CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you don't want to waste your extra food, you're not alone, but experts say it's important to know the life of your leftovers.
Let's connect the dots.
According to experts from Better Homes and Gardens, here's how long some popular cookout items can be safely stored in the fridge or freezer.
- Hot Dogs: one week in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer.
- Other cooked meat: just three to four days in the fridge and up to six months in the freezer.
An important note, the USDA says these items should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking them. After that, bacteria starts to grow quickly.
What about fruit?
Experts say that's good for 3 to 4 days in the fridge and three months in the freezer.
And that cake?
A week in the fridge or six months in the freezer. Experts also say it's important to properly wrap or seal your leftovers to keep out bacteria.
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