What do you do with the leftovers after the party?

Are you ready to party? It’s that time of year again for holiday parties, bowl game parties, and New Year’s Eve parties. You spend weeks planning your menu and inviting people. So what do you do when the party is over and you have a counter full of leftovers? Can you just wrap up the leftovers, put them in your fridge, and eat them for weeks?
The answer isn’t as easy as saying yes or no, there are a few things to remember with proper food storage.

• First, you should not leave your perishables, prepared foods, leftovers at room temperature for more than two hours. Don’t leave the leftovers just sitting out on the counter and expect to be able to eat them later.
  
• When serving items such as cold salads put the salad bowl in another bowl that contains ice.
  
• Use crock pots, chafing dishes, or other containers to keep food hot when serving.
  
• After the party place items in the refrigerator, the cooler temperatures will decrease the bacterial growth.
  
• If you have a large pot of chili or leftovers, divide it into several shallow containers to cool more evenly and quickly.
  
• Discard leftovers that have been out during the party for more than 2 hours.
  
• Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
  
  • Label your food with the name of the food and when it should be thrown away, the use by date. For example, if ground beef has been cooked and stored at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower and later used to make meat sauce, the meat sauce should be labeled with the date it should be thrown away.
    
• Remember to throw food away that has passed the manufacturers’ expiration date.
  
• Ready-to-eat food that has been prepared at home can be stored for a maximum of 3-4 days at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower before it should be thrown out.
  
• When you transfer food between containers be sure that the new container is clean and can be labeled. Sometimes we get busy and forget to clean and throw away out-of-date items stored in the refrigerator. Do this quick cleaning at least once a week.
  

Reference: foodsafety.gov

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