Leftover Food Safety Time Calculator
Find the eat-by and discard date for refrigerated leftovers — 21 food types, the 2-hour rule, frozen and thawed leftovers, and a day-by-day timeline — based on USDA FSIS and FDA storage charts.
How it works
Discard date = date cooked or opened (or date thawed) + the food’s safe fridge days (most leftovers 3–4 days at 40 °F / 4 °C or colder) · discard at once if it sat out over 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C)
Refrigeration slows bacteria but doesn’t stop them, so USDA and FDA storage charts give most cooked leftovers 3 to 4 days at 40 °F (4 °C) or below. Some foods get less — gravy and meat broth only 1 to 2 days — and a few get more, like hard-cooked eggs and opened hot dogs at a week. Pick the food and the day it was cooked or opened, and the calculator adds the safe window to give an eat-by date (the start of the range), a discard date (the end of the range), a day-by-day timeline and the last day to freeze it. It also applies the two-hour rule: food that sat at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90 °F (32 °C), should be thrown out whatever the date. Switch to “Freezer” to see the best-quality date for frozen leftovers (they stay safe indefinitely at 0 °F but slowly lose quality), or to “Thawed in fridge” to restart the clock from the day they finished thawing.
Worked example
Chicken cooked on Sep 14, 2026 and refrigerated within an hour is best eaten by Sep 17 (14 + 3 days) and must be eaten, frozen or thrown out by the end of Sep 18 (14 + 4 days). Gravy from the same meal only keeps until Sep 16 (14 + 2 days). If the chicken had sat on a picnic table for 90 minutes on a 95 °F day, the 1-hour hot-weather limit would already be exceeded and it should be discarded.
Sources: FoodSafety.gov — Cold Food Storage Chart · USDA FSIS — Leftovers and Food Safety · FDA — Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart
Frequently asked questions
Can I trust the smell test?
Not fully. The bacteria that cause food poisoning often leave no smell, taste or visible change, while the ones that make food smell bad are usually not the dangerous ones. Follow the time limits rather than your nose, and when in doubt, throw it out.
What is the two-hour rule?
Perishable food should not sit in the “danger zone” of 40–140 °F (4–60 °C) for more than two hours in total, or one hour if it is above 90 °F (32 °C). Serving time and cooling on the counter both count, even before the food goes into the fridge.
Does freezing leftovers reset the clock?
No — it pauses it. Freeze leftovers within their fridge window and they stay safe indefinitely at 0 °F (−18 °C), though quality is best within the months shown. Once thawed in the fridge they get a new 3–4 day window; leftovers that were already past their fridge time before freezing should be thrown out.
How long is cooked rice good in the fridge?
Treat it like other leftovers: 3 to 4 days at 40 °F (4 °C) or colder. Rice deserves extra care with cooling, because Bacillus cereus spores survive cooking and can produce toxins if warm rice sits out — chill it within 2 hours in a shallow container.
What temperature should I reheat leftovers to?
USDA advises reheating leftovers to 165 °F (74 °C), checked with a food thermometer, and bringing soups, sauces and gravies to a rolling boil. Microwaves heat unevenly, so stir halfway and check the temperature in several spots.
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Storage times are general USDA/FDA guidance for food handled safely and kept at 40 °F (4 °C) or colder. They do not guarantee safety; discard food that looks or smells off, and follow stricter advice for pregnant people, young children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system.