‘Can I Still Eat That?’ How Long Your Favorite Foods Stay Edible

Spoiled food isn’t always dangerous, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. O’Leary says, “Spoiled food might be safe to eat, but might also be hazardous. Since we don’t know the cause of spoilage, it is best to pitch it.”

So about how long will some your favorite foods last before they spoil?

Poultry

Your leftover chicken breast should be on the menu before the end of the week if you want to keep it from going bad.

“If you have poultry in your fridge for a little over a week, the surface will become slimy and start to give off odors,” O’Leary says. “Slime is probably the most noticeable [sign that it has spoiled].” Of course, if you leave chicken sitting on your counter top, you’ve got considerably less time. “Generally, we don’t want things like meat left at room temperature for more than four hours,” O’Leary says. “It can become unsafe during that time period, even if it doesn’t look any different.”

Shelf Life: A week in the fridge, a few hours on the counter.

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