Treat your leftovers right

Reheating leftover food

• Reheat leftovers – or pre-made meals – until steaming hot (over 75°C). Warm doesn’t kill bacteria. Hot does.
• Defrost frozen leftovers in the fridge or microwave. Leaving meals on a bench top to defrost allows harmful bacteria to grow.
• Don't reheat your leftovers more than once.

Storing leftovers

• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers – or pre-made meals – as soon as possible or within 2 hours of cooking. The hotter the weather, the shorter the time food will stay safe.
• Divide large portions of hot food into smaller containers or a shallow tray to help it cool quickly and evenly, and to stop harmful bacteria from growing to levels that could cause illness.
• Store leftovers in a covered container in your fridge.

How long you can keep leftover food

• Rice-based leftovers: Keep rice-based leftovers refrigerated and eat them within 2 days. These types of leftovers are risky because uncooked rice can contain bacterial spores that survive cooking. The spores then form bacteria, which produce toxins that cause food poisoning – and toxins are not destroyed by reheating.
• Cooked food eaten cold: Leftovers of cooked meals that are normally eaten without reheating – like pasta salads, roast vegetable salads, or potato salads – should be refrigerated and eaten within 2 days.
• Leftovers eaten hot: Keep them refrigerated and eat them within 4 days. Reheat until steaming hot before eating.
• When in doubt, chuck it out.