leftovers....what is your general rule of thumb

[ProudGrandma]

When it comes to leftovers, properly cooked and stored....what is your general rule of thumb for how many days after it was made will you eat still eat it?  And if it varies on the type of food, state that too please.  

thanks. 

[EKS]

Two days unless frozen.

[J-rap]

If it's something with cooked meat, three days in fridge.  If it's some type of vegetarian legume dish (like lentil soup or homemade refried beans), then about five days in fridge.   In the freezer, about three months.  

[mmasc]

1 hour ago, J-rap said:

If it's something with cooked meat, three days in fridge.  If it's some type of vegetarian legume dish (like lentil soup or homemade refried beans), then about five days in fridge.   In the freezer, about three months.  

This is pretty much how I do it too. 

[Ottakee]

3 days, rarely 4-5.  3 days was the rule in the nursing home 

[May]

Around 7 days, because I’m usually the one that eats them. DH isn’t a fan of leftovers.

[Katy]

3 days in the fridge. 

[mom2scouts]

DH insists we eat the leftovers for lunch. I just threw away all the things in the refrigerator that were more than 5 days old (while dh was away😄). I swear that man has a stomach of steel because he'd eat them for weeks, but 4 days is my limit.

[DawnM]

Usually a week.  After that, I toss.

[AFwife Claire]

Until it smells/looks bad. We have iron stomachs around here.  Definitely more like a week if not longer.  For what it's worth, I am the official smell-tester though, and people ask me what I think before eating. But no one has ever gotten sick from food that we know of (and we are pretty much never sick).

[Selkie]

Three days is my rule for our leftovers (all vegan). I'm picky about food safety. Leftovers usually get eaten pretty quickly here, though, so I rarely have to throw any away.

[happi duck]

3 days

I don't like eating leftovers but dh likes them for lunch

[SKL]

I throw it out if it's a week old.  So I guess my general limit is 6 days.  If it passes the sniff test.  😛

[Laura Corin]

Vegetarian, up to one week. Meat, a few days. Fish, one day.

[KrissiK]

A week. No more.

[Farrar]

2-3 days for meat. 5-6 for vegetarian.

[Carol in Cal.]

Crab--the next day.

Scallops or Shrimp/Prawns--within 2-3 days

Other meat--about 5, but I feel like I can tell if it's 'off'

Vegetarian stuff, possibly including dairy or meat broth--until I can actually tell there is something wrong with it by observation or smell.  I have a very sensitive nose, and so this works for me.  I'm not sure I would recommend it for everyone.  (Seriously, my nose is extremely sensitive.  I'm always the one who smells the faint whiff of a gas leak before anyone else.)

[MEmama]

Get a teenager. Problem solved. 😂

[Tanaqui]

Two garbage pickups, so about a week.

[marbel]

I've always followed the guideline of 4 days for most things, though I've gone 5 for things not containing meat or eggs. 

[Lady Marmalade]

5 days.  I worked in a grocery store deli a long time ago, and all of our prepared foods had a shelf life of 5 days, so I've stuck with that as a general guideline ever since.  Occasionally something will squeak to one week, but for most leftovers I go with five days.

[Soror]

About a week.