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Eating leftovers is a great way to save time and money - and fight food waste. Follow these simple steps to reduce your risk of food poisoning and make the most of your meals.
Keep it cool
- Cool and cover leftovers and put them in a fridge or freezer within 2 hours (see the 2-hour/4-hour rule below).
- Splitting leftovers into smaller portions aids faster cooling, which helps prevent bacteria growth. It also helps with portion control and meal planning.
- Always store leftovers at less than 5˚C and keep them separate from uncooked foods, such as raw meat.
- Eat leftovers stored in the fridge within 3 days. Cooked rice and pasta should be eaten within 2 days.
- Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours of defrosting.
- Throw away leftovers if they've been out of the fridge for more than 4 hours.
- For opened canned food leftovers, follow the manufacturer’s directions for storage and use and take the same precautions as you would for fresh food.
Reheat to eat
- Always reheat leftovers to steaming hot (at least 60˚C). Reheating leftovers kills harmful bacteria that may have grown since it was cooked.
- Stir microwaved food while heating to ensure it is hot all the way through.
- Never reheat rice and pasta more than once and make sure it is steaming hot.
- Take extra care with takeaway rice. It should be eaten soon after purchasing as some businesses may pre-cook rice and re-heat it before it is served.
The 2-hour/4-hour rule
Temperature control is very important to prevent harmful bacteria from growing in certain types of food. Food poisoning bacteria grow best between temperatures of 5°C and 60°C - also known as the ‘temperature danger zone’.
To minimise your risk of food poisoning, follow the 2-hour/4-hour rule. If your leftover food has been out of the fridge for:
- less than 2 hours – use it now, or put it back in the fridge for later
- between 2 and 4 hours – use it now or throw it out, and
- after 4 hours, throw the food out.
The time between 5°C and 60°C is cumulative — that means you need to add up every time the food has been out of the fridge.