Is Food Cooked On Its Use-By Date Safe To Eat The Next Day?

Use-by dateWe’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how properly frozen food never technically goes off, though the taste and texture are likely to become pretty impaired after months in ice. Even non-refrigerated veggies like potatoes can last for half a year if “cured,” too.But what about leftovers from food which was cooked on its last viable day? If I cook, for instance, yellow-sticker chicken on its “use-by” date, will I be able to safely consume it next lunchtime?Here’s what the experts say. Cooking extends food’s safe limit The Food Safety Authority (FSA) tells us, “You can eat food past its use by date if it is cooked or frozen.” This is because “cooking kills any pathogens in the food and gives you a little more time to use it up.” Their site says you can cook raw food until midnight on its use-by date. Once it’s cooked, they add, you have to eat or freeze it within 48 hours.But there are some caveats; the use-by date only counts if you stored the food according to its instructions, and you must make sure to chill any food that requires refrigeration at 5°C or below.You also can’t safely cook, eat, or even freeze food that has gone past its use-by date.You don’t have to chill food on the counter before putting it in the fridgeWhen chilling leftovers, you don’t have to let them cool on the countertops. You can place it right in the fridge. The myth that food must be cooled before being refrigerated could actually be harmful because it increases the amount of time food spends in the bacterial “danger zone” (between 4°C and 60°C).The Washington Department of Health says, “Perishable foods should be put in a refrigerator... within two hours of preparation. If you leave food out to cool and forget about it after two hours, throw it away.”And if the room is over 32°C, that goes down to one measly hour.Related...This Storage Trick Can Keep Potatoes Fresh For 6 MonthsThis Bread Bag Trick Can Keep Loaves Mould-Free For LongerPeople Are Just Realising This Popular Food Hygiene Rule Is A Complete Lie, And I'm In Shock

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