How much longer does food last once cooked?

Foods have a specific time during which they are safe to consume with acceptable quality. The duration depends on several factors, but we are talking above all about their nature, whether they have been subjected to some type of cooking and whether the conservation conditions have been adequate or not. Although we must keep in mind that even with the best storage conditions and correct cooking and handling, they end up deteriorating if we do not consume them in time. Does cooking food give us more time to consume it?

Cooking and its disinfectant mission with the destruction of pathogens

There are certain cooking methods, such as boiling, baking or grilling that help us extend the shelf life of certain foods. Although cooking a steak of meat does not prolong the expiration date, it does allow us to destroy possible pathogens that may have grown on its surface, which helps us gain more time and be able to preserve that cooked steak for a few more days. This trick allows us to prolong the life of food.

According to the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), we can cook food until midnight of the expiration date that appears on the product and then cool it and store it in the refrigerator.

According to experts, this is possible because cooking kills pathogens present in food, such as Salmonella, E.coli and Listeriaand gives us more time to use them. But this is only possible if cooking reaches 70 °C in all parts of the food (although it is also true that some pathogens cannot withstand temperatures higher than 55 °C).

How can we know if we have reached these temperatures? The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) gives some clues: the meat must have a grayish color and, in the case of chicken, it must lose its pink color; In the case of eggs, both the white and the yolk must be well set; and the fish have firm, white meat that is easily separated with a fork.

But be careful with the FSA’s previous trick, which only works if the food container is unopened and we have stored it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If not, it may have already gone bad.

This rule also does not work if the expiration date has already passed because the most likely thing is that the pathogens have accumulated to the point that cooking cannot combat them.

As for fruits and vegetables, it is clear that the longer we let them ripen, the more they lose their benefits. But since it is likely that many of us will not be able to do the shopping every day, sous vide cooking is one of our great allies because it allows us to prolong its useful life without altering the texture or flavor and even allows us to eliminate bacteria (unless unlike freezing, which only keeps food dormant).

Let us not forget that cooking also offers us other advantages, such as improving the availability of certain nutrients and the fact that it facilitates digestion.

How long does cooked food last?

Although, in general, we could keep cooked foods in the refrigerator for a while. maximum of four daysit is true that this time varies depending on the food, the type of cooking to which it has been subjected and how we have handled it.

For example, once cooked, legumes can last about two days in the refrigerator, a little longer for vegetables and meat, which will last well cooked and in the refrigerator for between three and four days. On the other hand, cooked pasta and rice are best not left in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours, just like cooked fish or seafood. The ideal, however, is to consume rice immediately after cooking it, since this is a high-risk food that encourages the growth of bacteria.

If we cook eggs and do not peel them, the time they give us until we can use them is longer, up to a week in the refrigerator.

Meat, of any type, is considered a highly perishable food due to its high moisture content. In general, cooked meat can remain in the refrigerator for a maximum of four days, a time that may vary depending on previous handling and the type of meat in question. Chicken, for example, can last longer than raw chicken if we cook it, between three or four days (compared to one or two days for raw chicken), since cooking inactivates any potential pathogens in the poultry meat and allows it to keep fresh for longer.

In the case of minced meat, something similar happens to chicken. Once cooked, the minced meat will last well in the refrigerator for up to four days – beyond this time we are increasing the risk of food poisoning. If not cooked, ground beef, including hamburgers, stays fresh for a day or two after refrigeration. We must keep in mind that minced meat undergoes a process that exposes various areas of the meat to external factors, such as air or knives.

All this is of no use if we have left the cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours. That is, if after cooking them we have not put them in the refrigerator almost immediately, we will not have gained any time since we will have exposed them to the danger zone in which they are likely to have become contaminated.

What signs will tell us that food has gone bad? We must pay attention to signs such as the appearance of bubbles around the food, excessive leaching of water, discoloration on the surface, appearance of mold, formation of a viscous layer on the surface or bad odor.