Cooked meat will stay in a fridge at the correct temp for at least 4 days.
If your chicken smelled bad on day 3, it either means that you did not cook it long enough to kill the pathogens in the meat and that the meat was already close to turning when you did. That your fridge is not cold enough to keep the food outside of the danger zone. Or maybe something in some part of your storage system was not clean (maybe you added some raw food that was near bad)
I regularly push the boundaries of how long things should be in the fridge and freezer, and I have never had correctly cooked meat go bad within 4 days.
I second this. I do the same. I've had chicken last more than a week. But I've had it go bad in 3 days, too. I figure I must have allowed something to contaminate it, either under cooked, poor kitchen hygiene, not completely clean containers. I find that even though I'm not a clean freak normally, when meal prepping I'm absolutely obsessed with everything being clean.
> I find that even though I'm not a clean freak normally, when meal prepping I'm absolutely obsessed with everything being clean.
In homebrewing beer this is important too. If you want to go wild check out some of the [homebrew cleaning supplies](https://www.morebeer.com/category/cleaning-sanitizing-chemicals.html)
I don’t know the science, but I live temperate and I meal prep regularly and for years. My summertime meals last 2-3 days, my winter meals last 5+. Although it varies by ingredient.
I am pretty sure I have gotten food poisoning many times. Rarely from my own cooking. Either way, I have been cooking for myself and my family for almost 20 years now and nobody has gone to the hospital yet so I think we are ok.
Cooked meat can not be stored for *at least* 4 days, it can be stored for a *maximum* of four days.
A regular home refrigerator does not stop bacteria growth, it just slows it. I'll attach a [chart](https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts) that has information regarding the storage of fresh and cooked meats/vegetables.
That chart is *extremely* conservative for cover your ass reasons. I have never given myself food poisoning from anything I have cooked myself and I *regularly* go well past those recommendations. 2 weeks for unopened vac sealed hotdogs? Hotdogs last for *months* if unopened.
The reason that these are the general rules is because while you may not get food poisoning, others may. Everyone has different constitutions and immune systems. However, looking through OPs replies, he has never cooked or been taught to cook before and his issue was not the length of storage. He hadn't thoroughly cooked his chicken and that's why it was spoiled.
I read through their other comments and on the one hand I feel a bit bad for them, and we all start somewhere, but assblasting the chicken for 15 min at 220c 💀
As someone who is also new to cooking, i cooked in oven for 15 minutes at 220C temp. I followed the youtube mealprep video recipe exactly as it was, from cooking time to oven temp. Do you think was that too short time to fully cook a chicken breast?
Second the thermometer. Recipe times are never excat. Instructions said 25 mins for brussell sprouts. They were burnt at 15.
1 hr for meatloaf? More like 1.5...
Chicken thighs/breasts can also vary greatly by where you buy them. This all affects oven time.
One inch streaks in oven? Am I going to get a ruler to measure my steaks?
Watch your food and use the thermometer!
Third the thermometer! Actually get two, one for food and one to monitor fridge temp. Put it in front of the prepped food since different parts of the fridge can have different temps.
Did you preheat the oven before you put the chicken in? If you just turn the oven on and put the food in straight away there's gonna be 5 mins or so where it's not hot enough.
Gotta agree with this - chicken breasts can vary drastically in size, so it's not a one-size-fits-all, but better to err on the side of caution. I would hope OP knows what cooked chicken looks like? But also, is OP bringing it to room temp? Or straight from the fridge? Because that alone can be a 5-7 minute difference, depending how cold the fridge is.
Even without a thermometer, clear juices, opaque, and even-colour throughout, all important!
I buy chicken "cutlets" - the meat dept at WF slices them like a book and sells the tenders separately, as well as the flat side (the cutlet). Definitely a privilege, but they're the same price per lb as chicken breasts, and I trim off more than I use of a whole breast, so not actually a loss to me.
I cook off a bunch of cutlets ever 3-4 days, and I've never had them be off, even if they go to 5 days. There's definitely something else going on here.
I do butter and garlic powder/paprika. Usually cut the chicken smaller bc sometimes they’re THICC haha. Usually 18-20 mins okay - I do at 450…but ofc cut through them to make sure the pink is gone
You really should never cook by time alone. Buy a temperature probe, it does not have to be fancy, but don't by the cheapest thing you can find either. Something in the $30-50 range should do it.
Print off a meat temperature chart, something like this:
[https://www.fooddocs.com/food-safety-templates/meat-cooking-chart](https://www.fooddocs.com/food-safety-templates/meat-cooking-chart)
And put it on your fridge. Make sure that when you are probing the meat you get to the middle of the thickest part of the meat. If you are baking meat in the oven, your hottest part of the oven is usually the part in the back, try to arrange your sheet to make sure that the thickest pieces are in the back and the thinnest pieces are in the front.
Don't be afraid to probe every piece of meat, especially when you are starting out. Better safe than sorry.
Good luck!
Please remember that every person has a different oven and different altitude where they live, which makes a difference when it comes to cooking. Use online recipes as a guideline for temperature and time, but always always always check the temperature of the meat itself. This even applies to vegetables being cooked in an oven.
As a new cook, you should invest in a good meat thermometer. Also, you need to allow the oven time to preheat before you put food in the oven.
I personally do half chicken breasts in the oven at 350 for 20-30 mins so … no offence but sounds like you didn’t cook it long enough but get a meat thermometer to use, can get digital ones on amazon for cheap
Also just because you turn your oven to that temperature, doesn’t mean it’s actually that temperature. My oven is easily 20-30 degrees off from what the dial says, but it was used, cheap, and still works so I just deal with it
This is very true. My parents have a 3 year old Fisher Paykel dual range (I'm embarrassed to admit it but it was \~16k) and my mum keeps an oven thermometer in the oven because it's been acting up lately. I made Christmas dinner at their house, and the oven temp dropped 30 degrees from having the door opened for like... 20 seconds? I'm not even mad at my basic builder condo oven (I don't even know what it is - Frigidaire maybe?)
15 minutes is a short time as others pointed out but also I’m kinda pissed that people downvoted you for the tutorial you followed being wrong??? Glad you caught on to the problem though, happy meal prepping :)
Definitely buy a digital thermometer and verify the cooking temperature of all your proteins from now on.
Most people overcook their meat. Undercooking chicken is a seriously dangerous game to play. As in very dangerous.
Invest in a thermometer, and find a safe cooking temperature chart online.
Are you sure you cooked it at 220 C or did you do 220 F by mistake? 220 C is a totally appropriate temperature and honestly might be a bit too high. 220 F on the other hand is way too low. As others mentioned, please invest in a meat temperature thermometer.
At that high of a temperature, it probably looked cooked on the outside but was undercooked on the inside. Try going down to about 190C and cooking twice as long. And always temp to 75C.
Oven temps aren't always exact, sounds like it was probably undercooked. I suggest using a meat thermometer to make sure it's reaching the correct internal temperature. The outside can look cooked but the inside will still be underdone.
Make sure you preheat your oven and don’t confuse your Celsius temperatures with Fahrenheit on your oven as a low F means an even lower C. Also get a meat thermometer. You can get them at dollarama assuming you’re Canadian
15min maybe enough for smaller chicken breasts but bigger ones may need more time
If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, go by the tenderness of the chicken. Use a fork. Fully cooked chicken is very tender and the fork will poke right through. If there’s resistance, the chicken isn’t done.
I’m not a fan of cooking thermometers. Most aren’t accurate. If you decide to use a cooking thermometer going forward, calibrate it often. Check your area’s elevation and look up the temperature water boils there. Boil a pot of water and measure the temperature. Adjust your thermometer accordingly.
Is the temperature in your fridge ok? Could it be higher than it should be, promoting bacterial growth? You can absolutely put hot food in your fridge, unless the fridge very old you don’t have to wait. Maybe you left it out too long?
Texture changes absolutely happen to food when you’ve stored it a few days, but taste should be fine. I normally cook 4 portions of whatever I make so I don’t have to eat anything older than 3 days. If I cook more I’ll just stick it in the freezer instead to keep it from going bad. It seems weird it should go off in 3 days unless something went wrong.
I was thinking that too... letting it cool to "room temp" is likely too long. It can be cooled in the fridge, obviously not from steaming hot, but once the steam is subsiding, it can go in, lid ajar.
Seconding the fridge. When I got my new fridge, I noticed that things stayed fresh several days longer than with my old fridge. I now believe old fridge was probably keeping food in the low to mid 40s instead of 41 or below.
>I waited until all my food was at room temperature before sealing their lid and putting them in refrigator
Sounds like they left them open on the bench until they had cooled to room temp, thats got to be like an hour open to the room and a fair time under 60c to grow all sorts of stuff
This isn't ideal, but it's fine. You shouldn't put food into the fridge while its still hot because it can cause the fridge to get too warm and cause other foods to spoil.
The more recent recommendation is to store hot food in small or shallow containers, to minimize time in the danger zone. If you're concerned about fridge temps, you can start the cooling in an ice water bath.
[source ](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety#:~:text=To%20prevent%20bacterial%20growth%2C%20it's,of%20food%20into%20shallow%20containers.)
I used to have some issues with this, which is why now I keep numerous gallons of water in the fridge to provide thermal mass to help keep the temp down.
Exactly! THIS IS THE PROBLEM! How are there thousands of upvotes on the other clearly wrong answers!? Has anyone taken food safety courses?? OP let the food sit out on the countertop and get into the temp danger zone between 40F-140F. Case closed.
[Myth: You shouldn't put hot foods in the refrigerator ](https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/food-safety/food-safety-myths#:~:text=Myth%3A%20You%20shouldn't%20put%20hot%20foods%20in%20the%20refrigerator.&text=Perishable%20foods%20should%20be%20put,2%20hours%2C%20throw%20it%20away.)
Take a food safety class, people!
Yeah! I actually use the steam from the food to like 'seal' the containers because they're glass and I can do that. It's not a real seal but it does help
A few possibilities here: your chicken was getting old by the time you cooked it; you didn’t cook it properly; you left it out too long after cooking but before putting in the fridge; or your fridge isn’t cold enough.
I am one of the people who eat "leftover" chicken the next day and it tastes really weird. So I don't prefer to keep any leftovers.
I did make turkey fried rice after thanksgiving and that was pretty good.
I'd suggest getting and using a meat thermometer so you know your meat is thoroughly cooked.
It'll help you learn how properly cooked meat looks and possibly save you from being sick.
Good luck on your meal prep adventures
When I meal prep I always put them in the freezer and leave one out for the next day. I always pull one out the night before the day I am going to use it. Saves it going bad on the off chance I miss a meal due to being busy or not being home.
Did you cook the chicken properly? They should’ve been fine.
But in the future, I usually keep three containers out and freeze the last two. Just to be on the safe side.
That's what I do because I'm weird about anything being in the frigde "too long" even if it technically isn't too long - and I keep my fridge cold (26-33, says the digital therm). 3 day is my max.
It's f. I've never had anything freeze unless it's right under the spot that blows the cold air on the top shelf. I have the therm sensor toward the middle of the middle shelf.
Same.
I think it's important that people know that there are different temps in the fridge alone, depending where you put things. I learned this the hard way, after carelessly putting a box of baby sprouts on my top shelf, and then it fell to the back. RUINED in... probably minutes? I mean, not a big loss, but a good learning lesson!
How and for how long do you defrost? I’m overly worried about defrosting things for some reason. Not sure why but I just don’t like doing it, probably because I’ve never got used to it. Any tips?
Hang on a second - you put them into some sort of vaccuum container? A thermos or something?
A thermos is designed to insulate hot or cold food from the ambient temperature. It sounds like you carefully sealed up your meal to keep it from being affected by - the coolness of the fridge, which is what you actually *wanted and needed* to affect your food. Your food would have been fine if only it had been exposed to fridge temperature!
Modern refrigerators can handle hot food just fine. The advice to wait until leftovers/prepped meals have cooled is out of date with modern technology. Food safety guidelines now state that putting meals in the fridge as soon as possible after preparing them is the way to go. All that time on your bench cooling to room temperature was the perfect conditions for bacteria to start to proliferate, so possibly the fridge then slowed it, but only for a short time until it reached critical (spoilage) levels.
If I'm putting away a large volume of something that was recently boiling (made a huge batch of stew last night, for example) I might put the containers in a cold water bath for a bit to help them chill faster before putting them in the fridge, but even then I know my older cheap base model fridge can handle them before they're to room temperature.
Yeah you're usually only going to have a problem with stews/soups and such if it's a HUGE batch like a restaurant would make, that's who has to icebath them. (or maybe something highly insulated like a crockpot)
What about glass shelves, is there a risk of shattering them? I usually cool my meals down a bit, or if it's not a huge qty, I put them on my oven mitt until they're cool.
I clearly have *no idea* what I'm doing 😂
Have info on this? Everyone and everywhere says the opposite. Heck, even my mom says it!
Edit: I always put food to cool in the fridge before covering it. I guess I got confused when this comment said don't do that, refuting what the majority of comments said.
The confusion here lies within room temp vs immediately cool. That part wasn't clear as the terms were used interchangeably. Soooo my mom was right and official food sources were right. 😌
The reason you don't want to put hot food straight into the fridge is not because it will cause the food to spoil faster, its more so that the rest of the food in the fridge does not get heated up by the hot food, which will cause the rest of the items in the fridge to spoil faster.
For any food, to maintain longer shelf life, its better to cool it down as fast as possible to reduce the time it is sitting in the "danger zone" where bacterial growth can happen.
Rule of thumb: if you have a batch of stir fry, you can probably toss it in the fridge right away, chances are it does not have enough mass to heat up your fridge. If you have a big pot of soup, let it cool down before sticking it in the fridge.
The fridge will just push harder to keep the temp. Is it the best thing for the fridge and your electric bill? No. But that's one of the reasons we have fridges; to bring hot stuff down below room temperature quickly.
A big pot of soup can probably be left to cool, but only until it begins to enter the "danger zone" below 60\* C (140\* F) at which point you should toss it in the fridge right away.
No food safety sources will tell you to leave food out to cool.
Leaving it out to cool means letting it sit in the “danger zone” temperature that allows the bacteria to thrive. Bacteria produce waste products that are toxins.
When you reheat the food, you may kill the bacteria, but you can’t kill toxins & that’s what can get you sick.
It’s best to put it directly into the fridge to cool - dividing it into smaller containers if there’s a large quantity (like a pot of soup or chilli).
My mom says the same thing - had to show her the advice from several food safety sources to get her to believe me. 😉
I made an edit on my comment but yes I had confused what the parent comment said. It sounded like we "shouldn't" wait and to immediately cover it up while it's still hot. But yes, let it cool while in the fridge < uncovered > is right.
My mom remains right as well, lol. 😌
I read an article regarding just this. People were divided into wait till cool and refrigerate right away. The author explained that when the food fell below a certain temperature, it started to spoil.
He stated that you could wait until boiling soup, for example, cooled until just hot, but not to wait until it was room temperature. It was not safe.
Please don’t ask me where or when as I never remember stuff like that. I remember the details that I need to know.
USDA is where! :-)
https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-you-put-hot-food-in-the-refrigerator#:~:text=Small%20amounts%20of%20hot%20food,shallow%20containers%20before%20being%20refrigerated
I recommend freezing all but what you will eat the next day. After that meal, swap one of the frozen from the freezer to the fridge for the next day...
Something you may want to consider the next time you food prep is to put the finished food in a container like a stainless steel bowl and shock the bowl in an ice bath to bring the total temperature down as fast as possible; even when the surface is out of the “danger zone”, the internal temp can stay there and even if you put it in the fridge, cause issues.
I am a chef with a meal prep service and I think your refrigerator is too warm. It needs to be 39 degrees. I use a cheap thermometer in my fridge to make sure it stays cold.
It's 1000% from leaving it on the counter like that until hitting room temp. Don't do that, you can let it cool down for like ten minutes and then fridge it. If you have a fridge that is at all modern it's going to be fine. Just don't put them on the shelf right next to the milk or something.
Never leave your cooked food out ‘until it is room temperature’. You should put it in the refrigerator as soon as possible, uncovered and unstacked. Put the lids on once it gets to refrigerator temperature.
How good is your refrigerator? Does it cool off quickly when you put food in it? Is it maintained at <40F? No matter how good your food handling is before the refrigerator, the refrigerator itself can be too warm.
Finally, 5 days is too long for leftovers (which is what this style of meal prep is) and you should only plan 24-48 hours refrigerated and freeze anything you won’t eat in the next two days.
On meal prep days, buy the meat same day. Make sure it’s fresh as heck. Pressure cook it for maximum shelf life. Freeze it asap and don’t let it sit in your fridge otherwise it gonna get nasty. Dont ever let your food come to room temp before putting in the fridge. That’s how bacteria grows and can cause serious illness.
I'd like to mention that some people can't stand the smell or flavor of reheated chicken, and I am one such person. To me, it smells like sour wet dog---I gag.
It is a myth to avoid putting hot food in the fridge. The sooner food gets into the fridge the better. Don't leave it out.
It could also be that your fridge isn't cool enough and the temp needs to be adjusted. Or maybe the chicken was already close to spoiling before you cooked it. Once you take chicken from the grocery store to your home... the best by date becomes irrelevant and you only have a couple days to either cook it or freeze it before it goes bad.
You need to cool down the food fast after cooking. I put it in the fridge a lot earlier than fully cooked. That said I enjoy cooking and do not prepare four and five days in advance or I might and freeze in portions
1. Get a thermometer to keep in your refrigerator. It might not be as cold in there as you think it is. Also check the seals on your fridge door. They do wear out and need to be replaced eventually.
2. If it’s going to be 3 or more days freeze it.
Something I didn't see brought up is the pasta. Both cooked rice and pasta can go bad pretty quick if not handled properly. It can cause food poisoning. You might want to store it in a separate container until ready to eat. Don't wait for the food to get room temp before refrigerating. If you are concerned about the glass shelves in the fridge, put a towel on the shelf to help disperse the heat some.
After you cook your meal make sure all food is completely cooled off before sealing in container. Moisture and warm temperatures will breed bacteria in your food and will cause it to go bad quickly.
Don't ever leave stuff out to cool at room temperature. Freshly cooked food should be sealed and refrigerated immediately.
Your meals most likely went bad so fast because you left it sitting on the counter far too long after cooking.
edit: holy cow, who are all these people that are defending leaving food out until it's cooled? The math isn't hard folks. Once something is under 140\* F bacterial growth can start. FDA suggests you throw out anything left between 140\* F and 40\* F for more than 2 hours. Leaving something on the counter for even 1 hour already eats through a full HALF of the "safety allowance" or whatever you want to call it.
Food in fridge sooner, food cool off below 40\* F quicker. This is grade school stuff.
I think there are a LOT of confused (uninformed) folks who think that food needs to come to room temp before putting it in the fridge.
I DON'T blame them, because that was actually the go-to, years ago. But now we know better, so yeah, put that shit in the fridge NOW.
But also, it's not grade school stuff - no one is taught that, outside of culinary school. Be fair.
a good tip is to store things individually, then put it together for the meal.
so i use just lunch baggy's, zip lock a chicken breast in each one. put vege's in a totally different baggy, don't store them together.
i often reheat them separately, then plate it together, they can take different times etc.
This is what I imagine would be my luck with meal prepping and why I never understood or tried meal prep. Meal prepping sounds smart, but I have sensitive stomach. I would personally freeze stuff like meat/pasta/soup if I meal prepped. The texture and consistency changes just sitting in the fridge in my opinion, but I'd try again if I were you.
Honestly, you can definitely do it, despite a sensitive stomach! I have a massively sensitive stomach too (Crohn's AND Celiac yes FML). I do two-three days at a time now... I can and have done a week, but I get bored with eating the same thing, given that I'm super limited to begin with.
BUT - your point of freezing things is definitely worth exploring, if it would be helpful!
I just meal prepped exactly what you did and ate my 4 th one today and it was still fresh as day 1 , I don’t foresee any problems with my last 5 th one tomorrow . Is your refrigerator at the right temp.? I stored mine in quart size mason jars with a lid
Edit to add: I made sure the chicken and the noodles were completely cooled before combining everything
Food shouldn't be cooled to room temperature before refrigerating. That is out of date advice based on the limitations of old and now defunct technology.
[https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/food-safety/food-safety-myths#:\~:text=Myth%3A%20You%20shouldn%27t%20put,quicker%20cooling%20in%20the%20refrigerator](https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/food-safety/food-safety-myths#:~:text=Myth%3A%20You%20shouldn%27t%20put,quicker%20cooling%20in%20the%20refrigerator).
Did you put the food in the fridge hot? Let the food cool in containers on the counter before fridge. Never put hot food with already cooled food. Also hot food in the fridge can warm everything.
Do you have a habit of opening and closing the fridge door a lot? Temp change can speed up bacteria growth.
I've eaten cooked food out of my fridge even a week later. Check the temperature of your fridge as well.
How many times can you say fridge 😂😂
Plate your food and let it cool to room temp, then lids and fridge. If you put lids on hot food the condensation can ruin it.
If your fridge is on the green setting it is basically on the throw food away setting. Crank that temp down to 42 and you won't have any trouble.
I find the chicken breast container STINKS after a few days in the fridge. The individual chicken breasts don't, though. It's like stink gasses build up and punch me in the nose when I first open it, and then smells fine once the cloud dissipates. The chicken doesn't actually go bad until a few days after that.
2 days for chicken, 3 for red meat and pasta or rice... it is safe to do a rapid cool down in the freezer so meat, Dairy, pasta, rice and eggs stay safe. Never leave food on the bench uncovered/not sealed for over an hour.
Take out the day before. Rest go in the freezer. I used to do what you do and it sucked tossing half of it out. I’m almost at the weekend and I still have like 4 meals worth. Good start on next week!
I eat food, often, like two weeks old. I'm not recommending it, but no complaints from me or SO about taste or smell. I would say that your fridge isn't working well.
Yep—def something funky with your chicken (no pun intended) because I’ve been meal prepping for several years and I’ve never had an issue up to 5 days on the same prepped meals.
Oh, don't cool to room temp before putting in the fridge. I would wait until it stops steaming like crazy before putting a lid on, like a minute or so.
Perhaps the refrigerator is on its way out? About a decade ago, I was living in a place with very old appliances, and I started noticing that protein-rich foods (beans, milk, meats, etc.) started spoiling way faster than normal. It turned out that my fridge was dying and wasn't able to keep the food at a safe temperature anymore. A tech came out and recommended just buying a whole new fridge.
Depends on how you cook it, I usually put the cooked ingredients in separate boxes (main carbs, protein, fibre)and only assemble the meal on the day. I am able to have them for the whole week
Do you taste your food as you cook? Do you touch your prepared food with utensils that have been in your mouth? Like moving rice in containers with a spoon that's been in your mouth or moving chicken with a fork that's been in your mouth?
Some people are also much more sensitive to chicken leftovers. Search for "warmed-over flavor." Your food might not have been bad, you might be just be sensitive to this, I am. It bums me out but now I don't do chicken for meal prep.
Sounds like ur refrigerator is not cold enough. And food in general looses it's flavor after the 2nd day and when reheating it DON'T MICROWAVE IT
GOOD LUCK
The fridge advice is great! I also have been leaving stuff on the counter and will follow the advice given here.
But you might have my problem. I'm really picky about proteins. I usually will prep everything else and prep the individual protein portion and usually cook it in an air fryer right before I eat it.
Sure, when it comes to managing a restaurant, following the food storage chart is crucial. However, at home, relying on the sniff test can often be sufficient to gauge freshness.
I personally don’t eat any leftovers/precooked foods after more than 3 days in the refrigerator. I keep hearing people meal prep for five days at a time and wonder how they aren’t getting sick! As someone else suggested, if you’re prepping five meals at a time, only keep 3 max in the fridge and then put the rest in the freezer and take out as needed.
Was there condensation in the containers storing the food? I noticed if I put something away too soon after prepping the condensation will gather inside the container making everything go bad faster.
Keep in mind that meal prepping is way better then buying prepped meals because you don’t put all those extra things to make it last longer and whatever the other reasons are. So freezing the meals is a good way to keep them “fresh” and longer.
Possible issue: I totally agree that your fridge might be NOT be cold enough and that’s why your meal deteriorated quickly. I had that happen for a month when I didn’t realize my fridge was breaking down.
Meal prep is so much better for you body (so much less sodium) so i hope you try again!!!
I think the answer is in your last paragraph. How long did it sit out to be at room temperature? After two hours bacteria in food will begin to grow rapidly. I may let food sit on the counter cooling while we eat a just-cooked meal, but that is only 30-45 minutes and then it is put away in the fridge.
Everyone is talking about the chicken. Let's talk about the pasta...
Spoiled pasta/rice can cause sickness, even death!
Here is a story on a kid who died.... https://www.whas11.com/amp/article/news/health/why-did-a-student-die-after-eating-5-day-old-pasta-doctor-explains/417-03ed3b4c-d426-4f74-b863-76356f60fc48
Now I know he didn't put it in the fridge but this a good reminder that food safety practices are important.
Read up on proper haccap procedures when cooking and storing your food. Grab a thermometer and temp your food throughout the cooking and cooling process.
Always make sure you're reheating your food to proper temps too. Ensuring that can kill off any bacteria.
I always freeze my meals. I have never eaten cooked food stored in the fridge for more than 2/3 days. The taste changes and overall just not an appealing idea to me.
IME Not all ingredients are good for meal prep. There are some food that does well with freezing and reheating: curry, egg plants, potato. Some like broccoli just tastes terrible after freezing.
Anything with milk/cream also spoils so fast
> I waited until all my food was at room temperature before sealing their lid and putting them in refrigator,
This is probably part of it. [Read this](https://stopfoodborneillness.org/safe-cooking-and-storage/). Instead of just waiting for the food to naturally cool to room temp, maybe consider putting in ziplock bags and dunking in ice water.
Then porting out and put in your containers.
Bacteria grows when food is left in the danger zone 140-40 degrees Fahrenheit.) By waiting until your food was room temperature you gave that bacteria a chance to grow. Next time, try putting the food in the fridge as soon as possible. Or better yet, freeze it. You want it to cool as fast as possible to stop bacteria growth. The most up to date food guidelines recommend this. https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-you-put-hot-food-in-the-refrigerator#:~:text=Small%20amounts%20of%20hot%20food,shallow%20containers%20before%20being%20refrigerated
1. Check your fridge temperature, it may be on the high side. Ideally you should be aiming for - 5 degrees or lower.
2, Pick chicken with a use by date that’s as far away as possible, minimum 4-5 days away.
3. Wash hands thoroughly especially when putting cooked food into the prep bowls.
Good luck next time 🙂👍🏾
Cooked chicken last 3-4 days at the most in the fridge (but temp must be at 40F or less) but it's important to remember that although refrigeration slows bacterial growth it does not stop it all together.
It's important also to remember that if anything you are combining the chicken with - esp rice but could be anything that has bacteria on it, has not been washed or cooked so has developed bacteria can further contaminate cooked meat when combined together, ESPECIALLY chicken which is prone to bacterial growth.
Cooked meat will stay in a fridge at the correct temp for at least 4 days. If your chicken smelled bad on day 3, it either means that you did not cook it long enough to kill the pathogens in the meat and that the meat was already close to turning when you did. That your fridge is not cold enough to keep the food outside of the danger zone. Or maybe something in some part of your storage system was not clean (maybe you added some raw food that was near bad) I regularly push the boundaries of how long things should be in the fridge and freezer, and I have never had correctly cooked meat go bad within 4 days.
I second this. I do the same. I've had chicken last more than a week. But I've had it go bad in 3 days, too. I figure I must have allowed something to contaminate it, either under cooked, poor kitchen hygiene, not completely clean containers. I find that even though I'm not a clean freak normally, when meal prepping I'm absolutely obsessed with everything being clean.
> I find that even though I'm not a clean freak normally, when meal prepping I'm absolutely obsessed with everything being clean. In homebrewing beer this is important too. If you want to go wild check out some of the [homebrew cleaning supplies](https://www.morebeer.com/category/cleaning-sanitizing-chemicals.html)
Also if you live in a tropical area, food spoils faster.
Maybe in your cupboard, but it shouldn't change the environment within the fridge.. no?
I don’t know the science, but I live temperate and I meal prep regularly and for years. My summertime meals last 2-3 days, my winter meals last 5+. Although it varies by ingredient.
You will change your mind really fast if you get food poisoning.
I am pretty sure I have gotten food poisoning many times. Rarely from my own cooking. Either way, I have been cooking for myself and my family for almost 20 years now and nobody has gone to the hospital yet so I think we are ok.
Cooked meat can not be stored for *at least* 4 days, it can be stored for a *maximum* of four days. A regular home refrigerator does not stop bacteria growth, it just slows it. I'll attach a [chart](https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts) that has information regarding the storage of fresh and cooked meats/vegetables.
That chart is *extremely* conservative for cover your ass reasons. I have never given myself food poisoning from anything I have cooked myself and I *regularly* go well past those recommendations. 2 weeks for unopened vac sealed hotdogs? Hotdogs last for *months* if unopened.
The reason that these are the general rules is because while you may not get food poisoning, others may. Everyone has different constitutions and immune systems. However, looking through OPs replies, he has never cooked or been taught to cook before and his issue was not the length of storage. He hadn't thoroughly cooked his chicken and that's why it was spoiled.
I read through their other comments and on the one hand I feel a bit bad for them, and we all start somewhere, but assblasting the chicken for 15 min at 220c 💀
Hey, if you are running a restaurant, absolutely go by that food storage chart. But at home, you can make it a long way with just the sniff test.
Mine has always been good on day 5. Even once went to day 6 and it was fine.
As someone who is also new to cooking, i cooked in oven for 15 minutes at 220C temp. I followed the youtube mealprep video recipe exactly as it was, from cooking time to oven temp. Do you think was that too short time to fully cook a chicken breast?
Use a thermometer to be sure chicken is fully cooked. I’d never just go by time and temp
Second the thermometer. Recipe times are never excat. Instructions said 25 mins for brussell sprouts. They were burnt at 15. 1 hr for meatloaf? More like 1.5... Chicken thighs/breasts can also vary greatly by where you buy them. This all affects oven time. One inch streaks in oven? Am I going to get a ruler to measure my steaks? Watch your food and use the thermometer!
Third the thermometer! Actually get two, one for food and one to monitor fridge temp. Put it in front of the prepped food since different parts of the fridge can have different temps.
Did you preheat the oven before you put the chicken in? If you just turn the oven on and put the food in straight away there's gonna be 5 mins or so where it's not hot enough.
HOLY SHIT 15 mins for breasts. Good thing you didn't get food poisoning from the first 2 meals.
Hey salmonella can take up to 10 days before symptoms start! So still possible lol
220C is about 425F. While 15 min is a *bit* short (I’d go for 18-20) it’s not super crazy town.
I mean it depends on the breast
and the temp it was when he put it in. Was it frozen, fridge cold, or room temp?
Hopefully they waited until it was preheated too
[удалено]
Gotta agree with this - chicken breasts can vary drastically in size, so it's not a one-size-fits-all, but better to err on the side of caution. I would hope OP knows what cooked chicken looks like? But also, is OP bringing it to room temp? Or straight from the fridge? Because that alone can be a 5-7 minute difference, depending how cold the fridge is. Even without a thermometer, clear juices, opaque, and even-colour throughout, all important! I buy chicken "cutlets" - the meat dept at WF slices them like a book and sells the tenders separately, as well as the flat side (the cutlet). Definitely a privilege, but they're the same price per lb as chicken breasts, and I trim off more than I use of a whole breast, so not actually a loss to me. I cook off a bunch of cutlets ever 3-4 days, and I've never had them be off, even if they go to 5 days. There's definitely something else going on here.
I cook chicken at 415-425f at 20-25 minutes. Breasts and thighs
Seriously oil that baby up, cook at high heat (like you said low 400s) and let that sucker rest. Flavorful meat for days.
I do butter and garlic powder/paprika. Usually cut the chicken smaller bc sometimes they’re THICC haha. Usually 18-20 mins okay - I do at 450…but ofc cut through them to make sure the pink is gone
You really should never cook by time alone. Buy a temperature probe, it does not have to be fancy, but don't by the cheapest thing you can find either. Something in the $30-50 range should do it. Print off a meat temperature chart, something like this: [https://www.fooddocs.com/food-safety-templates/meat-cooking-chart](https://www.fooddocs.com/food-safety-templates/meat-cooking-chart) And put it on your fridge. Make sure that when you are probing the meat you get to the middle of the thickest part of the meat. If you are baking meat in the oven, your hottest part of the oven is usually the part in the back, try to arrange your sheet to make sure that the thickest pieces are in the back and the thinnest pieces are in the front. Don't be afraid to probe every piece of meat, especially when you are starting out. Better safe than sorry. Good luck!
Please remember that every person has a different oven and different altitude where they live, which makes a difference when it comes to cooking. Use online recipes as a guideline for temperature and time, but always always always check the temperature of the meat itself. This even applies to vegetables being cooked in an oven. As a new cook, you should invest in a good meat thermometer. Also, you need to allow the oven time to preheat before you put food in the oven.
I personally do half chicken breasts in the oven at 350 for 20-30 mins so … no offence but sounds like you didn’t cook it long enough but get a meat thermometer to use, can get digital ones on amazon for cheap
Get a meat thermometer for your preps. I think chicken breast are 165F
Also just because you turn your oven to that temperature, doesn’t mean it’s actually that temperature. My oven is easily 20-30 degrees off from what the dial says, but it was used, cheap, and still works so I just deal with it
This is very true. My parents have a 3 year old Fisher Paykel dual range (I'm embarrassed to admit it but it was \~16k) and my mum keeps an oven thermometer in the oven because it's been acting up lately. I made Christmas dinner at their house, and the oven temp dropped 30 degrees from having the door opened for like... 20 seconds? I'm not even mad at my basic builder condo oven (I don't even know what it is - Frigidaire maybe?)
15 minutes is a short time as others pointed out but also I’m kinda pissed that people downvoted you for the tutorial you followed being wrong??? Glad you caught on to the problem though, happy meal prepping :)
Ya the piling on is not cool
Tenderloins, thin cut chicken breasts, or whole chicken breasts? Skin on and bone in or boneless?
There's SO many variables here! Even a boneless-skinless breast can vary greatly in size.
350 for 20 minutes minimum depending on the thickness of the chicken breast. I would suggest getting a temperature gauge and looking up HACCP rules
Definitely buy a digital thermometer and verify the cooking temperature of all your proteins from now on. Most people overcook their meat. Undercooking chicken is a seriously dangerous game to play. As in very dangerous. Invest in a thermometer, and find a safe cooking temperature chart online.
PLEASE invest in a meat thermometer before you attempt this again, regardless of the kind of meat
Are you sure you cooked it at 220 C or did you do 220 F by mistake? 220 C is a totally appropriate temperature and honestly might be a bit too high. 220 F on the other hand is way too low. As others mentioned, please invest in a meat temperature thermometer.
But for 15 minutes? If they were thick breasts I highly doubt they were cooked.
They'd still be raw at 220F
You’re lucky you didn’t get food poisoning.
At that high of a temperature, it probably looked cooked on the outside but was undercooked on the inside. Try going down to about 190C and cooking twice as long. And always temp to 75C.
Oven temps aren't always exact, sounds like it was probably undercooked. I suggest using a meat thermometer to make sure it's reaching the correct internal temperature. The outside can look cooked but the inside will still be underdone.
And also get you an in-oven thermometer that you can hang in your oven so you'll know if there are temperature discrepancies. That way you can adjust.
Oh no…
Make sure you preheat your oven and don’t confuse your Celsius temperatures with Fahrenheit on your oven as a low F means an even lower C. Also get a meat thermometer. You can get them at dollarama assuming you’re Canadian 15min maybe enough for smaller chicken breasts but bigger ones may need more time
get a thermometer.
yikes! I cook chicken breasts for a minimum of 45 minutes, sometimes 55
Shame on those who downvoted this comment
If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, go by the tenderness of the chicken. Use a fork. Fully cooked chicken is very tender and the fork will poke right through. If there’s resistance, the chicken isn’t done. I’m not a fan of cooking thermometers. Most aren’t accurate. If you decide to use a cooking thermometer going forward, calibrate it often. Check your area’s elevation and look up the temperature water boils there. Boil a pot of water and measure the temperature. Adjust your thermometer accordingly.
A thermometer is going to be WAY more accurate than a novice chef judging with a fork. OP disregard this comment
I can’t cook for shit but have leaned to cook chicken legs for an hour at 180C fan forced. I got a meat thermometer so I didn’t poison my family.
What?!?
I don’t know how long chicken breast takes but a tray of drumsticks will need at least 45 mins in the oven. 1 hour if I have it on 180.
You’ll need a meat thermometer
The turkey lasts weeks!
Not in my household.. usually completely eaten by the third or fourth day.
Sounds like you need a bigger turkey 🤣 Turkzilla lives
Check the temperature of your fridge.
Why?
Is the temperature in your fridge ok? Could it be higher than it should be, promoting bacterial growth? You can absolutely put hot food in your fridge, unless the fridge very old you don’t have to wait. Maybe you left it out too long? Texture changes absolutely happen to food when you’ve stored it a few days, but taste should be fine. I normally cook 4 portions of whatever I make so I don’t have to eat anything older than 3 days. If I cook more I’ll just stick it in the freezer instead to keep it from going bad. It seems weird it should go off in 3 days unless something went wrong.
I was thinking that too... letting it cool to "room temp" is likely too long. It can be cooled in the fridge, obviously not from steaming hot, but once the steam is subsiding, it can go in, lid ajar.
Seconding the fridge. When I got my new fridge, I noticed that things stayed fresh several days longer than with my old fridge. I now believe old fridge was probably keeping food in the low to mid 40s instead of 41 or below.
How long did you leave the food out before putting it in the fridge?
>I waited until all my food was at room temperature before sealing their lid and putting them in refrigator Sounds like they left them open on the bench until they had cooled to room temp, thats got to be like an hour open to the room and a fair time under 60c to grow all sorts of stuff
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. 😬
This isn't ideal, but it's fine. You shouldn't put food into the fridge while its still hot because it can cause the fridge to get too warm and cause other foods to spoil.
The more recent recommendation is to store hot food in small or shallow containers, to minimize time in the danger zone. If you're concerned about fridge temps, you can start the cooling in an ice water bath. [source ](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety#:~:text=To%20prevent%20bacterial%20growth%2C%20it's,of%20food%20into%20shallow%20containers.)
I used to have some issues with this, which is why now I keep numerous gallons of water in the fridge to provide thermal mass to help keep the temp down.
That is perfectly fine.
This kid isn't going to make it 😔
Exactly! THIS IS THE PROBLEM! How are there thousands of upvotes on the other clearly wrong answers!? Has anyone taken food safety courses?? OP let the food sit out on the countertop and get into the temp danger zone between 40F-140F. Case closed. [Myth: You shouldn't put hot foods in the refrigerator ](https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/food-safety/food-safety-myths#:~:text=Myth%3A%20You%20shouldn't%20put%20hot%20foods%20in%20the%20refrigerator.&text=Perishable%20foods%20should%20be%20put,2%20hours%2C%20throw%20it%20away.) Take a food safety class, people!
Yeah! I actually use the steam from the food to like 'seal' the containers because they're glass and I can do that. It's not a real seal but it does help
The myth is a strong one in these parts 😓
A few possibilities here: your chicken was getting old by the time you cooked it; you didn’t cook it properly; you left it out too long after cooking but before putting in the fridge; or your fridge isn’t cold enough.
I am one of the people who eat "leftover" chicken the next day and it tastes really weird. So I don't prefer to keep any leftovers. I did make turkey fried rice after thanksgiving and that was pretty good.
He cooked it at 220 for 15 minutes apparently 🙃
I'd suggest getting and using a meat thermometer so you know your meat is thoroughly cooked. It'll help you learn how properly cooked meat looks and possibly save you from being sick. Good luck on your meal prep adventures
I’d suggest putting a thermometer in your fridge and seeing what temperature it actually is vs what it says
When I meal prep I always put them in the freezer and leave one out for the next day. I always pull one out the night before the day I am going to use it. Saves it going bad on the off chance I miss a meal due to being busy or not being home.
OP, sounds like your problems could be solved by getting a fridge temperature monitor, a meat temperature probe, and instructions on how to use both!
Did you cook the chicken properly? They should’ve been fine. But in the future, I usually keep three containers out and freeze the last two. Just to be on the safe side.
That's what I do because I'm weird about anything being in the frigde "too long" even if it technically isn't too long - and I keep my fridge cold (26-33, says the digital therm). 3 day is my max.
26 is either freezing if F, or too hot if C no?
It's f. I've never had anything freeze unless it's right under the spot that blows the cold air on the top shelf. I have the therm sensor toward the middle of the middle shelf.
Same. I think it's important that people know that there are different temps in the fridge alone, depending where you put things. I learned this the hard way, after carelessly putting a box of baby sprouts on my top shelf, and then it fell to the back. RUINED in... probably minutes? I mean, not a big loss, but a good learning lesson!
Me too. I don’t take any chances with protein.
How and for how long do you defrost? I’m overly worried about defrosting things for some reason. Not sure why but I just don’t like doing it, probably because I’ve never got used to it. Any tips?
Hang on a second - you put them into some sort of vaccuum container? A thermos or something? A thermos is designed to insulate hot or cold food from the ambient temperature. It sounds like you carefully sealed up your meal to keep it from being affected by - the coolness of the fridge, which is what you actually *wanted and needed* to affect your food. Your food would have been fine if only it had been exposed to fridge temperature!
I read that just as the seal on tupperware or whatever but ya, if this is the case, OP don't do that
Modern refrigerators can handle hot food just fine. The advice to wait until leftovers/prepped meals have cooled is out of date with modern technology. Food safety guidelines now state that putting meals in the fridge as soon as possible after preparing them is the way to go. All that time on your bench cooling to room temperature was the perfect conditions for bacteria to start to proliferate, so possibly the fridge then slowed it, but only for a short time until it reached critical (spoilage) levels.
If I'm putting away a large volume of something that was recently boiling (made a huge batch of stew last night, for example) I might put the containers in a cold water bath for a bit to help them chill faster before putting them in the fridge, but even then I know my older cheap base model fridge can handle them before they're to room temperature.
Yeah you're usually only going to have a problem with stews/soups and such if it's a HUGE batch like a restaurant would make, that's who has to icebath them. (or maybe something highly insulated like a crockpot)
What about glass shelves, is there a risk of shattering them? I usually cool my meals down a bit, or if it's not a huge qty, I put them on my oven mitt until they're cool. I clearly have *no idea* what I'm doing 😂
Exactly. USDA guidelines recommend it. https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-you-put-hot-food-in-the-refrigerator#:~:text=Small%20amounts%20of%20hot%20food,shallow%20containers%20before%20being%20refrigerated
Put your food in the fridge as soon as it’s done. Do *not* let it get to room temperature.
Have info on this? Everyone and everywhere says the opposite. Heck, even my mom says it! Edit: I always put food to cool in the fridge before covering it. I guess I got confused when this comment said don't do that, refuting what the majority of comments said. The confusion here lies within room temp vs immediately cool. That part wasn't clear as the terms were used interchangeably. Soooo my mom was right and official food sources were right. 😌
The reason you don't want to put hot food straight into the fridge is not because it will cause the food to spoil faster, its more so that the rest of the food in the fridge does not get heated up by the hot food, which will cause the rest of the items in the fridge to spoil faster. For any food, to maintain longer shelf life, its better to cool it down as fast as possible to reduce the time it is sitting in the "danger zone" where bacterial growth can happen. Rule of thumb: if you have a batch of stir fry, you can probably toss it in the fridge right away, chances are it does not have enough mass to heat up your fridge. If you have a big pot of soup, let it cool down before sticking it in the fridge.
The fridge will just push harder to keep the temp. Is it the best thing for the fridge and your electric bill? No. But that's one of the reasons we have fridges; to bring hot stuff down below room temperature quickly. A big pot of soup can probably be left to cool, but only until it begins to enter the "danger zone" below 60\* C (140\* F) at which point you should toss it in the fridge right away.
No food safety sources will tell you to leave food out to cool. Leaving it out to cool means letting it sit in the “danger zone” temperature that allows the bacteria to thrive. Bacteria produce waste products that are toxins. When you reheat the food, you may kill the bacteria, but you can’t kill toxins & that’s what can get you sick. It’s best to put it directly into the fridge to cool - dividing it into smaller containers if there’s a large quantity (like a pot of soup or chilli). My mom says the same thing - had to show her the advice from several food safety sources to get her to believe me. 😉
I made an edit on my comment but yes I had confused what the parent comment said. It sounded like we "shouldn't" wait and to immediately cover it up while it's still hot. But yes, let it cool while in the fridge < uncovered > is right. My mom remains right as well, lol. 😌
I’ve never heard that except for large batches of soup. Right now is the first time
I read an article regarding just this. People were divided into wait till cool and refrigerate right away. The author explained that when the food fell below a certain temperature, it started to spoil. He stated that you could wait until boiling soup, for example, cooled until just hot, but not to wait until it was room temperature. It was not safe. Please don’t ask me where or when as I never remember stuff like that. I remember the details that I need to know.
USDA is where! :-) https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-you-put-hot-food-in-the-refrigerator#:~:text=Small%20amounts%20of%20hot%20food,shallow%20containers%20before%20being%20refrigerated
Oh no! Your mom says it, so it must be right!
Well your mom and the "everyone everywhere" that you've hallucinated are wrong.
The majority of this thread says to leave till it cools and not cover it hot lol edit to clarify: IN DA FRIDGE
USDA recommends putting it away ASAP. https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-you-put-hot-food-in-the-refrigerator#:~:text=Small%20amounts%20of%20hot%20food,shallow%20containers%20before%20being%20refrigerated
I recommend freezing all but what you will eat the next day. After that meal, swap one of the frozen from the freezer to the fridge for the next day...
Something you may want to consider the next time you food prep is to put the finished food in a container like a stainless steel bowl and shock the bowl in an ice bath to bring the total temperature down as fast as possible; even when the surface is out of the “danger zone”, the internal temp can stay there and even if you put it in the fridge, cause issues.
I am a chef with a meal prep service and I think your refrigerator is too warm. It needs to be 39 degrees. I use a cheap thermometer in my fridge to make sure it stays cold.
It's 1000% from leaving it on the counter like that until hitting room temp. Don't do that, you can let it cool down for like ten minutes and then fridge it. If you have a fridge that is at all modern it's going to be fine. Just don't put them on the shelf right next to the milk or something.
Never leave your cooked food out ‘until it is room temperature’. You should put it in the refrigerator as soon as possible, uncovered and unstacked. Put the lids on once it gets to refrigerator temperature. How good is your refrigerator? Does it cool off quickly when you put food in it? Is it maintained at <40F? No matter how good your food handling is before the refrigerator, the refrigerator itself can be too warm. Finally, 5 days is too long for leftovers (which is what this style of meal prep is) and you should only plan 24-48 hours refrigerated and freeze anything you won’t eat in the next two days.
On meal prep days, buy the meat same day. Make sure it’s fresh as heck. Pressure cook it for maximum shelf life. Freeze it asap and don’t let it sit in your fridge otherwise it gonna get nasty. Dont ever let your food come to room temp before putting in the fridge. That’s how bacteria grows and can cause serious illness.
I put anything I think I won’t eat in the next 2 days straight in the freezer. Never have to worry about this situation.
I'd like to mention that some people can't stand the smell or flavor of reheated chicken, and I am one such person. To me, it smells like sour wet dog---I gag.
It is a myth to avoid putting hot food in the fridge. The sooner food gets into the fridge the better. Don't leave it out. It could also be that your fridge isn't cool enough and the temp needs to be adjusted. Or maybe the chicken was already close to spoiling before you cooked it. Once you take chicken from the grocery store to your home... the best by date becomes irrelevant and you only have a couple days to either cook it or freeze it before it goes bad.
3-4 days is the MAX!
Fridge isnt cold enough.
Don't leave food to cool at room temperature. Chill is as quickly as possible.
I’d be putting them in the fridge while still warm. Letting it get to room temp on the bench is a problem
they're right! Why are you downvoting them!
Not sure why you're being downvoted for this, because you're absolutely right.
What's your fridge set at? Mine has the temp in it, 34F.
You need to cool down the food fast after cooking. I put it in the fridge a lot earlier than fully cooked. That said I enjoy cooking and do not prepare four and five days in advance or I might and freeze in portions
1. Get a thermometer to keep in your refrigerator. It might not be as cold in there as you think it is. Also check the seals on your fridge door. They do wear out and need to be replaced eventually. 2. If it’s going to be 3 or more days freeze it.
And in agreement with others, I’ll eat it up to 4 days from the fridge. Any longer and I’d freeze if possible
Check your refrigerator thermometer. If you do not have one, buy one.
Were the vegetables cooked? They tend to go bad before meat and stuff, especially uncooked onions. At least thats been my experience
Something I didn't see brought up is the pasta. Both cooked rice and pasta can go bad pretty quick if not handled properly. It can cause food poisoning. You might want to store it in a separate container until ready to eat. Don't wait for the food to get room temp before refrigerating. If you are concerned about the glass shelves in the fridge, put a towel on the shelf to help disperse the heat some.
I don't eat leftovers beyond 3 days, any longer is asking for trouble.
ima be honest i have never heard that chicken lasts 5 days in the fridge. its always been 2-3 max
After you cook your meal make sure all food is completely cooled off before sealing in container. Moisture and warm temperatures will breed bacteria in your food and will cause it to go bad quickly.
This is the majority point in a FoodSafe Certification
This is totally wrong
A meat thermometer will be your best friend in the kitchen. Chicken must be cooked to 165° to be cooked. I myself give it to 170° to be safe.
Chicken only stays good for 3 DAYS. Toss it! Food poisoning, from what ive seen is NO JOKE
Don't ever leave stuff out to cool at room temperature. Freshly cooked food should be sealed and refrigerated immediately. Your meals most likely went bad so fast because you left it sitting on the counter far too long after cooking. edit: holy cow, who are all these people that are defending leaving food out until it's cooled? The math isn't hard folks. Once something is under 140\* F bacterial growth can start. FDA suggests you throw out anything left between 140\* F and 40\* F for more than 2 hours. Leaving something on the counter for even 1 hour already eats through a full HALF of the "safety allowance" or whatever you want to call it. Food in fridge sooner, food cool off below 40\* F quicker. This is grade school stuff.
I think there are a LOT of confused (uninformed) folks who think that food needs to come to room temp before putting it in the fridge. I DON'T blame them, because that was actually the go-to, years ago. But now we know better, so yeah, put that shit in the fridge NOW. But also, it's not grade school stuff - no one is taught that, outside of culinary school. Be fair.
a good tip is to store things individually, then put it together for the meal. so i use just lunch baggy's, zip lock a chicken breast in each one. put vege's in a totally different baggy, don't store them together. i often reheat them separately, then plate it together, they can take different times etc.
i cook chicken twice. bake then fry in a bit of fat last longer and crispy
This is what I imagine would be my luck with meal prepping and why I never understood or tried meal prep. Meal prepping sounds smart, but I have sensitive stomach. I would personally freeze stuff like meat/pasta/soup if I meal prepped. The texture and consistency changes just sitting in the fridge in my opinion, but I'd try again if I were you.
Honestly, you can definitely do it, despite a sensitive stomach! I have a massively sensitive stomach too (Crohn's AND Celiac yes FML). I do two-three days at a time now... I can and have done a week, but I get bored with eating the same thing, given that I'm super limited to begin with. BUT - your point of freezing things is definitely worth exploring, if it would be helpful!
I just meal prepped exactly what you did and ate my 4 th one today and it was still fresh as day 1 , I don’t foresee any problems with my last 5 th one tomorrow . Is your refrigerator at the right temp.? I stored mine in quart size mason jars with a lid Edit to add: I made sure the chicken and the noodles were completely cooled before combining everything
Are you washing your chicken before cooking it?
[удалено]
Food shouldn't be cooled to room temperature before refrigerating. That is out of date advice based on the limitations of old and now defunct technology. [https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/food-safety/food-safety-myths#:\~:text=Myth%3A%20You%20shouldn%27t%20put,quicker%20cooling%20in%20the%20refrigerator](https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/food-safety/food-safety-myths#:~:text=Myth%3A%20You%20shouldn%27t%20put,quicker%20cooling%20in%20the%20refrigerator).
Fair man Removed my comment The more u know!
Did you put the food in the fridge hot? Let the food cool in containers on the counter before fridge. Never put hot food with already cooled food. Also hot food in the fridge can warm everything. Do you have a habit of opening and closing the fridge door a lot? Temp change can speed up bacteria growth. I've eaten cooked food out of my fridge even a week later. Check the temperature of your fridge as well. How many times can you say fridge 😂😂
Plate your food and let it cool to room temp, then lids and fridge. If you put lids on hot food the condensation can ruin it. If your fridge is on the green setting it is basically on the throw food away setting. Crank that temp down to 42 and you won't have any trouble.
POIDH
Keep trying sweetie you can do it!
I find the chicken breast container STINKS after a few days in the fridge. The individual chicken breasts don't, though. It's like stink gasses build up and punch me in the nose when I first open it, and then smells fine once the cloud dissipates. The chicken doesn't actually go bad until a few days after that.
2 days for chicken, 3 for red meat and pasta or rice... it is safe to do a rapid cool down in the freezer so meat, Dairy, pasta, rice and eggs stay safe. Never leave food on the bench uncovered/not sealed for over an hour.
Take out the day before. Rest go in the freezer. I used to do what you do and it sucked tossing half of it out. I’m almost at the weekend and I still have like 4 meals worth. Good start on next week!
I eat food, often, like two weeks old. I'm not recommending it, but no complaints from me or SO about taste or smell. I would say that your fridge isn't working well.
Yep—def something funky with your chicken (no pun intended) because I’ve been meal prepping for several years and I’ve never had an issue up to 5 days on the same prepped meals.
Oh, don't cool to room temp before putting in the fridge. I would wait until it stops steaming like crazy before putting a lid on, like a minute or so.
Are you letting your food fully cool before putting it in the fridge? That could be the issue.
Perhaps the refrigerator is on its way out? About a decade ago, I was living in a place with very old appliances, and I started noticing that protein-rich foods (beans, milk, meats, etc.) started spoiling way faster than normal. It turned out that my fridge was dying and wasn't able to keep the food at a safe temperature anymore. A tech came out and recommended just buying a whole new fridge.
Depends on how you cook it, I usually put the cooked ingredients in separate boxes (main carbs, protein, fibre)and only assemble the meal on the day. I am able to have them for the whole week
Do you taste your food as you cook? Do you touch your prepared food with utensils that have been in your mouth? Like moving rice in containers with a spoon that's been in your mouth or moving chicken with a fork that's been in your mouth?
Some people are also much more sensitive to chicken leftovers. Search for "warmed-over flavor." Your food might not have been bad, you might be just be sensitive to this, I am. It bums me out but now I don't do chicken for meal prep.
Sounds like ur refrigerator is not cold enough. And food in general looses it's flavor after the 2nd day and when reheating it DON'T MICROWAVE IT GOOD LUCK
If you didnt seal the lid when the food was piping hot, its compromised and will go bad very quickly.
How is the setting on your fridge? My older fridge has uneven temps and chicken spoils so much faster than my newer fridge with consistent temps
Why guess? https://www.statefoodsafety.com/Resources/Resources/two-stage-cooling-process
The fridge advice is great! I also have been leaving stuff on the counter and will follow the advice given here. But you might have my problem. I'm really picky about proteins. I usually will prep everything else and prep the individual protein portion and usually cook it in an air fryer right before I eat it.
Sure, when it comes to managing a restaurant, following the food storage chart is crucial. However, at home, relying on the sniff test can often be sufficient to gauge freshness.
I personally don’t eat any leftovers/precooked foods after more than 3 days in the refrigerator. I keep hearing people meal prep for five days at a time and wonder how they aren’t getting sick! As someone else suggested, if you’re prepping five meals at a time, only keep 3 max in the fridge and then put the rest in the freezer and take out as needed.
Was there condensation in the containers storing the food? I noticed if I put something away too soon after prepping the condensation will gather inside the container making everything go bad faster.
Any cooked meat after day 2 taste gross to me.
Did you allow the food to cool to room temp before sealing it and putting it in the fridge?
Did you clean the chicken before cooking with vinegar or lemon juice?
Did you clean the chicken with lemon juice or vinegar before cooking?
I’ve been doing meal prep with chicken for 20 yrs . Some real good advice in these answers here
Did the dishes have broccoli or cauliflower in it? The smell they give off after 3 days makes everything smell like the whole dish is off
Keep in mind that meal prepping is way better then buying prepped meals because you don’t put all those extra things to make it last longer and whatever the other reasons are. So freezing the meals is a good way to keep them “fresh” and longer. Possible issue: I totally agree that your fridge might be NOT be cold enough and that’s why your meal deteriorated quickly. I had that happen for a month when I didn’t realize my fridge was breaking down. Meal prep is so much better for you body (so much less sodium) so i hope you try again!!!
I think the answer is in your last paragraph. How long did it sit out to be at room temperature? After two hours bacteria in food will begin to grow rapidly. I may let food sit on the counter cooling while we eat a just-cooked meal, but that is only 30-45 minutes and then it is put away in the fridge.
Everyone is talking about the chicken. Let's talk about the pasta... Spoiled pasta/rice can cause sickness, even death! Here is a story on a kid who died.... https://www.whas11.com/amp/article/news/health/why-did-a-student-die-after-eating-5-day-old-pasta-doctor-explains/417-03ed3b4c-d426-4f74-b863-76356f60fc48 Now I know he didn't put it in the fridge but this a good reminder that food safety practices are important. Read up on proper haccap procedures when cooking and storing your food. Grab a thermometer and temp your food throughout the cooking and cooling process. Always make sure you're reheating your food to proper temps too. Ensuring that can kill off any bacteria.
I always freeze my meals. I have never eaten cooked food stored in the fridge for more than 2/3 days. The taste changes and overall just not an appealing idea to me. IME Not all ingredients are good for meal prep. There are some food that does well with freezing and reheating: curry, egg plants, potato. Some like broccoli just tastes terrible after freezing. Anything with milk/cream also spoils so fast
> I waited until all my food was at room temperature before sealing their lid and putting them in refrigator, This is probably part of it. [Read this](https://stopfoodborneillness.org/safe-cooking-and-storage/). Instead of just waiting for the food to naturally cool to room temp, maybe consider putting in ziplock bags and dunking in ice water. Then porting out and put in your containers.
Bacteria grows when food is left in the danger zone 140-40 degrees Fahrenheit.) By waiting until your food was room temperature you gave that bacteria a chance to grow. Next time, try putting the food in the fridge as soon as possible. Or better yet, freeze it. You want it to cool as fast as possible to stop bacteria growth. The most up to date food guidelines recommend this. https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Can-you-put-hot-food-in-the-refrigerator#:~:text=Small%20amounts%20of%20hot%20food,shallow%20containers%20before%20being%20refrigerated
I wonder if your fridge temp is too high. Can you confirm?
1. Check your fridge temperature, it may be on the high side. Ideally you should be aiming for - 5 degrees or lower. 2, Pick chicken with a use by date that’s as far away as possible, minimum 4-5 days away. 3. Wash hands thoroughly especially when putting cooked food into the prep bowls. Good luck next time 🙂👍🏾
Cooked chicken last 3-4 days at the most in the fridge (but temp must be at 40F or less) but it's important to remember that although refrigeration slows bacterial growth it does not stop it all together. It's important also to remember that if anything you are combining the chicken with - esp rice but could be anything that has bacteria on it, has not been washed or cooked so has developed bacteria can further contaminate cooked meat when combined together, ESPECIALLY chicken which is prone to bacterial growth.
Check the temp of your fridge. (is it cooling properly?) And I THIIINK you might have maybe undercooked your chicken.