Buzz
1. Duration for Storing Cooked Foods in the Refrigerator - A Quick Guide
Certainly, everyone knows that besides making ice and preserving fresh food, the refrigerator can also store cooked food. Here, Media Mart lists some cooked foods that many Vietnamese families often put in the fridge to keep them fresh.
Cooked food in the refrigerator should be stored for a safe duration
+ Fast Food: For fast foods like sausages, ham, fish cake, pork sausage, etc., already cooked and stored in the fridge's chill compartment, they can be used normally for 4 to 6 days. If you store cooked food in the freezer compartment, the duration can be extended to 8 to 10 days.
The main function of the refrigerator is to preserve food, slowing down the growth of bacteria over time. The refrigerator cannot eliminate bacteria, so if the time exceeds what is mentioned above, you should discard cooked foods that you haven't used. Do not reuse these foods, as you may be at risk of dangerous intestinal diseases.
+ Stews and Braised Dishes: Familiar dishes like braised pork or fish stew are staples in Vietnamese meals. However, these dishes should only stay in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. If you choose to keep them beyond this time, safety is not guaranteed.
Braised pork should be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
+ Various Meats: Beef, chicken, and pork can only be stored for 1 to 2 days. Steak can last for 3 to 5 days, cured meat can be kept for 7 days once opened, and hotdogs can last for 1 week if the package is opened; 2 weeks if unopened.
+ Cereals and Grains: Cereals include grains like corn, peas, peanuts, and various baked goods such as bread, banana cake, and cookies. These are all familiar foods in Vietnamese cuisine.
For this type of food, you should only keep it in the refrigerator for 1 day. If left until the second day, although it may not be spoiled, it will no longer taste as good as initially.
+ Dairy-Based Products: This category includes butter, milk-based cakes, and more. The storage time varies for each product.
Dairy-based products should only be stored in the refrigerator for a specific duration
For small grated cheese, it can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Hard cheese slices can be stored for 2 weeks.
Milk can be stored safely in the fridge for 7 days.
Typically, some dairy products have a use-by date printed on the packaging upon opening. You can rely on this information to optimize food storage in the fridge.
2. Memorize the 6 principles for storing fresh food in your fridge
Follow 6 essential principles for refrigerating food
+ Ensure that food is tightly wrapped before placing it in the fridge
You can use plastic wrap or food wrap, containers to put cooked food in before placing it in the fridge.
+ Absolutely avoid mixing cooked and raw items
Combining cooked and raw food increases the risk of bacterial contamination and can lead to unpleasant odors in your fridge.
+ Allow cool dishes before placing them in the fridge
+ Cooling down hot food before refrigerating prevents food from deteriorating, and condensation from the heat in cooked food can create conditions for harmful bacteria to thrive.
+ Reheat cooked food shortly after placing it in the fridge
+ When taking out chilled cooked food, reheating is necessary to prevent bacterial invasion. The fridge temperature only inhibits bacterial growth, so failure to reheat may lead to stomach upset and diarrhea.
+ Adhere to the recommended time for storing cooked food in the fridge
+ Cooked food stored in the fridge should not be kept for too long, even in the freezer compartment. Advice is to store breakfast food for lunch, lunch food for dinner, with a maximum storage time of 5 to 6 hours…
+ Minimize storing processed vegetables in the fridge
+ Cooking vegetables at high temperatures with added salt accelerates bacterial growth, potentially leading to the formation of cancer-causing substances. Excessive consumption of salted processed vegetables may contribute to stomach cancer.
+ Here is our answer to your question about how long cooked food can be stored in the fridge. Whether a good refrigerator or the brands of refrigerators you choose influences the storage time of cooked food. To buy a genuine refrigerator of high quality, you should visit reputable establishments like Media Mart for a comfortable selection of products from leading refrigerator brands. Alternatively, you can contact the hotline 1900 6788 for detailed advice.
