The Dos and Donts of Keeping Leftovers Safe. W ay back in April I inadvertently sparked some controversy here on Stonesoup. It all started when I suggested that some roast butternut pumpkin would keep in the fridge for a few weeks. One reader commented No way would any food be safe to eat after a few weeks in the fridge. Chicken Sulphur Smell' title='Chicken Sulphur Smell' />YuckWhich sparked much debate and some disparaging remarks about my food safety knowledge. For the record, I have a degree in Food Science, majoring in microbiology. How to Keep Cats and Dogs off Your Lawn. House Pets How to Keep Cats and Dogs off Your Lawn. How to Keep a Donkey as a Pet. Comments Baby Foods Pears Chicken, Sweet Potatoes Turkey, Apples Chicken, Apples Ham, Broccoli Chicken, Bananas with Carrots Beef, Vegetable beef dinner. BIRDS AND THE BEES Why does asparagus make urine smell Are there any other vegetables that have a similar effect Found these on edge of our field under oak alder trees. Smell good and mushroomy growing in long grass in clumps. Caps up to 4 dia. Does any. So yes I know my Listeria from my E. The thing I found most interesting was the observation that different people have different comfort levels around how long leftovers should keep. I think the most important factor should be whether you feel comfortable eating something or not. Not whether it fits some generic guidelines. After all, you know how its been stored, how well it was cooked in the first place, whether your fridge is cold enough. You can see if theres any mould growth or if it looks and smells funny. That being said, there are some actions you can take to make sure your leftovers are as safe as possible. Chocolate Eclair Cake. So Ive pulled together a quick Dos and Donts list to help you adopt food safety best practices in your kitchenThe Dos. DO put leftovers away ASAPBacteria love warm environments. The sooner you refrigerate or freeze your leftovers, the sooner bacteria growth will be slowed and the longer your leftovers will last. Simple. Do cover food well. Food exposed to the air in your fridge or freezer will dry out surprisingly quickly. This doesnt tend to be a food safety issue but it does make leftovers less appealing. I always cover with cling wrap or transfer leftovers into containers with airtight lids. I love the glass ones from Pyrex with the blue coloured plastic lids. For freezing, best to use proper freezer bags or zip lock bags to prevent freezer burn. DO trust your instincts. If something smells funny, or doesnt look the right colour or has mould or other nasties growing on it, its best to trust your senses and throw it out. DO share the love. Its important to be realistic about how many leftovers you can cope with. Better to send guests home with a little takeaway package than forcing yourself to eat the same leftovers for days. DO properly reheat food again before eating. Just as low temperature is important to minimising bacterial growth, high temperatures are the best way to kill off any sneaky fellas that have managed to grow. The Donts. DONT eat anything that feels unsafe I still follow my Mums rule, if in doubt, throw it out. If you feel that something is unsafe, theres no point stressing yourself out and risking your health. DONT throw away perfectly good food. Just because food has passed some arbitrary guideline of being in the fridge for X days, you dont need to toss it automatically. If you know its been handled carefully and refrigerated promptly and it looks and smells fine, then in all likelihood it will be safe. DONT leave things sitting around at room temperature for long periods of time. I know we mentioned the opposite of this in the Dos. But low temperatures are really one of the most important parts of keeping food safe so I wanted to stress it again. DONT feel like you always have to obey best before dates. This applies more to packaged food than leftovers, but since were talking safety and waste, I thought Id throw it in. If youd like to learn more, check out my Insiders Guide to Use by Dates. Hughs Sweet Potato Gratin. Takes about 6. 0 minutes. Adapted from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall in River Cottage Veg Everyday. Most people associate gratins with loads of cheese. As some French friends of mine pointed out recently, traditional French potato gratin is just made with potatoes and cream. When I first mentioned this to my Irishman, he wasnt very keen to try it. Its definitely one of those more unusual dishes that tastes much much better than you can imagine. The salty peanut butter does a great job of contrasting the rich sweet potato. Preheat your oven to 1. C 3. 50. F. 2. Mix cream, garlic and chilli, if using, in a large bowl. Season. Finely slice sweet potato into rounds. Toss sweet potato slices in the cream mixture. Layer half the sweet potato over the base of an oven proof dish. Scatter over the peanut butter and finish with the remaining sweet potato. Cover with foil and bake for 3. Remove the foil and bake for another 2. Allow to cool a little before serving. VARIATIONSvegan dairy free replace cream with coconut milk. Asian vibe combine the peanut butter with a few tablespoons Thai red curry paste. And serve with lime wedges. Asian vibe skip the chilli and possibly the peanut butter too. Video version of the recipe. With love,Jules x.