Overview
- Health agencies advise chilling cooked food within one to two hours and keeping fridges at 5C (41F) or below to slow bacterial growth.
- If food sits out two to four hours it can be eaten but not stored, and anything left out longer than four hours should be discarded.
- Typical fridge windows include turkey for three to four days, cooked rice and pasta within two days, ham on the bone up to 10 days, and pudding for about two weeks, with freezing extending turkey to roughly three to six months.
- Reheat leftovers until the centre reaches at least 75C (167F), keep any displayed hot food at 60C (140F) or hotter, reheat only once, and defrost in the refrigerator.
- Australia’s holiday waste is substantial, with research pointing to more than 54 million plates binned and 7.6 million tonnes a year, so outlets highlight simple reuse ideas like pies, wraps, soups, salads and curries.