For some whacked out reason i have this weird Phobia of food going bad in the fridge after about a day. The things im talking about are like, chicken breast's, boiled veggies, tuna salad.. stuff like that.

I had food poisoning from some cheerios like 15 years ago when i was like 8 or 9 years old and from that time on i was always scared food can go bad in short periods of time.

Can someone tell me how long something can be in the fridge and still be ok to eat ? :p

LOL - I leave my chicken in there (in a tupperware bowl) for a week and havent gotten sick. I'd stick to 5 days if you want to be careful.

Can someone tell me how long something can be in the fridge and still be ok to eat ? :p I think it depends on the food. Most of the time the food quality (taste) will decrease before it would "go bad." If you are worried about food poisoning, the most important factor to prevent food poisoning is to keep foods at proper temperatures. The "Danger Zone" is 40 °F-140 °F. When food is between the danger zone temperatures, bacteria will grow and could cause food poisoning.

Just research proper food temperatures and how to safely store, prepare, cook, and reheat foods properly and you will be fine.

In restaurants I haved worked at in the past, "leftovers" are thrown away after 1 day (because of decreased quality (taste/presentation) when re-heated). But all restaurants prepare food in advance, and some items last up to 1 week or longer.

Mike

I prepare my tuna salad for my daily sandwiches once each week. I mix up 12 cans of tuna with pickles and eggs and celery and whatever I want -- I put it in 6 little containers (one for each day of sandwiches) and leave it them in the fridge until when I need them, so -- the last one is in the fridge for a week. No problems, ever. The taste is even good, I think.

Jello can last a long time, too. However, in my fridge, the jello disappears quickly, so...

I think most foods can last a week easily if properly contained in a working fridge.

I leave cooked chicken breasts in the fridge (premade for work) and they are fine. After a week I give the rest to my cats and they don't seem to mind. :)

Use the sense of smell and sight :nod: If it taste or look bad don't eat it.

Use the sense of smell and sight :nod: If it taste or look bad don't eat it.

I pre make my hard boiled eggs, tuna sandwitches, protien shakes, and chicken breasts a week in advance and leave them in the fride for a week (1 for each day) There is no way to get it all done in one day unless you spend your life in the kitchen when u are not at a gym.

Cheerios is the last food I'd ever expect someone to get food poisoning from, so I can understand why you'd be a little paranoid.

Meats Storage temp
40 F
Uncooked Beef, Lamb, Pork, Veal 3-5 days
Ground Meats 1-2 days
Bacon 1 week
Raw Sausage 1-2 days
Smoked Sausage 1 week
Leftover meat dishes 3-4 days
Leftover gravy, broth 1-2 days
Hot Dogs, opened 1 week
Hot Dogs, Unopened 2 weeks
Ham Slices, Precooked 2-5 days
Ham, whole, fully cooked 2 weeks

Poultry
Chicken or Turkey uncooked 1-2 days
Leftover Poultry dishes or plain pieces 3-4 days
Leftover Poultry in gravy, broth 1-2 days

Fish and Shellfish
Fresh 1-2 days
Leftovers 3-4

I have been following this guideline for years now. As others said make sure you wrap or cover your leftovers properly and look for look and smell. They are your first clues.

Ok, heres my diagnosis...
Cheerios weren't in the refridgerator. The fridge is designed to reduce the amount of oxygen and slow down the molecules and bacteria that will eventually make your foods rot. Outside of the fridge I wouldn't leave chicken breast sitting out for very long, but inside the fridge is safe.

In order to get over your fear, just think of the fridge as the "safe box." The pantry is what caused your problem, not the fridge...just change your way of thinking about the fridge and the pantry and perhaps that will help you conquer your fear.

At least we know food at your house is FRESH :) :tucool:

Just get a foodsaver and vacuum pack/jar everything. That's what I do -saves me a bit of money when the food lasts a bit longer.

I have discovered a way to make food last several days (mine usually lasts and tastes great for upto a week). Put your food in chinaware (its also called ceramic I guess) and cover them with an aluminium foil before storing in the fridge. That way the food does not lose moisture and stays fresh. You could also use tupperware as it achieves the same purpose.

It also depends on the kind of food. For example uncooked Pita, stored in big air tight containers last upto 15-20 days with no loss in taste or quality.