals and our tips on using up leftovers.